Govt Hails Grandmothers as Pillars of Family and Community

The government has paid tribute to grandmothers for their resilience and critical role in keeping families and communities together, describing them as “pillars of strength” in times of hardship.

Speaking at the Grandmothers’ Celebrations in Harare on Tuesday, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Deputy Minister, Advocate Mercy Dinha praised grandmothers for offering stability, guidance and emotional support across generations.

“Grandmothers often play a vital role in holding families together, providing emotional support, and passing down family traditions and values. They serve as caregivers, mentors, and role models, offering wisdom and continuity, particularly in times of crisis,” Dinha said.

She also commended civil society organisations including the Farm Orphan Support Trust (FOST) for their continued support of grandmother-headed households.

“We are informed that you are providing households headed by grandmothers with economic strengthening activities, paying school fees for their grandchildren and offering psychosocial support. This is commendable—let us continue to do more,” she said.

Grandmothers’ Day is marked to celebrate the bond between grandparents and grandchildren and recognise their influence in shaping society.

FOST Executive Director Blessing Mutama highlighted the organisation’s 27-year journey of supporting vulnerable children, especially those affected by HIV/AIDS within farming communities.

He noted that grandmothers had become central caregivers for children left behind by the pandemic and other crises.

“Despite progress in HIV prevention, many children continue to be left in the care of their grandmothers. They have also shouldered the burden during droughts, the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters, keeping children within family settings and ensuring the importance of kinship care,” Mutama said.

Research by FOST, supported by Family for Every Child, found that more than 90% of children in alternative care in Zimbabwe and across Africa are in kinship arrangements—60% of them under the care of grandmothers.