Zimbabwe

More than 22,000 children in Zimbabwe live on the streets, suffer from hunger, have no access to education and are without medical care.  Dr. Jonathan Musvosvi, former head of the Adventist Union in Zimbabwe, approached L’ESPERANCE Kinderhilfe and asked us to help the orphans there. He and his family assured us of their support on the ground – a valuable offer when you want to work in a country whose language, customs and laws you do not know. 

An unexpected visitor

The search for land initially came to nothing. Then Pastor Mosvosvi suddenly received an unexpected visit from Kingsley Matizha, church leader and manager of a market garden in the capital, Harare. Casually, the conversation turned to a plot of land for sale: 105 hectares of fertile riverfront land, four hours from the capital. The owner had once been trained by Kingsley Matizha in the gardener’s trade. 

Our incapacity is God’s opportunitiy. The father of the widows and orphans had the suitable property for the children’s village. This is how it all started. In July 2022, the property was acquired by L’ESPERANCE-Kinderhilfe.

Great God – Great Plans

The plan is to build ten family houses for orphans. L’ESPERANCE has the task of coordinating and financing this.

From 2024, a kindergarten, schools and a vocational school are to be added. The Zimbabwean foundation “Bridging the Gap” has agreed to bear the costs for their construction.

General Manager Sirewu Mazuru already lives on the site in one of the few makeshift shelters.

The on-site team plans to take in the first children as early as 2023.

For the Least of These

Much work, prayer and donations are still needed until Tariro Haven will truly be a haven of hope for orphans. But we at L’ESPERANCE Children’s Aid will not rest, for Jesus said “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”.