Big Changes in Zimbabwe… But Still No McDonalds

Things are changing in Zimbabwe, more cars, more shops, but still no McDonalds! Samantha Turvey, an enthusiastic World Vision supporter, is in Zimbabwe with her family right now and is blogging about her experiences and how this amazing country has changed since her last trip 6 years ago… You can follow her over the next few days as her trip unfolds and her and her family meet their sponsored children.

Day Minus One

I’ve been to Zimbabwe once before (6 years ago), my son who is 15 is visiting for the first time. Getting ready for our flight we talked about what we are expecting to see…

Wasteland, Deserted places, Lots of white people amongst the black faces, Green lands, People begging, Traditional Clothing, Multi-cultural faces.

We wont have long to wait and see if we are correct!

Day One

We have arrived after a very long flight.  We are tired and slightly stressed after losing some luggage between South Africa and Zimbabwe.  The bag was full of gifts for a local school near our sponsored children. It was great to be met by Edson, the World Vision staff member who is to drive us around to the various areas that are being supported by World Vision.

6 years ago we travelled through Chinhoyi during rainy season.  The views were green and the rain heavy.  We stopped to buy water in a large supermarket which was empty apart from a shelf of water and about 6 loaves of bread.  The journey this time was different in every way.  The view was dusty, brown and dry.  There are trees growing but not many and they are not big.  Lots of areas are blackened by fire.  We were told that these bush fires are small but frequent due to the dry grasses.  We saw several on our journey – some next to the road, some very near homes.

We stopped at the same supermarket to buy water – what a difference!  Every shelf stacked high and lots of food to choose from.  We were still met outside by beggars, but the car park was busy with cars and shoppers.  The shops in town were open and busy and there was even a fast food restaurant with its own armed guard.  No McDonalds in Zimbabwe yet though!

As we drove through Harare (the capital city) we saw many changes to what it had been like 6 years ago.  There are beggars still but many, many more cars on the road which means someone is richer!  There are still men cooking and selling corn cobs by the road but now they are joined by lots of different stalls too.  There are shops open and lots of people in and out of them.

We aren’t seeing many people in traditional clothing but it’s amazing to see babies strapped to women’s backs with towels and all sorts of things being carried on peoples heads, including sticks, bags of shopping, suitcases and even a mattress!

If you’ve got any questions for Samantha and her family about their trip or what life is like in Zimbabwe please feel free to ask below and they will get back to you as soon as they can!