International  and local  higher  learning  institutions, in partnership with a local NGO have  vowed  to continue  supporting  internally  displaced  community  members  of Epworth and  Lumanda (dubbed  Mandebvu) settlements.

The institutions behind the initiative are: local universities including Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University (ZEGU), University of Zimbabwe (UZ) and Women’s University in Africa (WUA); UK-based universities including the University of Nottingham (UoN) and University of Wolverhampton (UoW); and local NGO, the National Age Network of Zimbabwe (NANZ). The project was funded through the UKRI’s GCRF/Newton Fund Agile Response for COVID-19.

Addressing  stakeholders  during  an  end of project workshop,  the project  lead Professor Juliet  Thondhlana said  that  the communities have been empowered to take responsibility for maintaining provided innovations through use of the entrepreneurial skills that they have acquired during the course of the project.  Minimal support will be available through key local partners, NANZ (who have a history of working with the communities) and ZEGU (who will provide maintenance for a small fee).

“As we come to the  official end  of the project, this  does  not  mean that we  will  completely pull out or  withdraw  from the communities.  Our NGO partner will continue  to  promote healthy  living  in  the communities and technical support will be availed by ZEGU at a nominal fee. The communities will be able to afford the fee from the entrepreneurship activities developed during the project” said  Juliet.

The community members  from Epworth  and Lumanda  farm were  naturally at  higher COVID-19  risk owing to their highly  concentrated  communities amidst a covid-19  environment,  putting the lives  of  thousands  at  risk  during the  pandemic.

However  many observers   have  noted  that  the  timely   intervention  by the project has  served to prevent a  potential catastrophe, at the  height  of the COVID-19 pandemic where  thousands  in Zimbabwe  have  succumbed  to  the  disease.

The  project  was  mainly  focused  on availing  protective measures including,  full  body  sanitizers at the main entrances to the settlements; hand washing stations at water points; community tailored facemasks. 

These  various  measures have not  only  afforded  the  community members  with  solutions  for this  time, but  opened  up empowerment  avenues for them, so that  they also  can start  producing facemasks, soaps, facemasks and other produce such as school uniforms, work suits and aprons for income generation for the members.

Speaking on the sidelines of the workshop the local project  coordinator Professor Evelyn  Garwe  said  that they had  been engaging the  community members  for bespoke  solutions  and  are pleased  that the communities  are already  receiving  orders from various  organizations to  supply goods.

“They  did not  only  learn  to manufacture soaps and  masks, they are   actually running the project for their  own revenue generating purposes and  we are  happy   they  are  even  receiving  orders  from  schools and   other  big  companies.“ 

This move  will aid  in  sustainability  of the project  and  empowerment  of  the members, as  they  can  grow  their  market bigger  and create more  products for not  only  their  community   members  but  also  other external  clients around the  city who  demand these solutions daily.

This  will be another  indirect support  service  from the project  organizers  which  if  fully  implemented  has a  potential to  stand alone as a sustainable revenue  generation project  even  after post COVID-19 era.

Besides the  equipment they  have received, the  program also  included a  road  show  run in partnership with the Ministry of Health that  saw vaccination of many community members as this  offered  direct calls  for all who were not yet vaccinated  to come out  and be inoculated against the disease.  

This made it very  easy for  such  community members  to  get  the vaccines,  which predominantly are done  in central  towns  and areas far and  out of reach  for them, a move that  could have  endangered  more, putting them at the  risk of medical  effects for none vaccination.  

Community  members speaking during the end  of project phase  workshop  also  expressed  their gratitude to the project,  thanking them for not only saving their  lives, but  locating  their specific  communities  amongst  many in Zimbabwe,  a favor they appreciated. 

One  of the community members in the review meeting  made  mention that as  community  members, they will  also  be guarding the equipment jealously  to make sure  that  it  is not vandalized and is fully operational  in the  best interest  of  the whole  community.

While most  of the  equipment was  directly  funded  by the  project  implementers, the community members  were also involved in the  physical   work to  adapt and install the equipment, as  they came  in their  numbers  to  be involved in  much of the manual work.  

The COVID-19  alleviating  solutions in these  communities are  robust  and  suitable  for outdoors which will  make the last for years, not  only as a measure  to fight  COVID-19 virus,  but also a general health practice to  keep hands  and bodies clean,  hence  also fighting  other  communicable diseases.  

The  full  body  sanitizer  at Lumanda was installed in a brick and  motor safe  house which secures it for potential future  generations.

The equipment provides an examples of how poor communities can be effectively supported and empowered to take responsibility for their basic  health and livelihoods and also protect the broader community in the face of this and other infectious diseases. 

The communities are most grateful  for  not only  receiving  this  support and  sustainable  revenue  models, but for the many lives saved at the  height  of a terrible pandemic, a precious   priceless  gift.