The Sunday Mail
Rumbidzai Muparutsa
Econet, through Higherlife Foundation, will continue with its clean-up campaign in Budiriro and Glen View in the next 10 days amid indications that the outbreak has been contained as no new cases had been reported by the end of last week.
The two high-density Harare suburbs are believed to be the epicentre of the recent cholera outbreak which has claimed 54 lives during the past month.
Tremendous progress has been registered so far in containing the becterial desease, with First Lady Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa joining hundreds of volunteers in Budiriro and Glen View last week for the clean-up campaign.
Yesterday, Econet and Higherlife Foundation representative Mr Lovemore Nyatsine said it is encouraging that the affected communities are stepping up to join the group in the clean-up campaign.
“We have cleaned areas and dumping sites in the epicentres of Glen View and Budiriro.
“The clean-up campaign has so far been amazing and we have seen great progress as the community is now getting more involved,” he said.
“We have 300 volunteers present for the clean-up campaign in the epicentres until the 31st of October.They are currently there as we speak,” he said.
Other stakeholders have been providing water treatment facilities, sanitation and hygiene products, including supplying clean and safe water to the affected areas.
Higherlife Foundation, led by Mrs Tsitsi Masiyiwa, was established in 1996. It is a non-profit organisation funded by Econet Wireless, which has given over $15 million to fight cholera.
The foundation has been working closely with the Health and Local Government ministries, the City of Harare and other public and private institutions to offer support.
In order to contain the disease and prevent future outbreaks, Government has embarked on a vaccination exercise, which is still ongoing.
More than 390 910 people were vaccinated during the first phase. The vaccination programme is targeting a total of 1,4 million people.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, some Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament were also vaccinated last week.
Health experts say vaccination provides protection for three to five years.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care maintains that diseases such as typhoid and cholera can only be contained through provision of potable water, including proper solid waste management, sewage reticulation and basic personal hygiene.
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