Fairfield Children’s Home in Zimbabwe

(Formerly Baby Fold)

A UMC Global Ministry

“Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed for he shares his bread with the poor.” Proverbs 22:9

by Zeke Fleet, Missions Committee, and Cecilia Thobani, Fairfield Staff

Providing a nurturing environment for children and families by caring for abandoned children with love, clothing, food, and education.

The Fairfield Children’s Home (formerly Baby Fold) is a UMC Global Ministry located in a rural area near the city of Mutare in eastern Zimbabwe. This ministry provides life-critical services and a source of physical and spiritual hope for orphaned and abandoned children. Resources such as foster care, early childhood programs, education and health care, have greatly improved the lives of hundreds of children since this mission’s founding in 1903. The significant spike of AIDS/HIV cases in Zimbabwe has greatly increased the number of orphans and thus greatened the necessity for the children’s care.

As a faith-based agency, the Fairfield Children’s Home provides individual development plans for orphaned children who are supported world-wide by churches and in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Department of Child Welfare. Each child is matched with a sponsor who provides $30 each month for their care. The money pays for food, housing, school fees, uniforms, health care, and salaries that help subsidize caregivers, who are designated as “mothers” and “aunts.” 

Currently there are 47 children who are placed in separate family-style homes where they receive physical, spiritual, emotional and intellectual assistance from caregivers and by neighbors and former Fairfield students who reside near the mission. This multi-service mission includes a hospital, church, school, and dental clinic, and is built on land that was gifted by the United Methodist Church. This year there are 23 children in the primary education program, 12 in the secondary program and two that are enrolled in colleges and universities. The administrator for Fairfield Children’s Home is Rev. Sibongile Chikosi.

With the help of UMC Global Ministries, the facilities and services offered by the orphanage have expanded and have been blessed with continual growth. According to staff member Cecillia Thobani, the donations that support the orphanage are used for basic repair and maintenance of the houses, (roofs, floors, ceilings, windows and doors, baths and kitchens), and for necessities such as school supplies, food cleaning supplies, vehicle repairs, monetary assistance for caregivers, and general operational costs.

What can YOU do to help Fairfield Children’s Home?

Your financial contributions are needed to sustain and grow Fairfield Children’s Home and bring much-needed care for those in need.  

• For one-time or recurring online donations, please select Central Missions on the dropdown and designate Fairfield Children’s Home.
• Designate Fairfield Children’s Home in the memo area on your offering checks.
• Drop off change, paper currency, or a check in the contribution bucket in the gathering area.

Please keep Fairfield Children’s Home in your prayers.