You might’ve read one of our recent blogs “Creating A Better Future For Morgan”, written by CBF supporter Wayne. The blog detailed the incredible experience he and his wife, Alice, had of meeting Morgan, the Zimbabwean child who they sponsor through Creating Better Futures. In honour of International Women’s Day 2018, we have the honour of sharing with you Alice’s experience, and how she will now be supporting Morgan’s sister, Patience. Thank you Alice, and thank you Wayne, for helping to change the world, one child at a time.
“For every young girl growing up, there is always that ONE woman who has impacted their life. The woman you find comfort in, and one that gives you a purpose. The woman who seems to possess so many qualities you sometimes wonder if she has time to nurture herself. The woman who reaches out their hand when you haven’t had to say a word. The woman who finds the oil to ignite the flame when it is dying down. The woman who believes you are beautiful inside and out, when you yourself are unable to see it.
This is the story of a woman who is giving a life to her orphaned grandchildren – Mbuya Bepete.
When my husband, Wayne, and I set off to Zimbabwe for a 2-week holiday, nothing could prepare us for the events that happened. We had a goal to achieve on our trip, and that was to visit Wayne’s sponsored child, Morgan, in Vumba. Wayne sponsors Morgan through the charity Creating Better Futures. After an overwhelming 2 weeks travelling throughout the country, talking to young people and enjoying the beauty that Zimbabwe has to offer, we finally arrived in Vumba. We were driven by my brother-in-law, Gody, and with us was his beautiful wife, Lisa, and young sister, Nyasha. I could see Wayne was very anxious, and yes, it was nerve-wracking, but for myself and my family, being born in Zimbabwe, stories of children struggling to find money to attend school was not something new. It had become normal to us. Sometimes Zimbabweans become immune to such things that to others can be very disturbing. It is called resilience. Things do not change, people just learn to adjust.
The first thing to strike us in Vumba was the green land and wild fruits everywhere, along with the smiles along the road of young people selling fruits. We were met by Dean, who was our contact from Creating Better Futures, and he immediately took us to Morgan’s homestead. We then met Morgan’s grandmother, Mbuya Bepete, who introduced us to Morgan. Tears started streaming from our eyes as we hugged Morgan. Yes, it was real. Unlike what you hear about other charities, this was the real sponsored child that we had been so eager to meet.
We sat in a circle like an indaba (a traditional meeting) and what happened after the greetings and eating of Mazhanje (a local wild sweet fruit) is unbelievable. Morgan has a sister called Patience who had just finished her O-Levels (GSCE’s). Her school fees had in the past been paid by well-wishers from the local community. She immediately narrated her story and said she will not be able to continue her education due to a lack of funds. She cried so much that we all had to take our tissues out again. This was so sad and happening right in front of us. When we see things on TV we are able to distance ourselves from it, but here we could see the sadness in her eyes.
A reassuring eye came from her grandmother, Mbuya Bepete ‘all is well Mzukuru, God is will provide’ she said. Then Mbuya Bepete narrated her granddaughter’s story with pride, telling us of how beautiful she is and how intelligent she is and how much she wants to be somebody in life. She explained how life has not been easy for them. They live in a one room house for the 3 of them. Sadly, Mbuya Bepete’s daughter died when the two children were young, so she took over looking after them. They live on a small plot of land given to them by a relative, ploughing the land in return for somewhere to live. All the time Mbuya Bepete was talking, she was smiling and clearly so proud of her two grandchildren – it didn’t take us long to see the bond and love they had together.
Patience then said that she wanted to be a doctor and that she was good with science subjects, still crying, but continuing to emphasize that this was her dream. She became more emotional when talking about her living conditions and wished she could go to a boarding school. Her living conditions during the school term was with relatives in the city nearby, away from her grandmother and brother. She then stood up and tried to compose herself, but walked away. I followed her, and she explained that she would rather live with Mbuya Bepete and her brother than go back to live with her other relatives.
Without consulting each other, my family and I knew that we had to intervene and send Patience to school so that she can realise her dream of becoming a doctor. We said our goodbyes with a plan of paying for fees, uniforms and upkeep and ensuring Patience will stay with her loving Mbuya Bepete, and we will pay the $2 daily transport fee. We knew this was what God has said and we will do our best to make it work. Before we left, I noticed Patience did not have any shoes on and my heart sank. I gave her the pair I was wearing. A small gesture such as this created such joy, and we all cried together once more.
When we returned to the UK, I felt that the Lord had called us to do this. Patience passed her O Levels with 8 As and 1 B. She has now gone back to school, commuting from her home where she lives with her brother and her grandmother every day, studying Maths, Chemistry and Biology at A-Level.”
Thank you Alice, for sharing your experience of meeting such an incredible family and for supporting an amazing young woman to achieve her dreams.
