Clean water is a human right!

Sabona has contributed to drilling 11 boreholes (water wells), which are frequently being maintained and upgraded. In addition, we repair other boreholes in the area. Sabona recognizes the strong need for the local community to be in control of operating the water system.

We believe that our knowledge of local conditions, as well as the involvement and engagement of the local community in our projects, are crucial to achieving sustainable outcomes.

A good example of how we engage the local community is how we organize courses for borehole maintenance. As a result, the local community can contribute if the boreholes need repairing. Since 2008, we have offered sessions to the local population so they have been able to repair the boreholes themselves if needed. Prior to this, a rural area with 50 households and only one borehole could wait up to a full month until they received help with repairs.  

Sabona’s overall goal with the boreholes is to promote and encourage development and independence among the local community through access to clean water.  

The closest water sources can be located far away from the village, where women and children can walk up to 4 kilometres every day to collect water. They might spend half of the day collecting water, which leaves little room for school or work afterwards. Consequently, families are caught in a vicious cycle of poverty and sickness.  

So far, Sabona has contributed to the installation of 16 boreholes. One well can provide clean drinking water to 500 - 1000 people, and it also creates opportunities for growing vegetables, keeping livestock, and operating chicken farms. Reports from the local health clinics reveal how the establishment of secure water sources also has a positive impact on hygiene, sanitation, and stopping the spread of diseases, which is essential for good health.  

The boreholes are also important as social gathering locations. Women and children usually meet here in the early morning or at night before the sun goes down to talk about daily chores, challenges, and of course the daily gossip.

HIV and AIDS patients in Zimbabwe experience a lack of access to health services in the areas they live in. For many people in rural areas, the closest health clinic or hospital is located several kilometres away. Most people have no money for the bus ride nor the doctors fee. As a result, patients pass away from diseases that could be treated and patients with HIV/AIDS lose the opportunity of living a long, fulfilling life with the disease.

One of the things Sabona has arranged is for a doctor to come and visit the villages frequently.

A support group for people with HIV/AIDS where patients receive guidance concerning how to live with the disease in the best way possible, among other things is established. The guidance includes dietary advice and information regarding the importance of taking the medication at the correct time and with nourishing food to increase the effectiveness of the medication - and to not experience unnecessary side effects or feeling worse from taking the medication. Lack of information and stigmatization of infected people is a significant issue in Zimbabwe.

Many patients suffer from depression as there is often no one to talk to. This is due to the stigmatization of HIV/AIDS infected patients, but also because the patients’ families often consider them as a financial burden. As a result, many patients choose to not tell anyone about the disease, and many people refuse to get tested for HIV/AIDS. Adolescents have little or no information about the disease. For instance, a majority do not know that there are several stages of HIV/AIDS. This is also a topic that is difficult to initiate within the household.

Sabona wishes to increase access to transportation to local clinics and hospitals for consultations and follow-up sessions. We also want hospital visits to be free of charge for the patients, and we wish to provide medical equipment to the local health clinics. Sabona also works to ensure access to nourishing food for the patients. Through the support group, we arrange both private and group consultations, and we are able to follow up and visit patients in their homes to ensure that their families are providing the proper care.

The support group has contributed to an attitude change in the area where Sabona works. HIV/AIDS and sex is no longer taboo subjects and there are generally stricter attitudes toward the use of protection. In the long run, this will reduce the number of HIV-infected patients. Both men and women are participating in the support group, which contributes to greater knowledge about how the infection spreads between people. This has also contributed to increased dialogue between men, women, and adolescents about topics such as sex, incest, and sexual assault. Many women have expressed that they feel more respected by their husbands, they are being heard when they share their knowledge, and they know more about their rights as women.

Well-communicated information and knowledge are some of the most important work, and we experience that our work with HIV/AIDS patients in Zimbabwe shows very good results. Sabona’s support group helps HIV-infected patients so they can become a part of their community again, and so they can contribute in a positive way. By having the opportunity of living a long and fulfilling life with the disease, the opportunity to contribute within the household and generating income is also made possible. This is an incredibly positive and important change.

Since 2001, Sabona has collaborated with health clinics to meet the needs of the local population. For the last few years, Sabona has worked together with three different health clinics. Medication, necessary medical supplies, preventative information work, and equipment to combat HIV/AIDS and malaria have been distributed to the clinics. Installation of water sources and infrastructure development are important parts of the work. Throughout the years, Sabona has communicated and collaborated on measures to combat malaria, among other diseases.

The health clinics in Zimbabwe have little or nothing to offer their patients, who walk long distances to get help. This is why Sabona wishes to contribute to infrastructure development, rebuild trust with the health clinics, and make it possible for nurses to provide the help that is needed.

Through our collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Sabona has identified 16 health clinics that have received necessary medication and malaria tests. Overall, 19 health clinics and 3 hospitals receive equipment and medication. One clinic has water installed. Exchanges, workshops, and projects that have focused on combatting malaria have been important measures, along with mapping out the problems the community is standing up against.

A comprehensive helpfund reaches out to many people. People across the country have received support for vital medication, surgery, hospitalization, and medical guidance and consultation.

Many people have received food, clothes, and the necessary equipment to make daily life function in the best possible way. The helpfund provides counselling to HIV/AIDS patients and has an incredible support group in the local village of Dopota. The fund is responsible for reaching out with information regarding HIV/AIDS and malaria. The so-called Support Group has also organized workshops and provided important information about incest.

Sabona is raising money to the helpfund project, used to assist the most marginalized people with vital medication, surgical procedures, and nutrition. The main objective of the project was to work with HIV/AIDS patients. The AIDS epidemic has left deep scars, where many children have lost parents or close relatives due to AIDS. This puts children under severe stress, and some also get infected by HIV. Sabona helps these children by including them in the relief fund and providing medical assistance. Sabona has countless times witnessed that severely sick AIDS patients have recovered enough to contribute to their local communities and take care of their children if they have access to nourishing food and medication.

In 2009, Sabona observed a significant reduction in deaths from 45% to 15% among HIV-positive patients. 75% of the HIV infected that received support functioned as normal after starting medication and accessing nourishing food. Due to the support the relief fund received, large amounts of clothes and shoes have also been sent from Norway to help the patients of the fund. As a result, 200 sick and elderly people received warm clothes to face the winter, as the temperatures can drop below 0 degrees.