Community Update

DREW HARVEY IS A JEFFERSON AWARDS RECIPIENT

Drew Harvey is a man
who brings out the best in people, whether they are in Pittsburgh or in
Nyadire, Zimbabwe

The Jefferson Awards are a prestigious national recognition system
honoring community and public service in America. The Jefferson Awards are
presented on two levels: national and local and were co-founded in 1972 by
Senator Robert Taft, Jr., Jacqueline Kennedy, and Sam Beard to create a Nobel
Prize for public service. Today, their primary purpose is to serve as a
"Call to Action for Volunteers" in local communities.

Drew Harvey is a man who brings out the
best in people, whether they are in Pittsburgh or in Nyadire, Zimbabwe.  The retired Alcoa engineer is the chair of The Nyadire Connection (TNC), a
volunteer non-profit organization whose goal is to support and help sustain the
people and the programs of the United Methodist Mission in Nyadire.  In 2006, Harvey led a Volunteer in Mission
Team of 18 from Christ United Methodist Church and other churches to Nyadire in
NE rural Zimbabwe.  Their plan was to
help build a dormitory for student nurses, assess needs in the Mission
Hospital, and conduct a Vacation Bible School. 
At that time, Zimbabwe, once the “bread basket” of Africa was teetering
on the brink of economic collapse with hyperinflation, famine, disease, and
deterioration of education and health care programs.

The original plan turned into a
dream. The team decided they wanted to enter a long term relationship with the
amazing, resilient people they had met.  The Nyadire 
Connection was born. Their immediate goals were revitalizing both
the 200-bed hospital serving hundreds of people and the needy Home of Hope
Orphanage (HOH) that serves 25 children.

Fast forward to April, 2013.
Harvey led another team on his seventh visit to Nyadire with a new project on
the agenda – refurbishment of the six remote rural clinics. In the years in
between, Harvey has inspired and educated so many - volunteers, agencies,
schools, other churches and non-profits, and just people who have heard the
stories and who want to help. Over 100 persons have visited the mission since
2006. They have helped to put eleven programs in place – a top-up salary to
keep a doctor at the hospital, medicines, hospital equipment & supplies,
ocean going containers of needed goods, sponsorships of HOH orphans, school
sponsorships of 400 rural orphans, pastor sponsorships, and micro-loans. With
help of other partners, running water is now available and rejuvenation of the
2,000 acre once productive farm has begun. 
Most importantly, the work was born out of a trust relationship and is
based on priorities identified by Nyadire. The native concept of “Chabadza,”
the spirit of helping each other is the cornerstone.  Congratulations
to Drew and all who make this relationship a reality.