On average, 80% of children living in orphanages actually have at least a living parent or relative who could care for them if given the right support.

Poverty and desperation lead many parents to abandon their children, believing that an orphanage would be a better place for them. As a result, the child is separated from their family.

Unfortunately, Children’s Homes often end up being the first option for a child who is found abandoned, instead of being the very last option after all other possibilities of family-based care have been exhausted.

This is why Kuda Vana typically only accepts children from Social Services with no known biological family, and works hard in tracing biological family of children who are placed into our care.

Orphanages should not be part of the problem. We must commit to being a part of the solution.

In reality, the prevalence of abuse and neglect in orphanages is typically higher than in families.

While Kuda Vana provides the best residential care possible, and it can be healthy in the short-term, it shouldn’t be considered a permanent solution.

Ultimately, a loving family is God’s best protection plan for kids.

This is why Kuda Vana embraces, “Reunification and adoption when possible and Residential Care when necessary.”

Every child deserves to have an education. But staying in an orphanage in order to receive an education is not the best option.

Kuda Vana helps support the continued education of children we place back in family when necessary. In fact, it is 10x more cost effective to support a family in parenting than to raise a child in residential care!

Kuda Vana also ensures that young people who do grow up with us have tuition support for vocational school and even university through the age of 23 to prepare them for self-sufficient adulthood.

Please see our program page to learn more.

Although a child may get food, shelter and maybe an education at an orphanage, is it really worth separating the family?

In general, there are different definitions of what poverty is.

Even though a child may be placed in an orphanage to meet their physical needs, the child will still yearn for a true family. It is their instinct to want a family connection. Emotional poverty is devastating.

Kuda Vana works to help keep vulnerable families intact through our Family Assistance Program.

In Africa, every child has a totem and each individual is identified by the totem. Children automatically take their father's totem. For example, a father’s totem could be a zebra and the mother’s totem could be an elephant. The child will then be known by a cultural name associated with their father’s totem. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of having and knowing one’s family totem is in this culture.

It is widely assumed that adopting or fostering a child of a different totem will cause misfortune.

However, this is not true.

Adopting or fostering a child of a different totem WILL NOT cause misfortune.

If you adopt a child of a different totem, nothing is going to happen. They are your child and they belong to the family! They will not misbehave just because their totem is different.

We are happy to connect you with many Zimbabwean adoptive families who can attest to this.

Trauma is a common cause of behavior problems, and Kuda Vana will equip your family with support and training to help you parent and love your adoptive child the way they need.

Learn more about adoptions and read stories of Zimbabwean adoptions here!

Africans value togetherness: this is called “ubuntu”.

Ubuntu means “I am because you are…”.

The African culture contains no individualism. Everything encountered, good or bad, is felt by all and is believed to be passed down from generation to generation. This is an important and beautiful system and belief in African cultures.

Because of this collective way of experiencing life, it is also believed that if one person encounters a problem, the whole family is affected as well.

This belief has caused many misconceptions around adoptions outside of one’s own totem or clan.

For example, it is commonly believed that:

If people continue to die from the same family, it might be because of a curse from the ancestors because the family received someone from outside the clan. Therefore, the whole family suffers from a “curse.”

But we know this is not true! We can connect you with many Zimbabwean families who have adopted and can attest that their family has been positively, not negatively, affected by welcoming a child through adoption into their home.

Please contact our team here to talk.

Learn more about adoptions and read stories of Zimbabwean adoptions here!

Some Zimbabwean families believe that when someone dies, they are not really dead. Traditionally, it was believed that the dead are somewhere watching and in some cases influencing what happens, good or bad.

This misconception may lead people to think that if they were to adopt or foster a child, the child’s deceased family member will cause trouble for them.

When someone dies, they cannot see what is happening and cannot cause trouble to you or your family.

Loving and caring for an orphan will bring you and your family immense joy.

And, Kuda Vana’s team is here every step of the way to equip you with the tools and knowledge to parent an adopted child.

Learn more about adoptions and read stories of Zimbabwean adoptions here!

Culturally and traditionally infertility was automatically blamed upon the woman.

Being a woman who could bear children, particularly male children, was honorable and literally tied to the identity of being a "good wife."

With scientific discovery, its has not only proved that the gender of the children is determined by the husband, but also there are multiple factors in infertility.

There are many ways to build a family, including insemination, surrogacy, and adoption!