Community Responses to Covid 19 Measures: Week 7
This is the seventh and last edition of our ‘Their Voices Matter’ series. In this series we have documented the experiencing of ordinary people as they responded to COVID-19 measures. In this our concluding edition, we reflect on some of the most powerful encounters that we have had with Zimbabweans in our communities. These are stories of hope and stories of pain and anguish. We share these stories because they show us the humanity in human rights. In the words of author Laurie Halse Anderson, “when people don’t express themselves, they die one piece at a time.” In an environment like Zimbabwe, where freedom of expression is largely stifled, ZimRights always seeks to give the voice to the often neglected communities. It is our hope that through this report, policy makers will become more aware that human rights policy is about real people and real lives.
This is the essence of ‘Their Voices Matter’ series; to allow human experiences to influence how we design policy interventions. When we spoke to Samantha in Chitungwiza, we understood that Zimbabweans are not simply sitting and waiting for help but they are stepping forward, showing compassion, taking care of each other.
