Tracing the fortune of the elderly with love

the Fortune of the Elderly, a non-governmental organisation, managed to identify a niche which has seen her taking care of more than 300 elderly people from the comfort of their homes, located in various high density suburbs of Bulawayo.
Mrs Mpala said she always had a passion for charity work and started off as a volunteer at Jairos Jiri Vocational and Training Centre when she was still a teenager many years ago.
Thereafter, she used to cook for the destitute at the National Railways of Zimbabwe station in Bulawayo with Mr Ben Strydom, the founder of Home of Peace, which is also a non governmental organisation.
Mrs Mpala said she would cook from her house during weekends and then dish out the food at the railway station.
After working with Mr Strydom for a while, she realised that there was a gap in Tshabalala Extension where old people were being neglected and other organisations were failing to reach.
While still deciding how she could be of assistance, Mrs Mpala would give away her personal groceries to the elderly people in the area, who were struggling to make ends meet, before she had established a donor base.
The energetic Mrs Mpala said she noticed that the elderly who did not stay in institutions were not receiving help and most struggled because they did not have a steady income yet they had to take care of their grandchildren.
She said she chose to take care of the elderly because she loved them, a love which emanated from the strong bond she had with her paternal grandmother.
Mrs Mpala said she would also visit her grandmother’s friends and gradually developed respect for the elderly.
“There are a lot of misconceptions about old people especially with regards to African tradition where they are associated with witchcraft.
“I am not going to be young forever and will soon be considered one of Zimbabwe’s elderly citizens,” she said.
When asked what inspires her to do such humble work, Mrs Mpala said it was because of her belief in God and also, being a devout Christian had taught her to love people.
Trace the Fortune of the Elderly primarily focuses on high density suburbs such as Tshabalala, Sizinda, Njube, Magwegwe and Mpopoma.
“We used to visit these elderly people door to door but now I am not able to do that because they are now so many of them and I do not have a vehicle.
“Nowadays, we put up notices whenever we need to meet with them especially when there is a function so that we rendezvous at a central place,” said Mrs Mpala.
One of the elderly people that have benefited from the non governmental organisation, Gogo Legina Phiri (91), said she was grateful for what Mrs Mpala and her organisation were doing for the community.
“She has done so much to help us and I thank God for her and I hope she continues to help more people. She helps us whenever she has something to give and we do not ask her for anything but she helps us willingly,” she said.
Gogo Phiri, who is of Malawian descent, said although she is a foreigner, she has received assistance from Trace the Fortune of the Elderly without any discrimination.
“I have never met anyone like her and everywhere I have been, foreigners are not treated well,” she said.
Gogo Phiri said she stays with some tenants to whom she has rented out some rooms. She said she has children in South Africa and UK but they are not doing anything to take care of her.
Gogo Laiza Zondo, who could not remember how old she was, said: “Lo uexcellent! Uyasinceda kakhulu njalo ulothando. Indlala yonke, nxa ekuzuzile nguye osincedayo.”
Gogo Zondo stays with her orphaned granddaughter, Sikhanyisile (22), whose mother died when she was four days old.
“My husband died a couple of years ago. He was in the army but up until now, I have not yet received any money from his pension scheme,” said Gogo Zondo.
She said Mrs Mpala visited her even when she did not have anything to offer.
Gogo Zondo said she now relied on Mrs Mpala for her well being because she was the only one who could offer her any help.
While having a flashback of the 2008 economic meltdown, Gogo Ida Sibanda said Mrs Mpala played a pivotal role in making sure that they had food to eat.
She said it was painful to queue for mealie-meal all day, only to be told that there was no longer any mealie-meal available after spending long hours in the queues.
“Mrs Mpala gives us groceries, clothes and blankets and all our problems have become hers. Recently, she gave us some food and we are always grateful for what she does for us,” said Gogo Sibanda.
Gogo Sibanda spoke profoundly about Mrs Mpala but complained about people, the youth especially, who she said no longer have respect for the elderly.
“In a bus for example, you find that someone young would rather keep their seat instead of offering it to an old person, who is a standing passenger. Even in kombis and shops, people are no longer respectful,” she said.
Gogo Sibanda has two children who are both married. She said there were a number of problems in the country that would not end overnight but she was grateful that she did not have to live in an institution in order to be taken care of.
Mrs Mpala urged the business community as well as other well-wishers to plough back to the disadvantaged communities.
“Anyone can help the elderly and it does not have to cost them any money. People can donate the clothes that they no longer wear or food stuffs they end up not eating instead of waiting for them to expire, then throw them away,” she said.
“It saddens me when the elderly come to me asking for food saying they did not have anything to eat the previous night and not have anything to offer them.
“The elderly do not just need food or money but they also need love and people to take care of them as well as being involved in the decision making process in their communities because they are wise people,” said Mrs Mpala.
Aside from handing these elderly people donations, Mrs Mpala said they had started projects where the elderly sew and do other light jobs to keep them occupied and plans were in the pipeline to start a horticulture project.
The horticulture project, she said, was meant for them to generate income and not become donor dependent.
“We would also want them to have outings so that they may be able to refresh from time to time since they look after orphans and people that are affected or infected by HIV and Aids,” said Mrs Mpala.
Turning to the social services available in Zimbabwe, Mrs Mpala suggested that there be some fund of some sort that the elderly should receive.
“People think that when one gets old, they become retarded and many families ill-treat the elderly members of their family, especially their children and their daughters-in law.
“Another problem that these elderly people face is that they take care of orphans that most do not have birth certificates and fail to go to school as a result.
“Although the Basic Education Assistance Module has helped many, it is still not adequate,” said Mrs Mpala.
She said efforts were being made to start an awareness campaign on Alzheimer’s disease that is common among the elderly, saying there had been a lot of misconceptions surrounding the disease and people needed to be educated about it.
Trace the Fortune of the Elderly was established in 2001 and was registered as a non governmental organisation in 2007.
Mrs Mpala does not run the organisation by herself but is assisted by a number of volunteers, especially when handing out donations.
The non governmental organisation does not have a permanent donor base but receives help from companies from time to time, which donate blankets, groceries, clothes and medication among other things.
Mrs Mpala is married to John, an administrative clerk at NRZ. They have three surviving children. Tracey who works for the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, Irvine who is studying civil engineering, Irene who is studying tourism and hospitality and Fortune who is now late.