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Continued...Cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe and South Africa, November 2008 – March 2009 |
- Christmas time, we sent 500 food parcels (valued at R300 each) in conjunction with SAPS Border Police and the Zimbabwean Immigration.
- The second delivery was to the Madimbo Clinic, a fully-fledged Cholera clinic set up by Gift of the Givers and run by the Department of Health. We provided a huge tent to serve 80 people, the beds, the mattresses, blankets, gloves, water, medical supplies (glucose drips, water purification tablets), Jik.
- We did a hygiene campaign in Zimbabwe and South Africa, going to the rural areas. We gave them a 20 litre can with Jik and volunteers went out to the areas to inform them about cholera prevention and general hygiene. In Zimbabwe, GOTG partnered with South Africa’s Department of Public Works for sanitation services – fixing of sewage system in certain area close to the border.
- This clinic is 18 km from the border and was set up to treat people as they cross over into from Zimbabwe into South Africa. This is one of the worst-affected Cholera-stricken areas. Clean water is scarce here, and the number of infected people means that extra care has to be taken in terms of dealing with and treating the patients. The bottled water was used at this clinic and distributed at this point. This was much needed by the people, who travelled (some even walked) long distances, and crossed dangerous areas to reach the clinic. They would come in dehydrated and suffering from effects of Cholera. Patients from Zimbabwe come from far away places to be treated at this clinic and these drums are a way that they can ensure having clean water for their journey and at their homes.
- The water was also dispatched to the Beit Bridge Hospital in Zimbabwe.
- The bottled water was also distributed at the municipal showground in Musina, a parking area where many Zimbabwean asylum seekers are seeking shelter. There is no refugee camp in Messina and the asylum seekers are living there in semi-squatting conditions, where there are a few chemical toilets and only one watering point.
- The most recent dispatch of the bottled water and drums were supplied to Dilikong Hospital which is 16 km from Burgersfort in Limpopo. The most recent outbreak of Cholera was reported in this area about five weeks back. The water, Miltons, buckets, blankets and mattresses was supplied to the hospital, who then distributed it to the patients and people coming to the hospital.
Present work Gift of the Givers is still active in disaster relief in the affected areas. We are in the process of erecting 25, 10,000 litre water tanks at various locations, and are also presently setting up boreholes in designated areas.
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