On the streets, blind and battling cancer: A mother’s quest to feed her children

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

In the scorching heat of Victoria Falls, a mother of five, Chipo, sits under a small tree shade, her skin scratched and raw, her eyes blinded by cancer.

Yet, her spirit remains unbroken as she embarks on a daily struggle to survive and provide for her children.

“I came here to seek help,” Chipo says, her voice laced with desperation. “I live with albinism and this skin cancer is eating away at me, and I’m almost completely blind. But I have to keep going for my children’s sake.”

With her husband deceased, Chipo is left to fend for her children alone. She travels 370 kilometers from Binga Siabuwa to Victoria Falls, braving the elements and her disability to beg on the streets.

Her 11-year-old son accompanies her, his eyes filled with a deep sadness as he watches his mother struggle.

His duty is to guide her, welcome the visitors and often, helps her to sing to attract some well-wishers.

“We survive on street begging,” Chipo explains. “I make about US$5 on a good week, which I bank and when it gets to US$10, I send it home for the children to eat because there is too much drought back home. I left them to take care of themselves.”

Chipo’s children are in grades two, five, form one,  form three and one already married. She is determined to give them an education despite the odds.

“This one,” she says, pointing to her grade five child, “is crying because he doesn’t have a satchel, and the shoes and books are not adequate, but he loves school.”

Chipo lives in a bagdad (temporary house made with plastics and other cheap materials) in Chinotimba.

Despite the hardships, Chipo remains determined to provide for her children.

“I have to take care of this one in form three, followed by the form one, grade five, and grade two last born,” she says, her voice filled with resolve. “So these children are raised by street begging, so l will be traveling to prepare for them as schools are about to open.”

Chipo’s son clings to her side, his eyes fixed on his mother with a deep concern.

He knows the struggles they face, and he knows that their survival depends on his mother’s strength and resilience.

“Sometimes I feel like giving up,” Chipo admits. “But then I look at my children, and I know I have to keep going. I have to be strong for them.”

More about her skin cancer to follow.