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Tadious Manyepo-Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Women’s Soccer League pair of Ileana Mpandawana and Alice Moyo have pulled themselves from a precipice.
They are living a dream which they never wish to wake up from.
They are connected by background circumstances and are an inspiration to each other.
They have hurdled over humps and have every reason to celebrate their current situation.
The older of the two, Moyo (24), has seen it all and at 19, Mpandawana has also turned around her life remarkably well.
The two were raised over 500km apart, in separate children’s homes – Moyo at Old Mutare and Mpandawana at Midlands in Gweru.
They have worked their way up and making a difference.
Moyo turns out for reigning champions Herentals Queens with whom she is expected to play a key role when they plunge into the CAF Women’s Champions League Cosafa zonal qualifiers in Malawi next week.
She is a national team regular and when the Mighty Warriors were handsomely rewarded after reaching the Cosafa Women’s Championship in South Africa last year, Moyo didn’t choose to reward herself.
“I grew up in an orphanage and that is the only place I call home.
“After trying my hand in basketball before venturing into football, I was then identified by Faithdrive Academy owner Gogo Nelia Musikavanhu who adopted me and I started staying at her house, which also doubles as the team’s club house in Mutare.
“There, I was polished before I started being called for national teams,” said Moyo.
“I am a graduate from the school of the hard knocks.
“So when I got my bonus from the Cosafa Women’s Championships in South Africa last year, I didn’t think of myself.
“I thought of how I grew up and then bought some stuff including clothes, food, football boots and other things for my Old Mutare Children’s Home.
“I feel I have a huge role to play for that’s where I was raised. I draw a lot of satisfaction by giving a hand to them.
“Basically, I pledge a certain percentage of whatever I get in the game to support those still at the home. That’s my small way of saying thank you for raising me.”
Besides ploughing back financially and materially, Moyo is also taking other kids, boys and girls with potential from the home to football academies like Faithdrive to get nurtured.
“It’s also my wish to see other kids making it in football. There is this drug and substance abuse menace which also needs to be tamed and taking the kids to football academies is one of those ways to fight the scourge,” added Moyo.
The Herentals Queens star has played at every possible level of the game starting from the Young Mighty Warriors and she will add another feather into her cap when she participates in the CAF Women’s Champions League.
She has had a stint with Zambian giants Green Buffaloes but the stay was hampered by injuries last season.
Mupandawana, on the other hand, is supposed to be still just making some baby steps into football. Yet she is already flying.
“Growing up in a Children’s Home, I used to wonder what really happened to me. No one has a ready answer to my questions. It’s so painful but I thank the Midlands Children’s Home for raising well,” said Mupandawana.
“I was playing football with boys at the home. So during Covid-19 induced locldown in 2021, I came across a poster calling for trials for Chapungu Queens. I tried my luck and all is history.
“I didn’t pass my Ordinary Levels, so I saw an opportunity at Chapungu to enrol for school again.
“For the past two years, I have been playing football while also going to school and I am happy to announce that I passed my exams last year and I have already been attested into the Air Force of Zimbabwe.
“I am dreaming big both in football and in life. I want to upgrade myself and help the kids back at home.”
Midlands Children’s Home superintendent Lenzeni Ndete-Kamwendo said Mupandawana was an inspiration to all the children at the home.
“I am very happy with how Ileana has developed. She has been helping us especially those who dream to play football. I am happy that she didn’t just pursue her football dream but also decided to empower herself academically. Other children here will get to emulate her ways especially given that she is still our kid who we are always with whenever she is off duty.”
Online Reporter