Sometimes children in Zimbabwe eat only one meal a week. Many don't have access to clean water and regularly go without electricity.

These conditions have led to a recent cholera outbreak, said to be further fuelled by the constant mismanagement of the country by its president, Robert Mugabe.

But in the trenches there are those like Bermudian JoAnn Walker, who are trying their best to keep bellies full and clothed.

Six years ago Ms Walker and her son, Derrick Swinton-Walker, left Bermuda on a quest that was supposed to take one year – to find a purpose in life.

What they found was a need which demanded they stay far beyond that one year.

With her son happily enrolled in school and a life quickly developing, Ms Walker found her purpose.

She said: "What started to be a one-year venture has now become a six-year journey that the two of us really enjoy. After the first year in Zimbabwe we knew we would return.

"I had the feeling of just getting started and Derrick had a feeling, after being here six months, he wanted to make his home in Africa. That thought scared me as I was not prepared to stay longer than two years.

"However, once we returned to Bermuda in 2003 our minds were made up to return to Africa. Derrick was glad to be back in school and to play cricket.

"I was inspired to be back because I had visions of being able to assist in many projects. I knew I wanted to make a difference in the lives of the young people."

Those projects include a feeding programme she calls Meals on Wheels in Zimbabwe, which helps to feed 180 children a week who otherwise might not eat anything else, digging wells and helping at a handicapped school.

But Meals on Wheels Zimbabwe is not anything like the Bermuda charity which has volunteers deliver prepared meals to the doors of those in need.

In the Zimbabwe version, a team from the church Ms Walker attends, Church of Christ, head to a school to prepare a meal which typically includes beef, a vegetable, mealie meal (corn meal) – which is cooked into a sadza, a Zimbabwean staple food – rice and potatoes.

Ms. Walker explained: "The school has a tin roof for its kitchen and an open fire pit for cooking. The children like when rice and potatoes are served as they consider it a treat.

"However, the sadza is more filling. They would rarely come back for seconds when sadza is served."

Ms Walker's work is aided by a growing group of concerned citizens, some of whom are members of her church. The group also tries to address other needs as they see them, focusing on building new wells, education and AIDS awareness.

The work is all funded by the charity Link Africa, which was started by Ms Walker and this year incorporated on the Island. Its members include vice president Donald Dane, director and secretary/treasurer Sabrina DeSilva, director Dennis Walker and Sharon E. Swan.

In Africa, she is aided by Richard Mills and Noma Mlangeni.

A line of clothing, Dream Africa, is another means by which the group raises funds. The clothes utilise images from Zimbabwean artists and are produced by Zimbabwe-based manufacturers.

The charity is now hosting a booth in Gallery 135 – a retail centre located at 135 Front Street – where the goods can be purchased or donations can be given to the cause.

While here, Ms Walker is hoping to raise money for the generators and pumps she hopes to be able to take when she returns to Zimbabwe on January 20.

Such items are necessary as at the moment, the country is wracked by a cholera outbreak caused by the sewage which overflows in the streets, and a lack of clean water.

Before Ms Walker left the country she had not seen the outbreak take complete hold, though she had heard of the problems through her network of friends.

What she did experience was the lack of electricity and water.

"The last seven days we were there we were out of running water," she said. "We go 24 hours a time without electricity. They claim we have this shortage of electricity – it's just to make the people suffer.

"(I have heard) it's a terrible outbreak. I don't see sewage overflowing in the streets of Bulawayo (where we are based), but the trash is not being collected so all of that is in the streets.

"There's no money to pay the workers. I have some friends who are being paid $9 a month as teachers and I have some friends not being paid at all. It's a mess.

"All the grocery stores, the shelves are bare. We have groups of people who go in to buy food and we pay in South African rands."

The lack of food sometimes forces trips into neighbouring Botswana or South Africa for supplies, she said. Adding to the problem is Zimbabwe's ever-changing inflation rate.

"The inflation changes daily and is now at 11 million percent. What does that mean? It means a loaf of bread is $17 and pizza is $75.

"But it changes daily sometimes twice daily. It's in a mess."

For more information or to donate funds, stop by Gallery 135 or send an e-mail, walkersinzimbabwe@hotmail.com.