The Sunday Mail
Theseus Shambare
TAKUDZWA Maruta’s story is heart-breaking.
Born and bred in Mavhurume village, Murewa, the teenage boy has been living with a disability for the better part of his life.
Cerebral palsy has made him immobile for 17 years.
He needs assistance every time he has to answer the call of nature.
Mr Owen Maruta and his son Takudzwa
At a time when diarrhoeal diseases like cholera are on the rise, Takudzwa is particularly vulnerable, and so is his family.
Takudzwa is an intelligent boy, but he will probably never get the chance to go to school because of his physical condition.
Cerebral palsy is a congenital disorder of movement, muscle tone or posture caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the developing brain before birth.
It can occur at birth or in early infancy.
Takudzwa’s father, Mr Owen Maruta (40), gave an insight into the young man’s tribulations.
“Takudzwa cannot do various things on his own. We have to help him to eat, wear clothes and relieve himself. Almost every minute, he needs our attention,” he said.
“I push his wheelchair out of the house and carry him out to let him relieve himself behind a grass-thatched wall, just outside the house, before I collect the waste and throw it in the nearby bush. The toilet we had was destroyed by the rains.”
He said many fly-by-night organisations promised to help his son but have not yet honoured their pledges.
Mr Maruta and his wife are unemployed and survive on part-time jobs to provide for Takudzwa and five other siblings.
Life has been hard, as clean and safe water is scarce in their area.
The only public borehole is five kilometres away.
Because of the distance, Mr Maruta has had to fetch water from shallow water sources close by.
Takudzwa’s story mirrors the myriad challenges that disadvantaged people in rural communities face.
Although access to potable water and sanitation are a basic right, not everyone enjoys it.
In some areas, people travel as far as 20 kilometres to access safe water.
Government and its development partners like the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the Caritas Archdiocese of Harare have embarked on an initiative called Accelerated Water Improvement, Sanitation and Hygiene (AWISH).
The initiative is in line with the National Development Strategy 1, which is aimed at creating a healthy environment for the development of the nation.
Relying on Murehwa Rural District Council engineers, Government and CRS came up with a customised plan that can be used to construct an ablution facility for Takudzwa.
“We were given the plan by the Murewa Rural District Council, and the toilet is now under construction, with funding from CRS. It should be complete by next week (last week).
“I want to thank them for this assistance; I could not do it on my own,” said Mr Maruta.
The toilet will have a disabled access ramp, grab rails and a raised seat, among other accessories that will ensure ease of access by Takudzwa.
Widowed Gogo Joyce Mavhurume (71) from the same village also had a toilet built for her.
More households, especially those with the elderly and people living with disabilities, have been identified.
She has been using the bush after her dilapidated toilet crumbled during the 2019 wet season.
“With no one here to help me, I had no option but to use the bush. But today, I am witnessing the completion of this important facility that was donated to me,” Gogo Mavhurume said ecstatically.
Village head Mr Frank Mavhurume said the community was shaken when an entire household was admitted to Murewa Hospital in March due to a diarrhoeal
disease.
“We had to rush them to the hospital. Fortunately, they all managed to get assistance in time,” he said.
The introduction of the AWISH project in the area is a godsend for the community.
The project is improving the situation not only through ablution facilities but also in terms of access to clean water.
CRS engaged the Zimbabwe National Water Authority and a private contractor to conduct capacity tests on the existing manual borehole.
The results revealed that the groundwater resource was adequate to supply all the surrounding villages, if it is managed well.
This led to the injection of more than US$40 000 by CRS to incorporate the existing borehole into a modern solar-powered (7,4KW) system that will see villagers get tap water close to their homes.
CRS water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) specialist Mr Edson Nyashanu said the nearest water point for every household will not be more than 100 metres away.
“After installing this solar system, we have set up reservoir tanks on a hilltop, which supply water to several collection points.
“Three villages — Hanyanga, Manga and Mavhurume — will benefit directly from this massive project,” said Mr Nyashanu.
He said the borehole, whose pump is solar-powered, will reduce cases of waterborne diseases and benefit mainly the disadvantaged.
With the new water sources, beneficiaries can now produce horticultural products throughout the year, which is in line with the Presidential Rural Development Programme that seeks to boost nutrition and generate income for rural households.
The construction of toilets and water points in the area has also seen unemployed members of the community being taught building skills.
They are now doing part-time jobs for CRS on the massive project.
An estimated 1 250 people from the three surrounding villages will benefit directly from the water and sanitation project.
Murewa district development coordinator Ms Gumburai Wadzwanya called on non-governmental organisations to abide by the set rules and work with Government in developmental programmes.
“As we continue on our path of leaving no one behind, I call on all development partners to come on board so that we work together in building our nation. Everything starts from the village level,” said Ms Wadzwanya.
Twitter: @TheseusShambare
