Mum Abandons Family: Girl Taking Care of Paralysed Dad
Patience also has burns on her legs and is struggling with poor health.
Mum Abandons Family: Girl Taking Care of Paralysed Dad
Chimanimani, Zimbabwe – An 11-year-old girl has become the sole caregiver and breadwinner for her paralyzed father after her mother abandoned them. Patience Mukute dropped out of school to look after her father who suffered a stroke.
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The situation is heartbreaking as both Patience and her father struggle to get by. Patience has burns on her legs and is struggling with poor health, while her father is paralysed and unable to care for himself.
Patience’s health has also visibly given in – with the burns on both legs, labourious tasks she endure daily, coupled with poor nutrition and lack of medication taking a toll on her.
I burnt my legs after falling in a fire. My father’s case is different. I came from school, only to find my father lying down with saliva coming from his mouth.
Mum Abandons Family: Girl Taking Care of Paralysed Dad
He never uttered a word since that incident. It is only after I took him to a prophet recently that he started walking and humming like what he is doing now.
Patience's mother, Progress Mbiriri, allegedly abandoned the family six years ago, taking their other two children with her. With no contact information, Patience and her father have been left to fend for themselves.
Patience is responsible for all household chores, including cooking, fetching water and firewood, bathing her father, and acting as his interpreter. She is also appealing for donations to help alleviate their suffering and allow her to return to school.
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The number of child-headed families in Zimbabwe is alarming. According to UNICEF, over 1.2 million children in Zimbabwe are living without parental care. Many of these children are forced to drop out of school to support their families.