Zibuyile, affectionately known as Buyi, is a Housemother to six children living at Mother of Peace, Illovo. She grew up in rural Hlabisa over 100 kilometres from Illovo. She lived with her mother and children. She is a single woman with one biological child. Buyi has experienced a lot of loss in her family which has made her dedicated to this work to ensure that she fills a gap so that the children may not experience the same level as loss as she did. She is the breadwinner in her family due to her brother being involved in a car accident which has made him unable to take care of his children. Due to high unemployment in her area, she is responsible for a total of ten children, as well as her brother, his wife, and her grandmother. The youngest child, Luiyand, is 9 years old. When she is off she returns to her community to be with her family and sews clothing to make an extra income to support her needs.
Working with the children at MoP is like raising her big family. She acknowledges how valuable it has been to have family and does not want the children to experience life without having the support of a “mother.” The younger children cry when she goes on her day off, anticipating her return before she has left. Her favourite meal to cook is chicken or beef curry with rice and vegetables.
She enjoys singing and has established a MoP choir where she teaches the children to sing different songs and introduces them to new hymns. Very cash strapped with her current salary stretched to the limit, Buyi sends most of her money home, leaving little for her transportation costs. With extra money, she would like to build a home for the children, especially for the boys who need more space. She also struggles a lot when it comes to buying uniforms for school and extra money will minimize that stress.
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