Zimbabwe

Khayelihle Children’s Village

God sets the lonely in families (Psalm 68:6) is the key text for Khayelihle Children’s Village and for many years they have provided a beautiful loving home for orphaned and abandoned children. Research is showing that even where families are less than perfect, children do better in a family than an institution. Aware of this, KCV has embarked on a reconnecting program, to restore children to their extended families when this is safe and healthy for them.  African culture supports this move in that children are almost automatically adopted by extended family when a parent dies. For KCV, the challenge is to first identify a child’s relatives. Then there is a process of reintroducing them to each other and, over time, assessing whether the new home is safe and sustaining for the child. Often relatives are struggling with few resources themselves, so KCV is providing livelihood training to help carers gain income to support their expanded family. The residential village of KCV provides a supportive and loving home for children while they move through the reconnecting process and for those for whom no relatives can be found. The village, currently of about 50 children, is organised in small family groups, each with their own accommodation and house parents, and of course, roles for each of the children. Through the eyes of a child, there is security and hope.