By Chantelle Muzanenhamo
As schools across the country reopen, learners at God’s Able Local Disability Parent-to-Parent Support Group in Beitbridge remain at home after the group failed to resume activities due to unsuitable learning conditions worsened by recent cold and rainy weather.
The group, formed by mothers of children living with disabilities under the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, provides care and basic learning support for children with special needs.
It operates from a Methodist Church building, which is offered free of charge, although the group is responsible for paying water bills.
Mothers involved in the programme take turns during the week to cook meals for the children.
However, the facility is not designed to accommodate children with disabilities, making it unsafe and inaccessible, particularly during the rainy and cold season.
Chairperson of the group, Yeukai Magwizi, told Ziyah News Network that activities have not yet resumed due to the prevailing weather conditions.
“As a result, the school has not yet reopened, leaving many vulnerable learners without access to education at a time when their peers have returned to class,” Magwizi said.
She added that the group is also facing serious challenges in providing food, as most of the mothers are unemployed or rely on informal jobs.
“We are struggling to fund food every month and to pay water bills. Because of this, some parents have stopped bringing their children to the group,” Magwizi said.
Magwizi appealed to well-wishers and stakeholders to assist the group with foodstuffs and financial support to cover water bills, noting that they hope to resume activities on Monday if weather conditions improve.
One parent, Patricia Ndou, a single mother of a child living with a disability, said the continued closure has disrupted her daily routine and source of income.
“This has affected my daily schedule because I can no longer go out to do my vending activities when my child is at home,” she said.
Ndou explained that her child requires constant care and supervision, making it impossible for her to work while the group remains closed.
Parents and caregivers say the situation highlights the ongoing challenges faced by children with disabilities, particularly those supported in makeshift facilities that are not suited to their special needs.
The delay in resuming activities has renewed calls for improved infrastructure and increased support for disability-focused institutions to ensure that children with disabilities are not excluded from education and care due to circumstances beyond their control.