ROOTS Africa has received a consignment of goods consisting of food and non food items worth US$10 000 from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to assist the mining and farming communities of Mazowe during the COVID-19 pandemic times.
By Michael Gwarisa
ROOTS is part of the COVID-19 Alliance which is a Higherlife initiative to get stakeholders together and fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The African Development Bank made a donation of US$10,000 worth of goods to COVID-19 relief efforts in Zimbabwe and with support from Higherlife Foundation ROOTS was identified as an organisation that will distributed the goods to the vulnerable communities that need them the most and that are being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The donation of the goods has come at a time when the Mazowe communities are experiencing the second wave of the novel corona virus disease which has left majority of people in Mazowe in desperate need of food as household and period poverty ravages on.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, AfDB Country Director, Ms Mono Mupotela said tehe donation would assist not 300 people from different vulnerable households in Mazowe.
AfDB SCO is donating USD10,000.00 worth of food packs to a community in Mazowe with 33 Wards / Sections in Mazowe District. The total number of beneficiaries is 300 people from the vulnerable groups in Mazowe District, Mashonaland Central Province. Food packs – Mealie-Meal, Cooking Oil, Sugar Beans, Salt, Flour, Rice, Soya Chunks , Laundry soup, bath soaps Sanitary Pads for women, Dish Washing Liquid , Sanitizers , Masks
“Women face tough socio-economic challenges due to the presence of illegal miners, negative aspects of patriarchal systems to women mostly living in the rural district; gender based and domestic violence and early child marriage. The vast natural resources in the rural district has enabled the flourishing of artisanal mining and subsistence farming which are predominantly a preserve for men with the general exclusion of women and girls,” said Ms Mupotela.
She added that the COVID-19 induced lockdown had affected household food security and poverty had escalated as many women rely on vending and mining activities.
“Food packs will be distributed in the Mazowe district in consultation with the Department of Social Development. The department has done a vulnerability needs assessment to verify the eligibility of the beneficiaries, targeting Child headed families, windows, people living with disability.”
ROOTS is part of the COVID-19 Alliance which is a Higherlife initiative to get stakeholders together and fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The African Development Bank made a donation of US$10,000 worth of goods to COVID-19 relief efforts in Zimbabwe and with support from Higherlife Foundation ROOTS was identified as an organisation that will distributed the goods to the vulnerable communities that need them the most and that are being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
ROOTS Director Ms Portia Kurima they were grateful to the African Development Bank Foundation for the timely donation of essential goods to the Mazowe communities.
“As a youthful organization we envision a world a world that respects, protects, and honours the rights and dignity of Adolescents and Young People. We seek to empower Adolescents and Young People (AYP) to become agents of social change through promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights and advancing economic empowerment as a way of reducing and mitigating gender-based violence.
“We have not been spared the vagaries of COVID 19 which have seen may in Mazowe lose their livelihoods as they survive on informal activities. This pandemic has seen us all barely hanging on to the raft of life and dry land seems far far away which is why we are grateful for this show of goodwill. As part of the Covid 19 Alliance, a Higher Life Foundation initiative ROOTS has been carrying out work since the advent of the pandemic,” said Ms Kurima.
Speaking on behalf of the Higherlife Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Barbara Chivandire said the AfDB stepped up at the right time as the people of Mazowe were in great need of assistance and such a gesture should continue and spread to other affected communities.
