From Fear to Fame: Family’s cholera survival story becomes a community lifeline
A once-skeptical father and his children turn their personal battle with diarrhoea into a compelling drama campaign, using performance to educate their community about water, sanitation and hygiene.
Zimbabwe, Kariba – The audience erupted in applause as five-year-old Tito Kusakadza—fondly called "Grandpa" by his siblings—demonstrated how to measure and mix a salt-and-sugar solution to treat diarrhoea. As a Village Health Worker (VHW), Tito was part of a play about cholera in Nyamhunga, a village in Kariba district's Ward 2, where a recent outbreak had just been contained.
His sisters, Naomi (13), Dorcas (10), and Mariah (7), completed the cast as they reenacted a real-life family health crisis before dozens of schoolchildren and community members.
“This is inspired by what we went through when people fell sick at home. That’s how we survived, hopefully, others can learn from it too,” said their father, Maxwell Kusakadza, a real-life VHW.
From sickness to an unexpected turn to the stage
When cholera flared up in the remote northwestern Zimbabwean village, taking a life, Kusakadza and his children feared for their own. As members of a religious sect known for its scepticism toward modern medicine, they had never imagined embracing health advocacy—let alone becoming community role models.
But fate had other plans.
In November 2024, Kusakadza was unexpectedly selected as a VHW as part of a multi-stakeholder effort to curb the outbreak. Around the same time, his family’s impromptu dramatisations of their own survival story blossomed into a captivating awareness campaign.
“It happened so quickly. Within two weeks, I was doing things I had never imagined—educating people and even becoming part of a family drama group,” said the 37-year-old. “No complaints though. We are having fun, entertaining people, and saving lives.”
From prayer to prevention
Initially, Kusakadza never saw himself as a VHW. His religious beliefs discouraged reliance on modern healthcare, making his selection surprising. But as cholera cases rose and authorities at Gatshe Gatshe Clinic sought more VHWs, the community nominated him.
A week into his training, sickness hit home. His family fell ill with diarrhoea. Instead of solely relying on prayers, Kusakadza applied his new knowledge, preparing an oral rehydration solution. Realising how critical health education was, he gathered his children to discuss safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices.
That simple conversation sparked an idea. The children asked if they could act out what they had learned for others. Kusakadza embraced the concept immediately.
“I agreed to be their coach,” he said, recalling the birth of the family drama group that has since become a powerful tool for promoting hygiene and health awareness, even within their sceptical religious community.
Awareness programmes that include radio messages, distribution of information materials, community meetings and entertainment, such as the performances by the Kusakadza family, are part of a comprehensive response to the cholera outbreak by various government ministries, UNICEF and stakeholders such as community members, with support from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).
The Kusakadza family now rehearses plays, writes songs, and creates poetry about WASH practices. Their talent even caught the attention of Thankyou Tapera, a performing arts teacher at Gatshe Gatshe Primary School, who now mentors them.
Their first major performance was before their own religious sect, where they addressed WASH basics, debunked health misinformation, and emphasised early medical intervention. Kusakadza had to convince church elders to give them a platform, knowing challenging long-held beliefs wouldn’t be easy to challenge long-held beliefs.
“I didn’t want to just tell people their doctrine was wrong,” he said. “The drama and songs softened the message, it gave people something to reflect on. Some are now more open to seeking medical help. Others remain skeptical. It’s a work in progress.”
As their performances draw crowds, the Kusakadza family hopes their story will inspire lasting change. From fearing cholera to fighting it through art, they have transformed their personal survival into a powerful movement—one act at a time.
