One of our supporters, Carole Jones recently visited Mark and Dorcas Nicholson of Rehoboth Ministry in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe where they care for several orphaned children. She provides the following update on how things are going in Zimbabwe.
Mark and Dorcas Nicholson of Rehoboth Ministry (left) and Mark with some of the children who the couple has rescued.
I spent 5 days with the family, arriving on Wednesday, 6th April and leaving on Monday, 11th April, 2022.
Mark met me at the airport with the twins but due to covid restrictions was not able to come into the actual airport building. Fortunately, I travelled as an assisted passenger and the man pushing me in the wheelchair jumped every queue and expedited my way through immigration, covid checks and through the Green Route without me having my suitcases searched! I was very appreciative of his services and rewarded him accordingly.
Dorcas and the baby Malaki both had bad colds and did not feel well for much of the time I was there. I treated the family to Kentucky Fried Chicken and hamburgers at a restaurant, which was much appreciated by the family. On the Sunday when we went out to the restaurant, we were joined by previous residents Godknows and Manasso who had come to see me during my visit.
I had made an appeal at Grosvenor Church for several weeks before I departed, and the congregation was very generous and I was able to take out US$1000, which Mark and Dorcas immediately earmarked to pay the school fees for Timkudzi, Jacob and James. Also, the Grosvenor Gat team gave me £250 towards my Johannesburg/Bulawayo leg of the journey, which was very much appreciated as I was only going to Bulawayo specifically to visit the family.
Dorcas is very keen for me to have One to Ones with each of the children, a practice that we started many years ago and which Dorcas feels is very beneficial to the children and which they eagerly look forward to.
Nklanklan is 20 and has just completed his A level exams and did extremely well. He is wanting to go to University in South Africa and is going through all the processes to get there. He wants to do business studies at University and has the capability and drive to accomplish this.
Timkudzi is also 20 and is attending a local college doing a hospitality course. He is quite focused and hard working and should do well in whatever he tries. He is currently working fulltime and earning some money.
Matthew is 18 and has just written his O level exams. He is not very academic and Dorcas has just enrolled him in an artizans course for training to do practical skills. However, Matthew has never really applied himself to his studies and always looks for an easy way out.
Panashe is also 18 and has also just written his O level exams. He is also not very academic and he has been enrolled in the same course as Matthew. Although he never really applied himself to his studies, he seems to have matured a lot and I feel he will do well if he applies himself.
The Nicholson family of Rehoboth Ministry when the children were younger
Nkosi is 17 and in Form 4. Unfortunately there have been no teachers working for the last 18 months, partly because of covid and partly because they earn so little their salaries do not cover even their transport costs to get to school so they just do not turn up. Nkosi is still wanting to be a doctor, ever since he was in hospital with a hole in the heart, but he does not stand much of a chance to achieve academic success due to lack of tuition.
Bheki is 15 years old and is attending Petrock School on a sports scholarship. He is very keen on his sport but I don’t know how he is doing academically.
Jacob is one of the twins aged 14. He was out of school for a year due to lack of tuition and because of his speech problems. However, being at home with Dorcas has improved his speech and he and James has been put in a college where they concentrate on the academic subjects and there is tuition every day. He says he wants to be a pilot but I felt he needs to go to a library so he has access to age appropriate books to read. His speech impediment has improved since my last visit.
James the other twin has all the same comments as Jacob. He would like to come to the UK and be a professional footballer. He is also trusted a lot to look after Malaki and Mattheus. His relatives have been traced and they are establishing a relationship with the twins.
Mattheus is the 5 year old son of Chantelle, who is Dorcas’ daughter who lives in South Africa. She is paying for him to attend school in Bulawayo.
Malaki is the son of Precious and is 18 months old. He fits in well with the family and is very devoted to Mark whom he goes to by default.
Godknows came to see me and is living with his grandmother and does a little job of selling bread on the street corner. He doesn’t make a lot of money but he enjoys the work and it is something he can do with his capabilities.
Manasso is working as a gardener and when he spoke to me he said he would like to leave his job and complete his education. However, when I spoke to Dorcas about this she said it would not be feasible for him to do so after being out of education for so many years, and he would not fit into the family home at this stage.
Mark and Dorcas have all the usual ups and downs but nevertheless provide a loving and stable home for their family. Mark is hoping to come to the UK in the summer as it has been three years since he was last home in England. We would appreciate assistance with his airfare and also pocket money to use to allow him to get around in a vehicle and pay for his incidental expenses as he travels around to different speaking engagements.
