CHARMAINE CHITATE

Two school boys making their way home through one of many dump sites filled with plastics, diapers, paper, tin cans, and clothing materials are strewn randomly across the wetland, providing a breeding ground for pests in Harare, Zimbabwe, November 08, 2024. Due to their status as 'unauthorised structures' the community does not have access to refuse collection services allowing the wind to blow the rubbish into the wetland's main water stream, contaminating it. Photo by Charmaine Chitate for The VII Foundation

Chantelle Jonhera (22) hand washes her family's laundry at least once a week and there are at least 20 households on her street doing the same in Harare, Zimbabwe, November 15, 2024. The grey water, filled with detergents, flows into the wetland, degrading it over time. As the wetland's vegetation is cut off to make way for more construction activities, it is losing its ability to purify water and make it safe for other species. Photo by Charmaine Chitate for The VII Foundation

Chantelle Jonhera (22) sells hair combs, lip gloss, and body oils to raise money to buy items on her baby preparation list in Harare, Zimbabwe, on November 15, 2024. The rising unemployment rate in Zimbabwe has created opportunities in the informal market however, these are easily disrupted in the face of a disaster, crippling a much-needed source of income for the household.   Photo by Charmaine Chitate for The VII Foundation

Six months pregnant, with a toddler in tow, Chantelle feels overwhelmed by her household chores in Harare, Zimbabwe, on November 23, 2024. Her sister, Glavender Jonhera (28), used to walk five kilometres to visit her. Now she has moved in to help ease the workload, help her sister stay healthy, and deliver a healthy baby.   Photo by Charmaine Chitate for The VII Foundation

The shallow well makes it easy for, Chantelle Jonhera (22), to draw water for her household chores in Harare, Zimbabwe, November 23, 2024. During the rainy season the septic tank at her household floods and overflows into the shallow well, as with many other houses in the area. Photo by Charmaine Chitate for The VII Foundation

Chantelle Jonhera (22) helps her daughter, Dilara Chinyanga (32 mo) wear shoes outside their home in Harare, Zimbabwe, November 23, 2024. Chantelle hopes to live in a safe space to raise Dilara and her unborn child without fear - a constitutional right in Zimbabwe (Section 73). Photo by Charmaine Chitate for The VII Foundation

Left, Glavender Jonhera (28) and Chantelle Jonhera (22) posing for a picture at the latter's homestead in Harare, Zimbabwe, November 23, 2024.   Wetland conservation is highly dependent on a collaborative effort between urban developers and conservationists to ensure the addressing of housing needs and the preservation of the environment.   Photo by Charmaine Chitate for The VII Foundation

Chantelle Jonhera (R) 'feeding' braids to her mother-in-law Pauline Machona as she plaits her sister Blessing Machona. in Harare, Zimbabwe, November 15, 2024. In the meantime, life continues. The community is growing and generating income streams in the informal sector. As they smile and brave living on the wetland, thoughts of a flood and a possible demolishing of what they built and bought with their hard-earned money loom. Photo by Charmaine Chitate for The VII Foundation