ICS Zimbabwe

For International World AIDS Day on 1 December, our ICS volunteers in Zimbabwe have conducted four interviews within the communities that they are volunteering in showcasing strong individuals that are living with HIV. HIV is no longer a death sentence, with many people living with HIV all over the world leading a normal, healthy life. Here are their #storiesofstrength.

Richard’s story

This story is based on the information given by Richard, a 46 years old male who is living positively with HIV in Mutare, Zimbabwe.

Having grown up, studied, lived and worked in the UK, Ireland and the US, I have always been aware of the debates about equal pay and representation in professions for women. However, arriving in Zimbabwe I quickly discovered that gender equality is a whole different ball game.

Oh toilets, you get rid of our waste so quickly, so efficiently and never with complaint or backlash. You are always there when we need you and you don’t mind our disloyalty as we switch and swap, letting anybody and everyone use you. We are so used to you being around that we rarely stop and consider what a mess our life would be without you. You really do deserve a day of appreciation, a day to not only remind those who have you what a keeper you are, but also to raise awareness that there are still others that do not have such a steady and trustworthy friend in their lives.

Pooing. Never a subject many are eager to discuss, but here at Team DOMCCP, we love faecal discussion. It’s especially important on today of all days that we get talking about sanitation. Why? Because today is World Toilet Day!

Globally, one billion people have no formal, hygienic place to go to the toilet. In a Zimbabwean context, access to good sanitation is a huge issue. According to UN statistics, 40% of people in rural areas in Zimbabwe practise open defecation. 

I have always known this statement to be true but never with the magnitude that l have witnessed at Mushawevana Children’s Home. It reminds me of the parable from the bible where the Lord asked “who is thy neighbour?.” People are also right when they say that the size of the gift does not really matter but the heart that gives the gift. It’s also the small things that matter the most in life - great things are built from small things....

Hey people, we’re back! We have now met the farmers in Dora at Kentucky Farm and they are awesome; so full of character once they got to know us! They all work very hard to maintain their crops, with some walking up to 6km to get to work, as covered in our last blog. Most of the farmers grow covo, butternut squash, sugar beans, green peppers, cucumber, carrots (which I have tried and they are so good!), and mangoes.

There is no better feeling than the feeling of belonging, knowing that somewhere someone loves you and calls you family. After losing one’s parents or being neglected by the people one calls family, one’s future becomes void, bleak and meaningless. It’s amazing to know that people don’t have to have blood ties to be called a family, but love and that realisation that the next person will always be there and stand by one’s side through it all. This is the hope the children in alternative care institutions carry with them each day...

‘John, I am empowering you to fill in this form!’ I genuinely heard this sentence today, said with complete sincerity. I don’t believe this was meant to be patronising, but when you work in development you are surrounded by buzzwords, which become part of your day to day vernacular. Empower, facilitate, engagement, all words I forget that I rarely used before until someone says something that sounds a bit… silly.

As Zimbabweans, time is always ahead of us, and our sessions in the communities are always commencing late! This is something I feel the UK volunteers have had to adapt to, they might call it ‘Africa time’. Sometimes 10am, can really mean 10:15am, or even 10:30am! This is normal for Zimbabweans, but for UK volunteers this may be strange.

Conversely, the styles and accents of the UK volunteers can be strange for national volunteers, and for those in the sessions we are running for communities around the Mutasa District. 

Day one in Zimbabwe saw the UK volunteers stepping out blinking into the bright October sunlight. We spent a night in Harare at the Women’s Bureau, where the streets were carpeted with purple jacaranda flowers and we enjoyed our first authentic Zimbabwean power cut. The next day we drove to Mutare, enjoying breathtaking views down from the hills over the city and equally delightful signposts counting down the distance to our nearest Nando’s.