Zimbabwe > Programme description
1. How long has Medair been in the country?
Medair was first present in Zimbabwe from November 2002 until November 2004. The major focus of the programme was nutritional support through a school-based feeding programme in Gokwe North and Mudzi Districts that fed 90,000 school children per day.
Following the 2008-2009 cholera crisis, Medair conducted a needs assessment in August 2009 and returned to the country in November 2009, officially opening the programme in January 2010.
2. What is Medair doing in the country?
Medair’s current programme strategy focuses on WASH activities in both rural and urban areas with a view to reducing the risk of water-related disease.
In urban areas, risks arise because of intermittent and insufficient piped water supplies and the consequent use of alternative shallow water sources and polluted raw water sources.
In the first phase of its Zimbabwe programme, Medair rehabilitated key infrastructure, increasing the quantity of piped, safe drinking water for 120,000 residents in Marondera town.
In 2011, Medair began projects to improve safe drinking water access in rural Gokwe North and to rehabilitate key infrastructure in urban Gokwe town.
3. Where are we working?
Gokwe North (rural, 31,000 beneficiaries)
Gokwe North is home to dozens of villages in multiple wards that were hit hard by the cholera outbreak. Most villages and schools still do not have protected water sources, instead using riverbed scoop holes, unprotected shallow wells, and rainwater ponds. The water consumed by most of the people living in Gokwe North District is of low quality and has been highlighted as a potential cholera transmission route.
Gokwe Town (population 25,000)
The water supply situation in Gokwe Town is desperate. The main issues are inadequate pumping equipment and insufficient pumping hours due to prolonged power cuts. This results in a limited quantity of water going into a distribution system that does not cover the population needs.
The residents of Gokwe Town have resorted to the use of natural springs in the Sesame Valley. These water sources are not protected against disease and are shared with cattle and domestic animals. Conditions are therefore ripe for further cholera outbreaks in Gokwe Town. The risk of cholera will continue as long as the piped water supply is not reliable.
4. How many people are working for Medair in Zimbabwe
We have recruited six Zimbabwean staff, three regional staff from Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, and one international staff to work on the Zimbabwe programme.
