Local non-governmental organisation, Action Contre La Faim, has introduced a water, air, sanitation and health (WASH) campaign to reduce levels of morbidity and mortality in the local population.
The NGO has partnered with Chipinge Town Council, a local NGO Zim Ahead, Environmental Management Agency and residents. The intervention follows the incapacity of the local authority to offer quality service delivery such as refuse collection.
The programme, which is being bankrolled by United Nations International Children’s Emergence Fund, is being implemented in four wards of the populous Gaza high density suburbs.
The objective of the WASH campaign is to raise awareness among residents on the need to maintain high standards of hygiene.
“We want to improved hygiene practices among the residents of Chipinge town with a special focus on gender vulnerability. As an organisation, we discovered that every time there is challenge in the community, be it socially or economically, women and children are always on the receiving end. We decided to intervene by bringing practical solutions to certain challenges,” said an official from AFC.
He said although the local authority was working around the clock to find solutions to the problem, it was struggling with solid waste management.
Grace Dube (33), a beneficiary of the WASH programme, expressed her gratitude, saying the NGOs were helping to curb the outbreak of diseases such as cholera.
Since it started its operations in Chipinge five years ago, ACF has drilled boreholes in Gaza and has implemented livelihood projects to boost food security in rural areas of Chipinge.
According to ACF official, the WASH programme will run until the end of September this year.