TSHILULU – The sad story about the four kids of the Phaduli family which appeared in our edition a fortnight ago, has touched many hearts of loyal readers who called Mirror to offer assistance to the family.

Their single mother, Joyce, died of suspected poisoning last month and the children had no one to look to because she was the only breadwinner in the family. She did odd jobs like selling fire wood and working in the fields to provide for the family, which is based at Tshilulu village, near Khubvi.

The eldest son Aaron (25) has since dropped out of school and does some piece jobs to look after his siblings, but the money is not enough to keep the family fire burning. Thinandavha (22) is doing Grade 12 at the local Raluvhimba Secondary School but he is not certain of his future as his school fees have not been paid. Rofhiwa (16), is in Grade 7 at Makonde Primary School and her school fees have not been paid also.

The lastborn child, Phalanndwa (12), is in Grade 5 and his mother died while she was busy with the application for his child support grant.

Mirror can now reveal that the kids are certainly going to enjoy life although their mother is no longer alive. At the time of going to press, Mirrorwas still making final arrangements with different donors who are going to assist the family with groceries, clothing, blankets and money for school fees.

Shortly after the publication of the article on Friday, Tshisikhawe Mundalamo, a renowned community builder, called Mirrorto organize for the inclusion of the Phaduli kids to join 20 other mates for the counseling session held at Techniven on Saturday. She organized transport that took the kids to the counseling session. The session was mainly organized for orphans and poor kids and motivational talks were held to encourage them to go on with life, despite their hardships. They were served with free breakfast, lunch and gifts.

“We had already made final arrangements for the counseling session but, after reading the article, we were forced to squeeze the kids in our tight programme. I grew up in the same situation and I know what suffering is all about. The report touched my heart and I was forced to play a role in the improving of lives for the Phaduli kids. The kids were taught to accept themselves as they are, to study hard for their future and to understand that life could easily go on despite poverty. We also wanted to uplift their souls so that they enjoy life like other kids.”

On behalf of his siblings, Aaron said the counseling session has changed their lives and they are now prepared to face the situation as it is. “We would like to thank Tshisikhawe for including us in the counseling session at the eleventh hour. We are now mentally strong and we have the courage to tackle life with zeal and determination. We are very thankful because we know there are people who care about us out there.”