Hello friends, family, and Seraphine Project supporters both near and far!
My apologies for not having written a blog post in such a long time. I know 2020 has been a crazy year for everyone thus far. Today I write with the hope that y’all can step back and look at our world from a completely different perspective. My goal is to shed light on the situations of those who are less fortunate than me, while also addressing some of my personal feelings with the ambition that I can inspire each of you.
As I reflect on this pandemic and the effect that I personally feel from it, there are so many overwhelming thoughts that flow through my brain. My life has obviously been disrupted and altered immensely over the past few months, as I ammume it has been for ya’ll as well. Each of us used to live very social, active lives, and now that has changed in such a huge way.
Although the situations we have found ourselves in are seemly horrible, we, believe it or not, have it so much better than most of the world. I feel so grateful and blessed with regard to my personal situation in this whole mess and I want to bring awareness to the situation of many of my friends in Africa.
There are so many people that this virus effects so much more than just simply social distancing and ‘doing our part’. When this all began, one of the Aunties from the clubs reached out to me. At this point, I was still somewhat oblivious to the situation and I did not realize that the coronavirus had started to affect Zimbabwe so much. When I thought our current situation was as bad as it gets, I was so wrong.
Procedure explained to me that, “tourism has been gravely affected and most lodges/hotels have let workers go, schools are closed, most shops are closed and people are encouraged to stay home. It is quite a challenging time and we pray it ends soon.” She continued on to say, “This just means more challenges for us and our girls as the economy depended on foreign currency from tourism… It’s a whole situation but hey we are grateful for life and theres always hope for the living.”
Her words accurately capture the situation for so many in Zimbabwe, but over the past few weeks it has only become worse. The economy has basically come to a halt and almost everyone has found themseves jobless. In an economy that was already struggling so much, this is having a horrible effect. Citizens are even harassed in their own backyards because police are ignorant about how the virus spreads.
Before corona, the economy in Zimbabwe survived based on two main factors: tourism and agriculture. Just to make things worse, foreign aid has also dried up. Everyone who worked in tourism have recently found themselves without a job due to a standstill in travel. The 2+ year drought in Zimbabwe has also left citizens hungry. Due to these factors and such an astounding number of recent job losses, the current unemployment rate is near 100%. Citizens are staving and most people feel hopeless.
This just means so many more challenges for the girls who are part of the clubs in southern Africa. Access to their support network, which includes things like mentors and technology, is nearly impossible to come by. Not to mention the two biggest concerns of all: hunger and abuse. In most households in Zimbabwe, girls my age face serious physical, verbal, or sexual abuse each day. Leaving for school or going to work was the only way to get out of these horrific situations that are now unavoidable. Imagine living somewhere where you never felt safe sitting in your own house. This reality makes me so sad and the situations of adolescent girls have only become so much worse, which is truly heart-wrenching.
Each of the girls who are part of the clubs deserve so much more than what they are given from a young age. I have been blessed my whole life to have such an outstanding family who gives me unconditional love every day, which I feel so grateful for. Most girls who are part of the clubs in Zimbabwe were not given a blessed family live from the get-go. They have to fight every single day and strive for greatness in a way unlike any other challenge most of us have faced.
When considering the situation of my close friends in Zimbabwe, my heart aches, as they deserve so much more. I wish I could change their reality, but unfortunately, I can only do so much. The awareness that we all can bring to situations in third-world countries will bring so much gratitude into each of our hearts, at least I know it does for mine.
As we continue to take this time period one day at a time, I ask that you all keep in mind the situation of my friends in Victoria Falls and never forget how blessed we all are. Just because we are in quarantine doesn’t mean we cant keep doing good in the world. Try your best to contribute in the ways that you can weather that means calling an old friend or picking up some groceries for your elderly neighbors. If we rise up as a community and country we can make a serious difference in the world! I am confident we will all get through this situation together!
Sending all my love. xoxo.
Ems
P.S. - I would love for you to all follow my best friend Julia’s self love and positivity journey through her blog. We could all use a little love in a time like this. Read her blog by following the link below. She is truly one of the most incredible girls I know!
https://juliaspositivityparty.wordpress.com