By Tendai Makaripe
A 9-year-old Zimbabwean girl living with autism, epilepsy and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is at risk of losing both shelter and access to specialised education after her father lost his job, exposing the hardships faced by families raising children with disabilities.
Adel, the firstborn in a family of three children, now spends most of her days at home after her father said he could no longer afford to keep her in a specialised school following his layoff from work as a security guard last year.
Her family is also facing possible eviction from the property they have been taking care of after the owner indicated plans to return, according to her father.
He said the search for alternative accommodation has been difficult because Adel’s condition requires close supervision and some potential landlords are unwilling to accept her.
The situation has left the family in an increasingly desperate position, with Adel’s father saying he sometimes has to leave her confined in a room while he goes out to look for casual jobs to feed the family.
“It really hurts me to do that, but I don’t have an option,” the 34-year-old father told Children’s Voices.
Adel’s case reflects the growing pressure on low-income households caring for children with disabilities, especially where income is unstable, specialised schooling is costly, and public assistance is limited or delayed.
Her father said Adel was born underweight, weighing 1.3 kilogrammes, and spent some time in hospital before recovering.
For years, he said, she appeared to develop normally.
But when she was 4, he began noticing changes.
“She started withdrawing, staring at things endlessly and having difficulties talking,” he said.
The family first sought spiritual help, hoping the episodes would stop.
Her father said the symptoms would ease for a while, but later worsened.
Hospital assessments later confirmed that Adel had epilepsy, autism and ADHD, he said.
Since then, caring for her has become more demanding.
Her father said Adel sometimes becomes distressed, uproots household items and needs constant attention.
Before losing his job, he said he had enrolled her at Greenlight International Trust in Granary, where he was paying US$400 per term, along with about US$150 for groceries.
After he was laid off, he said, keeping her in school became impossible.
“She used to go to school, but I failed to raise the money after losing my job,” he said.
The family’s financial strain has deepened as Adel’s father now survives on menial jobs while also caring for his other two children, aged 4 and 1.
He said Adel prefers him to anyone else, but he fears that caring for her may become more difficult as she grows older.
“A time will come when I can no longer assist her the way I am doing now because she will have grown,” he said.
The family has also tried to seek assistance through the Department of Social Welfare, but no help has materialised so far, according to Adel’s father.
For the family, the immediate needs are urgent: secure accommodation, food, clothing, diapers and support to help Adel return to a safe and suitable learning environment.
But beyond one household, Adel’s story raises a wider question about what happens to children with disabilities when their families can no longer afford school, care or stable housing.
Without timely support, children like Adel risk being pushed further out of school, out of safe housing and out of the protection systems meant to uphold their rights.
