Style 11 jan 14

The Standard

Style JANUARY 11 TO 18, 2015

I SSUE 36

Star Profile

Inside

Munya Shamuyarira

style@standard.co.zw

Rudo Nyangulu- Mungofa

2 THE STANDARD STYLE / CONTENTS

The Standard

Style

Contents

P14

January 11 to 18 2015

P08

P15 Woman & Man

P03

P06

3 Woman Profile

Rudo Nyangulu-Mungofa

5 Motivation

Tafadzwa Taruvinga / Cynthi aHakutangwi

6 Man Profile

Munya Shamuyarira

Home & Garden 9 Home of the Week

Enter our competition

10 Trends

Repurposed Wood

Food & Drink 14 Eating Out

Dusty Miller

15 Wine

Lebbie

Family

P09

P17

17 Family of the Week

Kanyimo family

20 Family Getaway

New year resolutions

Arts 21 Breaking New Ground

Dr Grace Mae Taruvinga

22 Bookworm

Poetry

To advertise in The Standard Style magazine please phone (04) 773930-8 Patience Mutimutema pmutimutema@alphamedia.co.zw Khalisto Manyanye kmanyanye@alphamedia.co.zw Nyasha Makovere nmakovere@alphamedia.co.zw

January 11 to 18 2015

Prudence Muganiwah

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UDO is quite the epitome of the 21st century woman’; a woman who knows what she wants and stands up for it. A lawyer by profession and entrepreneur in the making, the Harare based vivacious young woman is also the founder and Director of The Stimulus Hub, a social enterprise focused on capacity building of entrepreneurs and their businesses in an environment where they can network, be trained and mentored and ultimately grow.

The renowned speaker, trainer, business coach and mentor owns a Digital Media and Communications Company called Chocolate Princess, and a photography company; Inonzi Memory. “I am passionate about artistic expression and I express my creativity through photography. In the course of my career, I have discovered another passion - that of building capacity, enabling innovation and positive change in business, particularly with Entrepreneurs in the SME sector as I too am an entrepreneur.,” she says of herself.

The expressive Rudo Nyangulu-Mungofa says the process of establishing her ventures taught her valuable lessons about the need for a grit and tenacity that says ‘no matter what I will not quit’. “The economic climate here is not friendly for start-up entrepreneurs and is not much better for small business generally, and it makes starting and growing your business an uphill struggle. Having experience of working with start-up entrepreneurs and SME’s in the UK I realized that there was a need for the skills and concepts I had learnt there which led me to start Stimulus - the entrepreneurial development and networking hub that I currently lead.”

She says her passion is rooted in her desire to make a difference in people’s lives. “Human connection is what brings us to life in the most meaningful way and making a difference gives you the power to change your world, one small act at a time. I think it is really important to do what you love and that’s how I live every day. For example, I love to capture special moments in the lives of people and through my photography business; I get to indulge that passion too!”

Asked what she enjoys the most about what she does, she says it is the dialogue and networking that is generated through her work with Stimulus. “I enjoy the diversity of ideas and ideologies that when brought together create new innovation, vision greater scope which ultimately gives hope and purpose. I enjoy the fulfilment that comes from making a contribution and possibly a change to the way people live work and go about their entrepreneurial journey. But above all I enjoy learning from this process as we all “grow” together.

My goal is to scale Stimulus to a point that it is positively impacting entrepreneurs across Africa and building capacity in sustainable African businesses – I would also like to be one of the 40 people under 40 on Forbes list of influential young Africans in business.”

On challenges she has faces so far, she says the hardest has been being an entrepreneur.

“It is the greatest challenge as well as the most exciting journey I have ever embarked on, moreso here in Zimbabwe, where operating in the present economy is not easy.”

She explains how on her return home she set up a charitable organisation called The Art of Being Humane Foundation. “To be humane is to be the truest form of humanity, connected, caring, empathetic and moved to act. We have been able to help orphans, children living with a disability, HIV positive pregnant women and their children, and we have championed various causes such as raising awareness of the dangers of various cancers.

Rudo says as the Director of Stimulus Hub, she hopes to change people’s attitudes. “Integrity is a fundamental character trait and hon-

Star Profile

THE STANDARD STYLE / WOMAN / PROFILE 3

Rudo Nyangulu- Mungofa

esty is its twin in my opinion, and these are the qualities I seek in those I engage with,” she says.

On her beliefs, she says she emphasizes her faith in God. “The basis of all I believe is grounded in the knowledge of His supremacy over life and my need for his grace and mercy through salvation.

The business-minded Rudo believes that we are all now firmly part of a global village.

“It is insanity to build a business in 2015 and beyond that only seeks to impact a few people in your locality – at the same time I no longer believe that it is necessary to have huge marketing and advertising budgets to build a strong brand in business, consumers are widely travelled and more exposed than ever before and you need to be able to bring a human face to your business in order to captivate an audience that will loyally follow your brand, a guy at home with one laptop can achieve this the same way larger corporate companies can. We are now living in a new world where anyone has a real shot at being successful.”

Married to what she terms as her best friend, Rudo says laughter and team work brings them closer. “When I waiver McCloud is always on hand to encourage me to not give up and remind me that I want to make a difference and that is hard work. Many women ask me what it takes to make a strong woman leader. My husband has shown me that it takes a strong man supporting her and encouraging her to keep going in the secret place where she feels weak and wants to throw in the towel.”

Speaking on parenthood, she talks glowingly of her “tiny bomb shell that is our daughter! She is so inquisitive, full of energy and life!” It is clear she embraces her role as mother, as she explains her journey in bringing Towera to the world. “Meeting her for the first time and then being given the name Towera by my Dad which means, “The beautiful one that pleases my heart” sealed the deal, she was there and then the greatest thing I have ever been a part of creating.

Towera inspires me – I want to leave a Zimbabwe worthy of an inheritance for her, her future siblings and their generation.”

Her inspiration comes in the form of her parents. She says of her father, who encouraged her to pursue law, “He is a man with the greatest integrity, truly the best man I have ever known and he spends every free moment of time he has volunteering for one philanthropic cause or another with my mother.

My Mum has been a constant source of inspiration throughout my life; she achieved her PhD from Lancaster University whilst raising six young children.” Also on her list is her mother-in-law, an educator who has dedicated her life to teaching children, as well as her friend and sister Marlene Chitonga whom she says inspires her to stay focused and not be afraid to break new ground.

It is no wonder then that through these people, Rudo has learnt to be a visionary optimist. “What others view as impossible, more often than not, I can see not only a way through but a way to success.”

The radiant personality’s parting words to younger generations is, “Take your dreams seriously not yourself ! You need to be able to fail, pick yourself up along with the lessons learnt and keep on moving. The race is not for the swift but for those who endure. Read widely, travel widely, experience life and cultures different from yours and be willing to embrace change!”

“What others view as impossible, more often than not, I can see not only a way through but a way to success…”

4 THE STANDARD STYLE / WOMAN

January 11 to 18 2015

WEDDING PLANNER

Let the Coordinator Coordinate!

Rufaro Mushonga

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n December 2014, I had the pleasure of coordinating 2 corporate events, and 4 fabulous weddings. My message today to all the brides and grooms out there planning a wedding for 2015, is – if you have hired a wedding coordinator, then let the wedding coordinator coordinate your wedding. As a wedding planner, I always make specific recommendations to my couples when it comes to choosing wedding vendors. I have my pool of tried and tested companies, at least 3 for each service, and 80% of the time, my couples are happy to choose from within this pool.

On occasion, I will have couples who will insist on using a vendor that I am not familiar with. If they are adamant about this, there is not much I can do except try and check the vendor’s references so that I know what to expect. In December, it just so happened that all my clients, both corporate and wedding, had at least one service provider that I had not recommended.

At one wedding there was a caterer who arrived late and complained that she did not like the way her food tents had been set up. Where had she been all along? She terrorised the guests – shouted at anyone and everyone who dared to ask her any questions about the food, and when she finally got round to serving the guests, the general feedback was that the food was bland. At another wedding, the Master

of Ceremonies did not pitch up. I met this MC about 2 months before the wedding, and my first impression of him was that he was a “know-it-all.” And on the day “Mr KnowIt-All” did not show up. At a third wedding, the lady who was providing the wedding cake came to set it up, but seemed to be terrified of her own cake. She was worried that it would fall over. As it turns out, she was the bride’s aunt. The bride was very unhappy about how the cake turned out, but she couldn’t give her aunt this kind of feedback because it would be disrespectful.

Don’t gamble with your wedding day, you can’t have another one next week if it doesn’t go the way you want it to. If you have hired an expert to take care of your wedding details, then listen to their recommendations, and let them run with your wedding. Of course this does not eliminate the risk of things going wrong, but you will have an accountable, dedicated problem solver on the ground, dealing with any challenges without stressing you in the process. All you will need to do is get dressed and show up on the day. Happy Wedding Planning for 2015!

Rufaro Mushonga Wedding Planner rufmush@gmail.com

Three Makeup sins

Yolanda Lindsay Mabuto

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ifty Zimbabwean men, aged 18 to 55 were asked whether women should use makeup or not. Only 40% approved of makeup and stated that women must use it sparingly as well as learn proper application. Those who voted for the natural look stated that women tend to apply too much (first sin) and end up looking unattractive. 70% of the men stated that they would rather embrace a woman without makeup than anticipate a conversation about the brown and black smudges on their shirt or blazer which annoyingly other women tend to notice and question. 50% of these men assume that the quick product transfer is an indication of product quality (second sin) and strongly recommend women to stop buying low quality makeup if it will smudge all over the place. Last sin- the colour.

“What is it with women and colour blocking on their faces!” exclaimed one man as the rest nodded in agreement as he added, “Although the red lipstick is stunning on Kardashians, the pink-shade is superb on miss Minaj, the plum perfect on Beyonce- the colours unfortunately do not flatter ALL OF YOU especially when you now add blue eyes and pink cheeks.”

Men feel that women should customize their own flattering look and follow professional tips.

In summary the three make-up sins emerge from quantity, quality and colour. Ladies if you must use make up – buy good brands, apply it properly and sparingly with colours that flatter your skin tone.

THE STANDARD STYLE / INSPIRATION 5

January 11 to 18, 2015

The Your best foot forward (Part 2) Innocent, Ladybugs I and the Not-so-old Cynthia Hakutangwi

Which lens are you putting on?

Tafadzwa Zimunhu Taruvinga

Steamed Nhopi and the Coolest Mahewu

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suro nagudo tales, a plethora that flows from Sekuru to the innocent. The innocent listen, the laughing innocent who have already begun looking for meaning, as for their own stories. The fullest meaning of life comes to the fore, Sekuru and the innocent apart a century, but together in the present. Ladybug flies off into the distant air, the children’s heads and red dresses seemingly familiar from above. Mbuya enters the reedmat fray, charged with steamed nhopi as with the coolest mahewu, her contributions for the innocent an equal measure to tsuro nagudo. The tall trees in the distance swing fresh breezes away, a million Christmas trees with a million stars above them. Into the stead enter father and mother from a distance, just in time for some nhopi and mahewu. They’ve walked the nearby forest, talking and hoping about, for the innocent.

Today’s Beginning, Tomorrow’s Fruits The ladybugs gone, into the stead enter the fireflies. New friends to the innocent, borne of the stars above them. The moon shines off Sekuru’s bold head now swung on the side.

Sleepy sekuru, the tired. And after a hard day’s play, the innocent dream too. Father and mother stay up for a while. They speak and dream more dreams for the innocent. A New Year lies ahead, her possibilities endless, like the million stars and the fireflies about. They hope and dream for the snoring innocent. Tomorrow they will play again, the innocent.

Tomorrow, Sekuru will tell them more about tsuro nagudo before they will head back to the City. Tomorrow, they will find new friends in a million butterflies. Tomorrow will bear the fruits of today’s new beginning. Today is a promise for the innocent, as for the not-so-old. Tafadzwa Taruvinga is the founding Management Consultant of Competus Customer Service Consulting (Pty) Ltd, which provides Customer Service Excellence Training and customer-centric IT Solutions. He is the author of “Serve Your Customers EXCELLENTLY, Or Not At All!”, as well as “In THIS Lifetime...You can live your dream”, which are both available at Book Café in Harare, Zimbabwe. You can get in touch with Tafadzwa at tafadzwazt@ gmail.com or visit his Facebook pages at www. facebook.com/tafadzwaztaruvinga and www. facebook.com/mazibhuku

n photography and cinematography, perspective distortion is a warping or transformation of an object and its surrounding area that differs significantly from what the object would look like with a normal focal length, due to the relative scale of nearby and distant features. According to Bruce Mamer in Film Production Technique: Creating the Accomplished Image, “lens perspective refers to the way lenses represent space. Different kinds of lenses have different effects on the way we perceive depth and dimensionality within an image.” At the entrance of the gates of a New Year the question is how have you chosen the lenses that represent the space of this new season of your life?

Daniel H. Johnston suggests that life can be represented as an empty box, which must be filled to give it meaning. If your perception of life was an empty box, what choices would you make that will fill the box before you? It is very sad that through limited understanding sometimes our choices also become lim-

ited and we end up filling the "Box" with just one thing. For some people work is the most important aspect of life and therefore their entire energy is put into the job. For others it might be a relationship and all of their attention goes to one person and how that relationship is going. Whatever the "one thing" is, it becomes the lens through which life is viewed.

It is as if there is only one window into the world and it is that window through which we look. This one lens or viewpoint determines how life is going.

Our life is a reflection of the perspective we hold about it. When you look at the current state of your life, what does it reflect about who you are and how you see yourself ? Your relationships? Your work? Your hobbies? Your life purpose? Whilst we do not need to be in any artificial state of bliss in every moment, there is a difference between being alive and actually living life.

Re-examine your lens All too often people will excuse their lack of happiness, joy, bliss and satisfaction by claiming to be completely stuck and there being no way to change the current predicament they

may be in. You can choose to change how YOU view what you are watching, or experiencing.

Whenever you do not like what you are seeing or experiencing, if removing yourself from the situation or changing the situation do not seem like plausible options, then change the lens you use to view the situation. By changing the lenses you view life through, you literally change your life. You may not change what you have, but you will change how you feel, and that will change your view of what you have. No matter how your life may be this very moment, if you are unable to change the circumstances you still always have the option of choice. In this case the choice to look at it in a new way by changing the lens through which you view and experience it. Cynthia is a Communications and Personal Development Consultant, a Life Coach, Author, and Strategist. She is the Managing Consultant of Wholeness Incorporated. Her published book titles include “The Whole You – Vital Keys for Balanced Living” and “Intelligent Conversations: A mindset shift towards a developed Africa.” E-mail: cynthia@wholenessincorporated.com. Facebook: Wholeness Incorporated.

Website: www.wholenessincorporated.com

The 8 Essential Rs for a New Beginning... [Part IV] Tafadzwa Zimunhu Taruvinga

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ur journey of The 8 Essential Rs ensues. Your preceding tasks were to slip away into a personal Retreat where you could reflect on your set goals. Pertinent too, if not most pertinent, is Releasing yourself, as well as your goals. And, of course, you must be able to Review continuously.

Release the Sweet Releasing yourself and your goals to a Higher Being is most humbling as it is most difficult.

Last Sunday, I listened as the Priest at my Church spoke. He spoke passionately about how we, human beings who ought to be meeker, have a tendency towards ‘giving’ God a little bit of what ‘we have’, be it time, attention, or messages, and so forth. The Priest gave the comical example of a parent who gives a child a sweet, which parent then asks for a small piece of that same sweet back from the child, but unsurprisingly in vain. The point which the Priest was making is this; that God, the Higher Being, is, in fact, the one who gives meeker beings plentiful, but the meeker beings fail to give back even a small part of what the Higher Being has given. Put simply, one of your bigger tasks for the year, as you pursue your resolutely-resolved goals, is to ask God to ‘grant’ them, which you can never do by your own will. Release your goals, meeker being, to the will of the Higher Being. As the simple saying says, “We plan, but God decides.”

Review Your Goals Certainly not the least important is the need to continuously review your goals throughout the New Year, in order that they remain ‘new’ even later in the year, until they are each executed. Remember, you ideally have a list of goals pinned up somewhere within your abode. And therefore, you can actually physically compare how well you have fared

in executing each milestone against how you initially set out to achieve it. In Accounting, they call this comparing ‘actuals’ to the ‘forecast’. The same task stands for a meteorologist. And the same for you, the dreamer. Don’t change the goals, but rather steer your efforts towards the precision that is executing them as precisely as possible. Put simply, review everything, but reverse nothing. Tafadzwa Taruvinga is the founding Management Consultant of Competus Customer

Service Consulting (Pty) Ltd, which provides Customer Service Excellence Training and customer-centric IT Solutions. He is the author of “Serve Your Customers EXCELLENTLY, Or Not At All!”, as well as “In THIS Lifetime...You can live your dream”, which are both available at Book Café in Harare, Zimbabwe. You can get in touch with Tafadzwa at tafadzwazt@ gmail.com or visit his Facebook pages at www. facebook.com/tafadzwaztaruvinga and www. facebook.com/mazibhuku

6 THE STANDARD STYLE / MAN / PROFILE

Star Profile:

Prudence Muganiwah

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HO says farming is only for the old?

At a mere 24 years, Munyaradzi Alfred Shamuyarira the last born in a family of 5 boys, is already passionate about farming, and has managed to make the most of available resources to kick-start his rather different-from-norm career.

While his peers are venturing into engineering, medicine, marketing and all sorts of “professional” careers, Munya is into “urban farming” which is the production of crops in or around urban areas for the purposes of consumption and income generation. A horticulturalist by profession with a degree and certificates in Agriculture, his love for farming started when at six years of age, he used to visit the rural areas to spend the holidays.

Whilst there, his grandfather Mr Nyachowe, who was a master farmer in his own right, used to show him the basics. Being young and inquisitive, he learned a lot through the somewhat naïve interaction with his granddad whom he looked up to.

“He made me learn the value of hard and honest work as he used to reward us with money at the end of the holidays after our services. He used to jokingly say that we were his workers and this drove me to appreciate farming and opt to develop my skills for my own benefit as through the interactions we both saw that I had a strong inclination in the agricultural field. Working with the soil and plants became more and more enjoyable and I became better and better each time, although I am still work in progress.”

He explains that the essence of urban farming is to create employment and to facilitate income generation for the farmer as well as guarantee food security and improved nutrition for the target locality. His approach to farming therefore is having high community engagement as this reduces logistical issues and has numerous associated benefits. “As a way of giving back to my own community, my doors are open to those who want to come have a look and occasionally assisting with advice. Through my joining of Zimbabwe Farmers Union Young Farmers Club, I have been exposed to more urban farmers and we have been doing field visits.” Munya has also been assisting with quality, subsidized planting material and information to his young farm-

Munya Shamuyarira

er peers. “It is my hope that more youths can come together and engage in urban farming and also benefit from the service and guidance the union offers.”

Operating from his mother’s backyard in Marlborough, Harare, Munya says his line of work is enjoyable in many ways as it has great flexibility and it facilitates partaking in the creation process. “Each time I plant, it is more or less like bringing forth new life. The most enjoyable part for me is having to see things develop from scratch. It’s really an amazing experience!””

He does however mention that he has faced a number of challenges from the time he started his farming project. “Challenges are a normal part in every developing thing. Besides the experience and some operational related challenges which are occasionally met, one challenge which I often encounter is the perception challenge whereby access to some opportunities especially markets is not availed as one would expect as there seems to be a general perception that youth are not serious and cannot make be relied on. This has de-motivated many youths into feeling like a lost generation hence I joined Zimbabwe Farmers Union Young Farmers Clubs to try to bridge the gaps.”

Munya, a staunch Catholic, believes Agriculture is his calling and that his purpose along with other farmers is to carry out God’s purpose for the earth and partaking in co-creation. “Thus as stewards of the earth, I value sustainable agricultural practice, fair trading and pricing, research through reading of literature and innovative practical experiences.

While most of his age mates are up and about networking and basically carrying on with their “swagger” (style), Munya’s typical day is characterized by strolling in the garden as early as 5am, monitoring and managing them throughout the day. This may involve planting, watering, and weeding, as well as deliveries to local outlets which he supplies with fresh peppers, cauliflower and a host of other vegetables.

“In the event that I will be away during the day, I make it a point not to sleep without seeing my plants even if I return at 12 midnight.

I don’t waste time asking which tasks were done or not done as the plants and the soil will tell me!”

Munya is thankful for a supportive family which includes his parents and siblings. “Besides material and intellectual achievements, I would say my biggest achievement thus far is of having my peers and fellow youth engage or scale up their agricultural enterprises because of the inspiration they will have obtained from my work,” says the young man who growing up had strong thoughts of being a priest.

Asked what his pet peeve is, he states quite simply, “I cannot stand it when outdated or inaccurate agricultural information is being recommended in my presence.”

Drawing inspiration from nature and looking up to role models in his industry for instance A.J Masuka and Glen Campbell, Munya’s parting advice to the younger generation is, “As youth we are the key to resuscitating the agricultural sector and it is up to us to take the initiative to grab the bull by the horns and rise to the occasion. A good start is to utilize the available resources at our disposal and it would also help to have youth groupings for purposes of capacity building, lobbying and other logistical issues as is the main mandate of unions such as the Zimbabwe Farmers Union which I am affiliated to. There is no need to shy away from agriculture as its now the cool things these days!”

January 11 to 18 2015

January 11 to 18 2015

THE STANDARD STYLE / MAN / GROOMING 7

Cooling down Marshall Malikula

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t’s summer time, mercury keeps rising and rising. Besides water and sunscreen, one of the simplest ways of cooling down is wearing fabric that breathes and keeps sweat off your body; we talking linen. Historically, linen has stood the test of time since ancient Egyptian times. Linen is made of natural fibre of the flax plant, which gives it a classic wrinkled look.

Linen is a stylish wardrobe staple worth your bank balance. It is a great combination of function and style. One can make a smooth transition from the office to a dressy event, to a casual stroll in the park. It is pretty versatile, besides being worn monochromatic, it also goes well with cashmere sweaters in cooler temperatures or with silk in spring. As a rule of thumb, avoid wearing linen with synthetic fabrics. Linen comes in different weights; the lighter fabric is more suited to casual, as it is more translucent.

Always wear a linen shirt with a tank or vest.

Linen looks better in pale shades such as whites, neutral tones of the cream family and

Linen works well with ethnic look; for Afro chic look wear it with lots of beads and bangles to add a touch of colour.

Linen is also synonymous with the Eastern look hence it’s used for making kaftans and tunics.

My accessory of the week

Tan leather belt

pastels. The best colour shoes to go with linen are either white or tan and other neutral hues. Black shoes are too extreme for white linen pants, will only work out if you are wearing black pants or top. Linen is more relaxed, it follows that it’s worn with comfy leather shoes such as moccasins, boat shoes and strappy sandals. For a trendy metro look pair your linen shirt with jeans and keep all accessories tan. Optionally throw in a linen blazer or waist coat in a different colour.

Linen works well with ethnic look; for Afro chic look wear it with lots of beads and bangles to add a touch of colour. Linen is also synonymous with the Eastern look hence it’s used for making kaftans and tunics.

Marshall Malikula is a Brand manager, Image Consultant, Stylist and he can be reached on marshmalikula@gmail.com

8 THE STANDARD STYLE / MAN / WHEELS

January 11 to 18 2015

Smart, Rugged and Refined new Ford Everest Fact Jeke

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t all began in 2009 with the introduction of the Ford Everest SUV onto our market.

From 2010 the ford brand pushed significant volumes of the Everest at a time when other car manufacturers were also introducing SUVs. Its five years later and the follow up to this robust and butch American SUV is being introduced for the 2015 model year. I’m not a huge fan of big cars but when creativity and innovation meet in vehicle manufacturing even if it’s huge I take interest. So as we enter into 2015 as our first edition, we are going big in the 2015 Ford Everest.

The new Ford Everest seamlessly blends rugged off-road capability with exceptional ride quality and dynamic handling, delivering a versatile vehicle that surpasses what consumers have come to expect from an SUV With a chiseled and sculptural design, Ford’s latest seven-seat off-road SUV features a body-on-frame construction, intelligent four-wheel drive and an advanced Terrain Management System to help drivers navigate challenging terrain with ease and confidence Together with an advanced suspension that offers exceptional ride comfort and agile handling, the new Ford Everest’s spacious, modern interior with high-quality craftsmanship delivers a comfortable ride for up to seven passengers, joining the Chevrolet Trailblazer and Toyota Fortuner.

The new Ford Everest can be equipped with one of three powerful engines with excellent fuel efficiency – the latest generation of Ford’s 2.0L Eco Boost petrol engine or one of two updated Ford Duratorq TDCi diesel engines – mated to robust six-speed automatic or manual transmissions for exceptional capability Taking a bold step to redefine the SUV market globally, Ford unveiled the new Ford Everest, a technologically advanced, stunningly capable and refined seven-seat SUV that will be launched in 2015. In Asia Pacific, the Ford Everest will be available in nine markets: China, Australia, New Zealand, India, and markets across the ASEAN region. Ford will also introduce the rugged SUV to Sub-Saharan Africa and South Africa in 2015.

The new Ford Everest is an exceptionally versatile vehicle, equally prepared for the everyday commute as it is for the most extreme off-road terrain. The Everest’s unique blend of tough capability and exceptional comfort is going to resonate with drivers across Asia Pacific and around the world.

With a rugged, sculptural design that reflects its unshakeable toughness and technological prowess, the new Ford Everest blends strength, smart features and style to bring consumers a tough and versatile SUV with true off-road capability. In addition to surprising and delighting fans of rugged off-road SUVs, the new Ford Everest embodies Ford’s fun-to-drive DNA to deliver rewarding and dynamic on-road handling, offering no compromises on refinement and comfort.

It has impressive off-road credentials that are paired to a new level of ride quality and dynamic handling beyond what consumers have come to expect in a rugged SUV. Thanks to its coil spring front and rear suspension and a Watt’s linkage on the rear axle, the new Ford Everest provides a comfortable, stable ride with agile and predictable handling on the road, keeping the promise of Ford’s funto-drive DNA. The new Ford Everest also offers a number of segment-first technologies, including Curve Control, designed to help drivers

maintain control when approaching turns too quickly; Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keeping Aid, two technologies that help prevent drivers from unintentionally drifting out of a lane; and Blind Spot Information System with Cross Traffic Alert, which informs drivers when there is a vehicle in their blind spot while driving or when preparing to reverse out of parking spots.

The vehicle also offers so many advanced features, including Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Alert with Collision Mitigation, Roll Stability Control and an Electronic Stability Program that works with traction control to help the driver stay in control. To reduce parking anxiety, Active Park Assist enables drivers to parallel park hands-free, requiring only accelerating, shifting and braking from the driver.

The incredible capabilities of the new Ford Everest are made possible by one of three petrol and diesel engines, mated to durable and efficient six-speed automatic or manual transmissions. Availability will differ across markets and locally Croco Motors sales team can assist with pricing and other options.

Happy New Year. Ciao.

Additional source: Quickpic Email me on missjeke@gmail.com

THE STANDARD STYLE

HOME & GARDEN

COMPETITION

Send us a picture of your Home and enter “ZIMBABWE’S MOST BEAUTIFUL HOME” competition and stand a chance to win a self catering holiday for two couples in the picturesque Eastern Highlands

style@standard.co.zw

Specification: JPEG minimum size 2MB picture quality 300dpi

This week’s code: STDSTYHM36

10 THE STANDARD STYLE / HOME & GARDEN / TRENDS

January 11 to 18 2015

Repurposed Wood

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epurposing - This craze is the trending new age “green movement” where environmentally conscious people seek to recycle or repurpose old things into new functional and meaningful things that we can enjoy and at the same time aesthetically pleasing. This can be as basic as pallets to high value wood and other materials.

An eclectic take on Pallets

Coffee Tables

I found this one interesting as is multifunctional. It serves as a sofa table and a shelving unit at the same time. Not for the faint hearted, you need eclectic tastes for this look.

Perhaps a pallet coffee table is one of the easiest to make. Go for dark stain or white wash and industrial trolley wheels for a dramatic look.

Cooler Stand If you are always entertaining this one is a must have next to your braai stand. Though it looks simple, a bit of patience, skill and imagination is required to make it look this good and actually serve a purpose.

Wooden Pallets as we know them are made from the lowest grade of wood and usually relegated to the fireplace for burning. Perhaps we can take a look at the how pallets are being repurposed to make functional pieces of furniture like dining tables, bed bases, coffee tables , chairs, headboards or any furniture items that sparks your creativity. Repurposing a pallet does require some skill and is a fun way for DIY session at home.

Dining Table A stylish repurposed coffee table will work both in or outdoors.

Image – www.uberreview

Wall Art

Repurposed pallet turned into a stunning dining table. Pinterest A stunning dining table whose creation midway between contemporary and industrial. There is a fusion of wood and steel fusion coupled with the modern chairs. This look is minimalistic and avoids clutter. It elevates a lowly pallet to a meaningful piece of furniture.

Headboards and Bed bases Think outside the norm and use pallets to make headboards and bed bases. The key is to ensure that the pallets are treated and polished the same way you would do on teak and other expensive wood. Depending on your tastes and budget all you need are 4 pallets and you have a base for your mattress. This helps if you are looking for temporary furniture or you are “in transit” and buying expensive furniture may not suit your current status. Style and creativity can still be maintained.

Inspiring wall art – image www.diyinspired.com Make a bold statement at home without uttering a word with this “palletised” DIY art work. Its fresh, it’s original and packs a whole lot of meaning.

A coolerbox stand for fundays at home. Image- www. marshable.com

Sofa Table

So this festive season before you throw out that pallet, consider a D.I.Y project. A little sanding, painting and hammering will produce something worthwhile to use in the home.

Till then, live and love your home. Best Wishes for 2015.

Credits – www.marshable.com www.pinterest.com www. diyinspired.com www.refurbishedideas.com www.uberreview.com

A pallet bedbase and headboard simple and elegant – image – www.refurbishedideas.com

A sofa table to break an awkward space. Image- www. marshable.com

Noma Ndlovu is an Interior Designer & Property Stylist.

Feedback on unaminkosi@yahoo.co.uk. www.facebook. com/unamihomestyle +263775402083

THE STANDARD STYLE / HOME & GARDEN /INSPIRATION 11

January 4 to 10 2015

Decluttering your Home Spacework

B eam

Y the time we hit the end of year rush everything gets rather haphazard and we tend to just let things go, dumping things in the nearest available space.

Now that the holiday festivities are over and you are ready to start the New Year why not begin by decluttering your home and getting organised.

Clutter clogs up the smooth workings of your home and causes time to be wasted searching for things. Something as small as losing your keys or having to toss through the contents of your cupboard to find the right blouse for work increases your stress levels and can affect your whole day. Clutter even costs you money, such as incurring late fees on a misplaced bill or replacing items that you

can’t find. By removing the clutter you will increase the efficiency of your home, save time and provide a foundation of order for all your activities this year.

The task may seem overwhelming, but is manageable if done in stages. Start with the simplest area and commit to completing it.

Then take on the next area. Be systematic and persevere – it is a messy process but well worth it. As you go along, make a list of storage accessories such as trays, baskets, files or boxes that would make your storage more efficient and keep a lookout for them when you are out shopping.

Here are some ideas to help you structure the process.

winter interior. Don't be afraid to use your nd preferences . But keep it practical. This nter indulgences - chocolate, coffee and

biggest decisions you have to make when Bathroom eature in the room. Creamy hot chocolate Put away ing room. You can set off your living roomanything on the counter tops.

Straighten any displays and relocate any ut. If your lounge suite is brown don't panic. items that don’t belong in the bathroom. ng interest to the space with highlights of the vanity cabinet and other Go through storage spaces. es, such as leather, sheepskin, suede and Throw away items that are outdated, unused or expired. Group items by ter. type, arranging neatly. Use baskets or bins for smaller items

matched. For a less dramatic but equally ving room. Go ahead and rescue those old em. Visit a professional frame shop to help up them together for impact on your wall. A n you photograph people in colour, you essence of a natural setting and Pantry goes past

Empty pantry to reorganise. Check the sell by dates and throw out anything that is old. Think offee with a spew of sweet cream tohow cozy about to arrange and group items in the space.Filled, Group similar items together according way you accessorize your space. to theirmood use, such as baking, breakfast cereals hing touch for any room. Add mellow and condiments. Place the frequently used , set a collection of cream candles into it accessible places. Clean the items in the most ms in a similar colour from table runners to repacking them. shelves before

Home office Go through the items on your desk, putting back items in their correct place and getting rid of unnecessary ones. Do the same with your drawers.

Sort through your stationery and throw away anything that no longer works.

Remove outdated items from your pin board and reorganise important information for quick reference.

Sort through your files and folders, starting at one end of the file cabinet.

Remember, if you take a break, to note where you leave off.

Children’s room For a quick tidy, make it into a game with your child, challenging them to pick up as many items as possible in five minutes. Target one area, such as a book case or desk, at a time. Some areas may need a thorough purge such as the toy box or clothes cupboard. Get your child involved by asking him or her to identify which items to keep and which to get rid of.

id lots of pattern , as these tend to always

well. Use banding on cushions, pull out the

his week!

Clothing cupboards Put away the clothing from your designated drop spot. Reorganise the hanging space by item type, for example hanging all your trousers on one part of the rod and shirts on another. Go shelf by shelf, sorting and repacking until you’ve worked through the whole cupboard. Throw away any worn or unwanted clothes or shoes.

We hope that you find this a freeing process and that it will help you achieve all the things you have set out to accomplish this year. We wish you all the best in your endeavours.

References Declutter in Less Time. [Sa]. [O].

Available: http://www.bhg.com/decorating/storage/organization-basics/declutter/#page=1 Accessed on 2015/01/01 Ewer, C. [Sa]. Declutter 101: How to Cut Clutter at Home. [O].

Available: http://www.organizedhome.com/cut-clutter/declutter-101-cut-clutter-at-home Accessed on 2015/01/01 Images [1] Source: Good Housekeeping. Image by Weldon Owen [2] Source: Better Homes and Gardens. Image by Unknown [3] Source: The Simple Stencil. Image by Unknown [4] Source: Limbago. Image by Unknown [5] Source: Better Homes and Gardens. Image by Unknown

12 THE STANDARD STYLE / HOME & GARDEN / GARDEN

January 11 to 18 2015

A Beginner’s Guide to Organic Gardening

G

ardening is not too complex. Almost all of us— probably in grade school— planted a seed in a cup of dirt, watered it, and watched it grow. But creating a garden that produces fresh food and flowers all season is not so elementary, especially to those who did not grow up gardening. So we’ve compiled this guide to the basics of organic gardening and the keys to success we’ve learned over the years. When you’re done reading, look at your thumb—you may see a tint of green that wasn’t there before.

2. Dig a furrow—or not. If you like symmetry and order, carve out a shallow trench with a hoe or hand trowel. But you don’t have to plant in rows. You can organize your garden as a grid, with plants at the four corners of each square, or you can choose not to organize it at all. Whichever style you go with, dig shallow furrows or holes for the seeds.

3. Water lightly. Moisten but don’t soak the soil. Watering before rather than after planting the seeds protects them from being swamped, or washed up and out of the soil.

Planting Seeds 1. Make your bed. About three weeks before you are ready to plant, after the soil has dried so that it doesn’t clump when you pick up a fistful, sink a fork into the earth. Loosen it down to about 12 inches, add a half-inch layer of compost, and rake the surface of your garden until it has no weeds, dirt clumps, or big stones. Over the next three weeks, pull any weeds that come up. Raking and then letting the soil sit for a few weeks brings out weed seeds that were lurking in the soil.

4. Sow the seeds. Spread the seeds through the trench or place two or three in each planting hole.

The seed packet tells you how far apart to plant them. If you plant too closely, you can thin them after they come up and, in many cases, eat the thinnings.

5. Cover with soil. As a rule of thumb, bury seeds only about as deep as their diameter. Sprinkle soil on top of the seeds, pressing gently to ensure they have contact with the soil. A few seeds, such as lettuce and dill, need light

to sprout, so cover them sparingly. (Seed packets tell you if they need light to germinate.)

6. Keep moist. Sprinkle water on the seedbed whenever the surface is dry until all the seeds have sprouted.

Key to success: Add compost to planting holes to improve the soil’s structure, provide slow-release nutrients, and activate the beneficial microbes in the soil. http://www.organicgardening. com

THE STANDARD STYLE

FOOD & DRINK 1

In this issue of Food & Drink

2

(1) Dusty Miller (2) Lebbie (4) Rudo Mudimu

3

14 THE STANDARD STYLE /ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA

War memorial to the South Australian dead in the Anglo-Boer War. Many of the Australian troops landed in Beira and travelled through our country to the front, All pictured by Dusty Miller

January 11 to 18 2015

Day trips to the many vineyards surrounding Adelaide are a must do. Wine tasting is usually free. All pictures by Dusty Miller

Fishing off piers is very popular in South Australia

Beaches, bays and birds…

Dusty Miller SOUTH Australia is the fourth largest Australian states or territories at 983 482 stunning square kilometres and of that area 5 078 kilometers comprise spectacular coastline, which most visitors---and surely anyone from landlocked Zimbabwe---will enjoy.

Add to that magnificent aquatic bird-filled lakes, such as Lake Alexandrina, Lake Albert and the Murray River (the continent’s longest) which meanders through 2 375 lush kilometres of South Australia and there’s plenty of marine and fresh water to satisfy the odd visitor from Ha-ha-ha-rare (Zimbabwe’s fun capital) usually content with a few days on a Kariba houseboat or the very odd long weekend on the Mozambican coast.

Incidentally, Lake Alexandrina, which lies at the mouth of the non-estuarine Murray River and is usually separated by a sandbar from the warm, clear Southern Ocean, was named after Princess Alexandrina, niece of King William IV---Adelaide’s called after his missus---who, on attaining the throne, became no less a body than Queen Victoria!

We took a short pleasure boat along the Torrens River in Adelaide itself on the good craft The Popeye: a 40 minute voyage from Elder Park (the Elder family, from Scotland, settled in Adelaide when it was called Port Misery! and dominated the shipping, agri-business, insurance and exports/ imports of much of Australia) turning at Torrens Weir and returning via a jetty for breathtaking Adelaide Zoo. Along the Torrens River I watched through binoculars and often took photographs of a mere microcosm of Australia’s immense birdlife: black swans, enormous Australian pelicans ungainly on the ground aerodynamic in flight, silver gulls and various other seagulls (Adelaide is nicknamed Seagull City), parrots, parakeets, lorikeets, swifts, swallows, martins, rosellas and corellas, honey-eaters, bitterns, egrets and herons, ibises and spoonbills, rails, crakes and coots, lapwings and plovers, a shy pair of superb fairy-wrens, magpie-larks ( neither magpies, nor larks, they fearlessly attack humans, horses dogs and bicycles!), kingfishers and kookaburras.

Zoos are contentious and I don’t want to go in the pros and cons of the concept, but we spent much of a day at the wonderfully attractive, beautifully laid out Adelaide Zoo. Established in 1883 it occupies a 20 hectare sculptured site, the centre of which is a shady Moreton Bay fig tree, planted six years before the zoo was launched.

The zoo’s home to about 300 varieties of native and exotic animal life, boasting around 1 800 specimens which include birds, snakes and rodents you can see immediately outside

its boundaries, but also such imports as rare Sumatran tigers, orangutans from Borneo.

A pink flamingo which had been there more than 70 years (Australian Border Patrol won’t allow any more in, for fear of introducing bird flu!) has died since my visit two years ago.

What the Border patrol do about birds landing from New Zealand, Papua-New Guinea and South-East Asia wasn’t clear to me, but is reminded me of queuing with two dozen Japanese tourists to dip our boots in disinfectant at the Kazungula Zim-Botswana frontier post to prevent foot and mouth disease in Gaborone’s’ cattle, when a large troupe of baboons simply loped across the imaginary border!

Certainly, the day I went, the crowd stealer was the giant panda exhibition where Wang Wang and Funi have children between three and 93 oohing and aahing daily. Sod’s law, when we went, Funi wasn’t feeling so funny, so Wang Wang did a solo turn grazing bamboo shoots and posing for several hundred digital cameras and mini-cams.

Like almost everything in Australia which you must pay for, entrance to the zoo is normally outrageously dear, but my son discovered if we went “early” (before 10am I think) there was a very worthwhile discount for a minimum of two punters.

Oddly enough, eating there---where I thoroughly expected to be ripped off, sterek---was about the cheapest we found in my three week vacation, with a great helping of delicious fish and chips and a beaker of coffee, much needed after hours of traipsing round cages and exhibits in a heat wave, for around A$9.

Some of the few things you don’t have to pay for in Adelaide include entry to scores of lovely parks and open spaces dotting the city, which often tend to be almost empty apart from birds and wildlife: we saw koalas, wallabies, kangaroos and euros (another sort of grey marsupial) in various parks.

The train from downtown Adelaide to the nearest seaside resort, the palindromic Glenelg about six kilometres away, was also partially free but the terms and conditions applicable seemed so needlessly complicated that I merely swiped my Adelaide Transport Metro Card on clambering aboard for the full journey both ways.

I don’t remember any of us paying for parking usually with a stone’s throw of the particular beach or beaches we wanted to explore that day, nor was there a charge for entering the beach, nor swimming.

We saw a couple of apparently volunteerrun and—presumably--- free Baywatch-style beach patrols (you may have to pay if they save your life, I heard!)

The only place I saw anti-shark netting on the South Australian coast was Moonta Bay, a former copper mining area; swimmers frolicked within its security in shallow, clear,

South Australia is amazing for birdlife Old fashioned sweet shop (“lolly shop”) at Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills

Adelaide is often called seagull city

Bundaberg cool drinks from the sugar-growing areas of Queensland.

Brundaberg Rum will blow your head off!

Victorian model soldier attracts punters to the sweet shop at Strathalbyn in the Adelaide Hills

Typical rural Australian pub/restaurant/hotel. This is the Robin Hood at Strathalbyn warm, indigo seas and pied cormorants, darters and the like preened themselves on its algae-coated ropes and uprights before dipping under water for a tiddler snack. Dusty Miller travelled from Harare to Ad-

elaide by Emirates, via Dubai, at his own expense, but was upgraded from Tourist to Business Class. dustym@zimind.co.zw

THE STANDARD STYLE / FOOD & DRINK / WINE 15

January 11 to 18, 2015

Happy new WINE Year “We are born at a given moment, in a given place and, like vintage years of wine, we have the qualities of the year and of the season of which we are born. Astrology does not lay claim to anything more” - Carl Jung

Lebbie Masavaya

A

new year, though met with mixed emotions, regrets and resolutions, symbolizes a new season. A time where we can celebrate the achievements of the year just gone by or a time to look within our inner self and use the clean slate the year has to offer, to start over. In that vein alike, the world of wine, in my opinion, heralds the arrival of a new season and a new ‘space’ for the wine enthusiast. I particularly love a new year, as it ushers in the much awaited and highlights of the wine world, new vintages.

It’s an opportunity for wine lovers and enthusiasts alike, to give a chance to that wine from a previous vintage that failed to make it onto your dining room table. A new season also enables you to try out new grape varieties and hopefully find your ‘new’ favourite wine.

The 2014 wine calendar has completed it’s cycle of events and a new wine year hands everyone an opportunity to diarise and attend wine events missed in the past year and of course new events.

With luck, the new season may also bring wine launches of new brands on to our market. A welcome change and something most wine lovers look forward to. Most hotels and restaurants join the bandwagon of a new wine season, clearly being reflected in the drawing up of new wine lists.

Most importantly, a new season warmly welcomes the new palates in the world of wines.

Whether it’s because the year ahead has added an extra year to your life or taking your palate on a journey of new flavours. Yes, let’s all celebrate the new season with 2015 vintages.

Look out for those delicious and lively pink and white wines, arguably, best drunk young.

The just ended year has made it into the annual memories folder. Take control this new season of 2015, plan your wine year ahead, pick up fellow wine lovers and enthusiasts along the way and make your memories ‘memorable wine memories.’ Let’s consolidate the vintages of the past year, as we await the release of the new vintages this year. Meikles Grapevine Wine Club kicks off in two weeks with a line up of monthly wine events, not to be missed, and wine festivals in South Africa get the ‘wine’ ball rolling from this January.

Look out for monthly updates on what the season has to offer. To the new season and everything there is to look forward to in the wine world, it’s a smooth cheer, to the year ahead.

Pictures from www.google.com MyLifeAndWine@icloud.com

16 THE STANDARD STYLE / FOOD & DRINK

Red Velvet Muffins Preparation Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 20 to 30 minutes 1 cup of buttermilk (1 cup of milk plus 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, stir milk and lemon and set aside) 1 tablespoon of vanilla essence 1 teaspoon cinnamon 30 to 60ml of red food colouring depends how deep you want the colour 2 teaspoons of vinegar 3/4 cup of plain hot coffee 2 cups of Gloria self-raising flour ½ teaspoon of baking powder ½ teaspoon of bicarbonate soda ½ teaspoon of salt 2 tablespoons of sieved cocoa powder 2 eggs 2 cups of sugar 1 cup of oil

Cream cheese filling: 4 cups icing sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 8 ounces cream cheese / 240 grams, softened ½ cup butter, softened Peacan nuts 1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees C. 2. Grease / spray muffin tray, alternatively you can use muffin cups (spray

the inner edges not base of muffin cup).

3. In a large bowl, add sieved flour, baking powder, bicarbonate soda,

sieved cocoa, salt, cinnamon, and combine with wooden spoon, set aside.

4. In a separate large bowl combine sugar and oil. Use a mixer at a medium

speed to combine.

5. Add eggs to the oil and sugar in bowl one at a time. Mix with a mixer at

a medium speed. Add buttermilk, vanilla essence, red food colouring

into bowl, stir with wooden spoon until combined.

6. Stir in coffee and vinegar, using mixer at high speed mix wet ingredients

until combined.

7. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients. It’s best to add wet

ingredients into the dry ingredients a little at a time using wooden

spoon. Stir well with wooden spoon after each addition. When mixture

is fully combined, use mixer at a medium speed to smoothen batter.

8. Pour batter evenly into muffin cups (fill up to ¾ of muffin cup as it rises

when baking).

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Use a knife and insert it into the center of

the muffins. If it comes out clean, muffins are ready. If not cooked leave

for additional ten minutes. Keep checking. Do not over bake.

Let muffins cool for fifteen to twenty minutes, then turn out onto a wire

rack so as to cool completely.

9. Frost muffins with cream cheese frosting when muffins have cooled

completely. Sprinkle peacans for garnish.

10.

11.

Cream Cheese Frosting: Combine sieved icing sugar, butter, cream cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla essence in a bowl. Using a mixer, mix until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Frost the cooled cake with preferred decorating design.

Alternatively sieve icing sugar on each muffin for a snowflake effect.

One may use batter to make a red velvet cake. Be sure to add batter to two 9 inch cake tins that have been lined with baking paper. Bake at 170 C for forty minutes, keep checking with knife . Cake is very moist and soft. Refrigerate it to firm it up before icing.

January 11 to 18, 2015

by Rudo Mudimu

THE STANDARD STYLE

FAMILY Mr & Mrs Kanyimo

Send us pictures of your family and a short caption of your values.

Email your photos with the weekly code in the subject heading to style@standard.co.zw Specifications: JPEG minimum size 2MB Min. 300dpi

18 THE STANDARD STYLE / FAMILY / PARENTING

January 11 to 18 2015

Why setting goals is important

Kudzanai EdsonChivandikwa

A

GOAL can be described as something that you try reach or achieve, or an aim set to work towards. Goals are also known as objectives or targets. Setting goals is vital and significant in us humans’ lives.

As students it is important to set goals in life, especially setting academic goals to reach a certain level, grade, mark or percentage. As parents it is also important to aim towards certain things that will help to keep the family running.

Goals: Keeps the mind focused – Because goals give you a specific direction or a simple summary on what you are aiming for, the mind becomes focused on the goal rather than focusing on other things that are not being aimed for since the mind has a clearer view on what is being targeted.

Sets mental boundaries – Because you have a certain, clear target, the mind automatically sets an end point to that goal to avoid any distractions or

anything that could make you lose focus and attention to your goal.

Goals give you motivation- Goals give an endpoint to aim for and create excitement, from knowing that you are working towards succeeding on something. By so doing, focus develops motivation.

Goals allow you to measure how you have done – Because goals have an end point, they allow you to compare them with the progress you have made, therefore goals allow you to know where you stand in terms of how you have done on working towards your target.

Remember that goals take us forward in life, you should make goal setting the first step of every journey you take in life! 2014 is gone and 2015 stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals.

By Kudzanai.Edson.JNR.Chivandikwa Kudzanai is a Peterhouse Boys student

THE STANDARD STYLE / FAMILY / HEALTH 19

January 11 to 18 2015

Sexual disorders Dr Farzana Naeem

S

EXUAL and reproductive health among adolescents have become increasingly important and aroused international concerns Students have high-risk sexual attitude and behaviour’s. Therefore, suitable and effective sex health measures to protect students would be strongly recommended.

They are more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviour, and experience unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. They are also more likely to use drugs, perform poorly in studies, and have low self-esteem.

Hooking up is used to describe a sexual encounter (vaginal, anal, or oral sex) between two people

who are not in a dating or serious relationship and do not expect anything further,” the studies says. It adds that most students “describe hookups as spontaneous sexual encounters fueled by alcohol that usually unfold without communication about sexual health and consent or protection against sexually transmitted infections.”

In most cases, they found, hookups begin the same way. It starts at a party, frequently at a frat or sorority house, where there is plenty of booze. As the evening goes on, couples form and eventually move off to do whatever they have in mind -- no commitments, no expectations for the future, no serious thoughts about health or risk, a seemingly

carefree adventure fuelled by alcohol.

The consequences of sexual assault are potentially very serious.

An immediate concern is physical injury, which may be extensive enough to require medical treatment or hospitalization. Pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV, are additional concerns. Emotional damage may be serious and equally requiring of treatment. Sexual assault may affect students’ academic achievement as well as their capacity to contribute to the campus community. Campus students who have survived sexual assault rarely perform at their prior academic levels, are sometimes unable to carry a normal course load,

Innovative Programs for Teaching Sex Education should be compulsory for the students at campus and it can help students early with information about appropriate sexual behaviour and maintaining their sexual health is a key.

How to overcome?

Other campuses are throwing away the textbook and lecture method of teaching sex education and utilizing a multimedia approach to sex education. Television and radio programs such as Loveline and Dr. Laura have generated interest in the use of popular media as an outlet for dealing with personal problems, including sexual problems and relationships. Many college campuses are utilizing the multimedia approach through the use of the Internet. Colleges and universities have begun providing information on safe sex and STDs on their health centre or wellness web pages. This allows students to access accurate, up-to-date information under the anonymity of the World Wide Web. Educators may soon provide on-line quizzes, similar to those in place with alcohol education, which allow a student to see if their activities put them ‘at risk.’ These types of quizzes are currently used to allow students to engage in selfassessment and to learn how to have safer sex.

Another innovative approach to sex educa-

tion involves cultural competency among health educators. Cultural competency involves diversifying the health care and sex education staff, as well as sensitizing them to various cultural issues related to student health.

In addition, cultural competency includes encouraging peer involvement from diverse students to diverse students. Traditional sex education does not always include the unique perspectives of students of colour, male students, gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered individuals. By using cultural competency sex education the university is able to improve its quality of outreach and on-going communication with these underserved populations (Fields, 2002).

The sexual attitudes and behaviours of the students have changed throughout the recent history, as has sex education. What has been created is a generation of college students who are more knowledgeable about sexual positions and protection than previous generations of students. This has resulted in a generation who engages in sexual

experimentation earlier than ever before, dangerously mixes alcohol and sex, and can access sex or sex information 24 hours a day with just the click of a mouse.

Consequently, sex educators are forced to find new ways to reach this population of students. Inundating students with information during their required classes, utilizing multimedia approaches, and increasing cultural competency among health educators are all innovative ways that educators are successfully bringing sex education to the campus.

However, the dangerous sexual behaviours that campus students engage in are not likely to go away over night; educators must continue to be diligent and creative in their efforts to educate young adults.

Free counselling service is available to all University students and it is beneficial for a variety of mental health issues that students may face including: mental health difficulties, stress management, juggling academics and extra-curricular involvement, as well as relationship challenges.

and frequently miss classes. These changes stem sometimes from social withdrawal, sometimes from a desire to avoid the perpetrator.

Assaulted students regularly drop courses altogether, leave school, or transfer. Along with decline in academic performance and social withdrawal, long-term outcomes may include increased risk of depression, substance abuse, self-harm, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress, personality disorders, and suicide.

Beyond their destructive effects on individuals, incidents of sexual assault may have negative conse¬quences for colleges and universities. First, they harm the institution’s educational mission by undermining the safe and hospitable

QUESTIONS Thank you for the many questions on a variety of topics. Here are some responses.

1. My five year old daughter has been diagnosed with eczema. When she has a rash she scratches so much. How can I help her. Eczema is a broad term for a spectrum of conditions that cause the skin to become irritated and inflamed. It is almost always itchy. The rash associated with Eczema is a scaly one on the face, inside of wrists, elbows, back of knees which may at times ooze. Although there is no cure, it can be controlled. One of the key steps is to avoid known irritants. For some, these may include certain clothing materials may help, avoiding foods that can cause a flare up of symptoms such as eggs and nuts in some children.

Keeping the skin moistuirised is essential. Bath her twice a day and apply an oil based skin emollient soon after. The emollient can also be used as a soap substitute. Flare ups can be treated using topical application of steroids that help settle the inflammation but these should be used sparingly and only for short periods in children. If your daughter’s symptoms remain severe, visit your dermatologist for specialized treatment such as topical or systemic immunosuppresants.

2. I have felt a lump in my breast. I am 17 years old and am worried that it may be cancer. Breast lumps are very common in young girls your age but cancer is extremely rare in adolescents . I suspect that what you have felt is most likely a fibroadenoma. These are painless lumps which occur in adolescents but may also be found in older women. They are usually small but are very mobile and slow growing, and also known as breast mouse. Your doctor will examine the lump and order an ultrasound scan to aid the diagnosis. If there is any suspicion of cancer, your doctor will perform a biopsy. Most fibroadenomas regress spontaneously.

3. How do I protect my family from typhoid? Typhoid is a bacterial infection that is spread by ingesting contaminated food or water. Currently typhoid is endemic in the country. This means that it is continually present inthe environment and there are sporadic outbreaks. Because of this it is prudent to be vigilant prevent contracting the infection. The challenge that we currently face is that clean water is not universally available resulting in many people relying on water from unprotected sources. Water contamination can be managed by not only boiling drinking water but also chlorinating it using the tablets that are readily available at clinics and pharmacies.

Chlorination of water has been shown to significantly reduce the incidence of typhoid infection.

Handwashing after using the toilet, before handling

learning environment necessary for learning and teaching. Second, they cast doubt on stated commitments by campus leaders to end campus violence. Third, cases exposed in the national media may bring scandal to the institution and its leaders, create distrust toward the administration among parents and alumni, and erode fundraising efforts as well as legislative and philanthropic support. Fourth, institutions found in violation of basic preven¬tive measures may be fined. Finally, even incidents that stay local are likely to damage the institution’s standing in the community.

food, and before eating also an important measure in preventing infection. Any food to be eaten must be thoroughly cooked and any vegetables that are to be eaten raw must be washed in chlorinated water.

It is also prudent to avoid eating raw salad at public gatherings. Keep the questions and feedback coming at drktalks@gmail.com.

Till next week, stay healthy!

St Michael’s 24 Hour Accident Emergency & Maternity Clinic (19709 Unit N Shopping Centre Seke Chitungwiza) All times Emergency numbers: 0774 125142, 0734 503518

20 THE STANDARD STYLE / FAMILY / GETAWAY

January 11 to 18, 2015

New Year Resolutions – move more, ditch refined foods!

Rosie Mitchell

A

NEW Year begins; one we all hope will be an improvement on 2014, in terms of an uplifted economic situation, and boosted business. The Festive Season break has helped rebuild our reserves of mental and physical stamina as we brace ourselves for challenges in 2015. Who knows what those will be, for in Zimbabwe, it can never be said that life is dull or predictable! We are a nation of resourceful, adaptable people who thankfully are able for the most part to see the funny side of our regularly absurd situations.

No sooner do we adapt to a new set of unexpected obstacles than the goal posts are moved – yet again! The constantly changing scenario renders us nothing if not resilient! Keeping a sense of humour is a good adaptation to what might otherwise seem a bleak landscape. The bonds of friendship and family are never as important as when we share in adversity, so make one of your resolutions this year, to put in the necessary time and effort to solidify those bonds. We should never take for granted the precious gifts these relationships bring us daily; yet all of us are guilty of this!

Most of us lurched and staggered our way through 2014, which was extremely tough.

Money continues to be very tight for every business and every family. So it’s time to embrace activities and practices that enhance our sense of well-being, regardless of the inevitable financial challenges facing the vast majority of Zimbabweans.

Take small but positive steps to improve your physical health status, and your state of mind will surely follow! Many people resolve at this time of year to improve their eating habits and increase their activity level, with a view to uplifting their general state of health.

Few stay the course long! One of the primary reasons for failing to stay more active is that if you are not used to exercising regularly, changing this feels overwhelming. Most people don’t know where to begin; so they begin by trying to do far too much, too soon, even hurt themselves, then come to a grinding halt, feeling utterly defeated. However, numerous research studies have demonstrated that attaining significant health benefits, reducing the risk of many lifestyle-related and other diseases, and adding years to your life, does not actually require that you take up marathon running or triathlon! It merely requires that you do slightly more exercise than you are currently doing, and then continue this, regularly.

Amazingly, between 75 and 150 minutes of brisk walking weekly is all you need to do to enjoy significant health benefits, translating to roughly 11 to 21 minutes of walking daily, or a brisk 20 to 40 minute walk four times a week. Doesn’t sound too overwhelming, does it? Brisk walking means faster than a stroll, swinging your arms, getting a bit out of breath, and if you include some hills some of the time, you’ll benefit even more. No matter how busy you are (and really, who isn’t busy in this fast paced world?) it’s not beyond you to squeeze in that small amount of time for the sake of feeling physically better, lifting your spirits, and likely, extending your life!

Walk out of your gate and round the block early morning or evening, or round the block from the office over lunch hour. When there’s time, go somewhere prettier or more interesting, and take a longer walk over the weekend somewhere scenic and make it a family occasion. Moving just a bit more will reap many benefits in physical health and boost mental health too, keeping depression at bay, increas-

ing your sense of well-being and creating a more positive outlook.

On the dietary front, the low carbohydrate approach to eating is all the rage, and offers many advantages, most importantly, making it possible to eat more healthily (and lose weight if you wish to) without feeling hungry and craving all the wrong foods – all those sweet, sugary treats that are so bad for us in so many ways. Those opting for this report losing weight with ease, not feeling starved in the process, feeling better generally, having much higher energy levels, and finding their digestion greatly improved. But there can be no half measures on the low carb regime. Whilst you will not feel hungry, you really do have to follow the rules strictly or you will not enjoy

the benefits. In a nutshell these are; no refined sugar at all, which excludes a whole range of foods; biscuits, cakes, sweets, chocolates, puddings, sweet fizzy drinks (except the ‘Zero’ variety); no refined starch at all – out with white pasta, white rice, refined mealie meal, pastry, pies, batter, anything made from grains unless they are whole and unrefined, and even then, these should be excluded if possible, and kept to the barest minimum otherwise. Very starchy vegetables like potatoes must be excluded or kept to the barest minimum, too, so chips are out!

So what is the upside? Eat the vast majority of vegetables to your heart’s content; for sweetness, eat fruit, including the wonderfully creamy, rich avocado pear, but be aware that

many fruits are very high in natural sugars, which are still carbs, so you can’t eat fruit unlimited, nor should you drink fruit juice, even unsweetened, it’s still too concentrated a source of sugar - rather eat the whole fruit, it will fill you up! Best of all, eat eggs, cheese, full fat natural yoghurt, cream cheese, cream, butter, all kinds of meat, fish, nuts and seafood, without restriction, or guilt! The old, lost wisdom, that it is refined carbohydrates that damage our health, not animal fats, has finally been rediscovered, backed by a wealth of really solid research based on studies involving literally millions of subjects. Forget what you thought you always knew about fat in the diet. It’s not the fat you eat, whatever kind, that harms your circulatory and heart

THE STANDARD STYLE /COMMUNITY/ BREAKING NEW GROUND 21

January 11 to 18, 2015

A mindset change – the only hope for a Zimbabwean turn around! Dr Grace Patricia Mabviko-Musanhu

T

he desire of most people in Zimbabwe today is to have a better standard of living.

With a continuing recession, an unending liquidity crunch, company closures, a high rate of unemployment and an increase in corruption, life is inevitably getting tougher by the day and there seems to be no end in sight for the suffering masses. With the coming of a New Year, many people are expecting to see positive change that will translate into a decent way of living. The big question is where is this change going to come from?

As a country, Zimbabwe is unique in that it is said to have the majority of the population, an estimated 85%, practicing Christianity.

The Christian Faith is founded on the Bible and amongst other things espouses values of honesty, truth, integrity, selflessness and a nature that is incorruptible as a result of Jesus Christ who lives, rules and reigns in the lives of Christians. If indeed 85% of Zimbabweans are of Christian religion it follows therefore that the nation should not be in a crisis!

“I believe what has gone fundamentally wrong is our failure to take the Word of GOD seriously,” said Dr Grace Mae Taruvinga who is passionate about transforming lives, organizations and communities into Christ glorifying entities that reflect the nature and image of Jesus Christ . Dr Taruvinga is the founder of Leadership Agenda, a Non Governmental

Stimulus Women Network In the last quarter of 2014 Stimulus Hub ran a series of courses and seminars based on the subject matter of “Planning for Success in 2015”. One of the consistent themes within the various sessions was how to successfully set achievable goals. The question for women entrepreneurs can be expanded to, ‘How is it possible to set realistic goals when it is impossible to predict all those factors outside of our control that could influence them?’

Some take the single minded approach whereby no matter what happens or whatever changes occur in their market or environment, they will rigidly stick to their planned goals which can lead to failure. Some take the ‘let’s take it one day at a time’ approach whereby they don’t plan or set goals at all however ‘failure to prepare is preparation to fail’ in business.

“Following your passion and adopting strategic thinking to enable you to achieve your goals is the best approach to goal setting”, said Rudo Nyangulu- Mungofa, Stimulus Hub Director and Chair of Stimulus Women’s Network. She went on to share three nuggets for approaching 2015 strategically;

Organization that seeks to mobilize critical partnerships in the church and society to respond proactively to Africa’s problems.

According to Dr Taruvinga every individual has a gift/talent and it is the responsibility of every Christian to ensure that they are using their gift or talent productively and profitably to influence growth in their sphere of influence and ultimately in the economy. As Christians, attending church was never meant to be a religious duty where people feel good that they have fulfilled a biblical requirement. The idea of going to church should be a process that facilitates transformation of the mind set and should see Christians adopting biblical values to become their own. The values should then be applied in the life of the individual to help bring about positive change, growth and profitability.

“I believe a mindset change is the only hope that will bring about a turnaround in Zimbabwe. Christians are supposed to be honest and truthful in their dealings and this truth must permeate into everything they do on a day to day basis. Christians are supposed to be faithful when duty calls and to work diligently to help build their communities,” she added.

Dr Taruvinga said as long as Christians embrace the idea of selflessness only when they say amen to a sermon on Sunday and yet on Monday become greedy, selfish and inconsiderate players in the market place, we will see the result of their action and not of the truth they know. Too many Christians are choosing

to make a quick deal to earn a living or pay a bribe to get things done or to influence things to go their way. On the work front, she said that many people have thrown away work ethics and a work culture that build our economy before the crisis began. There is a tendency for people to commit to work only because they are being paid .

“I believe that we have everything we need to re build Zimbabwe. God has given us His word and if indeed 85% of this population is Christian imagine the power we have together to bring about change,” she added. Dr Taruvinga said if every Zimbabwean made a resolution not to pay a bribe in 2015 it would contribute significantly to the fight against corruption. She also encouraged the church to become more relevant and go beyond the ordinary call of duty to teaching, training and fielding men and women of integrity into the market place so that they can use their God given gifts to help grow the economy.

The body of Christ as a whole should also be thinking about ways to work together to transform Zimbabwe. She said that unless and until Zimbabweans more so Christians begin to live their daily lives in strict adherence to the Word of God and to values that will build our society, change is still a long way to come.  Patricia Mabviko Musanhu is a Company Director/Producer at Black and White Media Productions. She can be contacted at pmabviko@gmal.com

Passion and Purpose driven by strategic thinking in 2015

Milton Kamendo speaking at a Plannng for Success Seminar.

Shamiso Ruzvidzo speaking at a Planning for Success Seminar.

1. Set action-oriented goals – Goal setting needs to be part of your daily and weekly routine rather than an exercise you do at the beginning of the year and review quarterly. The passionate entrepreneur will go a step further by setting specific actions they will undertake to help them get closer to achieving their desired outcome. – ‘Setting action oriented goals is crucial to your success as an entrepreneur as it keeps you focused and you can see what success looks like from the start’.

2. Leverage partnerships – Collaborating really does matter as partnerships can be the vehicle you need to drive your business to the next level. Creating the right partnership relationships takes time and requires strategic thinking and intuition. – ‘Working together makes us stronger as women when we are committed to lifting each other up’.

3. Leave your doubts behind and follow your passion – 2015 could be the very best

year of your life - It’s up to you to make it so.

The more confident you are, the less doubt you will have and the more likely your success will be. ‘Stimulus Women is committed to enabling

women grow their personal confidence and business acumen in 2015, join us as we grow together’. Stimulus Hub offers training and business

coaching to enable you to develop the habit of strategic thinking. If you would like to join our newsletter mailing email us at women@stimulus.co.zw | www.stimulus.co.zw

22 THE STANDARD STYLE / ARTS / BOOKWORM

January 11 to 18 2015

Poetry and the everyday Zimbabwean reality

Bookworm

P

ublishers in Zimbabwe have been turning to the short story as an alternative ‘economic genre’ and poetry has been largely ignored apparently for its non-commercial value. More than a dozen short story anthologies have been published since 2000. And also, the greater attention given to Zimbabwean fiction in the academia in recent years is more a reflection upon the critics and scholars than upon the continued vigour and invention of the poets. Zimbabwe’s turbulent and often tragic progress has not passed unchronicled by its poets.

Publishers in Zimbabwe have certainly failed poetry. Without the imaginative understanding of poetry our culture is in danger of remaining a dull nationalist façade. If no new poets arise to create afresh the associations by which our society can understand itself, we’re in danger of carving ourselves in the past. In poetry, the distinction between truth and propaganda is of paramount importance because, as Matthew Arnold once said, ‘it is in poetry as a criticism of life and under the conditions fixed for such a criticism by the laws of poetic truth and poetic beauty that the spirit of a country can be preserved for eternity.’

While young poets can sigh, ‘It’s the publishers damn it!’ The publishers can simply turn and say, but these wannabe poets lack in quality and style. They lack the understanding and discipline of poetry. They do not read poetry. The best education for any poet is to read other poets.

Our nation may have versifiers with smooth rhymes as witnessed by the populist House of Hunger Poetry Slam and yet may have no real poetry at all. Here is poetry trying to express itself but consumed in too much anger. Anger begets anger. Poetry is emotion controlled.

Political or social change always requires an interior swerve away from anger towards a self-disciplined autonomy of spirit.

What the surge of poetic outburst at the Book Cafe presents us with is Zimbabwe’s present psychology and shifting mood swings.

It is the temperature of a disillusioned generation, boiling. This poetry is the tempest tearing apart the cloth of old politics that shadow our sense of nationhood. In Zimbabwe, as in Sudan or anywhere else, life may be wretched but it is through poetry that brave spirits leap to respond.

But again, poetry doesn’t necessarily require politics. Politics is about shouting other people down and getting your own way. Politics is not about making sense with the world and poetry is about making sense with the world around. Good poetry says politics is all round us. It is power outages, puddles of sewage in Mbare or Senga, it is the consequences of convenient political creatures dubbed ZANU PF or MDC. The liberating act every poet can do is present ideas and imagine alternative realities.

The premise has been that if one has suffered then the statement of one’s suffering must be or is poetry. That is wrong. Even

Dambudzo Marechera, the darling of young poets across Zimbabwe, knew that the extent to which one has suffered through political oppression is not necessarily the substance of a poem. One has to use certain techniques, certain concentrated, even visionary apprehensions of reality in order to convince the world that suffering is unique and meaningful.

Of course, it doesn’t matter how tough we are, suffering always leaves a scar. It follows us home, it changes our lives. Suffering messes everybody up, but maybe that’s the point – all the pain, the fear, the crap. Maybe going through all that is what keeps us moving forward, what pushes us. Maybe we have to get a little messed up before we step.

Zimbabwean poets have always understood that we need an art of our own, to remind us of our history, of what we might be and to show us our true faces – all of them, including the unacceptable and to speak of what has been muffled in silence. The poets remind us that sometimes the most important history is not what was but the history we are making today. Without this history our lives amount to nothing. History is what shapes us, guides us – our history is what defines us.

The background of our contemporary poet-

ry is the obscene political situation that obtained in Zimbabwe at the turn of the millennium – state violence, spiraling inflation, the high and rise of the guilt-ridden benzocrat, the squalor, the looming and insidious presence of the Problem no one dares mention in public. The poetry whether political or not, is all intensely Zimbabwean and comes out of its landscape and mindscapes.

In fact, the need to respond to the conditions in the Zimbabwean society is in a way allied to the craft of the poetry. ‘Political’ poetry can easily grind down to mere rhetoric and jargon, to become one dimensional, simplistic, vituperative, but what is often forgotten is that the engagement with ‘politics’ can force the poets to stretch the resources of language in order to properly confront the monster squeezing the life-blood from their country’s bodypolitic.

What I find striking is that Zimbabwean poets are not interested in poetry as an artistic genre but in poetry as a medium to communicate a message. In other words, Zimbabwe is a country of message poets. Perhaps this is what Seamus Heaney meant when he said, ‘technique involves not only a poets way with words, his management of metre, rhythm and verbal texture; it involves a definition of his

stance towards life, a definition of his own reality.’

Zimbabwean poetry captures and explains the burning questions of the day – issues that are more often than not camouflaged in obtuse state bureaucratese and political rhetoric.

And the dissonant and the unpredictable daily events demand a constant footwork of the imagination, a kind of perpetual translation that a majority of the poets exhibit. There’s also the ‘expatriate nostalgia’ in some of the poems composed from the distance of the Diaspora, verse with a blend of melancholy, memory and fantasy, an enduring feature of exilic sensibility and the crucible of much of this exile poetry. Hence, Zimbabwean poetry is a poetry which is not homogenous but reflects all the different and disparate feelings, experiences and ideas of Zimbabwe.

For a long time, I have longed to read poetry about and written with a view to reflect on what Henry Olonga melodiously describes as ‘Our Zimbabwe.’ A poetry that reflects on the spirit of this country’s people through words that survives and vibrates as strongly as that spirit. This is the poetry.

Feedback: bhukuworm@gmail.com

January 11 to 18, 2015

THE STANDARD STYLE / ENVIRONMENT 23

Organic pest control in the garden W

Here are five easy and achievable New Year resolutions for a greener world:Plant a tree.

The current rainy weather will give your new tree the best possible start.

Choose indigenous trees as they are much better suited to our climate.

Many indigenous fruit trees will begin bearing fruit within the first five years.

Michael Nott e all know that the indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides can endanger our health – after all pesticides are designed to kill living organisms. Much has been written linking exposure to chemical pesticides to a host of illnesses including some forms of cancer, nervous system diseases and reproductive problems. Research suggests a link between the sharp increases in the number of sufferers of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia and the increase in the use of chemical pesticides in crop production. (See www. beyondpesticides.org/health/alzheimers) But not only do pesticides threaten our health they also destroy the health of our soil and reduce the nutritional value of the crops it produces. The website www.havahart.com states “When farmers across the world began to rely on chemical pesticides, a drastic change in soil health followed. When the health of soil is compromised, the nutritional value of the food it yields is compromised as well. The United States government estimates that levels of trace minerals in fruit and vegetables fell by up to 76% between 1940 and 1991. This change is tied directly to the widespread increased exposure to pesticides.”

So here are a few more environmentally friendly methods of pest control.

The best way to control pests is to keep your soil and plants healthy. Chemical pesticides kill off not just the unwelcome pests but the beneficial insects and soil microbes as well so that your plants become weaker and more susceptible to insect attacks. Healthy plants are better able to fight off insects and diseases. Chemical pesticides also kill off lizards, frogs and birds – all of which help to control insect infestations.

Companion planting can help to discourage unwanted insects. Planting basil in between your tomatoes will help to keep away pests, while nasturtiums will deter beetles and spiders.

Marigolds are also good to plant in your vegetable garden as they will deter a host of harmful insects as well as nematodes which attack tomatoes and potatoes. You can find out more about companion planting at www.gardensablaze.com. South African gardening and herb guru Margaret Roberts has a great book out called Companion Planting which goes into great detail about the subject. It is published by Briza Publications and if you can’t find it in the bookshops you can order it from Amazon.

The simplest and most eco-friendly way of dealing with bugs

GREEN TIPS 10

is to pick them off by hand. It’s effective and inexpensive and it’s remarkably satisfying to get your revenge. Check under the leaves and pick off and squash all the nasty bugs like caterpillars, snails and aphids. A few minutes a day will prevent bug infestations getting out of control.

After the recent heavy rains you’ll probably be plagued by slugs and snails. Before you reach for the poison pellets try these more eco friendly method. Make a slug and snail trap by sinking an old container into the soil so the top edge is at the soil level. Fill the container with beer to about 2 or 3 cms below the rim. Slugs and snails will go down into the beer to get a drink and drown. Do this in the early evening and in the morning your trap will be full. You can also make spray with leftover coffee (diluted) and spray affected plants or sprinkle used coffee grounds around the base of the plant. You can also sprinkle crushed up egg shells around the plant. Slugs and snails find it uncomfortable to cross this barrier.

You can make up a spray using one large onion, one bulb of garlic and two or three hot red chilli peppers. Throw them in the blender with a quarter of a cup of water and whizz until you get a paste. Cover the mash with two litres of hot water and let it brew for at least 24 hours. Strain the liquid and them spray on infected plants. It’s excellent for controlling aphids, thrips, whiteflies and chewing beetles or caterpillars. The taste of the garlic and the chilli peppers will deter most insects. You can add a teaspoon of mineral oil to the mixture to make it stick to the plants for longer. Spray this mixture on once a week until the infestation has gone. Don’t spray it when the plants are in direct sun as it can burn the plants’ leaves. As a preventative measure as well as a bug killer mix up a cup of Sunlight dish soap and about a tablespoon of mineral oil and keep in a sealed jar or bottle. To use, mix two teaspoons of the concoction with a litre of water and spray onto the underside of the leaves and on flowers and new shoots. Repeat once a week.

So let’s make 2015 an environmentally friendly year by switching from chemical fertilisers and insecticides to natural compost and organic pest control.

Grab a bag.

Keep your own reusable shopping bag behind the seat of your car and never buy a plastic shopping bag again.

Sort at source.

Even if you couldn’t be bothered to sort all your rubbish at least keep an organic bin in your kitchen for all your vegetable waste.

Start a compost heap.

Compost is so easy to make and it’s much better for your garden than artificial fertilizers.

Support small scale farmers.

There are a number of farmers’ markets in and around Harare selling fresh organically grown produce.

Organic fruit and vegetables taste better and they’re so much more nutritious too.

24

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