An arson attack on a sleeping family, instigated by the jilted boyfriend of Mellisa’s mother, Lorraine Mutetwa took four lives, including that of Mellisa’s mother. The arsonist has been charged with four counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder and is awaiting judgement.
“We have some wonderful news though. Both girls have undergone surgery. I am especially excited about Mellisa, the pictures say it better than I ever could. She can finally stretch out her arm,” said an exited Regina Dururu-Okorafo, founder and director general of the Tariro House of Hope (THH) in a recent interview with The Zimbabwean.
“Our girls are only two of many who have undergone surgery. Please pray that when the bandages come off, their arms and legs will be better. Mellisa has another two years of surgery to endure and so she needs to be particularly brave. She is also falling behind in her education and will need to catch up,” she said.
After surviving the 2013 arson attack, severely burnt and disabled Mellisa and Gamuchirai were taken to South Africa by the Epworth- based charity. Surgery was facilitated by the Children of Fire of South Africa.
Both Mellisa’s arms, legs and parts of her body were badly burnt leaving both arms unable to move. She had limited use of her hands and could only walk slowly and with difficulty. Gamuchirai’s initial skin graft was not successful.
According to Dururu-Okorafo, Gamuchirai’s surgery will take some six months, as it is too late for some of her scars and wounds to be corrected, but Mellisa will be in South Africa for two years.
During their stay, the girls will attend school in between receiving medical treatment. Back home THH provides for the children’s needs and has virtually adopted them.
Tariro House of Hope was formed in 2002 by Dururu-Okorafo, based on an example of assistance given to needy children in Sudan. The idea behind the project is to keep children off the streets and help them live normal and dignified lives.
After a food hamper scheme, THH started feeding children at their call-in centre in 2006. A number of children have since benefited from their THH education project. Two have graduated from the University of Zimbabwe with Bachelor of Pharmacy and Sociology degrees respectively while a third graduated with a B A in Accountancy at a S A university.
THH is on an ongoing fundraising drive to expand its programs and services, so as to do more for as many orphaned and marginalised children as possible. Dururu-Okorafo remains the major sponsor of THH while she continues to seek additional sponsorship.
Post published in: News