Higherlife Foundation has a history of responding to communities in need during times of critical distress. In 2008, we formed the National Healthcare Trust to swiftly respond to the unprecedented cholera epidemic that claimed approximately 4,000 lives.
As we face cholera again in 2018, we are harnessing the energies of our Staff and volunteers, and collaborating with our partners across the Econet Group to once again contribute to the containment of this outbreak.
In this role, we have been working under the leadership of the Ministry of Local Government and the Ministry of Health. Our activities underway since September include:
- Distributed 5,000 Non-Food Items (bucket, soap, water guards) to affected households in Budiriro
- Hired excavators to support public works involving replacing and diverting collapsed sewer lines •
Mobilized and trained close to 500 volunteers to promote door-to-door health and hygiene education in communities at greatest risk, living around the epicentre.
- Installed 24 x 5,000 Litres Water tanks in community strategic sites and 7 schools
- Trucked 555,000 litres of clean water to Makwavarara and Matongo shopping suburbs in Mabvuku suburbs
- Trucked 402,500 litres of clean water to Glen View
- Printed 25,000 IEC (information education communication) materials for Cholera and hygiene education promotion in communities and schools.
- Conducted public awareness through sponsoring of radio, television and SMS messages.
Recognizing the power of mobilization through social media, we have also launched a volunteer community called #ThisIsMyHome. Leveraging tools including Whatsapp, Twitter and Instagram, this vibrant grassroots community is connecting willing and able volunteers with communities in need. Groups of volunteers have been visiting communities in Glen View and Budiriro over the past few two weeks to lend a hand. We envision this community will live on past this outbreak, to form the foundation of a powerful volunteer movement that will span across our nation.
We were also proud to partner with our colleagues across the Econet group to launch the Kanzatu-Nzatu crowdfunding platform. Powered by Steward Bank, this fund aims to pool together contributions from Zimbabweans and friends of Zimbabwe, to raise a total of $2M to fight this outbreak. The Econet Group is matching dollar for dollar all individual contributions made towards this cause.
As we continue to respond to this outbreak, we recognize that it is not enough to respond to cholera in the short-term. At its core, cholera continues to affect Zimbabweans because of ongoing structural issues in our water and sanitation systems that we must address.
To that end, we are working together with the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing and the Ministry of Health and Child Care and other partners to map out a solid and sustainable framework that will put us on a path to eliminating cholera in Zimbabwe, in our generation. We see the need for a wellcoordinated multi-sectoral effort that brings together government, private sector, the citizens, and the development community to provide innovative solutions towards this complex problem.
