At 10 years old, Xiluva* has faced challenges that no child should ever have to face. When her father passed away in 2010, Xiluva was living with her mother and three siblings in Mudzidzi, Mozambique. When her mother remarried in early 2016, she took the children to the community of Macadeira and abandoned them with their ageing grandmother, Orpa*. Xiluva’s world fell apart.
Since the arrival of the children, Xiluva’s grandmother has struggled to provide for them as she is in an extremely vulnerable situation. With the arrival of the children, it seemed as though there was no hope. This coincided with a year of devastating drought that gripped Southern Africa and as a result, Orpa had nothing for her and the children to eat.
When a local church leader, Jimo heard this family’s devastating struggles, he knew that in order to save this family, he had to act immediately. Jimo went to local volunteer Care Workers in his community and shared their story, bringing awareness to the desperation of the family. In 2016, Xiluva and her siblings were welcomed as part of the Macadeira Community Based Organisation (CBO) with loving arms and found themselves, a short time later, enrolled into school. They also started receiving a hot, nutritious meal daily and access to basic health care when it was needed. In addition to the life-giving services given, the children have dedicated Care Workers who love them and are committed and passionate about sharing Christ’s love and hope. Xiluva and her family are visited regularly by their Care Worker, Tina who encourages them and supports the family in their challenges. Orpa is thankful to God and to the CBO in Macadeira for making a way for her family; she now doesn’t need to worry that her children will go to bed hungry.
Since being welcomed into the CBO in Macadeira, Xiluva loves playing with the new friends that she has made and is thriving in grade 5 at school. She dreams about studying to become a teacher once she finishes school. It is through her friends and the love and dedication of the Care Workers that Xiluva has found a new hope and understands that she is loved.