19th May 2020 | Zimbabwe
“I volunteered to drive the COVID-19 screening booths as I know they will go a long way in helping the hospital staff and patients stay safe.”

Thabani Sikwili, Driver, HALO Zimbabwe

As health systems around the world struggle in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to the support of the U.S. Department of State, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA), HALO Zimbabwe is using its local knowledge, resources and staff to respond to the emergency.

Many families in Zimbabwe live in remote towns and villages, where medical provision is scarce. Thanks to the generous support of donors, including PM/WRA, HALO has been able to use our staff and vehicles to support Zimbabwe’s national response taskforce in the fight against coronavirus.

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Our drivers have travelled over 15,500 miles; delivering vital medical supplies from the National Pharmacy in Harare to provincial and community hospitals, transporting doctors and nurses to teach health awareness sessions and driving medical technicians to support contact tracing to reduce the spread of the virus.

 

HALO Drivers
Thabani and Onisimo

Last week, we deployed three PM/WRA purchased vehicles and their drivers to transport COVID-19 screening booths to hospitals in Harare and Bulawayo. These booths are vital as they allow the screening of people suspected of having COVID-19 without putting medics at risk. However, due to their size and weight, Zimbabwe’s National Pharmacy didn’t have vehicles capable of transporting them to the clinics where they were so desperately needed. With the backing of PM/WRA, drivers Thabani Sikwili and Onisimo Gatsi were able to step-in, delivering the first machine to Parirenyatwa General Hospital in the capital, before beginning a two-day round trip to Bulawayo.

Driver Thabani Sikwilli, was especially pleased to make this important delivery as he is originally from Bulawayo.

 

“I was very happy to make the journey with the screening booths as I knew they that, until now, the staff at the hospital have only been able to screen people manually.”

Thabani Sikwili, Driver, HALO Zimbabwe

In Zimbabwe, and across the world, the global community needs to stand together to curb the threat of COVID-19. Thanks to the support of donors like The United States Department of State, we can ensure that no community is left to face the pandemic alone.