Zimpapers Logo

Mkhululi Ncube, Features Reporter
“MY mother is the woman who taught me love, she loves unconditionally and I can never think of anyone who loves like that except God!”

This was said by Pastor Lynn Ndlovu (45) who said it is this love that she enjoyed when growing up that she decided to extend to children born with Hydrocephalus.

Hydrocephalus is a condition in which the head of a child grows very big due to more than usual fluid in the head. The extra fluid puts pressure on the brain and can cause brain damage.

The condition is caused by a lack of folic acid in pregnant women and can be prevented if they improve their diet in pregnancy by taking folic supplements.

Pastor Ndlovu has chosen to direct her unconditional love to children with Hydrocephalus and is not just  spending resources but also her time to support them.
“I grew up in Mpopoma suburb with my six siblings. My parents loved taking care of people and every time at home we always had people that we were assisting. I got interested in Hydrocephalus when I befriended a boy with Hydrocephalus. The boy’s name was  Romeo and he used to visit our neighbours from his rural home in Ntabazinduna. We developed a strong friendship including his family. That is when I learned that his big head was giving him health problems,” she said.

A mother of three, pastor Ndlovu says she did not understand much about Romeo`s condition but it troubled her so much that during the headaches attacks she would fail to eat after visiting him.

Pastor Ndlovu said after realising that even Romeo`s family did not understand the condition, she decided to do a research on Hydrocephalus.

“I learnt that Romeo needed special medication and the doctors who could attend to him were in Harare. The family could not raise the money to take him to Harare and unfortunately he died before he could be attended to and this touched me,” said pastor Ndlovu.

She said this pushed her to learn more about the disease and she visited Mpilo Central Hospital to engage health officials.

“A nurse I spoke to took me to the ward which had three children with the condition. I interacted with them and their mothers and began visiting and bringing them some goodies,” she said.

Pastor Ndlovu says she developed a good relationship with the three children suffering from hydrocephalus and they became her best friends.

She said she would even visit them at their homes to support them wherever she could but her world was shattered when they passed away as medical care was a challenge.

Pastor Ndlovu says losing the children she had created a strong bond with was like losing her own children.

“The condition is very expensive to manage. Just to do a Brain (CT) scan is US$100 and there are many other requirements,” she said.

Pastor Ndlovu said she is now assisting many children with Hydrocephalus at Mpilo Central Hospital.

“I pay the medical billls for these chldren and most parents cannot afford. I have come up with payment plan that I have agreed with the hospital authorities.

Pastor Ndlovu said some of the children were coming from as far as Binga,Hwange, and Tshololotsho.

“I try and share the little that I have so that they are assisted. The number is growing every day because the condition seems to be affecting many children. At one time I had 22 such children that I was taking care of but four have since passed away, said pastor Ndlovu.
She said in 2016 she formed the Hydrocephalus Foundation to raise awareness about the condition and also get support from well-wishers.

“I would organise golf tournaments to raise money. The Rotary Club and recently, the Affirmative Action group have been supporting my work as well,” said pastor Ndlovu.

She said her biggest challenge is that many people do not understand the condition so getting support is very difficult.

The pastor Ndlovu said besides medication, some of the children need wheelchairs and diapers.

“The biggest challenge is that the diseases is complicated and very expensive. It is worse when the child is from a poor family,” she said.

Pastor Ndlovu said chldren with Hydrocephalus were also stigmatised because  communities do not understand the condition.

“ In a bid to fight stigma, I organise Christmas parties where the Hydrocephalus children interact with children without the condition,” she said.

Pastor Ndlovu said she has applied for land from Bulawayo City to build an all-purpose centre for children with the condition but funds are holding her back.

“I am tired of losing these children to death. I want to monitor their health daily. I want them to enjoy life before they die but I know if they have all the support they can live much longer. I want them to live a comfortable life. I want the all-purpose facility to have everything so that they feel the love and acceptance like any other child. I`m appealing for support so that we make a world a better place for these children, “she said.

Pastor Ndlovu bemoaned the fact that most men desert their wives after giving birth to a child with Hydrocephalus.
She said women with such children need to be supported to be able to look after the children.

“Most husbands run away and at the moment out of the 18 children I have, only two are being supported by their fathers. They treat it as a curse but it is not it is just a condition. These kids need diapers even when they are above ten years, some need glasses, hearing aids among other needs,” she said.

Pastor Ndlovu says she is talking to the National University of Science and Technology, NUST so that they can have a laboratory that will do research about the condition and help provide some solutions.

Last week, during Hydrocephalus Commemoration at Mpilo Central Hospital, a state-of-the-art ward built by pastor Ndlovu’s trust was opened.

“Let us make them understand that they are also people. Let us not shun them but support them in every way we can. I have tried taught my my children  to love and interact with Hydrocephalus children,” she said.

Hydrocephalus Day is marked annually on October 25 to help raise awareness about the condition. — @themkhust