Individuals in Merton and beyond are donating to Morden charity, Zimkids, to help vulnerable families in Zimbabwe, whose livelihoods have been threatened by Coronavirus.

Last month, the charity launched a crowdfunding campaign #HopeBeyondCovid19 with a target of raising £25,000.

The money raised will provide food, medical equipment, phone contracts and PPE, for families in deprived communities in and around Harare, Zimbabwe.

Your Local Guardian:

Zimkids' fundraiser poster

On 30th April, Zimbabwe announced an “indefinite lockdown”, allowing citizens to only leave their houses for food and medical supplies.

However, this is impossible for the millions who rely on informal jobs to put food on the table each evening.

Your Local Guardian:

Boy being taught by the charity to grow his own food

Zimkids director, Blessing Rusike, says:

“We’ve being seeing amazing progress in our families. They have been making significant steps forward in breaking the cycle of poverty they are born in to. However, the Coronavirus pandemic has been a huge disruption to that progress.”

“Our families, like 80% of the population of Zimbabwe, rely on small, daily jobs to feed their families but during lockdown, which has become indefinite, this is an impossibility. Sadly, it is eroding these families hope for a self-sufficient future.’

COVID-19 has impacted everyone around the globe, but against a backdrop of hyper-inflation, a fragile healthcare system, water shortages and high unemployment, it has the potential to devastate the lives of Zimkids’ families.

The fundraiser closes Monday July 27 at 10am.

You can donate here.