Hand in Hand Zimbabwe continues with its humanitarian drive of distributing food hampers to vulnerable and marginalised people in rural communities.

The organisation donated 22 more food hampers consisting of 20kg mealie meal, 3kg soya chunks, 3kg sugar beans, 2kg salt, 5 kg flour, 6kg sugar, 3 units bathing soap and 3 bars of washing soap to families in Ward 4 and Ward 13 Gwanda district who are struggling to make ends meet due to effects of COVID-19.

Rubbie Musikambesa, a 68-year-old widow, who stays with 14 grandchildren – nine of them orphans – in Switsha village (Ward 13) could not hide her joy for receiving such a timely donation in difficult times.

“The Covid-19 pandemic lockdown affected our lives in the sense that we are failing to access basic social services and we were even unable to carry out our daily socio economic activities that help us to earn a living. We are therefore grateful, to Hand in Hand Zimbabwe and its partners for this Covid-19 response by distributing food hampers,” she said.

Gogo Musikambesa said she had no idea where her next meal was going to come from and would remain appreciative to HiH Zimbabwe.

“My only source of income is through selling of mopane worms (Amacimbi), but I haven’t been able to go and harvest the insects due to restrictions imposed by the lockdown. The situation has also been worsened by the current drought which killed four of my five cows,” she said.

The beneficiary added that her family has now resorted to having two paltry meals a day as a surviving strategy in the face of food deficit.

With Covid-19 cases rising in the country and the informal sector still closed, vulnerable groups who survive from hand to mouth are bearing the brunt as Zimbabwe’s food insecurity situation looms.