'A monster in the convent’. The lived experiences of the Catholic religious sisters who contracted Covid-19 at a convent in Mutare diocese, Zimbabwe.

Abstract

Covid-19 took a toll worldwide and yet has not yielded all the knowledge necessary of the lived experiences of the diverse survivors. This paper seeks to contribute to the many studies that have been undertaken. It is a phenomenological, qualitative in-depth exploration of the lived experiences of the Catholic religious sisters who contracted and survived Covid-19. The data was collected through semi-structured questions, phone call and face to face interviews, with a total of ten Catholic religious sisters who tested positive for Covid-19, stayed in isolation from others and later recovered, in the Catholic diocese of Mutare. Transcribed data was used to construct themes that portrayed the Sisters’ lived experiences through the pandemic. The findings revealed that the selected survivors suffered psychological, social and physical maladjustments during their period of confinement. The study recommends disaster preparedness for religious communities to facilitate proper adjustment in possible future pandemics. The research developed a model as an intervention strategy that includes continuous community empowerment programs for nuns, organizing training in adaptive coping skills for religious leaders, strengthening the support system during the time of illness, constructing specialized care facilities for the sick and abiding by the professional advice of health care officials such as vaccinations and other measures