SOS Children In Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe, formerly Rhodesia, is in southern Africa, a landlocked country bordered by Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique and the Republic of South Africa. Many of its 11 million population live in desperate poverty, stemming from successive droughts, Zimbabwe's political and economic problems, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS (affecting one-quarter of the population) and outbreaks of cholera and other diseases which have claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Children in Zimbabwe are especially vulnerable. UNICEF estimates that one-fifth (1.3 million) of all children are orphans, largely because of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. More than half of all new HIV/AIDS infections are among young people, primarily girls. SOS Children's Villages provide orphaned and abandoned children in Zimbabwe with a new mother, a family and a home where they can stay until they are ready for independent life (each family house can care for up to 10 children).

The charity began its work in the country in 1983 and currently cares for more than 500 children at its three purpose-built Children's Villages, and a further 157 youths at its five youth houses, where young adults go to learn how to stand on their own two feet, and are given help to find a job. SOS Children also run schools, vocational training centres and social centres in Zimbabwe.

In 2002 SOS Children introduced its Family Strengthening and community outreach programmes in all three villages in order to support HIV/AIDS affected children and families in their own environment. Providing clothing, food, school fees, medical treatment, housing improvements and counselling, these programmes help over 5000 children a year, reducing child abandonment and keeping families together. In total, through all of its programmes the charity is providing help and support to nearly 18,500 Zimbabweans.

The charity built its first community in Zimbabwe in 1983 to help children who had lost their parents in the struggle for independence. The SOS Children's Bindura community is in the Mozowe valley, about 50 miles north of the capital of Harare. It has 15 family houses and seven youth houses, three in the village and four in nearby Chipadzi. The nursery, which offers full day care, together with the well established primary and secondary schools are open to nearly 2,000 children from both the SOS Village and the neighbourhood. Close to Bindura is the SOS Maizelands Farm. Covering an area of 1,400 hectares, young people from SOS Children learn modern farming methods here. As well as the cultivation of soy beans, cotton and maize, livestock are reared, providing the communities with food. The farm also sells produce to generate income to cover maintenance costs. Engineering workshops alongside the farm provide further training opportunities.

In 1989, the charity's Waterfalls site opened in a suburb of Harare. It has 15 family houses, eight youth houses and two hospice houses for SOS children and staff suffering from AIDS. The nursery and primary school are open to local children.

The charity's Bulawayo community, in the capital of Matabeleland Province, was built in 1995. It has 15 family houses and 10 youth houses. The SOS nursery and primary school provide for the educational needs of local children as well as the SOS children.

We are not making any public statements about operation Murambatsvina (clean-up). We have a lot of children and workers in affected areas and are doing our best to help with the human hardship caused by the recent actions. We would welcome donations to help with this (please put "Zimbabwe" in the Instructions box, and SOS Children UK guarantee to pass on 100% without deductions). We hope you will understand that we are sending more detailed reports only to long-standing supporters of our work in Zimbabwe.

Edward's story

Child-headed households are an increasingly common occurrence in Zimbabwe. Here is the story of one such family and how they came to live at SOS Children's Village Bindura.

Edward* and his three young brothers, Sibanda*, Takawira* and Thomas* found themselves alone after their mother died in 2007. Initially, their father returned to the family but soon after his return, both he and the youngest child, Thomas, passed away. This left Edward, who was then aged just ten, looking after his two brothers who were eight and nearly five. Before he passed away, his father had told the boys and neighbours that there were no other family who would be able to care for the boys. Members of their immediate community tried to care for the boys as much as they could, but the community itself was struggling. Food was very scarce, there was little work and because of the situation at the time in Zimbabwe, the community had no security about where they were staying and their living conditions were very poor.

The boys’ plight was brought to the attention of a lady who was volunteering with a home-based care programme which was working in the area. This service brought some food and any necessary medications to the small family. Unfortunately, caring for his little brothers and the destitution of the family meant that Edward was unable to attend school. So, just a few months after starting school, Edward was unable to return. The lady from the home-based care service referred the family to the social services department and, after consideration, they approached SOS Children's Village Bindura to see if the little family could be placed there.

The three boys were welcomed into house mbizi, which means “zebra” in Shona, by SOS mother Patricia Nembire at the end of 2008. Under Patricia's care, they have found a close family environment in which to recover their childhood and to rediscover a loving family situation. Patricia says that right from the beginning the boys were well behaved and polite. "The boys mix easily with others. They are very responsible boys and Edward enjoys helping me in the garden." One of the things that has made Edward the happiest is being able to re-start school at SOS Hermann Gmeiner Primary School which is near to the village. His teacher, Angeline Gombakomba, says of Edward, "he is very responsible in his outlook and tries to be the 'big brother' of the class. If I have to leave the classroom for a moment, it is always Edward who offers to monitor the others." "I'm very happy to be in a home with my two brothers and SOS family members - I'm happy to be back at school after so long!" Edward tells any visitor. He is also able to spend more time on the gardening which he enjoys and attributes to 'running in the family' as his father was a farmer, and playing football with his new found friends.

Although at times, Edward would still like to be the one making the decisions for his brothers, he is happy to relinquish the difficult responsibilities and relax to enjoy his childhood. All three of the brothers seem to be flourishing in their new family.

*For privacy reasons, the names of the boys have been changed.

Aids Orphan Projects

Local Contacts

SOS Children in Zimbabwe
SOS Children's Villages Association of Zimbabwe
Mon Repos Building, Newlands, Harare
Postal address PO Box HG 766, Highlands, Harare
Tel: +263/4/746 451, +263/4/746 452, +263/4/746 453
Fax: +263/4746 454
e-mail: soszim@soszim.co.zw

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