Reports from the ZANE teams on the ground in Zimbabwe show yet again the difficulties faced by both the carers as well, of course, the elderly folk trying desperately to survive in the chaotic social and economic times:
The recent heavy rains in Harare have made visiting our beneficiaries an interesting, and sometimes terrifying, experience on these terrible roads.
Jeanie
We visited Jeanie (80) to complete an assessment at her home in one of the retirement villages. Fortunately for Jeanie, after her husband passed away in 2018 the house was left to her.
Jeanie has a job in a local shop, working six days per week and on her feet from 9-5 pm. Some years ago, she was involved in a car accident, crushing her ankle, which required surgery in South Africa.
Recently her ankle has started to trouble her and she now requires a special dressing once a week, costing $10 a time until she can afford to have an ankle replacement. She also suffers from a heart condition, although she is stable at the moment.
Jeanie lives frugally, battling to make ends meet. She has two children, both of whom are out of the country. The son in South Africa sends groceries when he can, however, the daughter in New Zealand is not able to assist.
This is a very common situation where a person owns their home but has no money to maintain the property or put food on the table. We advised her to consider selling her property and buying a smaller one, which would give her money to live on.
Val
At the same complex we found Val W. very depressed and emotional. Sadly, she does not have a good relationship with her daughter which makes her unhappy.
Fortunately, her son-in-law gives her some support which she is very grateful for. She lives frugally, making her ZANE help stretch as far as possible.
Lily
We distributed food parcels and money to eight ZANE beneficiaries who live in the nearby communities. The roads to their homes are very bad, with the tar breaking up and leaving huge potholes. These pensioners meet us in the car park at a local shopping centre, making our lives and that of our vehicles easier.
Of these eight beneficiaries, Lily B and Leanna S seem to be having the hardest time making ends meet. Lily’s partner, John P. had a stroke some years ago leaving him wheelchair-bound and unable to speak clearly, which makes him very frustrated and bad-tempered.
Lily goes out to work every day, earning a pittance, and returning home to care for him. I have encouraged Lily to allow John’s family to take over this problem, which will ease the daily pressure on her.
She has had some health issues lately, probably caused by stress.
* Names and images may have been changed for privacy reasons
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Thank you – Nicky Passaportis ZANE Australia
Please donate to support pensioners struggling to survive in Zimbabwe
Any assistance is greatly appreciated and goes a long way to giving our pensioners a better quality of life and lift the pressure of money worries which is very debilitating emotionally.
(Donations made to ZANE in Australia, are tax-deductible)