Orphans and Elderly People Face Hunger As COVID-19 Rages On

Old people gathered as they received humanitarian support owing to COVID-19 effects. Image by Agape Family Care | Facebook

BY BOKANI MUDIMBA | @The_CBNews | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | DEC 3, 2020

Orphanages and old children's homes mostly rely on government funding for survival. Donations from well-wishers have ensured a fair amount of comfort for most homes, COVID-19 has drastically changed this.

VICTORIA FALLS (The Citizen Bulletin) — Vulnerable elderly and orphaned children housed at Chinotimba Old People’s Home and Rose of Charity Orphanage in Victoria Falls have reportedly fallen on hard times owing to dwindling food supplies as a result of COVID-19.

Chinotimba Old People’s Home and Rose of Charity, both located in Chinotimba used to get most of their supplies from well-wishers who include tour operating companies and hotels who have however been hit hard by the pandemic.

Tourists would also take turns to visit the homes and leave some goodies.

All that remains are memories as few operators and well-wishers can afford to donate as their sources of revenue were also affected.

A visit to Chinotimba Old People’s Home showed that while the residents still get their meals, the diet has changed.

Frail looking Florence Maphosa aged 107 shelters under a tree in front of a cottage where she lives at the Chinotimba Old People’s Home.

She is one of the 14 elderly men and women housed at the home run by the Victoria Falls Municipality in partnership with the Social Welfare department.

“They used to come and talk to me here,” says Florence Maphosa who now struggles to talk or hear because of age.

She can no longer walk and each morning she crawls outside her compound to bask in the sun. She carries with her a small broom which she uses to sweep around her, as she reminisces the old days when she would sweep the compound at the old people’s home.

Her co-residents are also spread across the compound with those who are still able bodied helping around with some chores.

Meals used to comprise porridge as well as tea and bread for breakfast, lunch made of rice or sadza with chicken, beef or beans which were also alternated for supper.

Nowadays either lunch or supper is skipped while breakfast is sometimes limited to porridge alone.

Before COVID-19, hotels, tour operators, supermarkets, individuals, churches and tourists would take turns to visit the home with goodies comprising groceries, clothes and fast foods.

Some would spend the day at the home sharing meals with the elderly or organise fun days at the home bringing up the cheer and smile to their faces.

Victoria Falls junior councillors pose with an elderly at the Old People's Home. Image by Victoria Falls Municipality

The 14 residents are drawn from Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe nationals.

The home is now forced to sometimes skip a meal while relish is now limited to soya chunks and vegetables as donations have reduced because of the pandemic.

Even access to medication had been compromised.

“Some of the elderly are on various kinds of medication which we used to get from Zambia where it is cheaper. With the lockdown we couldn’t cross to Zambia while the forex that we used to receive from tourists whenever they visited is no longer there.”
Nettie Chindedza, a board member

“We need gloves, diapers, painkillers and different kinds of antibiotics as much as we need food. We have five that are on mental health treatment and need monthly injections which cost between US$10 and US$15 each per month. It was easy to get before lockdown and we hope the reopening of borders will improve the situation for us,” says Chindedza.

The tourism industry is one of the hardest hit by the pandemic which led to closure of the sector with more than three-quarters of workers losing jobs as employers were left with no source of income.

This has also meant limited resources for charity.

The province has two old people’s homes with the second one in Dete, and five children’s homes- two in Binga, one in Victoria Falls and two in Umguza.

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Victoria Falls award 11 councillor Edmore Zhou has been mobilising residents to donate goods for hosting a Christmas party at the home.

Since the start of the lockdown those that have donated include the Hindu Community, Buy A Brick Foundation, Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe, COVID-19 Taskforce and some individuals.

The situation is similar at Rose of Charity where 23 orphans are accommodated with 79 others being helped with food during the day.

Orphans receive COVID-19 food relief. Image by Rose Of Charity

Rose of Charity founder Simangele Moyo says the orphanage is facing challenges sourcing food, medication, blankets and sanitary pads for girls.

“COVID-19 really affected us as all sources of help dried up because well-wishers are no longer able to help. We are no longer getting food and medication the way we used to and we can only pray for an improvement of the situation. We used to get well-wishers scrambling to host Christmas parties for us but this year it’s quiet and we wonder if we will afford it on our own,” says Moyo.

She is appealing to well-wishers for donations for the betterment of lives of the orphans aged between one year and 15.

Matabeleland North Social Welfare Officer Macnon Chirinzepi however, says the department supports the vulnerable with monthly food and cash allocations which he says are enough to keep them going.

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