Remnants of Covid Still Felt at this Harare Soup Kitchen

Immigration lawyer Samantha Murozoki did not plan to be still cooking for her neighbourhood two years after she first gave out leftover sadza porridge to hungry children in her street. Murozoki made headlines at the start of the Covid pandemic when the number of people queueing outside her small home kitchen in Chitungwiza, a town on the outskirts of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, quickly reached the thousands. Now, even though the number of people struggling to find food each day has eased in line with Zimbabwe’s lockdown measures, which have allowed people to return to work, Murozoki, 34, continues to feed nearly 800 people daily. After an initial rush of small donations from well-wishers, providing a plate of sadza (Zimbabwe’s porridge-like staple made from boiled maize flour, also known as mealie meal) and beans to everyone in need every day has not been easy, and Murozoki has used her own and her mother’s money to feed people. Last year more than 2 million Zimbabweans in cities struggled to buy enough to eat as food prices rose and businesses closed. As the effects of the pandemic continue to be felt, many families still rely on food aid.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN