The Sunday News
Nhlalwenhle Ngwenya, Sunday Life Correspondent
LOCATED about 80 kilometers from the biggest coal mining town in Zimbabwe is one village that has apparently stood the test of time, or has learnt to make do with what they have as a community.
Testimonies of villagers seeking health facilities from Jambezi Village are novelic to say the least. The village has seen the worst and continues to toil in as far as health delivery system is concerned.
The only nearest health institution they count on has no ambulance and in case of emergency, they use scotch-carts, a scenario which affects mostly the elderly, not to mention women seeking antenatal care, as birth complications amount to death.
Meanwhile, there seems to be a ray of hope after one of their own who has been in the United Kingdom decided to give back to his community by mobilising funds to conduct free medical outreach programmes.
Alois Sundano Sikuka (24) is one of the children who grew up in that village and took it upon himself to change the health scenario in his community.
The youthful philanthropist Sikuka has taken it upon himself to have a five-day free medical outreach in his community.
“After noticing there was a desperate need to address the health crisis in my community where I grew up, I decided to come up with a health outreach programme that seeks to attend to the elderly, young and disabled in as far as their health medicine needs go. As a result doctors will go to five wards and take care of all the health needs of villagers,” said Sikuka.
Sikuka said he was aware that his community was lagging behind in terms of development and hence poverty was rife, a situation that has prompted him to donate to more than hundred families in his community.
“The situation is dire, we have the elderly who can’t take care of themselves, the disabled and the mentally challenged who are in desperate need of aid. As a result we have reached out to more than 100 families and schools and provided them with groceries to ensure they pull through in these trying times,” he said.
Being a youth Sikuka is a strong advocate of the Government empowerment programmes which he believes if properly harnessed the fate of his village will change for the better.
