Global Aid International Network- Zimbabwe
KADOMA AND CHEGUTU WATER FILTER DISTRIBUTION
Located in the Mashonaland West Province of Zimbabwe, the town of Kadoma is home to a population of approximately 81,000 people. Rimuka, a high density location in the town where almost a quarter of the population lives, was hit the hardest by the Cholera outbreak.
Coupled with other problems, the erratic supply of water was the main cause of the epidemic. The town council has not been able to give a regular supply of clean water for a protracted period, causing people to resort to digging wells in some areas where the water is not safe for consumption. The sewer system has not been properly functional for months; raw sewage flowing in the streets by the road sides has become a common sight.
With the help a pastor who leads a growing congregation in the Westview suburbs, Pastor Chiweda, we managed to make contact with other local pastors. Through them we were able to reach out to the community after they mobilized their church members to come for water filter donations. We were able to distribute 110 water filters in Kadoma.
The distribution enabled to set up a platform to share our ministry vision for the nation. The local pastors in Kadoma pledged their support for the ministry in partnerships.
CHEGUTU
Chegutu is located about 107km from Harare in Mashonaland West Province. With a population of under 50,000, the town has a higher number of Cholera casualties than Kadoma. Coupled with prolonged power cuts, the erratic supplies of clean water made it difficult to control and contain the Cholera epidemic.
With the assistance of Pastor Chiweda from Kadoma, we were able to contact 17 churches in Chegutu through their pastors. We were privileged to work with Pastor Nyikadzino of Banarbas Christian Family Centre, who had been previously involved with LIFE ministry on other occasions. This encouraged other pastors to go on the drawing board and see how they can be more involved with LIFE Ministry.
We managed to distribute 80 water filters and it was such a blessing to see how the people were overwhelmed with such a timely gift.
One of the beneficiaries was Mrs. Margaret Mhidza, who lives in the nearby communal lands in Chegutu. She’s one of the people who had been directly affected by the Cholera epidemic. Her grandson she was living with caught the deadly disease, and unfortunately lost his life. One of the local pastors called her in to receive this donation when he learnt of her misfortune. Her gratitude and appreciation for the gift was undoubted, as she thanked the ministry for helping her prevent another member of her family from becoming a Cholera statistic.
Nigel Mudavanhu of Royal Priesthood Church, could not wait to get home after receiving the water filter – his son was, at that very moment, ill, lying in bed after contracting Cholera. He said that he prayed this timely gift would help speed up the recovery of his 8-year old boy, and prevent anyone else from his family from falling victim to the deadly disease. He thanked LIFE Ministry for the donation which could not have come at a better time.