NGOs Failed to Fulfill Their Promises in Chimanimani & Chipinge- Sacco

By Shingirai Vambe

The parliamentary committee of Local Government, Security and Peace visited Chimanimani’s Cyclone Idai affected areas to assess progress in development, rehabilitation and resuscitation of services which came to a halt due to the devastating effects of the cyclone.

Post On Sunday visited some of the areas where people are still living in the tents and are disgruntled by the neglect of their social welfare.

In terms of schools infrastructure and the welfare of pupils, NGOs have chipped in by reconstructing and paying fees for almost a thousand children from Chimanimani.

Work is still in progress in relation to road and bridge infrastructure with most roads and bridges having been reconstructed save for a few areas.
Chimanimani East legislator, Honourable Joshua Sacco, said hospitals in the area were in serious need of renovation in light of the Covid 19 pandemic where the nation is receiving increasing numbers of Covid 19 cases on a daily basis.

He said the major challenged being faced by over 200 families was that of the lack of infrastructure, with the district having no hospital and patients being attended to in Chipinge.

Econet had promised to assist in the construction of 500 houses but unfortunately pulled out whilst the Chinese have come on board with a 2.5 million funding through UNDP for reconstruction.

Hon Sacco also mentioned the fact that NGOs were focusing on psycho-social support issues rather than infrastructure development yet on the other hand a number of development partners are pulling back without meeting their promises.

It’s been a year since Cyclone Idai hit the Eastern parts of the country and the people of Chimanimani feel the Government has let them down as not much development has taken place since then.

The Chimanimani community has also lost faith in development partners as they feel all they do is come collect statistics and disappear.

With reference to funding, the CEO of Chimanimani Rural District Council, Nehemiah Deure said devolution funds were public funds and committees were sitting in every month to strategise development projects.

Of the given RTGS 7million, they bought a tipper and took care of the needs at Nhedziwa Clinic, Hotsprings Clinic and a number of other clinics in the area.

With the ravaging effects of Cyclone Idai and numerous efforts to rehabilitate and resuscitate Chimanimani, a year on, the people of Chimanimani are still picking up the pieces and trying to move on with life.