By A Correspondent| Non-Governmental Organisations operating in Chipinge district are playing a pivotal role in sustaining people’s livelihoods and promoting the adherence to Covid 19 regulations, a snap survey conducted by Platform Youth and Community Development (PYCD) has revealed.
PYCD observed that organisations like Family Aids Caring Trust, Red Cross, Goal Zimbabwe, OXFAM and International Rescue Committee are donating food hampers to communities for them to cope with the lockdown period.
Chipo Simango, a Goal Zimbabwe beneficiary COVID-19 and subsequent lockdowns introduced by the government to curb the spread of the deadly disease had made it difficult for her to fend for her family of six.
” I am mother of six, an informal trader who relies on buying and selling. The coming of Covid-19 negatively affected me as I was no-longer able to travel and order my wares. My family was now starving as they were relying on the little I get from selling. Thanks to Goal Zimbabwe which is providing us with maize, sorghum, peas, beans and cooking oil, to feed our families,”said Simango.
She went on to say these organisations has helped a lot in also sharing COVID 19 related information.
” Information dissemination in rural areas is poor and has a lot of gaps, these organisations have proved to be the most reliable sources of information for us because through their work we were able to understand ways of keeping ourselves and our families safe from the pandemic,” she added.
Simeon Muyambo from Mahachi village acknowledged the help he was getting from Red Cross Zimbabwe.
” Covid-19 hit us without warning and this made us more vulnerable as we didn’t have surplus food to sustain us during the lockdown period. I am a beneficiary of Red Cross. I appreciate the support they are giving us. If it wasn’t for the donors most people would be starving and malnutrition would have hit several families.
Most organisations in the district are focusing on donating food hampers to the people while others are providing schools with materials to reduce the spread of COVID 19.
OXFAM has donated buckets to schools for children to wash their hands before being sanitized. Chitepo primary in Chipinge South constituency is one of the beneficiaries of the OXFAM initiative.
Platform for Youth and Community Development Assistant Gender Advocacy and Wellness Officer, Allan Murozvi commended the role of NGOs in alleviating hunger in Chipinge district saying their food hampers also helped reduce domestic violence in communities.
” Hunger is one of the causes of domestic violence in many households, donations of food hampers by NGOs has helped a lot in reducing incidences of domestic violence and as an organisation we are grateful for that,” said Murozvi.