AHFoZ Donates to children’s homes

ROSE of Charity Children’s Home in Victoria Falls got a shot in the arm when the Association of Health Funders of Zimbabwe (AHFoZ) donated groceries worth about US$1 000.

The donation was made last Friday at the close of the 14th AHFoZ annual health conference which was held in Victoria Falls and is part of the health funders association’s corporate social responsibility.

AHFoZ has over the years extended a helping hand to Rose of Charity Children’s Home.

The donation has become synonymous with AHFoZ’s annual conferences every year and over the years it was done at the venue of the conference, but this year AHFoZ leadership and delegates visited the home in Chinotimba suburb to interact with the vulnerable children housed there.

AHFoZ chief executive officer Mrs Shylet Sanyanga said the donation, which is in line with national goals of ensuring access to decent meals and health for all towards universal health was one of AHFoZ’ s achievements.

“We donated groceries worth about US$1 000 and it is the list they had written. Every year we ask them their wish list and obviously, because our funds are limited and we can’t give them everything, we try and give them what we can but cover most of the needs,” she said.

AHFoZ started the gesture in 2010 and has diligently implemented social responsibility.

Mrs Sanyanga said visiting the children’s home made them appreciate the conditions and situation at the home that was started by Mrs Simangele Khumalo-Moyo.

“The thinking was that we can’t come to Victoria Falls for a conference and leave nothing. So, we thought we should find out if there is a vulnerable group or community so we could leave something and then we identified a home.

“So, we went to the home so we could connect. I had visited the home the first time we introduced this donation and had not gone back over the years, so it’s really our social responsibility on our part,” she said.

The theme for the AHFoZ conference was “Healthcare, a turning point.”

Rose of Charity founder Mrs Khumalo-Moyo paid tribute to AHFoZ.

“We are so grateful and humbled for their continued support. Above all we thank them for visiting our premises to come and share their love with our babies,” she said.

More than 20 orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) are housed at the Chinotimba-based home in Victoria Falls.

Their ages range from infants to 17 years.

The children add up to more than 70 including those that come for feeding and go back to their various homes in the city on a daily basis.

The home has also built premises in Sizinda about 15km outside Victoria Falls where some projects such as gardening, horticulture, and livestock keeping among others like sports and social games take place for the benefit of the OVC.

At the Chinotimba premises, Rose of Charity runs a preschool for orphans and the community.

OVC learn free of charge while those from the community pay.