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Bikita Forum donates to community

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BIKITA Development Forum, a group of well-resourced Bikita residents recently pooled resources to help the less privileged in the district.

BY GARIKAI MAFIRAKUREVA

BIKITA Development Forum, a group of well-resourced Bikita residents recently pooled resources to help the less privileged in the district.

The group, known as Bikita Initiative for Sustainable Development or Bikita Forum, last week donated over 100 boxes of clothes, shoes, mealie meal, sanitary wear and blankets to over 1 000 people in wards 4 and 26 in Bikita South, and those affected by cylone-induced floods.

District development coordinator, Bernard Hadzirambwi, applauded the charity group for mobilising sanitary wear for school-going girls.

“I am extremely moved by this gesture by locals. Charity begins at home. People in Bikita were equally badly affected [by Cyclone Idai] like those in Chipinge and Chimanimani.

I am happy as a forum you were able to mobilise resources including sanitary wear for school-going girls,” he said.

District schools inspector James Mahofa, who received the sanitary wear on behalf of schools, commended Bikita Forum for helping less-privileged girls.

“The Bikita Initiative for Sustainable Development which is commonly known as the Bikita Forum has changed the lives of many young girls since its inception, because most girls are now benefiting from the initiative. The problem of sanitary wear is becoming a thing of the past in the district. I am so happy for the girls,” said Mahofa.

Underprivileged girls and women do not have access to sanitary wear because its cost is prohibitive. Parliamentarians recently implored the Finance minister to scrap excise duty on sanitary wear to make it cheaper and accessible to many.

Bikita Forum vice-chairperson Morgen Ngezi said major beneficiaries were from ward 26 because they were the worst affected by Cyclone Idai.