Ellen Mlambo

MIRROR REPORTER 

MASVINGO – Econet yesterday brought smiles and cheers to kids at Little Birds Children’s Home in Bikita.

The country’s leading telecommunications and technology company donated belated Christmas goodies valued at US$2 000.  

The home which is in Chiribho Village, a few metres away from Silveira Mission currently houses 16 kids between 0 and 4 years old. The children can stay at the home until they are 18 years old. 

Econet Masvingo Regional manager, Kudzai Mauwa brought groceries which include sugar, rice, cooking oil, mealie meal, flour, cereals among other goodies and handed them over to the home’s social worker, Prisca Mututa. Mauwa was accompanied by Principle Chikaura, the corporate’s area manager for Gutu-Bikita Cluster and other few employees.

After the handover, Mauwa and his team had an opportunity to walk around the place and meet the little kids

“We appreciate you for affording us an opportunity to bring a difference to the Little Birds community. In 2022, we donated to Alpha Cottages and in 2021 to Mucheke Old People’s Home. We do the donations annually and this is our way of giving back to the community,” said Mauwa 

The backgrounds of the children are diverse but the majority are orphans and those neglected by parents. 

Econet has four clusters in Masvingo where similar donations are done rotationally year after year and these are Masvingo Urban – Rural, Gutu-Bikita, Chiredzi-Zaka and Chivi-Mwenezi. 

Mututa thanked Econet for the donation and said that it was going to take the home a long way.

“We are really grateful to Econet for sparing a thought for us and making this donation. You have covered a big gap. Please show this kind heart not only to us but to others in similar situations,” said Mututa. 

Little Birds Children’s Home was founded in 2007 by Switzerland based Annamaria Seelhofer. The centre was opened in 2021. 

Seelhofer whose husband was a medical doctor at Silveira Mission Hospital started off by looking after babies whose mothers died while giving birth at Silveira.