Vusumuzi Dube
Tendai Rupapa in Mt Darwin
HEALTH Ambassador First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa yesterday joined thousands of villagers in Mt Darwin at the commissioning of 34 life pump boreholes that were sunk by Karanda Mission Hospital in partnership with Government under the Community Care Wash Programme, in a development expected to enhance access to clean water and improve public health.
Amai Mnangagwa was invited as the guest of honour to commission the boreholes.
The move is also expected to shorten distances covered by community members in search of clean water, curb diseases and end gender-based violence resulting from women being bashed by their spouses for returning late from fetching water.
The boreholes have a lifespan of 25 to 30 years.
According to experts, clean water helps prevent water-borne diseases, raises sanitation standards and boosts agriculture and food production. After commissioning the boreholes, Dr Mnangagwa held an interactive session with the community where she called for the protection of the boreholes against vandalism and tackled issues like child marriages, drug abuse and domestic violence.
In a bid to curb such, she set up committees that will work with her office, the office of the Minister of State and the police.
“It is my pleasure to be a guest at this occasion where we celebrate the provision of healthy potable water. The boreholes were sunk in wards 14, 15, 16 and 38. The Government of Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Health and Child Care swore to fight Covid-19 and as a way of supporting, Karanda Mission in partnership with the Government drilled these boreholes. Kuwanisa mvura yakachena kuvanhu kunotsigira zvakare donzvo reHurumende rebudiriro ine pundutso (sustainable development goal 6),” she said.
The First Lady said the provision of the 34 boreholes through WASH programme was in line with Vision 2030.
“This borehole is easy to use especially for women. Using this borehole actually makes people to exercise so that we remain strong since you will be using your hands uchiita kunge kamuchovha.
“The water comes out easily since there is a valve which makes it difficult for the water to return into the well. A bucket can be filled in two minutes. Its life span is 30 years. They used stainless steel to make the life pumps which do not rust. The boreholes were placed in your care and water point committees were set up to monitor them. These committees were trained through the district water and sanitation co-ordination committee (DWSCC),” she said.
This programme of drilling boreholes, Amai Mnangagwa said, helps communities to get clean water.
“Water is life, therefore, I urge you to look after these boreholes which came to us as a special gift. This will lessen the distances that were covered by women and girls in search of water and bringing water closer helps curb domestic violence. Some take long searching for water resulting in violence in the homes. This also helps to lessen njodzi dzinosangana nemadzimai and the girl child pavanofamba long distances in search of clean water,” said Dr Mnangagwa.
She spoke candidly against washing of napkins and utensils at the borehole site.
“Doing your laundry and washing dishes should not be done on the borehole because if we do so, we compromise our health. Why is washing utensils and laundry on the borehole not advisable?” she asked.
In response, Mrs Otilia Kanjiri said: “We must fetch water and do our laundry and wash the dishes away to ensure dogs do not come looking for food and mess the area, causing diseases.”
The First Lady said this was correct and people needed to fetch water and return home early to prepare meals for the family. She also said that dirt invites flies which, in turn, cause diseases such as diarrhoea.
In addition, Amai Mnangagwa said that spending more time at the borehole makes women gossip a lot, hence less time for productive things at home.
The health ambassador further warned the community that Covid-19 was still around, hence the need to exercise good hygiene at all times.
“Covid-19 is still with us and let us all follow the protocols to keep the pandemic at bay. The Ministry of Health and Child Care insists that the pandemic is still with us, so let us be vaccinated and get booster shots. The vaccination is there to protect our health. As I stand before you, I got all the three jabs,” she said.
“I will come back with my Angel of Hope Foundation mobile clinic so that we are checked for all ailments like cervical, breast, and prostate cancers, sugar diabetes, HIV and other ailments so that you are placed on treatment early. We want you alive to work for your families and the country in full strength,” she said.
Dr Mnangagwa also spoke against child marriages.
“Mashonaland Central Province remains on top in terms of child marriages. Between baba naamai, who is marrying off children at a tender age?” she asked.
In response, men and women pointed fingers at one another.
An elderly woman blamed men.
“I blame men because they squander money in beerhalls and fail to send children to school and once the child is idle, she thinks of getting married,” she said.
This, however, differed from the views of another granny who said women were to blame.
“I, personally, think women are to blame because they befriend their daughters to the point where they cannot counsel them and end up even demanding niceties from the child’s boyfriends. Their husbands will be in the dark, only to find the daughters pregnant yet the mother would have influenced the girl child to fall in love at a tender age,” she said.
Mr Yakimo Chikodza echoed similar sentiments.
“Amai, your daughters-in-law here are conniving with their daughters because of their love for freebies and if, as a father I voice concern, I am reminded by the mother that she is the one who carried the pregnancy for nine months hence I do not have a say. These children are also hiding behind the issue of rights and if I beat them, they allege abuse and get me arrested. We thank you for your Nhanga/Gota/Ixhiba programme which is helping children countrywide,” he said.
Pastor Abraham Chakubva decried the surge in drug abuse by both boys and girls.
“Our children are taking drugs and when intoxicated they engage in sexual activities resulting in unwanted pregnancies. The girl would have slept with many boys and doesn’t know the culprit. We have to pray for our children so that they grow up knowing God and leaving bad deeds,” he said.
The First Lady urged the traditional leadership like headmen to work hand in hand with Chiefs, telling them what happens in communities.
“The whole local leadership let’s put our heads together and address issues affecting children and shape their future. I heard there is beer called “tumbwa” which originated here. Children are being ruined by that illicit brew and there are women selling this to kids. The children steal and sell their mother’s blankets for a dollar to buy the beer. Vana amai, kune avo varikutengesa twudoro utwu nezvimwe zvinodhaka, let us not destroy the future of our children,” she said.
Dr Mnangagwa brought up the idea of forming committees that work with her office and that of the Minister of State and the police.
These committees seek to monitor whether children are not engaging in mischief and elders selling drugs.
The communities welcomed the idea of setting up committees and started immediately.
They volunteered and promised to work with the police and utilising the First Lady’s 575 toll free call centre in her office.
Another committee that was formed comprised elderly men and women to conduct Nhanga/Gota/Ixhiba sessions with the children regularly.
Some parents said some families did not take kindly to neighbours who corrected their children.
But the First Lady emphasised that it takes the whole village to raise a child and taught parents that there was nothing wrong with that.
As environmental ambassador, she spoke against the cutting down of trees and burning of forests.
Dr Mnangagwa who is also the country’s Wildlife Ambassador said burning of forests cause the death of wildlife or for them to move avoiding flames and searching for new habitat. This migration, she said, can cause animals to wander into densely human populated areas thus causing wildlife-human conflict.
She implored families to live in peace and resolve their differences amicably as she said no to domestic violence.
Dr Takuza Sasa, representing Karanda Mission hospital on behalf of Dr Paul Thistle, said the hospital was grateful to the Government of Zimbabwe under the leadership of his Excellency Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa for supporting Karanda Mission healthcare ministry as a hospital and in the community.
He thanked Amai Mnangagwa for commissioning the boreholes and taking time to interact with the villagers on a number of issues.
“Karanda Mission Hospital is different because we take a holistic approach to healthcare which we emphasise on the physical, psychological and spiritual healing of the patients, their families and our beloved community. As Karanda Mission Hospital, under the guidance of the Ministry of Health and Child Care, we continue to respond to Covid-19 among other illnesses. Drilling of boreholes was one of the main points that we thought would help with the fight against this pandemic. We entered the WASH programme and witnessed our communities and two schools in wards 14, 15, 16 and 38 benefitting from a new technology called life pump boreholes. This is a very safe, clean source of drinking water. Your Excellency, as part of our community ministry to support the Government efforts to build communities, allow us to hand over these 34 boreholes to the Government of Zimbabwe. We are thankful to those who assisted us especially our supporters and partners who helped us to fulfil our purpose as Karanda Mission Hospital in the WASH programme. May God bless our mother country, Zimbabwe, as we continue to diligently serve our nation. We are gratified by our Government led by President Mnangagwa for backing us in our work of treating people and promoting good health. As a hospital we have a role to play,” he said.
Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Mashonaland Central Province Monica Mavhunga sang praises to Dr Mnangagwa for her visit and congratulated her on her recent conferment with a doctorate degree by the Russia State University of the Humanities.
“I am happy for your visit and on behalf of the province, I want to congratulate you for the doctorates you received from Russia and the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU). Amai all this is through your hard work. We want to thank you for commissioning the boreholes drilled by Karanda Hospital in partnership with the Government. As health ambassador you value public health and clean water and we appreciate this,” she said.
Community members were thankful for the boreholes.
Mrs Annah Chimuza said: “I now no longer have to cover long distances in search of clean water. All we need to do now is to ensure we protect these boreholes from vandals.”
Similar sentiments were shared by Mrs Abigail Rwizi.
“We thank our mother, the First Lady, for the great teachings she gives us time and again. We also thank her for promoting public health. We pray to God to give her more strength in working for the nation,” she said.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter