20 March 2009

Norton, Zimbabwe: The World Health Organization says that the cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe has affected almost 100,000 people. To combat the threat in one town, UNV helped mobilize volunteers to take preventative measures.

Poor sanitation and unhygienic conditions are key factors in spreading cholera, so improving the local environment and changing attitudes are essential. To tackle the problem in the town of Norton in Mashonaland East, where 40 people have already died, UNV assembled 170 youth and community volunteers to deal with a major pile-up of refuse which may have been contaminating the water supply.

In partnership with local NGO Simuka Africa, UNV supported the cleanup campaign both financially and logistically. The theme of the event was 'cleaning my space is my responsibility'.

The campaign involved representatives from Norton Town council, which provided equipment, plus the Ministry of Health, the National AIDS Council and the Ministry of Youth Development and Employment Creation.  

The Chair of the City Council expressed appreciation to UNV and Simuka Africa for mobilizing the community. He pointed out that community participation was something that the City Council does not always take into account.

Having planned for 100 participants, the turnout of 170 was greater than expected, said UNV Zimbabwe Programme Officer Jochen Mattern. Not everyone could be provided with commemorative T-shirts, he noted, but the volunteers shared a meal after the activity and spent some time socializing too.

"There are similar campaigns for Norton in the planning stage," he added. "I think that the community is now more aware of the refuse problem, and we have emphasized the responsibility of each person… I am sure that some community members have a new attitude and I have seen myself that the residents were very pleased with the initiative."

Simuka Africa aims to instil a culture of youth service and volunteerism in overcoming community challenges, and seeks to establish a team of community volunteers who will conduct HIV/AIDS, reproductive health and environmental education in Norton.

The UNV Country Office in Zimbabwe supports it on these programmes and also provides Simuka with technical expertise on volunteer administration and logistics, while also helping it to conceptualize campaigns.