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Rokpa Support Network Annual Report 2004 - 2005
ROKPA Support Network
July 21, 2005

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Introduction
In Zimbabwe parliamentary elections were held on 31 March 2005. Before that date a 'moderate dry' rainy season resulted in widely experienced food shortages. However the struggle for life for 85% of the people continued 'as usual': A thriving informal economy blossomed everywhere.

After elections: immediate shortages of basic food in shops and sharp increases of prices did arise. Followed in June 2005 by the government deciding to launch 'operation clean up the filth' meaning demolishing all illegal structures, resulting in displacement of many people especially low income earners and stopping of all informal sector activities. According to different sources, it is estimated that in Harare at least 300,000 people lost their homes, more than 1 million people do not know where and how to continue living & making a living.

The harsh unexpected clean up affected the work of Rokpa Support Network deeply. The number of people needing food assistance tripled in the month of June from 200 to 600 people. In Harare 150 Parents of disabled children lost their home and many people are evicted to a make-shift camp 30 km outside Harare. The wooden cabins provided by Rokpa Support Network in Hatcliff Extension were in one night all destroyed. Projects aiming at self-help and independent living had to scale down and even for the time being (hopefully short term) abandoned. Even, permaculture fields cultivated by HIV+ people were ploughed up.

Rokpa assistants were challenged: How to continue? hardships do rock all existing systems on micro - meso and macro level. At the Support Network we have tried to continue with positive actions with help from various sources in the community.

A team of 7-8 volunteers assisted with a respectful approach. Individual interviews were held with 473 people resulting in important, useful information. Of the 473 people who were interviewed in June:

• 345 lost their homes and had to sleep in the open
• 229 lost their income
• 243 do not have any 'rural' home to return to.

Rokpa Support Network created strong new relations partners and friends. Rokpa Support Network made sure that food was always available. Next to money many people gave also donations in kind: mealie meal (staple-food of Zimbabweans) and eggs. Food assistance came from John Snow International for some time in 2004, from Catholic Relief Services and from the International Office for Migration in 2005. From July 2005 onwards for a short while food was given out at Chiedza Child Care Centre and later food was delivered to the Centres of Mothers with disabled children and other partners as Chiedza Child Care Centre and Dzivarasekwa Zim Care Centre for mentally disabled children.

to Harare Parents of disabled children: 412 families receive monthly a substantial food package. Thanks to Kubatana network additional assistance (soap, candles, soya mince) could be given to those 150 families who lost their homes.

to Orphan Care givers & Orphan headed families: 26 families are supported in Mhondoro, Dzivarasekwa extension and Mufakose

Rokpa assists in the following ways:

Living Positively through nutrition and herbal treatment:

• At present at Rokpa 41 HIV positive people are given Sutherlandia, a South African made herbal immune booster.
• Epap for HIV affected babies and children.
• Planting and processing of Moringa trees in Rokpa Chitungwiza and Glenview Ishea nesu Centre for disabled children
• Rokpa Support Network continues promoting Nutritional & Herbal gardens in community places and at peoples’ homes through training and support: 2 x 5 day training of trainers sessions were planned but had to be delayed.
• Training in organic gardening was done in Mhondoro rural area and at the Rokpa plot in Chitungwiza.

Provision of ARV treatment:

• At present six people receive ARV drugs through Rokpa. Priority is given to single parents and children & teenagers.
• Networking with Specialised & Government hospitals to have more people enrolling for CD4 count and viral load testing and adequate ARV treatment.
• Medical Aid: 10 families and two individuals are on medical aid. A top-up to the regular contributions is paid so that, after two years of membership, the coverage will pay for ARV’s of AIDS patients.

Orphan Care:

• Dzivarasekwa Extension; Next to food support, families also receive counseling, medical aid and support towards different HIV/AIDS issues, such as acquiring title deeds for houses for child-headed families and school support for orphans.
• Mufakose Orphan Care Givers have been assisted with starting an income-generating project.
• 5 day Training of 2 Rokpa volunteers to facilitate care and support of orphaned children in July 2005
• Community leaders training to train the community in the support of vulnerable children planned for 24 adults of different suburbs of Harare in October 2005

HIV prevention:

• HIV/AIDS prevention for food friends: More that 200 people visited Rokpa monthly for food and medical assistance -many are infected with HIV/AIDS. Two groups of 8 people each were trained as Peer-facilitators to assist small groups with communication skills. The approach has been very successful as the first group resulted in a new group wanting to be trained.
• HIV prevention training for 20 village workers in Chikukwe –Chimanimani district.

3. Medical Care:
Assistance to buy medicines is given to on average 26 people per month. These figures started increasing in June 2005 to 33 beneficiaries.

A General Practitioner attends to Rokpa - Cimas paid families free of charge. There is no longer any social security system to cover medical expenses.

Groups are started in the following way:

• identifying skills and talents
• motivation & self esteem building
• short training course in small business skills.
• preparation of a business-proposal to be examined by the Rokpa committee and discussed with each one during home or squatting place - visits.

Each group member is then given a loan. Half of this is ‘seed’ money and half is a loan to be repaid in instalments. Members of the group meet regularly and encourage each other.

• Monica Kwashirai buys and sells fish.
• Catherine Mutyora and Lucia Mugabe buy and sell secondhand clothes. After a few months Catherine could from the proceeds buy a portable public phone.
• Charity Masube prepares and sells lunches to industrial workers. Her business is modest but steady and she has employed a member of her family to help her.
• Juliet Gwande buys and sells kapenta (small dried fish) and school shoes. She lives in Mutare and has done some cross-border trading with Mozambique.
• Wadzanai Moyo has a sewing machine and she makes clothes for sale. She is disabled and walks with crutches. This home based sewing is a good business for her.

This has changed the life style of the women in the Kuzviriritira group. Instead of sitting idle they now have hope, friendship and support the women give each other.

Catherine Mutyora, a member of the group says: "Instead of waking in the morning and feeling very down, I have things to do and plans to make and I feel positive and strong"

"Its changed my life," says Lucia, another group member.

Tasimudzirwa (Uplifting yourself)
This group of nine women -- chairwomen of Mothers’ of Disabled groups around Harare brought in their proposals in December 2004. They were each given Z$300,000 to start their various projects. Of this amount, Z$100,000 is to be paid back and $200,000 is seed money. Eight of the women are buying and selling a range of goods and all are making some profit. One woman is making what are called "freezits" or ice lollies. Another is buying ground nuts and making peanut butter for sale.

Magiroedu - Mufakose care-givers group. (How we live) A group of seven women, single mothers and carers of orphans in Mufakose started in May 2005. Some beneficiaries are already paying back.

Tashinga - 1^st Food Friends project group: (We have persevered) The group started after the HIV prevention training followed by making small communication groups in their own living area. They started their own small business at the beginning of July.

GFM Glassware - Highfield Youth Project: Young unemployed people, children of Parents with a disabled child formed a group starting a recycling project: making drinking glasses & other ornaments out of bottles.

Mufakose parents of disabled children. This group has expressed a strong request for help in building a more sustainable way of living for their families.

Ishea nesu Moringa project: (The Lord is with us) 16 mothers started a Moringa tree growing project. Rokpa Support Network provided funding for 500 Moringa trees. The group will also be trained in basic business skills by the Rokpa Support Network team.

Batsiranai Mothers of Disabled children Dzivarasekwa: (Help each other)

Groups of parents are trained in basic skills: English communication and Maths followed by computer-use, accounts and business administration.

1. Food

• Sustainable Food security: Through training in organic gardening and close monitoring of collective and private gardens
• Food assistance to parents of disabled children, orphan care-givers and orphan headed families & sick people needing assistance.

2. HIV – Aids support and care

• HIV prevention aimed at making appropriate behaviour choices
• Community based orphan care through training and ongoing support of community care givers

• Counselling, reflexology, relaxation and information about positive living, giving out Sutherlandia and Moringa, referrals to specialised care for ARV treatment.
• Assisting in medical care.

3. Achieving Sustainable livelihoods

• Income generating projects with food friends, parents of disabled children and care-givers of orphans
• Ongoing training in basic skills for all projects but especially at the centres of parents with disabled children.

Visit the Rokpa Support Network fact sheet

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