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Zimbabwe: Harare seizes farm for orphans
ZimOnline
December 07, 2005

http://www.zimonline.co.za/headdetail.asp?ID=11224

HARARE - The government has seized a farm used by SOS Children's Villages Association of Zimbabwe to grow food for children at its various orphanages across the country.

Arcadia farm near Bindura town, about 60km north of Harare, was also used as a training school for orphans and abandoned children where they were taught various self-help skills they could use to earn a living on leaving the care of SOS.

There are about 14 tenant farmers at the farm all of them once orphaned or abandoned children who were raised by the SOS and taught how to farm. They have no alternative land if evicted from the 573.45-hectare farm.

State Security Minister Didymus Mutasa, who is also in charge of land redistribution, was not available for comment on the matter yesterday.

But a senior member of the Trustees of SOS Children's Villages Association, who declined to be named, told ZimOnline last night that they were in talks with senior government officials in a bid to persuade them to let the association keep the farm.

"Our farm which housed a training centre was taken over by the government but senior officials are dealing with the issue at a higher level. At the moment we do not want to scuttle negotiations with the government," the official said.

The seizure of the SOS farm is sure to make it more difficult for the organisation to look after Zimbabwe's orphans, who are increasing at an alarming rate as a burgeoning HIV/AIDS epidemic kills at least 2 000 people in the country every week.

AIDS experts estimate that about 1.3 million children in the country under the age of 15 years have lost one or both parents while an estimated 12 000 children live on the streets in Harare and other cities. - ZimOnline

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