Online Reporter
Flora Fadzai Sibanda [email protected]
FOR 36-year-old Mrs Sandisiwe Bhule-Masango, fostering is not about having a perfect family or living an easy life. It is about creating a safe, loving space for children who need one most.
For the past nine years, she has done exactly that, opening the doors of her rented home to vulnerable children in need of care, stability and affection.
To date, she has fostered 13 children.
“I started fostering when I was just 28 years old. I had just gone through a divorce and many people thought it was simply a phase I was going through,” said Mrs Bhule-Masango.
Her journey began with a nine-month-old baby girl who remains part of her family to this day.
At first, her decision puzzled many relatives, particularly because she had no biological children of her own at the time.
“My grandmother did not really understand why I wanted to raise a child who was not biologically mine. My family kept insisting that I should first have my own child before considering fostering,” she said.
Like many African families, cultural and spiritual concerns also shaped their reservations.
But for Mrs Bhule-Masango, the decision came from deeply personal experiences.
“My parents passed away when I was still very young, so I grew up moving between different households. That experience taught me how important it is when someone opens their home to a child who has nowhere else to go,” she said.
Today, she is married and also has a 22-month-old biological son, something she says has not changed her commitment to fostering.
Mrs Bhule-Masango said the process of becoming a foster parent is not as difficult as many assume.
“One simply applies through the Ministry responsible for child welfare, after which there are assessments and screenings to determine suitability,” she explained.
However, she is candid about the emotional and financial realities that come with fostering.
“Fostering is not all roses. There are many challenges. Sometimes foster parents do not have control over whether a child remains in their care or is moved elsewhere. It also comes with emotional burdens because every child comes with a different background and different experiences,” she said.
Mrs Bhule-Masango admitted that financial difficulties can also make it hard to provide everything she wishes for the children under her care.
Despite the challenges, her passion has inspired her to help others interested in fostering and adoption.
She has since founded an organisation called Love Beyond Blood, which supports prospective foster and adoptive parents while also creating awareness around alternative childcare.
Through social media videos documenting her journey, she has encouraged and assisted other families willing to open their homes to children in need.
“To date, I have helped 13 families through the fostering and adoption process,” she said.
Although she is unsure whether all her in-laws fully understand the depth of her calling, she credits fostering with shaping her personal life in unexpected ways.
“What I do know is that being a foster mother is what made my husband notice me,” said Mrs Bhule-Masango.
The couple has one foster child in their care and hopes to welcome more in future.
In a society where fostering is still often misunderstood, Mrs Bhule-Masango continues to prove that family is not defined only by blood, but by love, care and the willingness to give a child a place to belong.
