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2 women’s compelling love story

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RACHEL ZIKI and a colleague used to walk up and down in their neighbourhood of Stoneridge, Harare, talking to people and drumming up support for their initiative to establish a centre that would cater for children afflicted with a raft of disabilities.

RACHEL ZIKI and a colleague used to walk up and down in their neighbourhood of Stoneridge, Harare, talking to people and drumming up support for their initiative to establish a centre that would cater for children afflicted with a raft of disabilities.

BY VANESSA GONYE

Rachel Ziki (standing) receiving groceries from Phenomenal Woman Roundtable
Rachel Ziki (standing) receiving groceries from Phenomenal Woman Roundtable

The passion was so consuming that they were prepared to sacrifice anything to see their vision blossom.

Ziki told NewsDay that it was a demanding and physically draining task. She recalled a day when all she and her colleague, Perpetua Katsiru, had was just a packet of fermented drink.

On one occasion, according to Katsiru, they had to break a mint sweet into two so they could share and get a little energy.

“We would share one packet of mahewu because we had no money. We were reaching out to people trying to explain our vision. One day we had to break into two a mint sweet so that we could get a little energy,” said the clinical nurse based in Australia.

Now, several years down the line, the vision has bloomed and about two weeks ago, Kudakwashe Care Centre — the institution born out of their endeavours — joined the world in commemorating Child Labour Day.

It was the children’s big day and as they were wheeled into Stoneridge Primary School, they could tell something was up, with lots of cars and people streaming in.

Currently, there are 12 disabled children under Ziki’s care. She accommodates them at her five-roomed house in Stoneridge. The 12 have a condition known as cerebral palsy characterised by body movement disorders that appear in early childhood.

There are also 48 more children that come to the centre daily to learn various life skills.

Ziki uses her own meagre resources to cater for the children’s needs and a lot needs to be done to ensure that the home is more conducive.

“Security is the major challenge we are facing with the children and we also need clean water and more space as the lodgings are a little cramped,” Ziki said. “We have also had problems in securing enough blankets and food.”

Ziki said some of the children have able-bodied parents who, due to ignorance, just shuffle their children to the centre as they are not capacitated to look after children with special needs.

“Africa has such children who are downtrodden, they are given jobs that are not in line with their disability. It is for this reason that we decided to celebrate Child Labour Day,” she said.

She said although some of the parents were well-off, they hardly visited their children and rarely supported the home with resources.

Annah Shiri, the representative of persons with disabilities in the Senate, said there was need to engage such parents, many of whom regard having a disabled child as a bad omen.

“There is need to engage parents with a negative attitude about their disabled children so that they come to terms with their situation and care for their child in a better way,” she said.

National Council for the Disabled president Farai Cherera weighed in, saying it was important for society to change its mindset regarding the disabled.

He said it was important to recognise and promote the rights of such people.

“Disabled children are viewed superstitiously, discriminated against and abused. That must stop. Those children are very talented, but their talents are not being recognised. Let us not deprive them of their rights,” he said.

Phenomenal Woman Roundtable (PW), a Christian women’s movement, recently adopted the home and has started giving support in the form of foodstuffs and other needs for the children.

PW founder Lyn Chidavaenzi said there was need for all who could to chip in and support the work as the children being cared for at Kudakwashe Care Centre needed everyone’s support.

“Let us make a difference. It is a collective responsibility to help care for disabled children,” she said.

Ziki founded the centre on February 23, 2015, and takes in disabled people from two to 25 years old. She is a widow, having lost her husband in 2013. The home also has a professional artist who teaches the children — mainly drawn from Chitungwiza, Stoneridge, Hopley and Southlea Park — art.