The Sunday News
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
BUSINESSES, especially those in tourism, have been challenged to give back to communities they operate in so as to improve livelihoods of ordinary citizens.
Tourism was the hardest hit by the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic, while subsequent lockdowns left many, especially in Victoria Falls, without a source of income.
Before Covid-19, about 90 percent of Victoria Falls residents were employed directly or indirectly by the sector.
Vulnerable families, comprising orphans and widows, were the hardest hit as they used to survive on the benevolence of those employed in the tourism industry or on doing menial jobs for them.
African Sun Limited (ASL) donated grocery hampers to dozens of widows and orphans as a way of giving back to the community.
The hotel group targeted widows affiliated to newly formed Deborah Widows Trust (DWT) which has 13 members, and other individuals.
“I would like to thank hotel management and staff who have gone a step further to remember the less privileged in our community. We appreciate such efforts by the hotel to make sure they give back to the community and challenge other players to emulate this so as to contribute to the country’s drive towards an upper middle-income society, which speaks to uplifting citizen’s livelihoods,” said Victoria Falls Mayor Councillor Somveli Dlamini.
He was speaking during a handover of grocery hampers to some of the beneficiaries at Elephant Hills Hotel.
ASL operations executive Mr Derrick Kung said the hotel group has a deliberate policy to give back to communities countrywide as part of its corporate social responsibility.
“We are grateful to be able to offer assistance to orphaned and vulnerable children and the elderly everywhere where ASL has a footprint,” he said.
Elephant Hills Resort general manager Mr Chiku Mulinde said there should be a programme to follow up on orphans and ensure they lead successful lives.
“We should have a programme to follow up on orphans. As part of our CSR, we have two children that we are paying schools fees for and this is part of our giving back to the community. This particular donation is our small gesture of appreciating the community we are working in,” he said.
Founder of DWT, Ms Gladys Malandela, said her vision was to capacitate widows and orphans, as well as help fight drug abuse and teenage pregnancy by encouraging education.
“We established DWT last year after I realised that as widows, we are sidelined from most of the activities and programmes hence I thought our voice can be heard if we work together. As a widow, I know the pain that orphans go through.
We might have social welfare paying school fees for them, but no one follows up on their lives or check on their background. That affects their future and that is why they end up on the streets yet they should be our future managers and leaders,” she said.
DWT chair Edith Marowa said the trust works with various stakeholders.
“We do menial jobs and women savings clubs to assist each other. We were 15 when we started and each time, we get something we share equally as members. We are grateful to ASL for the grocery hampers that we received,” she said.
