Livelihoods

airfield Children’s Home was founded in 1903 by some United Methodist Women Missionaries who were based at Old Mutare Mission, when they came across some cases of abandoned and orphaned children who had no one else to care for them. Fairfield is probably the oldest orphanage in Zimbabwe. The children used to be kept at what used to be called the Baby Fold or (BH) baby house, a wing of the Old Mutare Hospital wards up to their ages of 4 or 5 years and then used to either be transferred to other Institutions around the country or got adopted or got foster parents, because the facilities then at the Orphanage were not meant for older children.

In 2002 the orphanage changed its name to Fairfield Children’s Home and discarded the word “Orphanage” to avoid stigmatization. It also transformed its facilities to stand on its own from the hospital and to be able to care for up to 80 children in family units up to their ages of majority (18 yrs)

Fairfield Children’s Home at Old Mutare Mission is a duly and legally registered Children’s Home under section 31 of the Children’s Protection and Adoption Act Chapter 5:06. The home has a current enrolment of 29 children of the ages 0 – 18 years living in 4 family units and 22 above 18 years who are in college.

Each family unit is headed by a trained mother who serves just like a typical mother in a home. Race, tribe, religion, or HIV/AIDS status are not a consideration for enrolment. Extreme need of care, a vacancy, and a recommendation by a Government District Child Welfare Officer from the child’s
area of origin are the only considerations for acceptance. children enter the Home through legal instruments of “Place of safety permits” issued by a Welfare Officer or a relevant Police Officer or through a “Court Committal Order” by a Magistrate. Currently 80 children at the home represent some 17 Administrative Districts of Zimbabwe across the country and 5 provinces.

After attaining the age of 18 years, Fairfield does not just let the children go. They continue taking care of them while they are with foster families, or rent rooms for them to stay while they are attending colleges and universities.

Fairfield Children’s Home also has an outreach arm that contributes to mitigation against the serious effects of HIV/AIDS scourge and general poverty among children living in the surrounding Penhalonga farming and resettlements areas. Fairfield seeks to ensure that orphans and other vulnerable children living in those areas can access education, food, health services and are protected from all forms of child abuse. Working hand in hand with village health workers, village heads and school heads there are indications that a little more than 400 children in those areas need assistance.

The Weslyan Methodist Synod established the Harare Children’s Home in 1918, after the 1918 flu epidemic and post-World War 1 depression had left 11 children homeless. A committee was formed, comprising 15 Ministers and laymen. Reverend Glyndr Davies chaired it. In January 1921 the first general meeting was held, and the first constitution was also adopted.

The Home was originally located in a building on Victoria Street (now Mbuya Nehanda Street). When the needs of the Home outgrew its location, it was moved to a building on Jameson Avenue
(now Samora Machel Avenue). Once again, the needs of the Home outgrew its location and in 1956 the Home moved to its present location at 2 Daventry Road, Eastlea, in Harare.

The Home’s present capacity is 110 children. Each House is made up of a family of 17 to 22 children, cared for by a House Matron and an assistant. Currently, the staff establishment of 29 employees enables the home to care for 81 children.

Having provided the children’s physical needs: bathing, eating, sleeping, and clothing, the mental needs of the children did not seem to have been addressed. Some of these children are at such a young, formative age that both their mental and physical needs are of equal importance. Mental needs refer to the individual attention and mental stimulation, especially where babies and toddlers are concerned.

The same concept applies to the older children. Individual attention, letting the children know that what they say and do is important, that someone is there watching them – is of crucial importance. Hence, it is of utmost importance that the Home engages the services of a resident psychologist. To complete the puzzle, the Home has acquired household equipment such as stoves, refrigerators and other kitchen utensils and has started a pilot project whereby it is introducing smaller units for the children to create as much of a family atmosphere as possible. This restructuring has been completed at Muriel House and is beginning in the other Houses.

These units will enable the House Matrons and workers at the Home to give individual attention to the children thereby making the situation at the Home much closer to that of a real family. This will enable each child to identify with a family from the first time he/she is admitted to the Home. The dining hall and laundry services however remain centralised within the Home for now.

The organisation was established in 1952 under government specifically as a correctional institution to accommodate juvenile delinquents of 12 – 18 years, having the capacity to carry 60 boys’ offenders. It was founded after Percy Ibbotson Probation Hostels for boys in Bulawayo. The setup of the institution was a prison like structure with a line security fence enclosed with highly placed burglar barred windows, with the staff mainly made up of ex prison and police officers. Security was tight and conditions were aligned to ensure rehabilitation of these young offenders. Its name by then was Highfield Probation Hostel.

In 1997 with the upsurge of orphans sprawling the urban streets, the government changed two out of ten institutions under its wing to be orphanages to cater for children coming from extremely difficult circumstances. The home was named Hupenyu Hutsva Children’s Home. Its
capacity can carry 132 children (committed and on places of safety) boys and girls aged 6 years to 17 years.

The orphanage provides refugee, care, protection, life skills, basic needs and education to orphans and vulnerable children. We run a dormitory set up for girls and boys, a primary school, poultry, gardening projects and herbal garden. The mentioned activities comprehend social training, inclusion for our disadvantaged children.

The home is registered with the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare under section 31(3) of the Children’s Act (Chapter 5:06). The home is government funded. It caters for orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC). The Home runs a primary school which is registered under the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. The school provides its services to all admitted children, those on place of safety and children from the surrounding community.