Charity Work
Selmar is a 5 year old Zimbabwe girl living with skin cancer. In December 2020, a well wisher who met Selmar and her grandmother gogo Gazimbi on his way from work referred the grandmother who lives with Selmar to Viomak for assistance. Selmar was diagnosed with the condition when she was 18 months old and she continues to deteriorate due to lack of medical care in Zimbabwe. Cancerous lumps are growing on her head and she needs help with medical assistance. Another well wisher came forward to work with Viomak to help Selmar and her grandmother with meeting associated costs.
Ngonidzashe is a 4 year old Zimbabwe boy who was diagnosed with skin cancer resulting from xeroderma pigmentosum. His appeal for help was published in the Manica post, a Zimbabwe newspaper which covers news in Manicaland around 2015.The request for donations to assist Ngonidzashe was spoiled by some dubious well wishers who sourced funds for him which was not used for the intended purpose by the fundraisers and by the family with Ngoni’s mother accused of buying home furniture using the donations. It seems there were too many unnecessary hands on the case and no accountability. Disturbed by the confusion and the many fundraising pages opened purporting to be raising money for Ngonidzashe, a concerned well wisher approached Viomak to assist Ngonidzashe and the family. When Viomak spoke to Ngonidzashe’s father regarding the fundraisers he said there is some confusion as he was told that the money being raised on the internet is for Ngonidzashe to travel to the UK for treatment. Yet one of the fundraisers said the money is for treatment or surgery in South Africa and one of them said the medical position is that Ngonidzashe is being treated in Zimbabwe at the moment. Viomak arranged for a well wisher , Pishayi to visit the family to gather Ngonidzashe’s needs. Viomak funded the journey and Ngonidzashe’s mother Noleen welcomed the help. After giving consent she opened up and informed us that Ngonidzashe’s father, Hardlife ran away from the family and went to Kariba following Ngonidzashe’s illness leaving the burden to look after Ngonidzashe with the wife. Noleen said the family is in need of medical help for Ngonidzashe as none of the money raised has reached the family and she had no idea about the plans being put in place by the fundraisers to help her child as no one is communicating with her with updates . She added that they went to see a doctor and they were advised that Ngonidzashe needed to go for blood tests to establish the cause of the condition but they did not have the money to pay for the tests so she was just watching her child’s health deteriorating at home . Viomak assisted Noleen with money to go for the blood tests with Ngonidzashe and on 10 March 2015 the tests were done. Noleen now had to wait for further treatment for Ngonidzashe which was promised by a fundraiser in the UK and it never came until it was too late for Ngonidzashe.
Mutsa and Tino are Zimbabwe children who were dumped and abandoned by their mother .On 28 December 2018 Viomak was instrumental in rescuing two children after a well wisher in Mhangura, Zimbabwe came across two neglected young children Mutsa and Tino sleeping on the ground in the cold. The first name that came to his mind was Viomak. Immediately he wrote a message to Viomak saying, look at this saddening sight sisi Viomak. I came across these children in Mhangura Chebanga, compound, sleeping on the ground hungry and cold and they had soiled themselves. The sight was just saddening this was around 6.46pm. When the well-wisher reported the case to the police they told him they cannot keep the children as they had no room for the children to sleep. After a community search they established that the mother lived in the community and was at a pub. The police accompanied the well wisher to the children’s mother and they found her at a local bar called 7 million but she did not take the children. Viomak suggested that well wisher take the children to his house and then Viomak was to fund the journey to social services offices 40 km away. The well wisher bathed the children and gave them shelter for the night and Viomak sent him money to buy food and for fuel for the journey to social services. Social services said they cannot take the children as they have relatives. As the search for the children’s relatives continued and Viomak making plans to temporarily shelter the children at her family home, the well wisher and the police managed to locate the children’s paternal grandmother. The grandmother said she was living in poverty and cannot afford to look after the children as the children’s parents were always fighting with their mother frequenting pubs and their father nowhere to be seen .Viomak suggested that the grandmother keep the children and they will eat what she eats since Zimbabwe has no social welfare system to talk about.
Charlotte is a cancer stricken 25 year old Zimbabwe woman from Murehwa .A health worker saw her at a health facility where she was desperately seeking help and the worker and well wisher contacted Viomak for help. The mother Tozvireva said Charlotte started complaining of a tooth ache .The mother took her to Mtoko hospital and was told it is dental abscess. She took Charlotte back to Murehwa and was referred to Parirenyatwa hospital. Tests were done and Charlotte was diagnosed with cancer. At the hospital they said the mother had to pay for chemotherapy but she did not have the money. The 51 year old mother is a widow not employed and she is the only hope Charlotte has. Charlotte was required to go for chemotherapy either in Bulawayo or Harare, Parirenyatwa hospital. The mother who is also unwell told Viomak that she has no any source of income and survives on handouts from the community and was just watching her daughter wasting away at home. Viomak funded Charlotte and mother’s journey to Parirenyatwa hospital in Harare and paid for some tests to be done. Viomak funded the mother’s daily hospital visits and food. Charlotte was admitted at the hospital for about 6 weeks with no help as doctors were on strike fighting for a pay increase and resources to work with in hospital. Charlotte was discharged with no medical help and Viomak funded her journey back to Murehwa. Viomak later visited Charlotte at her rural home in Murehwa and she took Charlotte and mother to Karanda mission hospital in Mt Darwin and funded the long journey, the tests and their stay there. The hospital said they have no resources to help Charlotte as it was too late for her and Charlotte was discharged home where her condition continued to deteriorate. The mother was very thankful and she gave Viomak a live chicken, mealie meal and mangoes.
Tabitha is a breast cancer stricken 38 year old Zimbabwe woman from Gokwe. The breast cancer is so severe no one knows how this devastating disease can be treated as it is the kind of breast cancer no one has ever seen. Tabitha’s brother in South Africa, Last contacted Viomak for assistance. Tabitha is a mother of two girls Melin aged 7 years and Miriam aged 5 years. Miriam remained with her father in Mozambique after Tabitha separated from him following her illness. Tabitha said her husband has deserted her and she has no income to support herself. Tabitha was born in a family of 11 and 4 of her family members are deceased. Tabitha’s 77 year old mother is the one who is taking care of her. Viomak with the help of other kind hearted donors urgently made arrangements to visit Tabitha and she sacrificed and funded to travel about 600kms to Gokwe and met Tabitha and her family. After arriving at the homestead shattered Viomak and other two well wishers were welcomed by the family and Tabitha.
Tabitha gave us permission to take photos and videos of her condition as attached and to assist her to seek medical help. Tabitha said she started to feel like a small ‘pimple’ in her breast while she was in Mozambique in October 2016 and the itchy pimple continued to develop into a painful lump. Tabitha said at first she thought she could have put on a bra that was probably infected by lava. The other breast was affected too and both breasts are very painful and itchy. Tabitha said she most of the time sleeps while sitting on the sofa as she feels pain if she lies down on her breasts. Her legs are swollen and she walks slowly. Tabitha said while in Zimbabwe she has not gone to see a medical due to lack of money but she has been seeking the assistance of traditional healers and prophets to no avail. Watery stuff oozes from her breasts and her condition continues to deteriorate. The disease has spread down her stomach and is following her back nerves. Viomak gave Tabitha pain stops and transport money to meet Viomak in Harare for the long journey to Karanda hospital .Tabitha’s mother and family were very thankful and the mother gave Viomak a live chicken (cock) in appreciation of the love and kindness shown to her ailing daughter the kindness which she said is out of his world.
Luckmore is a 43 year old Zimbabwe man medically diagnosed with suspected elephantiasis and cancer, born without any physical challenges. In September 2020, Luckmore’s nephew approached Viomak for help as his condition deteriorated at home with no medical and community support and help. In a desperate plea for help the nephew said Luckmore’s right leg is dripping fluids, swollen and the foot is now cut open and Luckmore who is living in poverty and pain is seeking assistance such as mealie meal, sugar, salt, cooking oil, blankets and medical assistance. He cannot even afford to buy pain stops which are not readily and easily available in Zimbabwe.
Luckmore is married to 29 year old Talent and the couple have two children, Anotida who is 7 years old and Sean who is 9 years old. Anotida is doing grade one and Talent is struggling to feed and raise fees for the child. Sean is staying in the rural home of his mother in Masvingo with his grandmother who took him after his father failed to pay his fees due to ill health. Luckmore is no longer employed having left his job due to ill health thus his wife is now the bread winner. Talent is struggling to sustain the family by selling snacks and fruits at a squatter shelter in the outskirts of Westlea. The family used to rent a room in Westlea and they moved to the squatter camp when Luckmore’s condition intensified and the family could not afford the rentals. The squatter camp has no running water, proper sanitation and electricity and life is very challenging for the family, a common experience with many suffering Zimbabweans.
In desperate whatsapp audio plea messages crying to Viomak who he refers to as his God sent saviour, Luckmore told Viomak that he feels as if there is something moving in his legs from bottom to top. His condition dates back to 1996 when he started to experience pain and swelling on the left leg. He sought medical help and the leg was normal up to 2012. In 2013, the left leg started swelling again and Luckmore sought treatment from clinics, traditional healers and prophets to no avail and the left leg continued to develop wounds and swell regularly with him experiencing excruciating pain days on end. Through this suffering, in 2018, Luckmore went to an MSF clinic in Overspill Epworth, Harare where he was told that he was suffering from elephantiasis. He was referred to Parirenyatwa hospital for further treatment where he was told that he was suffering from cancer. Tests were done for the second time at Parirenyatwa hospital and doctors could not find anything wrong with his rotting leg. Doctors recommended chemotherapy in case the disease was cancer and Luckmore attended six chemotherapy sessions which did not help. From then on the condition deteriorated and the left leg could not heal and in 2020, the disease affected his right leg as well. The right leg has been painful since the onset of the year and it has also developed open wounds on the foot and the leg is also swollen from the foot to the knee and fluids are always dripping from the wounds. The wounds produce a bad smell due to lack of medication to apply on the wound. Luckmore spends most of the time not wearing trousers because any touch on the wounds is very painful.
Due to Luckmore’s condition, Talent the wife is faced with the challenge of not going to the market to purchase snacks for selling at home since Luckmore will be left at home with Anotida yet he needs constant attention and Anotida cannot be left at home with no one attending to her. This leaves Talent without any better option other than to stay at home caring for Anotida and Luckmore and these difficulties have driven the family into extreme poverty. Previously the family would receive assistance here and there from Mugodhi Apostolic Faith church members but currently their situation has been worsened by covid19 and they have no one helping them and there is no hope in their lives except to face death. Viomak immediately arranged help for Luckmore with the support of a well wisher, Mr Kamangila who also volunteered to support the family. Viomak supported Luckmore with ZW$1000 and arranged that Mr Kamangila visit the family of which he did and he also donated groceries to the family in addition to the ZW$1000 donated by Viomak . As Viomak was arranging for more help for Luckmore, it was time for him to go and the family was very thankful to Viomak and Mr Kamangila for the kindness and help offered and the family thanked Viomak with ZW$1000 to also help in future charity appeals.
Donework is a 44 year old epileptic bedridden Zimbabwe man in rural Murehwa . In July 2020 Donework’s sister, Paidamoyo approached Viomak for assistance
with groceries , gloves , mealie meal , cooking oil , salt , sugar , vaseline , matches, green soap , dried fish and beef chunks , after the sister was referred to Viomak by a concerned Zimbabwean woman. Writing to Viomak , the sister said Donework is bed ridden and lives with his unemployed 64 year old mother in Murehwa. Donework was born with epilepsy in a family of 6 children and the condition continued to deteriorate due to poverty and lack of appropriate medical care in Zimbabwe. Due to the severity of the epilepsy, Donework went as far as grade 3 and he never managed to do anything in life until he stroked and never married. Having stroked about 7 or 8 years ago he got stuck in his body and has been bed ridden ever since he had the stroke. His mother cares for him providing all assistance but she is struggling as she has next to nothing and on some days they go without eating food. The mother who is the only breadwinner survives on selling hand made Zimbabwean sweeping grass brooms and she struggles to make ends meet. Following corona virus, covid19 which has worsened the situation for the family, Donework and mother are starving in Murehwa as the mother has nowhere to sell her wares due to lockdown. The sister who lives in poverty stricken Epworth in the capital city, Harare also ekes out a living through subsistence selling and the other children in the family are unemployed. The family is also poverty stricken because their father who was supporting Donework passed away in 1999. Donework uses cloths as napkins as they cannot afford adult pampers or incontinence pads. The mother washes the cloths and clothes with no gloves or soap. Due to covid19 lockdowns life has become more unbearable for many Zimbabweans who survive from hand to mouth. Viomak assisted the sister to get a police clearance travelling letter from Harare to Murehwa and offered to buy groceries for Donework and his mother which the sister was to take to Murehwa to assist the family. Viomak also received zw$100 from a well wisher to add on to the groceries.
Barbara is a 40 year old breast cancer stricken Zimbabwe woman based in South Africa having left Zimbabwe in search of greener pastures in South Africa. Barbara approached Viomak for assistance in May 2020 as she is struggling to pay for chemotherapy. She is unemployed due to ill health and more so she has a 21 months old child and is renting a place the rent of which she is struggling to pay. Speaking to Viomak , Barbara said she sold everything she had to start a small business that collapsed and is she is surviving on handouts from well wishers. She was hoping to generate funds for her medical needs from the project but failed to do. The father of her child left when she was 5 months pregnant. Even though she struggles to move her body due to pain she could have struggled at work but she has no one to care for her child as she cannot afford to pay a child minder. Barbara is seeking assistance with rentals at R2500 a month, doctor’s consultation fees, money to buy STC treatment and to go for check up, transport, food and warm clothes and diapers for her child and blankets. Viomak supported Barbara with moral support and publicising the appeal and some well wishers came forward to help Barbara. When Barbara spoke to Viomak on 05/12/20 she thanked Viomak for the help and said she was receiving help with transport and food and free pills and the cancer is healing.
