<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><!-- generator="WordPress/2.9.2" -->
<rss version="0.92">
<channel>
	<title>Zimele - Developing Community Self-Reliance</title>
	<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org</link>
	<description>Developing Community Self-Reliance</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:31:47 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss092</docs>
	<language>en</language>
	<meta xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" name="robots" content="noindex,follow" />

	<item>
		<title>2010 Zimele Bike-A-Thon and Family Fun Walk</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Join us for our 2nd annual Bike-a-thon on Saturday June 26th. &#160;Last year we had 25 riders and raised over $10k. &#160;On Sunday June 27th, we will follow up the Bike-a-thon with a family fun walk with Carnival and BBQ sponsored by Metro Community Church,&#160;Maven Sports Medicine, and others. &#160;
&#160;&#160; &#160;&#160;&#160;
BIKE-A-THON
Date: &#160; &#160; &#160;Saturday June [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2010/05/15/2010-zimele-bike-a-thon-and-family-fun-walk/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Who makes the first move in real community developement?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[One of the great needs within under-resourced communities in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa is basic home care.  This is the kind of service that would greatly burden any non-profit organization, yet the need is often too great to ignore.  Zimele is well aware of the need, but they know that to take on such a [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2010/03/07/who-makes-the-first-move-in-real-community-developement/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Sunday March 7th &#8211; 1st day in SA</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Our group of six arrived late Saturday night at Miranda &#38; Max's after a long 26+ hours of travel. We left Newark Airport and connected in Washington DC's Dulles airport to a lengthy South African Airways (SAA) flight direct to Johannesburg with a fuel stop in Dakar, Senegal. This being my first international flying experience [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2010/03/07/sunday-march-7th-1st-day-in-sa/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Mar&#8217;10 Ambassador Trip Begins!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[We left Friday, March 5, 2010 from Newark and arrived only a few hours ago after over 24 hours of traveling/layovers consisting of 4 legs. It is an exciting time to begin this 15 day journey, yet we are so exhausted and jet lagged during these first couple hours on the ground. Everyone has immediately [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2010/03/06/mar10-ambassadors-trip-begins/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Zimele Wins Courageous Leadership Award</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Zimele in conjunction with Metro Community Church (www.emetro.org) is pleased to announce the receipt of the 2009 Courageous Leadership Award sponsored by the Willow Creek Association and World Vision. The Courageous Leadership Award was created to inspire all leaders by honoring churches doing exceptional work bringing assistance to the wholistic needs of under-resourced communities affected by AIDS around the world. For more details, please see here.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2010/02/15/zimele-receives-the-courageous-leadership-award/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Zimele Expands to Zimbabwe</title>
		<description><![CDATA[With an estimated 90% unemployment rate and hyper-inflation of over 200 million percent inflation, people are unable to afford the to pay for the daily necessities. Basic public services are breaking down as most teachers, nurses, garbage collectors and janitors have stopped working because their salaries no longer cover the cost of transport to work.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2010/02/15/zimele-expands-to-address-the-crisis-in-zimbabwe/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Meet the Ubumbano Savings Group</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The group currently has 14 members and has saved R1234 to date. One of the members is 85 years old and she is using the benefits from the group to improve the wellbeing of her extended family of grandchildren and great grandchildren.
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2010/02/15/meet-the-ubumbano-savings-group/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Meet the Vukuzenzele Egg Vendors</title>
		<description><![CDATA[This savings group pooled their savings to start a group business. They bought 18 trays of eggs for each of them to sell. They sold the eggs at 2x their costs, which allowed them to repay the group loan and have enough money to buy another 18 trays of eggs debt free!]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2010/02/15/meet-the-vukuzenzele-egg-vendors/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Meet the iThemba Barbers</title>
		<description><![CDATA[With their savings they bought a hair shaving kit and started a haircutting business to earn enough money to put themselves through school. Mthobisi and Nkosingiphile also use the money to buy food for their siblings. The savings and business skills they learned in the Self-Help-Groups taught them how to save and how to start and run their business.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2010/02/14/37/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Meet the Zamakuhle Savings Group</title>
		<description><![CDATA[As the members learned financial discipline, they were able to consistently purchase food to feed their grandchildren. As they became better savers, and as their savings grew, they able to use loans to dramatically transform their lives.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2010/02/14/meet-the-zamakuhle-savings-group/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Self Help Groups</title>
		<description><![CDATA[People need to be given a chance to get out of poverty. Zimele gives them that chance. This three-minute video highlights some of the dire issues that South Africa is dealing with today, and it explains how Zimele's Self-Help Groups can empower people to lift themselves out of poverty.
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2009/11/02/self-help-groups/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Self Help Groups (UK Version)</title>
		<description><![CDATA[This video provides a basic explanation of how Self-Help Groups work to provide empowerment and hope to communities in KwaZulu Natal South Africa. Zimele is an organization that seeks to equip women and communities with the means to help themselves. Self-Help Groups are one of the primary ways that these goals are accomplished.

]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2009/11/01/self-help-groups-uk-version/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>goodbye to all</title>
		<description><![CDATA[it&#8217;s hard to believe that a month has passed so quickly.  
as with most trips, my initial expectations were far different from what i have come to see, to do and ultimately, to know.  there are really no words to describe south africa.  it is as beautiful as it is complex.  [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2009/08/28/goodbye-to-all/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>it&#8217;s a wrap</title>
		<description><![CDATA[rosetta, miranda and i met up for an early morning cup of coffee at dulce cafe.  it was cold and the air was crisp &#8211; much like new york fall weather.  rosetta and miranda have been good friends for a long time and it is always a delight to see them together.  [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2009/08/28/its-a-wrap/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>a bridge to the clinic</title>
		<description><![CDATA[today, i spent more time with mildred visiting the health clinic.  what looks like a sparsely maintained operation from the outside is actually buzzing inside with patient queues and packed waiting rooms.  there is a fully stocked ARV clinic in the back that administers tests for HIV and TB, as well as various [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2009/08/27/a-bridge-to-the-clinic/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>crafts at winterton</title>
		<description><![CDATA[the zimele crafts program is a vital part of the organization that employs the women of winterton to produce craftswork such as beaded pens, necklaces, keychains, bags and a variety of decorative items.  there is quite a bit of emphasis on expanding this operation to become more fully functional as a commercial enterprise &#8211; [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2009/08/27/crafts-at-winterton/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>rugby, braai, and the madhatter tea party</title>
		<description><![CDATA[my weekend trip to the drakensberg mountains was postponed, so i instead joined the men in town to watch the sharks/griquas currie cup game at the beautiful tourgar estates owned by chris and his wife, who are neighbors to the brits family.  it was a gorgeous afternoon with the sun out and not a [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2009/08/23/rugby-braai-and-the-madhatter-tea-party/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>&#8216;eyes that look are common, but eyes that see are rare&#8217;</title>
		<description><![CDATA[this week i was given the opportunity to interact with some of the disadvantaged youth of swayimane.  i participated in a new life skills training course for a group of 17 kids, mainly between the ages of 16-25, sponsored by a program called SLOT (School Leavers Opportunity Training) which is funded by the Youth [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2009/08/23/eyes-that-look-are-common-but-eyes-that-see-are-rare/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>the rise of home-based care</title>
		<description><![CDATA[the past few days have been an interesting mix of activity &#8211; some more productive than others, but certainly unpredictable as the weather has been here lately.  audrey and i spent the majority of this week in swayimane following our daily routine with the few SHGs we&#8217;ve decided to focus on &#8211; documenting their [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2009/08/23/the-rise-of-home-based-care/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>welcome back, rosetta</title>
		<description><![CDATA[audrey and i spent the day at rosetta&#8217;s place, who had been away for two weeks and had just arrived back home this weekend.  after having heard so much about her and corresponding with her through email over the past few months, it was great to finally meet her in person for the very [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2009/08/17/welcome-back-rosetta/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>the cape postlude</title>
		<description><![CDATA[cape town was mostly what i expected it to be &#8211; a vibrant hub for tourists worldwide and a brilliant city set against the magnificent backdrop of table mountain that dominates the skyline.  it is home to some of nature&#8217;s most beautiful reserves, wildlife and oceanlife, and has some of the most breathtaking views [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2009/08/16/the-cape-postlude/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Zimele Wins Courageous Leadership Award</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Metro Community Church wins the &#34;Courageous Leadership Award&#34; for &#34;Zimele&#34; at the 2009 Willow Creek Leadership Summit.

]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2009/08/15/zimele-wins-courageous-leadership-award/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>prelude to the cape</title>
		<description><![CDATA[this morning i booked my flight to cape town this weekend.  i will be leaving bright and early tomorrow morning and coming back sunday afternoon.  i wish i had more time here so that i could explore all of the many things to see, since 2 days in cape town is quite the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2009/08/13/prelude-to-the-cape/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>a long road ahead &#8230;</title>
		<description><![CDATA[the truck broke down today, so instead of heading off to swayimane, i spent most of the day with miranda &#8211; running a few miscellaneous errands and shopping for childrens toys that are being donated to the creche in swayimane.  among the toys we bought were legos, mini-motorcars, rubiks cubes, a few math puzzles [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2009/08/12/a-long-road-ahead/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>hluhluwe / umfolozi &#8211; day 2 &amp; 3</title>
		<description><![CDATA[after breakfast, we were quickly off to the st. lucia world heritage site and a boat cruise on the estuary to see hippo, crocodile and the abundant birdlife.  the weather was absolutely gorgeous, the sun shining brightly, the skies clear and the air still.

the boat ride turned out to be a lot of fun. [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2009/08/10/hluhluwe-umfolozi-day-2-3/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>hluhluwe / umfolozi &#8211; day 1</title>
		<description><![CDATA[a weekend with mr. pietrus venter, our stentorian-voiced, barrel-chested afrikaaner tour guide and good friend, is a trip full of unique memories, buckets of laughter, and enough secondhand smoke to incapacitate ones lungs.  after only having gotten 2 hrs of shut-eye and waking up at 2am this morning, peet and i packed the van [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2009/08/10/hluhluwe-umfolozi-day-1/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>a quiet morning</title>
		<description><![CDATA[it was a relatively quiet and serene morning in swayimane.  standing on the pavement, i could hear the song of birds crisp and clear against the wind swaying through the tops of the surrounding sugar cane farms and only a few hundred meters away, the laughter of children frolicking in the schoolyard.  the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2009/08/10/a-quiet-morning/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>fruits of labor</title>
		<description><![CDATA[today was another full day in swayimane, mostly following up with several SHGs.  audrey&#8217;s son, mulumbua(?) &#8211; who is the most charming little boy, came along for the ride and accompanied our visits, which made the day so much more special  

we met with the &#8216;bambanani&#8217; SHG to discuss their current progress, as [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2009/08/05/fruits-of-labor/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>welcome to swayimane</title>
		<description><![CDATA[sawubona!
today was my first day on the field.  the drive to swayimane took about an hour from maritzburg and despite the (very) limited space, i could not have asked for a better arrangement than to be sitting alongside audrey and daphne.  audrey is zimele&#8217;s manager of social development and brings a tremendous wealth [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2009/08/04/welcome-to-swayimane/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>a day of rest &#8230; final thoughts</title>
		<description><![CDATA[earlier today, miranda and i ate lunch out on the veranda overlooking the village of swayimane &#8211; where i will be spending most of my working days, about a hundred miles from the guesthouse.  i very much enjoyed listening to her story, her involvement with zimele, her family history &#8211; and also sharing a [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.zimelecommunity.org/2009/08/03/a-day-of-rest-final-thoughts/</link>
			</item>
</channel>
</rss>
