Online Reporter
Barnabas Masimba
IN the dusty streets of Nketa, where drug and substance abuse has trapped many young lives, one couple is fighting back — not with fists, but with song, dance and drama.
Ifalethu Arts, a fast-rising community group founded by Simbarashe Chindira and his wife Kundai Hove, has become a safe haven for children and teens hungry for purpose. Operating from their home at 1761 Nketa 8, the couple has turned their modest space into a training ground where raw talent is polished into dazzling performances.
“Our vision is to give these kids a stage and a future, not drugs,” said Chindira, who, along with his wife, has been digging into their own pockets to keep the project alive for the past 18 months.
But survival hasn’t been easy. With no outside funding, the pair are struggling to buy basics for the children, let alone expand. Still, their dreams are bigger than their challenges.
They envision a fully-fledged Ifalethu Arts Centre, a buzzing hub where young people can showcase their skills, land scholarships, and even receive support for food, clothing and school fees.
“We want these kids to live lives filled with creativity, not addiction,” added Hove.
Already, the group has become a powerful alternative to street life, inspiring dozens of children to pick up scripts and drums instead of pills and pipes.
Now the couple is calling for help from well-wishers, businesses and the community at large to sustain the project.
With the right support, Ifalethu Arts could turn Nketa into Bulawayo’s next cultural hotspot and save a generation from drugs in the process.
