Warning! The images in this post are very graphic. Please view at your discretion.

We’ve told you the miraculous story of these brave girls in our newsletters and wanted to provide more information about them here for those interested, as well as photos of the girls.

In early 2012, the Zimbabwe Gecko Society received an urgent plea to help two young girls who had been seriously burned. Clara and Munashe Anderson were burned in a fire in their grass hut and were hospitalized in 2011.  After ten months of being at the Parirenyatwa Hospital they were allowed to go home so they could be with relatives. One child is an orphan and the other has a parent who is destitute.

The children around Clara and Munashe shunned them, and their burns left them with horrific scarring and deformity.  Some of the wounds were still open. They needed to have a number of operations just to have the use of their arms and hands again. As the Government Hospital was their only resort, the chance of them receiving the treatment they needed would have been small and in the distant future. Therefore, the Zimbabwe Gecko Society was asked to help pay for medical expenses so the girls could receive treatment.

After serious discussion, we came to the conclusion that this kind of help did not fit with our mandate and, though heartbreaking, were unable to respond. A few months later Susan Janetti was telling friends of the plight of these girls, and they generously donated $1000 to them. This money allowed Susan’s brother to transport Clara and Munashe to South Africa for basic treatment. While there the girls were accepted into a program called Children of Fire, who have agreed to fund their treatment for a year, a value of $100,000!

Thanks to the generous donation made by Susan’s friends, the Children of Fire organization will ensure these girls receive proper treatment which will allow them to live happy, healthy, normal lives. We would like to support Clara and Munashe by providing education while they are in hospital. If you would like to sponsor one of the girls or make a donation please contact us. Your continued generosity and support is greatly appreciated.