A Journey of Survival and Hope: David's Story

My mother died in August 2001 and my father is mentally challenged. My parents divorced the year I was born but after they divorced my mother remarried and gave birth to a baby girl Chiedza. We stayed with my step father but were separated by the death of my mother. In the year my mother died, my sister Chiedza also died. After the death of my mother, I was taken to my father’s place. My father received me well and was now married to another woman. They had a daughter together. We stayed together peacefully for two weeks until suddenly my step mother started behaving in badly towards me. She became very cruel to me, and used to lie to my father. My father, as a man who was mentally challenged, always listened to my step mother, for example one day she told my father that I threatened to kill her and my father hit me with an axe in my head. From there I chose to run away from home when I was 7 years and stayed in the bush for 2 years. I then decided to go to the streets of Harare to beg for money to feed myself. I stayed there for 10 years. I thank God because I eventually meet Sisi Tatenda and Uncle Jerry and now have an opportunity to go to school. I’m currently in form four, I now have a family and a mother, that I prayed and desired for when I was in the street. I have been staying under the care of Sisi Tatenda and Uncle Jerry.