It is the desire of every parent to raise up his or her own children and see them grow into mature adults.This right and privilege has been challenged by the HIV/AIDS pandemic as we encounter many parents succumbing to to this diseases leaving young children alone to fend for themselves.This was not so in the traditional African/Zimbabwean set up,the children of the deceased relatives were assigned a new home and parents immediately after the death of their parents.In today’s Africa/Zimbabwe children are no longer regarded as an inheritance left behind but as a social nuisance in many communities. Therefore the phenomenon of child headed families has become a reality in Africa/Zimbabwe.This weekend let’s pray for children who find themselves in this dilemma like Sindiso, Daniella, Darlene and Junior. Sindiso who is a school drop out at 16 is looking after her two nieces and nephew who were left behind by her sister when she passed on. Junior who is almost ’3′  can be seen it the picture enjoying the cradling and comfort from his ‘mother’ Sindiso. When I asked Daniella and Darlene what they have learnt from Sindiso as their mother they said  at once…like they had rehearsed that line, ” she has taught us to value education so that we can be better people in the future.”

Compiled by: Bekithemba Moyo, Zimbabwe Director

Filed under: General Blog