Hope for a Child in Christ (HOCIC), a local non-governmental organisation, has incorporated Bulawayo’s Entembeni Old People’s Home into their urban feeding programme, a development which will see the care home getting groceries for the next six months.
The old people’s home which houses 48 inmates has reportedly fallen on hard times with the institution failing to provide food and critical medical supplies to the elderly inmates suffering from chronic illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes.
Speaking to CITE, HOCIC director, Sunga Mzeche, said the offer was an extension of their urban feeding programme.
“As HOCIC we have pledged to support Entembeni; this is an extension of our urban feeding programme and is in response to a call by Entembeni made in the (news) paper,” said Mzeche.
“Our donor is Latter day Saints Charities.”
“We will be giving them mealie meal, chunks, beans and cooking oil. This is what they will be getting on a monthly basis for the next six months,” she said.
HOCIC Project Officer, Jethro Ncube, said HOCIC Urban Food Assistance and Livelihoods Programme (UFAL) seeks to address hunger during the peak period.
“UFAL is an urban feeding programme that seeks to address hunger during the peak hunger period through food provision to the populace in Bulawayo Metropolitan province,” he said.
“Saints have been running in the province from October 2019 to April 2020 in Ward 12 and 17 with a total of 1 450 household benefiting. The programme up scaled in May 2020 and incorporated 1 750 more households from Ward 2 and 10 making a total of 3 200 benefitting households across the four wards of operation.”
The food basket for each benefiting household is composed of mealie meal, soya chunks, beans and cooking oil.
Ncube said the programme also equips communities with sustenance skills.
“To equip communities with self-sustenance skills, UFAL programme comes along with complimentary livelihoods trainings that are meant to enhance the survival strategies of communities even after the end of the programme,” he said.
