Success stories

Nyanga Youths assisting the aged and needy

NYANGA - Gogo Rosina Tsara has seen almost all her children die and is caring for seven orphaned grandchildren, most of them still at school.
Getting food and school fees for them are among her major challenges.
But instead of retiring to an old people's home, the aged woman, who says she does not know her age but claims to be old enough to have seen the Second World War, slowly walks around her yard singing a church hymn "Mwari Mubatsiri Wedu", which means God is our helper.
P1040170"God continues to do great things for me," she says with a broad smile exposing her toothless gums.
"There was an agricultural show here recently and I emerged as number one, beating everyone in the whole of Nyanga.I could not have done it without the help of these young ones."
As she speaks, three youths in green t-shirts walk into her yard. "These are the helpers which God sent me," she says.
"They are not like other children who waste their lives away doing all sorts of bad things."
The three youths are members of the Nyanga Urban Young People We Care (YPWC) group, mainly comprising of school children who volunteer to help needy members of the society during holidays. After exchanging greetings and a few jokes with the old woman, Basil Hondo (20) quickly goes out to fetch firewood, Admire Ndoro (20) takes a 20-litre bucket to fetch water while Walter Sibanda (16) remains behind doing household chores.Gogo Tsara, who says she is unhappy with her incomplete houses and wishes for better shelter temporarily forgets her worries as she chats away with the boys. Roars of laughter punctuate the atmosphere so much that the boys' one hour visit is extended by another one and half hours.


An almost similar scene unfolds in Village 24 Dombo Resettlement Area in Nyanga South's Ward 23. Gogo Sylvia Nyawera (80) says had it not been for members of the YPWC clubs; she would have starved to death because she could not till her fields on her own. She has sight and hearing problems. "I never cease to thank God for sending these young people to assist me with my work which has become difficult to do," she said. "I cannot even see you, what more a small plant."

Most of the YPWC members in the rural area are school-leavers who dropped out of school for various reasons including lack of fees. They assist the aged, ill and orphans with various household chores and also run errands for them on a voluntary basis. The chores they do include assisting in farming, fetching water and firewood, cooking, sweeping and washing dishes. They sometimes visit the needy just to keep them company and also comfort the vulnerable. In cases involving HIV and AIDS patients, the youths complement care givers' efforts. The volunteers selflessly serve their society despite challenges of their own. Some of them are variously affected by HIV and Aids, with many having lost parents to the pandemic.

 

"I was ill for a whole year when I was supposed to be doing Form III so when I recovered, " I decided to drop out of school so as not to burden my grandmother with school fees requirements as she is already struggling to raise the US$16 I need monthly for my health care," 19-year-old Hilda Matanhire said. “I spend US$6 to travel to and from the nearest hospital and US$10 for my card to be stamped at the hospital for me to be attended to. "After staying at home for some months, I later decided to positively while-up time by interacting with other youths. "I am happy I did because together with my colleagues, we have assisted needy members of our society in various ways which they appreciate." Hilda said through the YPWC club, she has learnt to appreciate that one can still have a lasting healthy positive life even if they are infected with the HIV virus.

 dombo_youthsDombo YPWC volunteers appreciating their t/shirts

She is a strong advocate for elimination of stigmatisation of HIV and Aids issues. Explaining the YPWC concept, Family Aids Care Trust (Fact Nyanga) programme manager Daniel Mudzinge said the programme, which his organisation is implementing in partnership with donors, was aimed at empowering the youths with life skills. He said it was also meant to ensure that needy and vulnerable people get help from within their communities

Feeding Family of Orphans in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe, a country that once fed itself and much of Africa, is on the verge of mass starvation. Aid agencies estimate that 75 per cent of its people will require food aid this year.
But Zimbabwe’s people are amazingly resilient, and a little help can go a long way.
Take Gladys Nyatondo. Gladys lives in a tidy compound, 20 minutes' walk from the nearest track in Chitsanza, at the heart of eastern Zimbabwe’s Nyanga Mountains.
P1040170She is a mother of two and the main provider for an extended household that includes several orphaned children and her ageing mother, who says she has never known such hard times in her 74 years.
Gladys is a farmer. On her small plot, she grows an astounding variety of crops — everything from garlic to mangoes. She usually grows enough to feed her family for most of the year.
She also raises goats for milk, and chickens for their eggs and meat, to supplement her family’s diet. By Zimbabwean standards, then, Gladys is doing well.
However, that does not mean that she is immune from the effects of Zimbabwe’s socio-economic crisis. Since 2006, Gladys has been taking part in a project supported by CHF and implemented by the Family Aids Caring Trust (FACT), a Zimbabwean organization based in nearby Mutare.
The project helps vulnerable rural households find new livelihoods, enabling them to produce different crops, find new ways of earning money, and ultimately make their households more resilient.
With training and seeds from the project, Gladys now grows onions on part of her plot, because, she explains, onions are hardy and easy to grow and there is a market for them in the nearby town.
The money she earns from the sale of her onions is invested in the farm or goes to household essentials, medical care or school fees for her children. “After every harvest, I make sure I invest in something: school fees, tools, and chicks. In this way, I have supported one of my children to finish university.”

Blessing Chikwizira's Success Story

Blessing Chikwizira is a 16-year-old boy from Mutsetse village in Zimbabwe Mutare district who is staying with his 86-year-old grandmother. He lost both parents to AIDS and he is one of the participants of the food and incomes project introduced in this area. Through project support, each participant received three indigenous chickens, two goats and 50kg bag of chicken feed.

 

Over 18 months Blessing managed to get more than 100 chickens through the production cycle, from those original three. He ate some and sold some to generate income. He then moulded bricks for his two-roomed house from the chicken sales and hired a builder to do the job for him. Blessing also managed to hire draught power to plough their field and to buy a 10 kg bag of maize seed.

 

Self-esteem is one of the major benefits Blessing has received. He confessed that, for the greater part of his life, he felt dejected, hopeless and disadvantaged. He now proudly owns small livestock and a new building at the homestead.

the only house that was in the house hold
The only house that was in the household
blessing_feeding_his_chickens
Blessing feeding his chicken new house for blessing
The new house for Blessing

Taking HIV to the pulpit, the impact of FACT's church based HIV interventions in Bikita.

Zimbabwe is a Christian- dominated country with more than 80% of its population being Christians. 50% of these belong to African Independent Churches or African Initiated Churches (AIC). Consequently, a successful HIV Intervention programme cannot succeed if it excludes the church. More importantly, the significant growth of African Independent Churches whose doctrines and beliefs have been known to counter certain HIV responses further complicates the ongoing fight against HIV. Moreover, most of the AICs are well known for their resistance to use of modern medicine and discussions on HIV related issues (e.g. Johanne Marange Apostolic Church and Zionists). Even some non-African-born denominations like the Roman Catholic Church despise the use of HIV preventative measures like condom use as part of the church doctrine.
For most of the AIC, HIV may be attributed to evil spirits, to a curse from the ancestors following the breaking of a serious social norm, or of God's judgement on sexual immorality. Disclosure of HIV status will automatically be discriminated by other HIV negative church members. All these myths and misconceptions about the transmission and spread of HIV posed a great hurdle in imparting, conveying and communication of relevant HIV information across most church denominations.
Bikita East district was no exception to such challenges. There are more than thirty church denominations in Ward 24. Most are the churches had no shared understanding of HIV related challenges and subsequent responses neither did most entertain the idea of discussing HIV as denominations. They held varied viewpoints on HIV problems and solutions to the epidemic. Such religious discord in HIV related issues had a strong bearing on the overall prevention and care strategies pursued by organisations - FACT included. Different churches hold divergent views on issues such as HIV testing and counselling, treatment, prevention, marriages, care and support.
FACT's Intervention FACT under the "strengthening churches' capacity in HIV prevention project" started working with a Pastors' Fraternal from Village 7 of ward 24 on 23 October 2009. FACT facilitated the setting up of the Pastors' Fraternal and its subsequent trainings. The Pastors Fraternal is made up of church leaders and pastors from different church denominations operating in a specific ward. Guided by the Churches Channels of Hope Curriculum , FACT held one week trainings for the pastors and the leaders. Focus was on providing facts on HIV and linking such facts to the bible. The training was out of the realisation that most church leaders were not well acquainted with explaining the possible relationship between HIV and Christianity. To most, HIV was a reflection of past and ongoing immorality. In the worst case, HIV represented God's harsh response to human failings. Training sessions on HIV transmission and prevention measures targeted at broader functionaries of respective church leadership were carried out. According to an interview carried out by FACT and leaders of the Pastors' Fraternal a Ms. Agnes Maguta and Alice Mhuriyengwe of Village 7, Ward 24, pointed out that a total of 24 pastors had so far been trained in church response to HIV. The 24 pastors formed the Pastors' Fraternal representing more than 16 church denominations. These are the Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Jekenisheni, Johanne Marange, Ruponeso Apostolic, Zion Taedzerwa, Matenga Zvakazarurwa, Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM), Zion Church of God, Zion City, Zion Makamba, Zion Christian Church (ZCC), Gospel Apostolic, Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa (ZAOGA) and Zviratidzo. Each of the 24 church denominations in this ward has an average membership of 120 followers or believers. The training covered such topics as HIV is transmission, how to take care of and associate with HIV positive church or non - church members, HIV prevention in churches and how to disseminate such information to church members during preaching or teaching services. Furthermore, pastors from the different church denominations were trained on how they can sensitise or encourage their own followers to take-up the necessary medication when one is tested and found HIV Positive.
Thus through the church based interventions, FACT has reinforced HIV testing, universal access to testing and counselling and access to treatment for church denominations. Other trainings were on resource mobilisation within the context of supporting HIV affected and infected households. Consequently, The Pastors' Fraternal managed to raise monetary contributions totalling USD 115.00. the money is earmarked to support the needy such as orphans, widows, widowers and HIV infected. To date the pastor's fraternal has emerged as one of FACT's and other related organisations' core institution in universalising working approaches to HIV response among divergent church denominations. Overall, the pastors' fraternal has strengthened the church's capacity in the prevention of HIV. In Bikita, a significant number of the dominant churches now speak and act with one voice when it comes to HIV prevention and control. All in all members from different denominations are openly and freely communicating on sensitive HIV and AIDS such as HIV status, couple testing and counseling. Such issues are now being preached and taught in all the 24 denominations that belong to the Pastors' Fraternal. Furthermore, the church leaders are now in a better position to persuade and encourage good health seeking behaviours from HIV positive church members especially from church denominations that used to resist the uptake of medication like Johanne Marange, Gospel Apostolic, Zion Taedzerwa, Zion City and Jekenisheni.

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