ENSURE Faces of Change: Nutrition, Water & Sanitation improved in Buhera, Zimbabwe
The welcome we received from the family of Zecks Muchato (40) and his wife Rose Maramwidze (38) as we drove in to Muchato village, Buhera district was heartwarming. As we prepared for the interview the energy of this highly motivated couple, both proudly wearing ENSURE t-shirts, was palpable. Zecks and Rose immediately began to sing the praises of ENSURE (literally!), and tell us about how, as a result of sanitation trainings and participating in a Village Savings and Loan group, they had implemented vastly improved sanitary practices and significantly increased their income. Their successes were easily evidenced by a new toilet they had built, the acclaimed tippy tap they had installed, and by the two cows they were able to show us they had purchase through the Village Savings and Loan group. One of the cows had produced a calf, increasing their assets even further.
“Before ESNURE this entire area here was bush which we used as toilet and it did not bother us at all. The program taught us how nutrition and good hygiene go hand in hand and this has to some extent reduced the cases of diarrhea amongst our children in the area,” says Zecks and Rose.
As his own children laughed and played around us, Zecks spoke of the impact the health and nutrition aspects of ENSURE were having on the children in the village, even encouraging those typically adverse to seeking formal medical input to have their children immunized. He described his change in attitude toward gender equality in the home and admitted to getting on with tasks like cooking for the family when Rose was busy with other things these days. This admission brought an appreciative smile to Roses’ face as she nodded in agreement with his acknowledgement that ENSURE’s approach had shown him that equality in the home was not about emasculating him as a husband, but about building in partnership.