Our work
Supplies, knowledge and support.
An ostomate needs pouches every day for life. Our work is to make sure those pouches arrive, that people know how to use them, and that nobody carries the experience alone.
Ostomy product distribution
We receive donated pouches and accessories, clear them through customs, store them and distribute them to ostomates countrywide. Products include colostomy, ileostomy and urostomy pouches, deodorants, pastes, belts and stoma powders.
Patient and family education
Many ostomates leave hospital without being taught how to manage a stoma. We show patients and their families how to change a pouch, protect the skin around the stoma, manage diet, and recognise problems that need a nurse or doctor.
Counselling and emotional support
A qualified volunteer counsellor assists ostomates who need professional support. Surgery changes how people see themselves, and the emotional weight is often heavier than the physical adjustment.
Peer support meetings
Ostomates meet to share experience, teach one another and give support. For many members, meeting another ostomate is the first time they realise they are not alone.
Training for caregivers
Our volunteers learn ostomy care so they can pass that knowledge to ostomates and to health workers who may rarely encounter stoma patients.
Advocacy and awareness
We work to reduce the stigma ostomates face at home, at work and in their communities, and to make ostomy needs visible to health services and donors.
How supplies reach an ostomate
From donation to doorstep
- Donation. Partner organisations and individuals, many of them abroad, donate ostomy products.
- Import and clearance. Consignments arrive in Harare. Duty and clearing costs must be paid before goods are released, which is one of our largest recurring expenses.
- Storage and sorting. Products are checked and sorted by type and size, because a pouch that does not fit is of no use.
- Assessment. We confirm what the ostomate needs, including the type of stoma and pouch size.
- Distribution. Supplies are collected in Harare or sent to ostomates in other provinces through our outreach network.
- Follow up. We stay in contact, offer education, and connect people to counselling or clinical help when needed.