Bertha Madava, the Group Chairman of the orphanage, told The Zimbabwean: ‘’We face an uphill task to get birth certificates for orphans, forcing them to drop at Grade Seven. Some of the guardians do not have identity cards while others are from extended families who live far away”.
She added: “Officials at the Registrar General’s office are not assisting us either. Over 500 children failed to further their education as they do not have birth certificates’.’ Madava said legal experts had promised to help them, but had so far done nothing. A significant number of the orphans were failing to benefit from the Basic Education Assistance Module meant to help vulnerable children with school and examination fees.
Established in June 2010, Tsungirirai covers 17 urban wards. Some orphans were affected by the closure of large companies in the town, as they were unable to benefit from their parent’s pensions. Tsungirirai has a chicken-feeding project that pays the orphans’ school fees. They farm maize on a three-hectare plot allocated by the local municipality.