Tariro Children’s Home a beacon of hope

Tatenda Mugabe

Herald Correspondent

Nestled in the heart of Kadoma, Tariro Children’s Home has been a beacon of hope for orphaned and vulnerable children since its establishment in 2006.

Visitors here are often greeted with warm smiles from the children and the quiet resilience of the home’s founder, Mrs Pheobeline Magama.

A former civil servant and devout Adventist, Mrs Magama began the orphanage in 2006 after adopting three children from Kadoma General Hospital following their parents’ deaths due to HIV/AIDS.

From its humble beginnings in a disused hospital annex, Tariro Children’s Home became a registered Private Voluntary Organisation in 2019, supported by donors in the United Kingdom.

“To date, we house 26 children, boys and girls aged between 10 months and 17 years, providing not only shelter but also a nurturing environment,” Mrs Magama said.

The home features a 14-room building that includes dormitories, a kitchen, a lounge, office spaces, and ablution facilities.

A dedicated team, consisting of the founder, two caregivers, a resident social worker, and two interns from the Women’s University Kadoma campus, focuses on the children’s well-being.

Even though the children’s home gets support for education, funding challenges persist, especially for Early Childhood Development (ECD) scholars.

“Higher Life Foundation assists with school fees up to tertiary level. Unfortunately, three ECD children are stuck here due to lack of funding for their fees. This has motivated us to introduce an ECD centre in 2025 to benefit our children and the community,” the founder said.

The neighbouring community’s children will pay fees to help generate income for the orphanage, fostering interaction with local kids.

Older children are encouraged to discover their talents and pursue vocational training in areas like motor mechanics, welding, tourism and hospitality, hotel catering, and beauty therapy.

However, these senior inmates face challenges, needing start-up kits when they exit the home to start their own businesses.

Water scarcity is a pressing issue, as the home’s borehole has dried up, forcing children to fetch water from neighbouring homes—a task that disrupts their routines and limits essential gardening operations.

Despite identifying a site for a new borehole, funding remains elusive, leading the orphanage to rely on begging for foodstuffs.

“Vegetables are a challenge since we do not have water for gardening. Our staff visit Kadoma’s green markets to solicit vegetables for the children’s meals,” said Mrs Magama.

The home also raises broiler chickens for income, but limited resources often fall short of meeting daily demands. A recent setback occurred when 50 chickens were stolen, yet the staff and children remain determined to rebuild the stock.

Tariro Children’s Home often strives to provide a healthy diet for the children, including meals with rice, sadza, and dried vegetable leaves donated from the markets, although meat is not frequently available.

At night, the children and staff navigate their dimly lit premises with torches, intensifying their plea for solar energy solutions that would provide lighting and a sustainable energy source.

Winter brings additional challenges, as the children need warm water for bathing, facing constrained fuel and water supplies.

The home is the only orphanage in Kadoma, serving children from various backgrounds across Mashonaland West province.

Despite its struggles, the home has raised remarkable individuals who have gone on to lead successful lives, including a welder in South Africa, a member of the security forces in Harare, and a state-registered nurse at Kadoma General Hospital.

These stories exemplify the home’s resilience and commitment.

Mrs Magama remains hopeful that basic utilities will one day be available to support a sustainable living environment.

“Our resolve is to cultivate hope in these children amid adversity. To sustain our mission, we urgently need support in the form of a solar-powered borehole to kick-start income-generating projects like gardening and irrigation. We also need transport to take children to hospitals and schools,” she said.

There is a glimmer of hope despite the difficult operation environment for the home.

Touched by the plight, the Tobacco Research Board (TRB), also known as Kutsaga has responded positively to the plight of the home.

In the spirit of giving, Kutsaga staff extended their corporate social responsibility by responding to a heartfelt call for help from Tariro Children’s Home

Recently, a Kutsaga delegation led by Mrs Mavis Nyakachiranje, head of business development and marketing and other senior staff members visited the home and donated clothing, shoes, toys and foodstuffs.

The goods were generously collected by Kutsaga staff.

“We will ensure that the world hears about your situation, Mrs Magama. These children deserve better,” said a Kutsaga senior official.

During their visit, the Kutsaga team witnessed the children’s discipline and optimism.

Seated in the lounge, they played games, shared stories, and enjoyed the simple joys of childhood. A 10-month-old toddler crawled about, adding liveliness to the gathering. For a moment, the challenges of their daily lives seemed to fade away.

“Kutsaga’s gesture was more than just a donation. It was a reminder that even amidst hardship, hope can thrive,” a Kutsaga official said.

“To touch a life at Tariro Children’s Home other well wishers can contact the founder, Mrs Magama on +263 774 171 731. Together, we can ensure that the sparkle of hope in these children’s eyes never fades.”

Several children who are weaned from children’s homes after reaching majority age face various livelihood challenges as they battle to find alternative support post orphanages.

Challenges faced by these children include catering for their basic needs such as food, shelter and healthcare.

Many of them also fall prey to physical and emotional abuse.

Most children who go to orphanages would have been separated from their parents at a tender age due to different reasons such as death, being victims of domestic violence, imprisonment of parents, parents being mentally ill or alcoholics, and child abuse.

Only a few manage to proceed with education up to university level after getting sponsorship from well – wishers.

In 2011, the Government launched the Second Phase of the National Action Plan (NAP) for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Zimbabwe which aimed at strengthening families in order to ensure love, protection and identification of children.

When it was launched NAP 11 envisioned that by 2020, all children in Zimbabwe will live in a safe, secure and supportive environment that is conducive to a child’s growth and development.

At present, Government is reviewing the National Action Plan for orphans and Other Vulnerable Children to address problems such as child pregnancies, the use of children in street trading, suicides as well as drug and substance abuse that continue to escalate.

Zimbabwe has made several commitments on social protection and child protection at both regional and global level such as the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The country also joined the Global Partnership on Ending Violence against Children and made a public commitment to end Violence against Children in all its forms.

Engagements with various stakeholders are on-going for the country to come up with a framework that is fit for purpose, suitable for the context and sustainable in the realisation of aspirations towards Vision 2030.