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NewsDay

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Mathew Rusike . . . a comfort for children

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THE Matthew Rusike Children’s Home was founded in 1950 by the late Reverend Matthew Rusike, who lovingly took orphaned and abandoned children into his own home for care.

THE Matthew Rusike Children’s Home (MRCH) was founded in 1950 by the late Reverend Matthew Rusike, who lovingly took orphaned and abandoned children into his own home for care.

mrchsponsorship.com

The numbers rapidly became too large for this modest minister’s home, compelling him to build and formalise an orphanage at its current location in Epworth Mission, about 20km outside Harare.

Later this Home for children was named after him as the Matthew Rusike Children’s Home and in 1961 the Methodist Church of Zimbabwe assumed responsibility over its affairs.

In 1968, the facility was registered in terms of the Welfare Organisations Act (W/O 463/68). It was essentially providing residential care facilities for orphaned and vulnerable children. Currently the Home operates a multifaceted programme that combines residential care and community-based orphan care schemes.

The Matthew Rusike Children’s Home has developed into one of the largest child welfare organisations in Zimbabwe, caring for over 6 092 children in its Residential and Community Based Orphan Care Schemes and employing a staff compliment of 36.

The Matthew Rusike Children’s Home is haven for some 143 homeless, orphaned, displaced, abandoned and deprived children aged between 0 and 18 years.

Recognising that the child is special and unique, a person of dignity and worth, the Home endeavours to provide staff, facilities and resources to meet the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs of the children in an individual way.

In addition, the children are involved in self-help projects such as poultry keeping, gardening, piggery and tailoring.

The Home’s greatest achievement is placing into society a balanced and well-integrated person capable of playing a positive role in the development of Zimbabwe.

With thanks to the MRCH Child Education Sponsorship Programme provided by Sponsorship Co-ordinator, Susy James, of the Qantas Cabin Crew Team (QCCT) all the children are receiving an education. With assistance from the QCCT, in the past four years two students have attended universities studying medicine and social science at the University of Zimbabwe and Fort Hare in South Africa respectively.

The young man studying medicine is now practicing as a doctor in a hospital in Harare.