CivActs hosted community listening sessions in Bulawayo, Goromonzi, Harare, Chitungwiza where residents raised concerns on water shortages they are experiencing and Covid-19 safety after lockdown.
Community Insight
COVID-19 Safety after the Lockdown
We are all aware of the damage that the COVID-19 pandemic has done to lives and livelihoods. And we are all relieved that the lockdown restrictions have been eased. But should we just go back to the old ways of working before we have been vaccinated?
One church congregation, for example, has concluded that they can be responsible for their own safety. They have chosen to manage the risk from the virus themselves, respecting Government limitations but also making their own judgements. They realise that we help each other by being careful.
That means that they do not gather in the numbers they were used to, and that singing is a different experience when wearing a mask. Fortunately, the study of the Word, and the depth of prayer, are not muffled. Instead, the personal responsibility, and the thoughtful response to official advice, has deepened the sense of solidarity and care for one another.
And of course people hear the wild rumours about the vaccines – that they make you ill, or plant a microchip in you. But in the congregation responses were robust. “Vaccines save lives and they have been there for quite a long time and COVID-19 vaccination is our only ticket to return to somehow, normal life,” said one.
In this way, communities and congregations are demonstrating solidarity, responsibility and mutual support which gives real hope, not just for the pandemic but for the wider way ahead.
Read more about community engagement around water and other issues here (2MB PDF)
Source: Accountability Lab Zimbabwe
