malvernmugadzikwa
Theseus Shambare
What am I going to do with my baby? Who will take care of him/her during my absence? Will the person be able to take good care of him or her?
These are normal questions that come to a mother whose maternity leave is coming to an end.
Leaving your two-month or three-month old baby with someone is never an easy thing.
With the pressures and demands life has, one has to work to fend for that baby and is left with no choice but to look for a minder.
Now, with more reports of living-in maids abusing children, couples no longer feel comfortable to take a risk of having full-time maids.
Recently, a video circulated on social media showing a maid heartlessly beating a baby.
However, for Epworth couples, Plaxedes Mubayi has come to their rescue.
As the sun’s golden rays paints the sky, casting a gentle warmth over the dormitory town, the doors of Mubayi’s crèche swung open with anticipation.
Parents, with sleepy-eyed infants cradled in their arms, approach the entrance, their faces reflecting a mix of gratitude and trust.
In her mid-40s, Mubayi stands at the threshold, a beacon of reassurance, ready to embrace the day’s responsibilities with open arms.
With a genuine smile and a sparkle in her eyes, she tenderly receives each child, exchanging words of comfort and love.
Her gentle touch and soothing voice instantly eases the worries of parents, who entrusted their precious little ones to her care.
The air is filled with the joyful chatter of children, the soft melodies of lullabies and the scent of warmth and safety—a true home for the little ones.
“This is how my day always starts,” the dreadlocked woman shared with The Sunday Mail.
“Looking after children has been my calling. It all began when two desperate parents, whose maid had eloped, sought my services,” she said.
Mubayi said she would go with the baby for routine postnatal visits at a local Poly-Clinic while the child’s parents are at work.
“Some maids are also accused of being husband snatchers so working couples see this as a gateway to peace.
“I enjoy my job. As people saw me taking care of the baby, their trust grew and more came along,” she said.
She takes in babies as young as 3 months.
When the Government rolls out infant mobile vaccination programmes, her place has become one of the reliable centres in Epworth.
“When polio rollout was launched, my home was one of the centres around Domboramwari area and the Cholera vaccine was also administered to children here while decongesting the local clinics.
“This has become our norm,” said Mubayi.
However, the place has since been transformed into a full-fledged Day Care Centre and Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre.
“My passion for children birthed the Rockingham Nursery and Day Care Centre—a place dedicated to caring, educating, housing and protecting children,” she said.
What makes Mubayi exploits unique is how she doubles as the school Principal and as the babysitter, taking care of infants who might still be breastfeeding.
With a heart full of passion and a mind brimming with innovative ideas, Mubayi has committed to providing her young charges with an enriching experience that goes beyond the conventional.
Mubayi’s approach to early childhood development (ECD) is truly exceptional.
She has assembled a team of qualified ECD teachers who care for children aged three years and above, preparing them for conventional primary school education while ensuring they meet the highest standards.
In her crèche, every day presents an opportunity to ignite the flames of curiosity and foster a love for learning.
Information Communication Technologies (ICT) learning, she said, will soon be introduced.
“The world is now transitioning to digital, so there is a need for us to adapt earlier,” she said.
The place has a play area, where upon breaking for lessons, children freshen up.
Shuvai Chabata, a mother to twins, praised Mubayi for taking good care of her “bundles of joy”.
“I was hesitant in the first place such that I would come back during lunch hour to check on my babies.
“But as time went by, I got used to it and to date, my twins are healthy and perfectly fine. She teaches them everything and they are now close to two years old,” said Chabata.
“I no longer stress much because she even goes a mile further by ensuring the babies get timely post-natal attention since her place is strategically close to the Epworth Poly-Clinic,” she said.
Constance Khali, sister-in-charge at one of the Epworth local clinics said more people like Mubayi are key in a community.
“Epworth is a community where the majority live on self-jobs. So many women would not want to sacrifice a few hours of the day at a clinic from their work places.
“This has been leading to many children going for months without any routine check while some would even skip crucial immunisation vaccines,” she said.
According to a study conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO), one in five mothers delay or skip needed medical care the year after giving birth.
Shockingly, United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) statistics show that the infant mortality rate in Zimbabwe stands at about 50 deaths per every 1 000 live births, with many deaths attributed to the failure of parents to seek routine postnatal care, including vaccinations.
“Many children whose parents go to work rarely visit health facilities for routine postnatal care, putting them at high risks of a number of dangers,” said Dr Mavis Chirisa, a Harare paediatrician.
“There are vaccines that need not to be missed like measles and polio during child development but oftentimes parents ignore that.”
Children, she said, get oral polio vaccine (OPV) doses at 2 months, 4 months, 6 through 18 months and 6 years old.
“Failure to get OPV may lead to lifelong paralysis. Even Children who fully recover from polio can develop new muscle pain, weakness, or paralysis as adults between 15 to 40 years.
“According to statistics, 2 to 10 children out of 100 who have paralysis from polio die because the virus affects the muscles that help them breathe,” said Chirisa.
During the 43rd Ordinary Session of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child last week, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi reiterated the Government’s dedication to upholding, promoting and fulfilling the rights of every child.
“Residential Child Care facilities are routinely monitored to ensure compliance to the National Residential Child Care Standards.
“In light of the provisions of the Children’s Act, highlighting the significance of early intervention and family preservation, the Government is in the process of developing a harmonised national parenting manual,” said Minister Ziyambi.
As WHO celebrates 5 decades of its Expanded Programme on Immunisation since its inception 1974, the health system has gone from a world where the death of a child was something many parents feared, to a world where every child – if vaccinated – has a chance to survive and thrive.
Mubayi’s unwavering dedication to childcare and immunisation, exemplifies the power of one individual’s commitment to safeguarding the health and well-being of children.
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Online Reporter