Photo: Tiny with her daughter, Noku

I am pleased to be sharing some very heartwarming news from Vivienne Kernohan and Ellen Bembere from ROKPA Support Network in Harare, Zimbabwe:

“NOKUTENDA KASHIRI is a lively little girl, now aged five and her mother, Tiny Masvaure’s third child. Nokutenda was born prematurely in 2020 after which a hospital error led to serious damage to her leg, resulting in the amputation of her lower left leg.

As a result of Noku’s problems, Tiny and her children were chased away from home, but a well-wisher allowed them to look after an undeveloped housing stand. Because of Noku’s frequent hospital visits, Tiny also lost her job and later they were made homeless again, when a relative of the well-wisher tried to take advantage of Tiny’s need for accommodation.

In January 2023, Noku had to undergo a further amputation because the prosthesis with her growing leg was giving her a lot of pain. At the age of five, her surgical wound healed, she needed a prosethetic leg that could be adjusted as she grows. At US $1,800 the cost of such a prosthetic was well outside what ROKPA Support Network could afford.

At this point, the Michie Foundation offered ROKPA funds for Noku’s new leg. The advanced device, which bends at the knee, has already granted her much greater mobility and independence

Photo: Tiny and Noku at ROKPA Support Network centre in Chitungwiza

Tiny, Noku’s Mum says: “Noku is back to her cheerful self and can now play with her friends. She loves soccer and can kick the ball with both legs. She’s even started trying to climb trees like her friends.

Her new prosthesis is easy for her to wear and remove - she can do it all on her own. This is a huge relief for me, especially since I have asthma and carrying her was quite challenging. Thank you so much for supporting us!”

Help Star to Walk and Support His Family Again

As it happens, Noku is far from alone in needing help with an artifical limb:

“On his way to work, in April last year, Star Marufu, aged 35, was involved in a devastating bus accident, which changed his life irrevocably. A dedicated husband and father, he lost both his legs, leaving him confined to a wheelchair and stripped of his ability to support his family.

Before the accident, he sold second-hand shoes in and around Harare, walking from one place to another selling shoes to workers, which his clients paid for at the end of the month. Now, the immense burden of feeding their family rests on the shoulders of his young wife, Letwin, who has become the family’s only breadwinner, while also having to care for their 6-month-old twins and their three other children, aged 13, 10 and 3.

Their living conditions clearly illustrate their struggle; all seven share a cramped rented room without electricity and have no choice but to rely on the compassion of generous well-wishers.

Photo: Star, his wife and the twins

A Glimmer of Hope

Star’s condition has recently been assessed and he has been recommended to obtain prosthetic legs equipped with dynamic feet. These will enable him to walk again and empower him to return to work and are key to restoring his dignity, reclaiming his role as provider and securing his family’s future.

The life-changing prostheses he needs cost a huge US $2,216, well outside ROKPA Support Netwsork’s financial capacity to support.

ROKPA have assisted the family with critical food and medicine, but the opportunity for Star to stand on his own two feet again depends on our efforts and on your support.

Photo: Star with his family at home

Tragically, this story is far from an unusual one in Zimbabwe, which has a vehicle accident fatality rate of over 41 people per 100,000 of the population – apparently the highest in the world according to the WHO. The shortage of public transport means a single accident often results in multiple deaths, due to overloaded commuter omnibuses. In a country with no social safety net, the deaths are only one side of the story.

At ROKPA Support Network we see the other consequences of these dreadful accidents, which include permanent disability, amputations and families left without breadwinners, children orphaned and a huge burden on other family members. Presently, we have two other families like Star’s. Your help can make a huge difference in allowing these families to get back some semblance of normality.

Photo: Happy with her son, Junior

I was finalising this post when I received the above photo of Happy, one of ROKPA’s start-up beneficiaries, with her son Junior. Happy has serious challenges with her feet and ROKPA is currently having her assessed to see if she can be provided with adapted shoes, or braces.

What is ROKPA Support Network?

Part of ROKPA International, ROKPA Support Network is a humanitarian organisation founded in 1980 by Akong Tulku Rinpoche, Lea Wyler and Dr. V. Wyler, ROKPA helps some of the poorest people through its activities in a high-density town called Chitungwiza. Many Chitungwiza residents face severe socio-economic challenges made worse by the country’s economic crisis.

Hi Everyone,

David here again. As many of you are aware, I donate half of the subscription money you pay me to our supported nonprofits, one of which is ROKPA.

Our collective donations go some way to helping. But if any of you would like to donate directly to ROKPA Support Network, you can do so here. Your money will be used to help buy prosethetics for those like Noku and Star who couldn’t otherwise afford them, and hopefully find a solution for Happy:

May all beings be free from suffering!

Donations via our partnership with GDG are tax deductible in USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands.

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