“Our common enemy is #COVID19, but our enemy is also an infodemic of misinformation.”
António Guterres UN Secretary-General
With the abundance of misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an emergence of what is being called the COVID-19-related infodemic – a mixture of facts, rumours and untruths. To help decipher this landscape and provide critical information and spur significant behavioural changes, Delta alongside the broader Econet Group launched a national handwashing and COVID-19 education campaign taking COVID-19 education to Zimbabwe’s ten different provinces.
The campaign started in Budiriro and Glenview, two high-density suburbs in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, with limited access to water and saw 45 sanitation ambassadors train over 23,5800 people on hand washing and COVID-19 education, distribute over 6,890 kgs of soap, 625,000 litres of water and 1,400 reusable masks. Following the success of this pilot, Delta mobilised more sanitation ambassadors to empower people in hotspots across the country with knowledge on the disease and its prevention.
Along with community outreach, the campaign is also raising awareness through the nation’s popular radio stations as well as on billboards and social media, ensuring an informed nation in the fight against the coronavirus.
