15-year- old twin girls from Mvurwi are yet to recover from fire-related injuries sustained in an incident which occurred twelve years ago.

The burn marks on the twins’ bodies tell a story on their own. They are only fifteen, but unlike other children of the same age, they are not enjoying their teenage years as their peers shun them.

“I had to drop out of school because other children laughed at me while some ran away from me. It’s really painful,” said Sharon Chirata.

They carry the scars of an incident which took place 12 years ago when they were only 3 but have no recollection of what happened.

“We don’t know what happened but we were told that the accident happened when we were three years old and were left alone in a hut and we got burnt by fire. Our clothes are said to have caught fire though we managed to escape.”

Twelve years later the girls are still in pain

“I can’t do many household chores because I can’t even turn my neck and my head is always aching together with my neck.”

Soon after the incident, their father passed away while their mother abandoned them, leaving the twins in the care of an uncle who has six other children to fend for.

“It pains me to see the girls in pain, Sharon needs to undergo surgery to relieve the pain but we have no money for the operation which can be done at Karanda. I don’t even have money for painkillers sometimes when the pain gets worse I usually sell a hen so that I can buy some painkillers but it’s only for a short time.”

Senator Angeline Tongogara has been assisting the girls with some toiletries and sanitary wear, hoping the girls will at least be comfortable during that time of the month.

They still dream of one day having corrective surgery so that they can at least live a normal life free from pain.

-State Media