FOR 82-YEAR-OLD visually impaired Moddie Masiya putting food on the table for her two orphaned grandchildren is a daily struggle.
Masiya, a widow from Bulawayo’s Old Luveve suburb mainly survives on handouts from well-wishers and sometimes gets help from her unemployed children in South Africa.
“I am visually impaired, and I have constant pain in my legs,” she said.
“I go to the local clinic frequently for treatment, but the biggest challenge has been providing food for my two orphaned grandchildren.
“My only son, who is still in Bulawayo and who used to support me, has since stopped his informal business because of old age while the others in South Africa that used to send me money are out of employment.
“I have had the misfortune of losing five of my children, but five are still alive.
“So, survival has been tough.”
Masiya’s burden eased after she was enrolled on the Emergency Social Cash Transfer (ESCT) programme implemented by Unicef, Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and World Vision with financial support from the government of Germany through the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) Bank.
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The programme provided vulnerable families in Zimbabwe with monthly payments to alleviate poverty.
Beneficiaries of the programme were supported through monthly cash transfers and complimentary child protection services.
Masiya was receiving US$12 a month until the programme was paused in July.
“The money I received from Unicef and World Vision helped us a lot because there were times we had absolutely nothing to eat before I joined the programme,” she said. “I would use the US$12 to buy mealie meal, sugar and cooking oil.”
She will also use the money to buy medication.
Agnes Kamujoma, a 60-year-old widow, had just suffered a stroke when she enrolled for the same programme in April last year.
Kamujoma, who stays with her children and two school-going grandchildren in Bulawayo’s Nketa 6 suburb, had to abandon her vending business that was the family of seven’s only source of income.
She is also taking care of her eldest son, who suffers from a mental illness while her other sons are unemployed.
“Putting food on the table became very difficult when I suffered a stroke, but things changed a lot when I started receiving money through World Vision as we could afford to buy food and electricity tokens,” she said.
“Initially, I was getting US$48 a month but it was later reviewed to US$52. The money really helped us a lot.”
Kamujoma said her grandchild in Grade 4 had been registered under the government’s Basic Education Assistance Module (Beam), a national school assistance programme that was created to cater for orphans and vulnerable children and appealed for help to cover her medical bills.
Another Nketa 6 resident Lydia Nhliziyo (63) said she was grateful that money she received through the ESCT programme made it possible for her two grandchildren to return to school.
Nhliziyo, who is also a widow, is taking care of her 91-year-old chronically ill mother, three grown up children that are on antiretroviral treatment and two grandchildren.
Her grandchildren aged nine and 13 are back in school and she has very high hopes for them.
“I used to survive by picking waste in the neighbourhood and selling it to a recycling company, but that was never enough to take care of this big family and send my grandchildren to school,” said an animated Nhliziyo.
“Apart from enrolling on the programme where I received US$52 a month, the people from World Vision advised me about other government programmes such as Beam and I got assistance for my grandchildren.
“I used the money to buy food, uniforms and stationery for my grandchildren. I had to sacrifice so that they don’t feel like outcasts when they are among other children.
“I am very happy about the progress they are making at school, especially for the youngest one and for that I am very grateful to UNICEF and World Vision for what they have done for me and my family.”
The ESCT programme has helped to reduce food insecurity, improve dietary diversity and maternal and child health outcomes of vulnerable households in Zimbabwe whose situation was worsened by the outbreak of Covid-19 three years ago.
It is primarily focused on households headed by the elderly, those with pregnant women or with young children, persons living with disability and child-headed households. – Unicef
