It’s yet another feel good story this week.
I actually had to switch off my phone to write this column as it has been a hotline since Monday afternoon when I posted on Twitter about a certain incident which brought me to tears.
This is the story…….
A middle-aged man named Phumuza Gumede came to our farm in Figtree – just outside Bulawayo – to do a piece job on Sunday.
He came pushing a wheelbarrow.
Initially we thought it was his tools, only to realise that there was a baby inside.
He then told us that the mother of his beautiful baby boy (10-month-old Luvuno) died at childbirth and he has been raising the infant alone since then.
He revealed that at times close neighbours volunteer to look after the baby while he does odd jobs for survival.
However at other times, when there is no one to help, he moves around with his son.
I felt a lump swelling in my throat as he narrated his story and I couldn’t fight back my tears.
Something had to be done to help this man and his baby, I told myself once I’d finally dried my tears.
With his permission, I took pictures of him and his baby so I could share the story on social media and appeal for help on their behalf.
Never in my wildest dreams did I anticipate the response that I got!
While I shared the story on Twitter, it also trended on Facebook and WhatsApp as scores of people shared it, drawing attention from people all over the country and beyond.
As of Tuesday afternoon, a day after the initial post, people had donated foodstuffs, clothes for baby Luvuno and his dad as well as more than ZWL$25, 000 (roughly P4, 500) via eco cash (mobile money).
Scores of people in the country and outside were still enquiring how they could send their donations and how the baby could be helped in the long term.
Another good development is that the child, through the department of Social Welfare, was taken to the local counselor so that he could at least be in a homely environment until a permanent solution is found.
Without blowing my own trumpet, I really feel good about helping Gumede and baby Luvuno.
No child deserves such a life, a life of being pushed around in a wheelbarrow, in the cold by a father desperately trying to make ends meet.
I am happy that Gumede, at least for weeks if not months to come, will not have to worry about where his and his son’s next meal will come from.
And by the way, he also got permanent job offers; it’s now up to him to make a decision.
I must say I was also touched by the generosity of Zimbos who have so far donated in their large numbers.
We might be going through so much as a country but at least we are still humane enough to help those in need.
