The lack of adequate resources and facilities at the home have forced management to only accommodate elderly women at the moment and not men. The trust leadership is appealing for funds to make the facility available to the elderly of both genders.
Citizens are currently dependant on the distributions of food aid to survive, but this journalist has established that the old age home is not benefiting from the Government Food for Work programme for reasons unknown.
Former Mberengwa District Hospital nurse and founder member of the HHECT, Gogo Hellen Hove, whose passion is taking care of the elderly, was offered a four hectare property by the former Commercial Farmers’ Union (CFU). She donated one hectare with buildings on it to the elderly care home project.
The more vulnerable elderly are presently accommodated in the former club house. The Trust also uses this old structure for arts and craft projects while they wait for well-wishers to aid with the renovations of the dilapidated home.
The institution relies on handouts from community members and is in a very desperate situation.
“The structure is in need of a new roof, painting and windows. In fact, there is need for complete renovations because the home is not suitable for the elderly,†said Hove.
The elderly ladies, mostly born between 1924 and1934 like Gogo Marita Moyo all need clothing blankets, food and household goods. The home also needs a water pump in order to start a proposed gardening project.
According to Gogo Hove donations have already started creeping in from neighbours and the community at large in the form of food. She also mentioned that they get support from the Centre for Community Development Solutions (CCDS).
Established in 2014, the elderly persons’ home was officially registered as a trust on the 22nd October 2015. The Home can be contacted at +263 716 447 441 or e-mail to:
hellenhoveelderlycaaretrust@gmail.com.