As Women’s Month draws to a close, women from all walks of life are busy with celebrations, celebrating their achievements over the years and the achievements of their predecessors.

For one unlucky woman the month means nothing, as she does not have anything to rejoice about at all. She has to care for her daughter’s child, as the daughter has run away with young men on a number of occasions. This is the sad reality Ms Mavis Luvhimbi has to face each time her daughter runs away.

Luvhimbi (50) of Shayandima has been leading a miserable life ever since her youngest daughter started her escapades. “I was supposed to be enjoying myself with other women and attending festivities for women. How can I do so with this burden on my back? On top of that, I have to push this wheelbarrow to school every day, trying to fend for the family,” she said.

She said her ordeal started back in 2006 when her daughter, who was only 14 years old, would just disappear for weeks without a trace. “She would just sneak out. We would comb the whole township for weeks, without success,” she said. Luvhimbi said they would just get reports that she had been seen at such and such a beer hall, drinking with a group of men.

“We would rush there, only to be told that she had already moved on,” she said. Luvhimbi said she had lost count of how many times the girl had run away. “Life has not been easy for me. I remember receiving a call from Gauteng one time, informing me that my daughter was found wandering on the streets of Johannesburg. I had to organize with her elder sister to bring her back home,” said the sad mother.

She said she had once sent her daughter to withdraw money at the bank as she was sick. “It was as if I had given her a passport to her boyfriends. I never saw her for two weeks, and when she came back, all the money was finished.” Luvhimbi said every time the girl ran away, she had to report the matter to the police, but without any success.

“Every time I go there, they tell me to look after the baby as my daughter is still young. This is frustrating me and my health is deteriorating every day,” she said. Luvhimbi said she sought help with Munna Ndi Nnyi Men’s Forum, who advised her to go to the nearest clinic for the baby’s milk.