KUDAKWASHE Motsi (not his real name) was only three weeks old when his mother dumped him on a chilly night in June 2020 on a Mutare city street.
His mother was a drug addict and could not handle the pressure of looking after her son as well as feed her craving for drugs.
Alert police officers called officials from the Department of Social Welfare, who whisked the toddler away to an orphanage.
Four years later, not knowing any of his parents, Kudakwashe is growing up into a well-mannered and happy child at the orphanage.
Nestled within the lush and thriving environment in Musabayana village about 40km south of Mutare city, Kuda Vana Children’s Home has become the best comfortable home for Kudakwashe and others could ever dream of.
He now lives in a home with a family set-up.
Instead of sleeping on the street, he now sleeps in a bed, enjoys full meals, watching television and enjoys playing with toys like any other child.
Established in 2006, Kuda Vana Children’s Home seeks to develop children to their full potential and facilitate their transition into productive and responsible members of society.
The home, which has capacity to house 50 children, currently has 46 children.
In an interview during a recent media tour of the home, whose motto is “Every child deserves a family”, William Pepukai, the director of the orphanage said: “As Kuda Vana Children’s Home, we want to provide love, security, healthcare, education and life-skills enabling each child to live a more dignified and enriched lives.
“Our goal is for every child who graduates from our programmes to be equipped with the knowledge and the skills to be contributing members of the society and to thrive financially, emotionally, physically, rationally and intellectually.”
The home is now taking a new dimension.
“We have children here we receive through death of parents, child headed families and abandonment, among others. To achieve our goals, we have gone on a three-legged approach, which is reunification, fostering and adoption programme,” he said.
“We are going to amplify reunification where we will trace the background of the children by looking for the parents, guardians, close friends and well-wishers among others.
Jostina Vambire, a psychologist and social worker at the home, said: “As a children’s home, we work closely with the Department of Social Welfare. This is the department that gives us children here. This is done through various documentation and court orders.
“We have children who were abandoned and also some were from families under difficult situations. We want to give these children a chance to feel life in a family set up.”
Said Davies Mundirwira, the home’s administrator: “We have a capacity to cater for 50 children, but now we have 46. We are committed to facilitating safe family re-unifications, domestic adoption and foster care.
“It is a home providing love, mental health care, complete education and life skills. We also provide spiritual and emotional guidance.”
First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa visited the home in April 2021 and served breakfast to the children.
“We are happy and delighted that the First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa has been here. She is doing excellent work in promoting the empowerment of vulnerable children in the country. So we are also willing to engage her and other partners to achieve total empowerment of the vulnerable children,” Pepukai said.
The home is fully equipped with group family household units with dedicated and trained caregivers.
The home, through its Youth Transition Campus in Buhera, has supported young people from 18-25 years in their transition to self-sufficient adulthood.
The home’s success story has produced university and teachers’ colleges graduates.
“We have children from here who are now graduates. Some have been enrolled at Africa University and University of Zimbabwe,” Pepukai added.
“We have two social workers now working in Zambia. We also have a medical practitioner in Zambia, while many others have completed self-sufficient programmes.”
Top sungura musician Alick Macheso in June 2022 celebrated his birthday at the home, where he urged parents and guardians to support children who demonstrate outstanding levels of competence.
“I grew up in almost the same scenario as with these children and I know how painful it is. I grew up with my grandmother after my father went away. My mother was married to another man and I ended up being looked after by my grandmother,” Macheso said.
“These children we see here are the future leaders. We should now find time to support their needs and necessities so that they grow well. God loves his children.”
Addressing the children, Macheso urged them not to be involved in drug abuse.
“I want you not to be involved in drug abuse. Social evils like drug abuse and crime will decline if these children are mentored and educated on how to discover their talents,” he said.
For Kudakwashe and other children, Kuda Vana Children’s Home was a godsend in a country the number of vulnerable children is rising each day due to relentless economic hardships.