Where We Work

Source: WorldAtlas.com

Our focuses are the children in the following countries: Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho, Mali, Swaziland, Burkina Faso and the African children in the United Kingdom.

Each country has its own unique requirements but we will zero in on the education of the children.

Work has started in England and Zimbabwe. Coming up …… Lesotho and Zambia.

Zimbabwe

Source: About.com

With a population estimated at 13 million in 2005, Zimbabwe ranks 147 out of 177 countries on the UNDP Human Development Index. 1

0-14 years: 39.2% (male 2,522,609/female 2,474,131)
15-64 years: 57.1% (male 3,686,354/female 3,592,662)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 235,478/female 235,756) (2005 est.)

In Zimbabwe, our area of operation will be in the Masvingo Province. This district is located in the Ecological Region 4, which receives very erratic rains. There is wide spread drought and reduced crop yields resulting in children being mal nourished. This makes it easy for the HIV/AIDS infected children to succumb to the AIDS disease. The child-headed families are becoming most vulnerable, they end up missing school in order to source for food by working in fields as child-labour, school attendance becomes low and may result in these affected children dropping out of school for good. Most children drop out of school, as fees are not longer affordable. Zimbabwe schools increased fees, in some cases by over 400%, in a bid to compete with inflation which is racing towards the 1200% mark.

Although the Unicef reported on the 29th August 2005, that “Despite major difficulties, school attendance rates increased…”2 no longer holds true.

School Projects

Education is a basic human right, vital to personal and societal development and well being. All children deserve a quality education founded on a rights-based approach. A rights-based approach to education will address inequalities in our societies that are deep-rooted. Such inequalities exclude millions of children from school as a result of the inability having their fees paid and having the basic school materials. The deficiencies eventually condemn them to poor quality of education or none at all.

The quality of education cannot be achieved without school materials.

This is a Grade 6 class with children scrambling for one textbook. How can education be effective with only one textbook going round about ten children?

These books are supposed to be used by the Grade Seven pupils. There are in a very bad state and if children are to succeed and get good results? We aim to improve the school materials used by the children.

The Children’s Future Project we work with in Zimbabwe donated 2 dozen exercise books to this school in Masvingo. The class teacher is handing over the exercise books to the delighted children.

Pupil covering window with plastics

This building is part of the school. It is a classroom used by the Grade 6 children. It requires renovations. In winter and the rainy season, the children are always at risk of the elements as they will be housed supposed to be learning in a building without windows and doors.

It is mandatory for all children in Zimbabwe to be in school uniforms. All the children in this photo are orphans. A quarter of them have only one parent – in most cases they live with their mothers. The rest of the children live in child headed families who cannot afford to supply their siblings with the required school materials. These children need your help.

 

The funds CaringHearts for Africa’s Disadvantaged Children sent to Children’s Future Project purchased uniforms for children. The children in the above two pictures are part of the group of 10 children who have benefited from the funds. In the second photo, the teacher did appreciate our efforts and demanded that she be photographed with the children. Many more desperately need assistance. Some are bare footed and require shoes.

Supplementary feeding scheme

More than half a million children require nutritional initiatives, as there is widespread chronic malnutrition.

As there is drought in the area, these children in the picture are digging for water by the riverbank. If the community could have a borehole drilled in their area, the children would not be spending time digging but allocate the time spent to other meaningful activities.

Food supplements such as dried beans, porridge, maize meal, cooking oil and salt will be purchased and prepared. The teachers at schools will supervise the feeding schemes.

Health

HIV/AIDS is cutting lives short and depriving children of their families. This results in some of them dropping out of school to look after their siblings or due to lack of school fees.

CHADC will contribute in making lives bearable for children by:-

· Providing counseling and information on dealing with loss and moving on.
· Providing advice on how to access food and clothing through networking with relevant organizations.
· Possibility of provision of adult contacts and/or incorporating child headed families into caring families

Youth Training

Education enhances lives. It ends generational cycles of poverty and provides the means for sustainable development. We at Caring Hearts noted that a number of youths who dropped out of school had nothing to sustain themselves. We are therefore, be providing the youths with skills training in carpentry, building …. As we know that a skill taught today is a personal lifetime investment unlike constantly giving aid.

Lesotho

Lesotho is one of the poorest countries in the world. It is a land locked country. With a population of 2.2 million, almost a half of that number are facing severe starvation.

Map source: Worldatlas.com

The next focus for Caring Hearts for Africa’s Disadvantaged Children will be to ensure that the children in that country who urgently required supplementary feeding are attended to.

Zambia

Map Source: Worldatlas.com

 

Notes

1.www.unfpa.org/profile/zimbabwe.cfm accessed 10 June 2006
2.Zimbabwe parents undeterred by fees hikes – Unicef on www.newzimbabwe.com