The roads were dry, humidity low. Walking thoughtfully after she was chased from school because of fees, she did not want to stress her mother as she was already in labour. If Sarah had a role model in her life, it was Nomsa Randel who is an obstetrician and gynaecologist.
After she arrived home from school she gave her mother herbs that she always took in the afternoon but she did not realize that she had picked the wrong set of herbs from the shelf that held the family medicine kit.
Sarah raced to hospital with her mother whose labour suddenly became a matter of life and death. It was exactly seven and a half kilometres from Sarah Nhamos’ apartment to the medical centre of Harare. As the doctor struggled to save both the mother and baby she did not know that two other women had already died in a similar, horrifying circumstance due to the herbs which they had received from Sarah.
And so begins Sarah’s own nightmare as she learns that the prenatal herbs she gave her mother were the only things these three women have in common. Soon Sarah is fighting to save her future career, her reputation –her life. Sadly soon after the devastating incident her parents died in a car accident. Sarah never saw the bright future as she was taken by the relatives to Juru community along Murehwa road where her parents had originated. This was a tacit way of abandoning her but she did not know that it was her last time seeing the relatives.
“I last saw my relatives when I was in grade seven when they took my siblings and I had to live with my grandmother; the mother of my father. They had promised to send money for our fees but there is no sign of them up to now and we are losing hope. When my parents died life has never been the same again. I dropped out of school in order to take care of my grandma and siblings by finding some piece jobs such as cultivating in other peoples’ farms to earn a living”, said Sarah.
Nhamoinesu and Tariro; Sarah’s siblings had failed to complete their primary education except for Machakubvura who is doing his grade four with the help of her sisters who cultivate in other peoples fields only to earn a five rand per day, the hope of any family member to succeed in life is virtually non existent. Very few cultivating areas are found in Juru community this is because there are fewer farmers than before owing to the decline in the capability to buy inputs. So as a result of lack of inputs Some have argued that it is due to lack of adequate farming space and this has raised the question as to of what the government is doing to alleviate the problem.
It has been confirmed by the villagers that truly these children live with their grandmother with no hope of help coming their way. Nhamoinesu is regarded as an intelligent and gutsy boy who struggles and strives by all means to achieve though there tough are circumstances in his life. At times villagers make donations for this family to help them with what they can find to spare.
Speaking to the siblings they do not know why their relatives turned their back on them but even though they expressed that they no longer care or think that they have relatives all they are corned about is they keep their grandma safe.
“ Shuwa, handaisafungira kuti vana vangu vekuzvara vangandikanganwa kudai kunyangwe nherera dzandakachengeta hapana achanduziva asi ini ndinorwadziwa ndichiwona vana ava vasina anovabatsira, dai kari kare kwangu ndichakagwinya ndichizviitira zvinhu zvangu ndai vabatsira”, said the grandma.
Although organisations such as UNICEF donate to this community every month, their donations are not enough for this family. At times when they receive these donations they sell some in order to come up with school fees for their younger brother.
aliab@grunker.com 