Team Mains'l

Our 2021 goal is big: raise $50,000! We are teaming up with a MN foundation, who has graciously offered to match each donation, up to this amount - $100,000 will do more than you could ever imagine.

The people of Zimbabwe rely on subsistence farming for food. When there is a drought, there is no food; and severe droughts are expected this year. Their largest driver of revenue for the country is tourism. With the restrictions and dangers of COVID-19, there have been no tourists. Many people are destitute, and there is little or no governmental assistance or relief. And, this year, to pay for teachers, schools will be charging a $50 per month per student - the average salary for Zimbabweans is $150 per month. (We've been told that families will go without food to pay for school fees.)

This is where you come in. We need your support to raise $50,000. The Mains'l Mission Team will be journeying to Zimbabwe in September. We will be working alongside community members in a variety of ways:
* Putting in bore holes and/or equipment for much needed water (boreholes average $10,000 each)
* Beginning plans and construction for teacher's quarters in a rural area of Mgadla (the first classroom we constructed cost approximately $35,000)
* Conservation efforts to keep wild animals in balance with farm animals. With little tourism, the big five (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo) have overrun villages and towns. These animals are threatened by community members, who are eliminating them to protect their livestock. Without these efforts, game viewing is lessened and tourism suffers (Bomas cost around $1200 each, which keeps cattle safe at night from predators: lions, hyenas, cheetah)
* Antipoaching efforts: Includes job opportunities, as well as protecting and preserving the wildlife that often becomes threatened or endangered (education, security, and tracking initiatives - building fences around national game parks cost of average of $3000 per kilometer/.62 miles)
* Capital improvements and maintenance on existing structures (Old Age Homes, orphanages and schools are in dire need of repairs - average $10,000 per structure)
* Supporting starts ups for local micro-businesses for sustainable income, such as bread making, chicken and goat farming, structures for artists to display their crafts of wood carvings and more for tourism purchases ($2,000 per microbusiness average)

All funds go directly to our trusted partners on the ground in Zimbabwe, with no overhead or administrative expenses allocated. All travel costs are paid by the mission team members and Mains'l.)

Please support these activities today!