The ZANE teams in Zimbabwe have been busy out in the community now that many of the covid restrictions have been lifted – here are reports from two of the field workers:
On Tuesday we visited an elderly couple and their very unwell daughter who is 65. This family are a typical example of what has happened in Zimbabwe.
Although they still own their own home they cannot afford to pay for their medication and can barely afford to put food on the table. John and Marg have tried to hold onto the house for their daughter’s sake. John is on oxygen for most of the day as his emphysema is very bad, they all require more medical help than what we are able to offer.
Their daughter Belinda sends endless messages to us begging for help. Behind this there is always the threat of suicide. As this family seem to be suffering more than most, I decided it was time to re-assess them.
I hope after our talk on Tuesday they will realise that they do need to sell their home and move to a care home.
It has been a busy few weeks. We visited and assessed Annie and her family in Hatfield. They were referred to us by SOAP who correctly thought they were struggling to survive.
They have very little income consisting of Annie’s tiny NSSA pension and an even smaller pension her daughter, Lucy receives. Monica works a few mornings a week at a nursery school, earning next to nothing and Bridget was born with hydro encephalitis.
This means she is of very subnormal intelligence, functioning like a 3 or 4 year old, and obviously has never been able to work. Annie herself has had a stroke and is permanently bedridden requiring care night and day, which Lucy and Bridget do on alternate nights.
The family are totally frugal and seem to be living on a diet mostly of bread and water but nevertheless do not seem unhappy or miserable. They are lovingly supportive of each other and don’t complain about their situation.
We have put them on our food parcel list and will discuss with the team about further support we should give them. They are very deserving.
* Names have been changed to protect privacy
* Names and images may have been changed for privacy reasons
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Donations made to ZANE in Australia, are tax-deductible.