Chronicle Editor
Rejoyce Sibanda, Chronicle Reporter
WHEN Covid-19 hit the country in 2020, many people hid in the safety of their homes as they were scared of contracting the virus.
This was however not the case for 47-year-old Mrs Sanelisiwe Chipomho from Bulawayo who religiously cooked food for the homeless.
Mrs Chipomho said she got clearance from the police to get into town in order to give food to the homeless people on the streets as non-essential workers were not allowed to move around during those days.
Since then, she has continued to feed the homeless on the city’s streets every Sunday.
Mrs Chipomho registered her charity organisation, Usizo Foundation Trust in 2020 and is running it with the assistance of her family.
Mrs Chipomho was raised by her visually impaired grandmother in Esigodini, Matabeleland South province and had to endure some hardships growing up.
She says life was not rosy but despite the challenges, she managed to achieve her goals in life.
Mrs Chipomho said although she is just a preschool teacher and doesn’t earn much, she has been able to share the little she has and was also getting some money from well-wishers.
She said she doesn’t seek to gain anything from her work but instead wants to give back to the community.
“I realised that most people living on the streets were dependent on the food that we throw away and so when the lockdowns were enforced, I just imagined their struggles in trying to get food daily as most people were no longer getting into town. I then started cooking meals for them,” said Mrs Chipomho.
She said in the beginning, it was not easy for the homeless people to trust her but as time went on, they got used to her and appreciated the food she gave them.
Mrs Chipomho said she has now created strong bonds with the people she serves and some had even opened up to her on why they’re living on the streets.
“On the first day, I think I gave out about 14 plates and during the second week, there were about 43 people. The numbers kept on increasing and they’re now over 200. I thought I was just going to distribute food to them during the 21 days of the Covid-19 lockdown but we’ve continued feeding these people till today,” she said.
Mrs Chipomho said she feeds both the young and the elderly from various points in the city centre with the major point being along 9th Avenue.
She said she has since discovered that not everyone living on the streets is delinquent, violent, uneducated or “useless” as some may think.
“I cook isitshwala with different kinds of relish such as beans, green vegetables, meat and soya chunks among others. Towards Christmas, I always ask for their suggestions on what I should cook for them and they get special meals like rice, chicken, salads and even cold drinks. I’m grateful for the assistance I get from my four sisters who help me cook and serve these people,” said Mrs Chipomho.
She said she would be immensely grateful if she got a sponsor who would help her buy land and build a vocational centre for the homeless as she noticed that some of them are very talented.
The vocational centre, she said, will enable them to acquire skills to sustain themselves.
“To be honest, I didn’t even know what I was doing when I started feeding these people. I just felt that with the little that I had, I should share it with them. What I can tell you is that God provides because even when I don’t have money, a plan always comes up and I always make it a point that they get food every Sunday,” said Mrs Chipomho.
She however said the big challenge she is facing is that the homeless people she caters for are now too many and the resources are not enough hence she is appealing for assistance. – @ReeSibanda.
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