Letters for Survival: My Recent Report on the Crisis at Bopoma Orphanage.

Letters for Survival: Bopoma Orphanage Appeals for Help Amid Deepening Hunger

By Chiwara Lawson | Lowveld Checkpoint

DANDA, ZAKA— In a quiet but determined effort to survive, Bopoma Orphanage has begun writing letters to institutions around Danda Village, appealing for food donations as hunger tightens its grip. The orphanage, home to vulnerable children, has been living on handouts—many of which are no longer sufficient.

The appeals are simple and urgent: requests for mealie meal, sweet potatoes, rice, and other staples. Churches, schools, and local organizations have received these letters, each one a plea for solidarity. Among the first to respond was the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe’s Jichidza Congregation, which donated maize—a gesture that brought temporary relief and renewed hope.

But the need remains vast. Staff continue to stretch limited resources, preparing sugarless porridge and rationing supplies. A recent incident at Danda Secondary School underscored the crisis: a Form 1 learner from the orphanage quietly told her teacher, “Ndiri kudzvova nzara”—“I’m faint with hunger.” The teacher offered her a packet of jiggies, a small act that revealed a larger truth.

Across Zimbabwe, orphanages are facing similar struggles. UNICEF’s 2025 Humanitarian Action for Children report notes that 3.5 million children now require urgent assistance, with institutional care settings among the most affected. The El Niño-induced drought and economic instability have compounded the crisis, leaving homes like Bopoma to fend for themselves.

Despite these challenges, the orphanage’s outreach reflects resilience. The letters are not just requests—they are reminders that community can still be a lifeline. Each response, like the maize from RCZ Jichidza, is a thread in the fabric of survival.

This is a moment for institutions, congregations, and neighbors to act. The children at Bopoma are not asking for luxury. They are asking for food, for dignity, for a chance to grow without the ache of hunger.

Let us answer their letters—not with silence, but with compassion.