DAPP has worked in Zimbabwe for 28 years.

DAPP Zimbabwe is running 15 social development projects in 5 provinces of Zimbabwe. Over the last 28 years the organization has seen the birth of many new programs and projects: Training farmers in sustainable farming, ensuring the betterment of child welfare through the child aid programs and fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS through the Hope and TCE programs (total control of the Epidemic). DAPP Zimbabwe is well known in the areas and trusted by the local people. 

All DAPP projects are involved in this action.

40 people go full time on the anti Cholera Action and others work in their respective areas e.g. Child Aid and TCE.(Total Control of the Epidemic)

Here is what DAPP Zimbabwe says:

‘We concentrate on two geographical areas

1. The province of Mashonaland Central where the task is to stop any outbreak from growing out of hand.

2. Harare Mabvuku/Tafara because Harare is one of the two worst affected areas. DAPPs TCE Field Officers are well known in the area.

1. The province of Mashonaland Central

There are right now 293 reported incidences in the province stemming from people coming from Harare. So far Ministry of Health has managed to stop the situation from going out of hand but poverty, hunger, lack of everything could change this picture quickly.

Therefore we should act in our province to stop it since we can have great impact with quick action.

A. Supply system

Ministry of Health set up “cholera camps” with treatment and isolation.

These camps work as a method and can contain the disease when the staff is mobilised and the supplies in order. We build up a supply of what is needed in the “cholera camps”. This involves quicker than ever buying and importing and transporting.

When a camp reports cases we drive out with the necessary and missing supplies for that camp. We choose to distribute the goods ourselves to make deliveries precise and fast. The Ministry of Health is happy with this.

The supplies in question are:

Medication: Ringers lactate drip and administion kits Doxycycline tablets (antibiotic)

Other items: Plastic gloves and aprons, Gumboots, Water containers, buckets

Sheets, Fuel, Paper to keep records, Food stuffs for patients and staff - milliemeal, rice, sugar and salt, beans and tea and Mazoe for encouragement, and vegetables for the first day. In rural areas they can boil the water with firewood.

B. Spreading information

We send our people walking and spreading the messages:

Symptoms, where to get help, how to act to stop the spread. We print the information material that is needed.

C. Cleaning Actions

We make clean up actions in areas such as bus stops etc in Shamva, Bindura, Mt. Darwin. Temporary latrines can be built to stop the spread.

2. Harare - Mabvuku Tafara

A. Spreading Information

We organise quick actions with people walking in the areas and spreading the information TCE style, mouth to mouth. We put on TCE t-shirts because people know and trust TCE.

We have heard from many sources that people do not come or come too late to the treatment, and they do not know the symptoms e.g. No blood and no pain is taken as a “good sign”, where they need to know that exactly these 2 symptoms are characteristic for cholera and so on.

This is a simple message and can be done fast with car loads of people, then walking around and then finally bringing the data to the clinics.

We will work together with the Cuban doctors or the local nurses, set up a screening point and get people checked if in doubt.

We will also spread water purifying tablets as a short term thing as soon as they are available from Unicef or other sources, and inform about the solar radiation method as a way to clean water.

B. Cleaning Actions

On the background of what we see concretely in the areas we organise cleaning actions with the people, where this is possible now without spreading the bacteria even more by doing so. We will coordinate with MOH about this specifically.

C. Pulling in supplies

We become advocates of the area and find supplies from the big players, beg, push, transport and bring out the materials.

The scale of the cholera epidemic is so vast, that we have to act fast and we need help from other sources;

Therefore we ask you for help.