Musa Ndlovu was only 16 when she began heading a family of three, which included her two siblings, aged 13 and three.
She bore the brunt of heading a family as a child and because of mounting pressure of having to fend for her siblings she ended up falling pregnant at 18.
Hers is just one of the many touching stories of child-headed families in Zimbabwe due to deaths of parents caused mainly by epidemics like HIV and Aids, which have taken a toll on many people’s lives.
Musa and her siblings related their sad story since their parents died.
“Our father died in 1997, but at that time I was seven years and all I know is that he was not well and I did not know what he was suffering from,” she recalled.
In 2002, she said, their mother fell ill and subsequently passed away after succumbing to pneumonia. Lady Luck, however, smiled on them as their elder sister, who is now late, played the maternal role in their lives.
Their comfort zone collapsed when death, whose spectre seemed to have remained hanging over the family, hit again, claiming their benefactor.
Musa now had to shoulder the enormous responsibility of caring for her siblings.
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“As the eldest child, I now had to look after my siblings and my late sister’s child,” she said. “I became the mother and father of the family. I was forced to drop out of school as we had no money.” Musa said life was very difficult for them as a child headed family, and when she later fell pregnant, that complicated matters.
“I had my son in 2008. It was very difficult for us in that year too and at times we could go to bed without eating which was very difficult. Having to watch my sisters daughter cry of hunger since we went to bed on empty stomachs was heartbreaking,” she said.
Musa said it was painful to grow up without parents and having to be a parent while still a child. All her dreams of completing her schooling went down the drain due to the financial challenges that she faced.
“Right now I am focusing on trying to find myself something to do that will keep us going as I also have to make sure that the kids go to school,” she said. “I also have to find money for my young sister who completed her ‘O’ Levels, but did not manage to collect her results as she is in arrears.”
Her younger sister, Hlonipani, said she wanted to go back to school, but could not do so because she faces a challenge of settling the school fees debt which accumulated over two years.
“I wrote my ‘O’ Levels and I think I passed, but now I wouldn’t know that I haven’t managed to see my results. There was a certain organisation that used to pay for my fees, but I was told that the organisation only paid for my Form One to Two fees, so I have to pay the remaining balance. So up to now I do not know what I produced after the exams,” she said.
Perhaps their only comfort is that their parents left them a four-roomed house in one of Bulawayo’s high density suburbs, Nketa, where they are currently staying.
But they were forced to confine themselves into one room and let the other three rooms to earn some money to buy life’s basics.
Unfortunately, there is an element of exploitation on the part of the tenants as they are paying a paltry $65, which includes the three rooms and contributions for utility bills.
An average room in Bulawayo ranges between $40 and $60.
Musa said the money they get is not sufficient to purchase grocery for the month leaving them in dire straits.
“The money we get from the tenants is not enough at all. We use that money for our up keep and also to feed ourselves. At times we do not pay the bills because we would starve if we do so,” she said.
Musa and her siblings are beneficiaries of the Young People We Care, which comprises youths who go out to help homes affected by HIV and Aids.
