The Sunday Mail
Veronica Gwaze
AT 14 years, Lucia Moyo, is supposed to be in high school, probably doing Form Two.
Sadly, that is not the case.
She has had to hastily graduate from being a child to an “adult” following the passing on of her mother in 2018. Her father had died three years earlier.
Moyo, a primary school dropout, has in the past five years been faced with an unenviable burden of providing food for her five-year-old brother. The two are based at Paradise Farm in Darwendale.
Daily, Moyo straps her brother on her back and heads out in search of piece jobs that can guarantee them their next meal.
In some instances, they make do with handouts from locals or look for post-harvest leftovers in fields.
The siblings do not know of their relatives. They do not even have birth certificates.
“Our father used to work at Paradise Farm before he died in 2015, leaving mom with a newborn baby. But she also died three years later,” narrated Moyo.
“We have no one to look after us so I take care of my brother through handouts from neighbours or work in exchange for food and clothes.”
However, Moyo’s life and that of many others in similar circumstances is about to change.
Government has moved in to assist with food, education and funds for their upkeep.
Already the first batch of beneficiaries received assistance last week.
The initiative is running under the newly created Department of Social Development, which falls under the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare.
“All child-headed households in rural and commercial farming areas will benefit from this Government allocation, getting at least 50kg of grain monthly,” revealed Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Professor Paul Mavima.
“They shall be placed in different categories and those who will be said to be poor in the country’s 23 districts will get an additional monetary benefit under the ‘harmonised cash transfer’, to buy additional stuff.”
The number of child-headed families is increasing with each passing day.
A child-headed household is one where there are no adult carers available and children live on their own. Typically an older child will care for siblings, cousins, nephews or nieces.
It has disturbingly become common for minors to sacrifice their education and freedom, assuming adult roles.
The development, according to authorities is prevalent in rural and farming areas.
Parents often die due to pandemics like HIV/AIDS and other natural disasters. Others simply decide to abandon their parental role for reasons best known to them.
Consequently, grandparents take over custody but they, in most instances, succumb to old age leaving the minors exposed.
Several factors like family size and day-to-day food and medical requirements will determine amounts of cash to be transferred to each family.
“Some vulnerable families have already been identified and registered under the Department of Social Development across the country. We expect more to register with their local offices thus we are at present not certain how many families will eventually be enrolled under the programme,” said Minister Mavima.
“Our officials are on the ground to identify potential beneficiaries. We expect to cover all corners of the country.”
Education
Most children in child-headed families are forced to drop out of school due to lack of finances or by overwhelming family responsibilities.
Thus, the Department of Social Development is working hand-in-glove with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to ensure that the disadvantaged children get free access to education mainly in Government Schools.
Children that had already dropped out, like the case with Lucia Moyo, will be reintegrated back to school.
“Vulnerable children registered under the Department of Social Development programme automatically qualify for free education in our schools. Every child must get a chance to obtain education,” Primary and Secondary Education Deputy Minister, Edgar Moyo said.
The Government official notes provision of free food and money will reduce the burden on the children thus creating ample time for school.
Abuse
Minister Mavima further notes minors from child-headed families are easily exposed to abuse of all form.
The sad part, he said, was that most of the cases are not reported.
“We are working together with the Home Affairs Ministry to address the abuse menace. The cases have become prevalent. Part of this initiative involves educating communities on the need to protect such families and report perpetrators of any form of abuse,” said Minister Mavima.
Sad tales
At Inamo farm in Zvimba, 17-year-old Mercy Waladi looks after her nephews Tawonga (9), Maxwell (7) and Brendon (6), born by her elder sisters Miriam and Marilyn.
Waladi is the youngest of the three sisters and their mother succumbed to cancer in 2014. Their father was to be admitted in a mental institution two years later and is still in the facility.
The elder sister (Miriam) is mother to Tawonga and Brendon while the second one (Marilyn) is mother to Maxwell.
They both offloaded their burden to Mercy in 2015 when she was still 12.
The predicament automatically drove her out of school.
The elder sisters have not communicated or rendered any help since they left, forcing her into parenthood.
Of the three children in Mercy’s custody, only Brendon is enrolled at an Early Childhood Development (ECD) institution.
“Our father is mentally ill. It had become difficult to look after him and the children so I had to have him admitted at a mental institution,” she said.
“I have to work to provide for the children.
“However, the Covid-19 induced lockdown has made the situation dire for us and we sometimes go to bed on empty stomachs. We hope to get assistance from the new Government programme that people are talking about.”
A similar gloomy case is in Hwedza.
Sixteen-year-old Tichafara Marunga has been taking care of his two siblings following the death of their mother in 2018.
The school dropout currently herds villagers’ cattle to provide for the family. But, none of the siblings is going to school.
In Plumtree, 14-year-old Nombeko balances between school and taking care of her two siblings after their mother left for Botswana, abandoning them.
They survive from handouts.
“The new Government initiative comes as a relief for both the vulnerable children and members of the community. As neighbours, we are forced to assist with food, clothes and money at times. But the situation is tight at the moment. We are struggling to look after our families,” a neighbour of one of the child-headed families said.
“We hope that they (Government) send officials on the ground as most of the affected children have little or no means to travel to their offices. Radio advertisements could also help. Some do not even know about the programme,” added Mai Ropafadzo.
Psychological effect
Psychologist and Zimbabwe Open University lecturer Dr Molly Manyonganise argues a child that assumes adult responsibilities is likely to suffer serious mental effects and all forms of abuse.
“This situation makes them an adult before their time, so there is no gradual development that is required for all children. When the pattern is disrupted, effects will show at a later stage in life,” she said.
“Likewise, assuming adult responsibilities places them at high risk of abuse. Society treats them as adults and sometimes it gets worse as girls end up engaging in sex work.”
Africa University lecturer and Psychologist Dr David Bishau weighs in.
“These children are vulnerable; they are made to deploy their labour for so little often. Worse with this lockdown, most child-headed families’ livelihoods have been destroyed exposing them to child predators. “Anyone in a difficult position can go to extremes just to get money or food. Imagine then the predicament that a child who has to feed another child faces?”
Assistance
Darwendale-based Tawananyasha Nerudo Foundation (TNF) is currently assisting at least 25 child-headed families in the community with groceries.
“From the onset of the lockdown, with the help of some donors, we started assisting child-headed families as well as supporting other charities.
“Our wish is to give them food packs that can last them at least a month and set up programmes that promote self-sufficiency,” revealed TNF founder Mrs Tina Tungamirai. TNF is extending help to 60 teen mothers and more than 1 000 individuals by offering them at least one meal per day at the foundation’s Soup Kitchen.Some of its members have also been introduced to various projects like detergent making and horticulture.
