Contributions of Hand-in-Hand organization in fighting Covid-19 in Chirumanzu rural District, Zimbabwe

Abstract

The study examined the contributions of hand in hand organisation in the fight against Covid-19 in Chirumanzu rural District, Zimbabwe. The District has been facing a lot of economic problems since the outbreak of Covid-19. Twenty respondents from 4 wards who have been involved or Had participated in Hand in Hand activities aimed at fighting Covid-19 were selected as sample of the study. Of the 20 participants 18 managed to be reached for interviews whilst 2 couldn’t be reached. The researcher used Virtual and ICT methods which included telephoning, WhatsApp interviews, Facebook and Emails as the data collection tools. The study concluded that the people in Chirumanzu are at a better place in terms of Covid-19 management and response today, thanks to the efforts of Hand in Hand organization which provided them with Covid-19 information, provided them with relief food, free face masks, hand sanitizers and medical facilities to the clinic and hospitals. This also ensures that the testing kits can even be used even if the organization withdraws its operation in the district. The study also concluded that, lack of funding hinders the operation of Non-governmental organizations involved in fightingCovid-19 and also it also hinders the efforts of the NGOs to initiate programs that support livelihoods activities that supports people during pandemics. The organization also due to government policies was finding it difficult to travel and meet some of the people within the district so as to make an assessment on whether they deserved to receive aid or not. Therefore, the study provides recommendations that may be adopted by Hand in Hand organization to improve its operations.