We are glad to let you know that the famine relief program is going on well and is bringing hope to the people affected by COVID-19. Most of these families have got people who returned back from our neighbouring countries where they were doing different jobs. The support is going a long way in providing food assistance to 85 families all from Masvingo and Matabeleland provinces of Zimbabwe. Please find herein below some of the stories and photos of people who received support in the last distribution program:
Nokuthula is a widow who has been surviving through buying and selling sweets and biscuits to school children in Bulawayo but unfortunately the challenges brought by COVID-19 caused her to leave Bulawayo for rural Mtshazo (ZIM02g). She wasn’t making a lot of money out of selling sweets but was making enough for her to be able to buy a bag of mealie meal at the end of the month. The lockdown brought dryness to her business since schools were closed and there was no one to sell her things to. She was also not allowed to be on the streets of Bulawayo selling things.
Life was so difficult for her in Bulawayo that she decided to take a bus to her rural area where she found out that life was not all that easy. Thanks to Fountain of Hope for bringing this program to her village, now she is able to have food to eat.
Sifiso’s father worked in Bulawayo for many years but unfortunately he lost his job when the lockdown was pronounced in March. He was looking forward to the day when he was going to get a pension and retire after serving for many years. It didn’t go down well with him when he just lost his job due to the challenges of COVID-19 and he began to have a heart problem which unfortunately caused him to pass away after being in hospital for only three days. This family therefore lost the bread winner during a very difficult moment in life when goods and services are very expensive.
Two weeks down the track after losing the father, the family lost another young man who was supposed to provide for the family. This left the family on its knees and the support from Fountain of Hope came at the right time when they didn’t have any food to eat at all. The food really brought comfort to the family who lost two men within a period of two weeks.
Gogo MaNcube is one of the oldest grandmothers in the remote village of Marazanye in chief Makamure area (ZIM02c). She lives with her grandchildren as well as with her sickly sister. Her only son has been working in Botswana for many years and would always send some money back home to support this old lady and his family. Unfortunately COVID-19 came and a lockdown was declared in Botswana which led this man to be deported back home with nothing. He was taken to a quarantine centre for 28 days before being released to his family. He came back to the community feeling defeated and dejected since he didn’t have anything to give to his old mother and his wife together with his 4 children.
This man spends part of every day in doors hiding from the members of the village because he is no longer capable of fending for his family. The support from Fountain of Hope came really at the right time when this old lady didn’t know what to do with her son. The support brought smiles and joy to this family, thanks to Fountain of Hope.