Zimpapers Logo

George Maponga in Masvingo

Chiredzi West National Assembly representative Darlington Chiwa has rallied the Lowveld community and beyond to mobilise financial and material resources to help two young girls from the Machingauta area in his constituency who were abandoned by their parents nearly a decade ago and have been fending for themselves since then.

Lorraine and Rejoice Jakarasi who are doing Form 4 and Grade 7 respectively were abandoned by their parents when the eldest of the two, Lorraine, was in Grade 3 but they managed to soldier on and looked after each other up to now.

The two young girls say they strike a balance between doing menial jobs in neighbours’ fields in return for food and going to school and this has been their life since their parents deserted them in 2016, when the eldest sister was doing Grade 3.

The two sisters’ parents are reportedly now staying in Bulawayo after abandoning them and consigning them to a ramshackle pole and dagga hut where they have been staying by themselves for the past 8 years.

The elder sister Lorraine appealed to well-wishers to build a decent house for her and her young sister, money to pay her ‘O’ level registration fees and assistance in buying food.

Honourable Chiwa has since managed to mobilise some foodstuffs such as mealie-meal, cooking oil, soap and clothes for the two girls who also do not have identity documents and are going to school under the Government’s Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM).

The Chiredzi West legislator said this coming Sunday, representatives of churches, private companies and development partners were expected to congregate at the girls’ homestead to unveil more assistance packages at an event billed to be graced by the Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Ezra Chadzamira.