Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
THE Government has announced plans to provide substantial support to Ekhaya Kip Keino Children’s Home in Makwe Village, Gwanda District. The aim is to empower the institution and help it achieve self-sustainability, ensuring a brighter future for the children it serves.
The home, which has been a sanctuary for orphaned and vulnerable children for the past 22 years, currently cares for 55 children.
Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister, Dr Evelyn Ndlovu, visited the home recently as part of a familiarisation tour and announced plans to deploy a technical team to assess the institution’s needs. Dr Ndlovu also donated 400kg of mealie-meal to the home.
“This institution plays a crucial role as it is offering care to orphaned and vulnerable children, hence it must be supported and capacitated. The reason why I’m here is to have an appreciation of the operations of the institution and to hear their challenges so that the Government can intervene,” said Dr Ndlovu.
She noted the need for additional projects, including a nutrition garden, poultry farming, wheat production, and livestock initiatives to enhance the home’s self-sufficiency. Efforts will also be made to rehabilitate one of the homesteads, which was destroyed by fire.
Ekhaya Kip Keino Children’s Home co-founder, Mr Zibusiso Nyoni, expressed concerns about illegal miners in the area, whose activities pose a threat to the institution. He emphasised the need for the home to be included in the Department of Social Welfare’s food programme and called for more land to expand farming projects that could help the home become self-sufficient.
“One of the challenges we are facing is the activities of illegal miners. At one point, they had encroached into the home. The illegal miners are also diverting water, which is supposed to be coming to the home, resulting in serious water challenges,” said Mr Nyoni.
The home, which houses children from various districts in Matabeleland South, provides shelter for those in need of safety or those who are homeless. It also equips the children with agricultural skills, which could offer them future career opportunities.
Mr Nyoni said the home is overcrowded, as one of the four homesteads was damaged by fire. He also appealed for a solar-powered system to ensure a consistent power supply. – @DubeMatutu.
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