By Sukuoluhle Ndlovu
Masvingo – District referral hospitals across Masvingo and the vulnerable in the community saw church organizations coming together and made various donations an official has said.
The Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) and Ecumenical Church Leaders Forum (ECLF) have landed a hand by helping the frontline workers with food assistance during the Covid -19 pandemic.
The Zimbabwe Council of Churches donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to Gutu Rural Hospital and Morgenster Mission Hospital while the Ecumenical Church Leaders Forum donated to Bikita rural, Nyika and St Antony hospitals.
The donations included gloves, goggles, infrared thermometers, N95 masks, three-ply surgical masks, hand sanitizer and disposable gowns. Churches are taking part in helping in the fight against Covid – 19.
The Ecumenical Church Leaders Forum’s Programmes Assistant for COVID-19 response, Nigel Zhou said there is need to eradicate the spread of the Covid -19 pandemic.
“It is my belief that the donation will go a long way in adding value to the fight against COVID-19 and in protecting the front-line health workers who are at high risk of contracting the disease. As churches, we are complementing government efforts to fight the deadly pandemic and I hope this gesture will go a long way in the fight against Covid -19.
“We are making a loud call encouraging people to prevent the spread of the virus with best practices and remain vigilant against all forms of violence as the pandemic has exposed more cases of gender-based violence and gender inequality,” said Zhou.
In an interview, ZCC Humanitarian Services Director, Maria Dendere said there is need to complement the government’s efforts.
“As ZCC, we have seen the need to continue supporting vulnerable communities in Masvingo and parts of Midlands with foodstuffs , psycho-social support as well as child protection training especially during these days when schools are closed as the government is fighting the pandemic,” she said.
“During our food aid distribution programmes, we have reduced the number of villages we gather at a time to stay within the gazetted numbers of people per gathering, not to exceed 30 people as required in the Statutory Instrument (SI) 200 of 2020 which is the national lockdown principal order,” she said.
