A beautiful little story, with photographs and words by Joe Hanly – Camp Manager at Linkwasha Camp in Hwange, Zimbabwe:
A visit to Kapane Clinic by the directors of Wilderness Safaris and Olympus led to some much-needed renovations. Years of disrepair had turned the site into a health risk, especially for the staff who live there.
The clinic is the only rural health centre for communities living on the south-eastern border of Hwange National Park, some of whom have to walk up to 20 kilometres for medical assistance. It is manned by a staff complement of just four nurses and five health-support personnel.
Over the last seven years, the three staff houses at the clinic fell into disrepair. When the roof collapsed on one of them, it was condemned and staff had to either share the remaining two homes, or find alternative accommodation in Kapane. For a health-care centre, the sanitation system was also in a disastrous state, with some of the septic tanks and sewerage exposed.
The directors of Wilderness Safaris and Olympus visited the clinic in November 2017. They pledged to have these problems resolved by financing the materials needed to restore the facility. A commitment was made by the community to provide labour to dig the new septic pits and soakaways, and to assist with rebuilding of staff accommodation. This was finally completed in April, and along with a brand new sanitation system, the staff accommodation has finally been restored.
