THENGWE – Can you feel the pain of not having parents, coupled with poverty and hunger? This is the daily life of two Ndou orphans, who stay all alone since their single mother died in June last year.

Awelani (17) and Colbert (20) now find life a bitter pill to swallow because it holds nothing pleasant for them. They stay at Thengwe-Tshithuthuni, a rural village north of Tshilamba Township in the Mutale Municipal area. Although the children have an RDP house, life is tough as they always go to bed on hungry stomachs because they do not have enough food.

Awelani is in Grade 8 at Nyadzani Secondary School and Colbert in Grade 10 at Matavhela High School. The schools are several kilometres away from their home and the orphans walk barefoot because they do not have money to pay for transport. “We do not even have warm clothes, blankets or school uniforms. Our mother could at least bring back a bag of maize meal as she was a labourer at the local concrete crushing plant. Now that she is gone, we are like sheep without a shepherd, but there is nothing we can do because life must go on. It is sad to see other children laughing with joy because they receive parental care. How can we rejoice on hungry stomachs without any parental care?” Awelani said with tears of sadness down his face.

The orphans’ grandmother, Luvhengo, who lives on her own stand with other members of her family, sometimes assists the boys with maize meal. “I cannot afford to buy bread and meat for them because I also have my family to look after. Besides that, my old age grant is not enough to support two families. I pay them a visit at times, but there is nothing more to do, because I am also poor.”

An unemployed community member, Martha Netanda, occasionally conducts home visits to the orphans but there is nothing more she can offer as she is also struggling with life.

The local ward councillor, Nndavheleseni Netshidongololwe, said it is very painful to note that the orphans are not getting food parcels from the state. He promised to visit them urgently and assess the situation to find out how best they can be assisted. Ndivhuwo Nthangeni of the Department of Health and Social Development, Mutale Service Point, said an application for foster care has been done for Awelani, because he is under 18.

Sympathetic community members who would like to assist the struggling orphans can call 072 351 0164.