Meet Mr and Mrs Chester, both now in their eighties. Mr and Mrs Chester lived in Hwange for many years where Mr Chester worked for Colliery X. That is not the actual name of the Colliery but go figure.
After his retirement, Mr and Mrs Chester were generously allowed to stay on in their company house. They were also promised retrenchment pay in US dollars, but the Colliery reneged and paid them out in Zimbabwe dollars. Enter hyper-inflation, and Mr and Mrs Chester’s nest egg for rainy days got wiped out, and they were left nearly destitute. Things took a serious turn for the worse when Mr and Mrs Chester both fell ill.
Mrs Chester suffered cerebellar ataxia and is now bed ridden, and unable to communicate, and in need of 24hr nursing. Mr Chester was diagnosed with onset of dementia. He also shows signs of paranoia, has a weak heart, and suffered multiple strokes.
Because empathy interferes with profit, Colliery X promptly evicted Mr and Mrs Chester from their company house.
Luckily their son intervened, and he moved his parents to the Edith Duly high care home in Bulawayo. Mrs Chester has settled nicely and seems content in her new home. She now gets the best care possible and is no longer reliant only on her husband and one nurse aide as was the case in Hwange. Just as well, as Mr Chester’s dementia has become increasingly violent, and he has suffered further strokes.
The Chester children do the best to look after their parents but they all struggle financially and are unable to cover all their parent’s costs.
Enter the Bulawayo Help Network. With help from the Old Legs Tour and the Crundall family in Australia, Bulawayo Help Network are able to pay the shortfall, allowing Mr and Mrs Chester to receive the care they need, and to live the rest of their lives in dignity.
To raise money and awareness for Zimbabwean pensioners like Mr and Mrs Chester, every year the Old Legs Tour ride their bikes to somewhere ridiculously far away. In 2022, we will pedal from Harare to Namibia’s Skeleton Coast. Because there are many others in the same position as Mr and Mrs Chester, this year on top of riding our bicycles, we’re also paddling kayaks the length of Kariba, through crocodile infested waters, even though we are petrified of crocodiles.
Please be invited to join us on our adventures on www.oldlegstour.com. And please follow the donate prompts and help us help others.
Thanking you in anticipation.
The Old Legs Tour.