Give For Kids

Chipo's Story

Life is difficult for Zimbabwe's 1 million-plus AIDS orphans. It's especially tough for the eldest child of a parentless household.

Chipo, 13, has had to care for her younger brother and sister since their mom died four years ago. Their mother, a single parent, worked on the farm of a flower-exporting business here, and when she died, Chipo and her siblings were at first "lucky" enough to be allowed to stay on the farm.

But since then, Chipo has been relying on well-wishers and doing part-time jobs to sustain herself and her two siblings, usually earning food or secondhand clothes for her work. Most of the time, Chipo didn't know where her next meal is coming from.

But today Chipo is where she should be: in school. She's under the watchful eye of elders who make up the village's Community Protection Committee for orphans and vulnerable children. Mercy Corps supports 25 such committees in Zimbabwe, in part by giving schools money for books or repairs in exchange for waiving tuition for children in need.

"When we started our work in the community, we identified so many children in need of assistance — the demand was and is still overwhelming," says Mr. Musariri, a local primary-school teacher and the treasurer of the Glen Forest Child Protection Committee. "We prioritized the cases, and during this ranking process, we realized that Chipo was among the worst-affected children, and we decided to as assist her as much as possible."

Chipo says she feels some comfort knowing there are people who care for her and are willing to assist her. "Things are now better, as I now have people to share my problems with and we also get food and they pay school fees for me and my brother," she explains with a broad smile on her face.

Because of the support of Give For Kids supporters, Chipo's aspirations to become a nurse look more promising than ever.