In the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, protecting the world's most vulnerable communities is essential. Last year, as airspaces closed and entire countries went into lockdown, HALO used its logistics capacity and unique access to remote communities to support the COVID-19 response.
HALO has been working in Zimbabwe since 2013, clearing some of the world's densest minefields, dating back to the War of Liberation in the 1970s. When the pandemic hit, our teams immediately mobilised to assist the government's COVID-19 response. Thanks to the support of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and with funding from private donors, we were able to use our vehicles to transport vital medical supplies and PPE to distant villages and clinics, driving over 25,000km across the country.
Distributing Vaccines
Today, thanks to the generous support of private donors, and with the backing of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, HALO is pivoting to support Zimbabwe's first vaccine distribution programme.
As the global vaccine drive began to gather pace in 2021, Zimbabwe received 200,000 vaccine doses from China to protect frontline healthcare workers. Zimbabwe's Ministry of Health was able to get the supplies to provincial distribution points but, due to limited resources and challenging conditions, they were unable to get the vaccines out to the remote clinics where they are so desperately needed.
Following a request from the Ministry of Health, HALO was ready to step in to assist. Thanks to the backing of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the generous support of our private donors, HALO was immediately able to send four vehicles and drivers to assist the distribution programme. Since the last week of February, each driver has been transporting a complete “District Vaccination Team” of trained personnel, providing the logistical assistance to get them and the vaccines to where they are needed.
FCDO funded vehicles on the road transporting vaccines to rural clinics.
Our drivers have been travelling the length and breadth of Mashonaland Central Province and, to date, have ensured that vaccinations have been provided at over 30 rural health clinics. These clinics play an essential role in maintaining the health and wellbeing of rural populations—Karanda clinic, for example, sees up to 300 outpatients every day and performs over 4,000 surgeries each year. Vaccinating its staff members against COVID-19 is therefore a priority.
HALO will continue to support the vaccination programme as it is rolled out more widely. We are also assisting the Ministry of Health as they conduct follow up visits and our vehicles are transporting education teams who are working to explain the benefits of the vaccine to local communities.
#InThisTogether
This work is made possible thanks to the support of:
The UK Government
