The Chronicle

BULAWAYO, Wednesday, May 6, 1992 — Bulawayo’s destitute and underprivileged people who have benefited from the activities of the Welfare Society of Bulawayo, face an uncertain future because the organisation is nearly broke, says the secretary, Miss Judith Todd.

In a letter to the Bulawayo City Council, which was tabled at a recent meeting of the Finance Committee, the welfare society appealed to the local authority for a supplementary grant-in-aid of $15 000.

Miss Todd said the society needed the money to continue with its operations until next September when funds were expected to come from the organisation’s winter appeal, street collection and standing grant-in-aid from the city council.

The society’s financial position was critical and all funds were exhausted by the end of last month, the letter said.

The society provides basic relief to distressed and underprivileged people in Bulawayo.

“With the present drought, high unemployment, the increased number of cases of destitutes and the rise in the price of mealie-meal, meals provided by this society are of much greater importance than ever before,” she said in a letter to the city council.

The secretary said the public response to fund-raising activities was poor and could be relied on to cover the period between now and September. The society’s beneficiaries were going to starve if the society ceased operations and it was going to be difficult to start again because of lack of continuity, she said.