The Forgotten

Located in the suburb of Cowdray Park in Bulawayo are people living in the city’s Ngozi Mine dumpsite. These people include children, women and men of all different ages and there are over 500 different families living there. They live in makeshift shelters made of plastic, metal, clothing materials and the like.

Some of the children that are privileged to be going to school (since the school that the residents had made for themselves was destroyed by the authorities) go to school without adequate uniforms. Most go to school barefoot, with torn uniforms and no school bags to speak of. And the distance from where they live to the nearest school is so far that most are tired before even arriving at school. At school they are constantly ridiculed by their classmates and mocked for their inadequacies and appearance.

They use the water at the nearest river for washing, bathing and in extreme cases for drinking. Children usually are playing in this river and are at the risk of getting water borne diseases.
The society doesn’t spare them either as they are called the thieves and robbers of the suburb.
When asked what they do when they fall sick, one remarked that they just go into the bush and ask for divine providence in looking for medicines since all of them cannot afford the medical health care in the country. It is in this place that young man and women who the world deem future leaders live and with no electricity, water and other basic human necessities.

The authorities and the people in Bulawayo know of this place and these people but it seems they have chosen to put a deaf ear to all their problems. I hope that whoever is reading this does not chose to do the same. It is important to note that in these economic problems their plight has increased and they suffer more and more. Now l sincerely hope that everyone does their part to help a pertinent part of our society.

Source: Tatenda Kombora