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Veronica Gwaze
Sports Reporter
AT some point, his family could not afford to a decent meal on the table and poverty stalked them.
Sikandar Raza remembers a day when his family only had 50 cents in their home — yet they needed a meal for nine people.
That was when he was growing up in Sialkot, in the northeast of Pakistan, before his family moved to Zimbabwe.
Today, Raza takes care of the welfare of 420 orphans housed at Centre for Total Transformation in Snake Park, Harare.
“So, it all started about six years ago, my community and family members got together and said listen, life is getting better for us, so why not share that,” said Raza.
“That is how I got to CTT.
“When I went there for the first time, I heard their stories, some of the kids come for day care.
“They walk 12 to 15 kilometres to and from CTT daily and cannot afford dinner so whatever we are getting, we thought best that we share with the less fortunate.”
Raza wanted to be a fighter pilot before the dream was crushed in his third year at Air Force college when he failed an eye test.
Later, he stumbled upon cricket.
“I have to make sure that they have everything that they need at any time, whenever I get time, I go and spend it with them but my plan is that in a few years, they will be self –sustaining,” he said.
“The first thing we thought of was installing a solar system and a borehole because if that facility can have water, then it means the whole community around has fresh water and they can do various projects.
“Now they grow their own vegetables, they can also sell some to the community… at first there were only two classrooms and now they have six so we are building four more.
“I believe that education is the only way to eradicate poverty and improve lives so we pay school levies and examination fees for these kids; this initiative is as important to me as my training although I cannot be with them daily.”
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter