Category: Featured – Story Page Top Left

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Chiedza Child Care Centre Income Saving and Lending Schemes Project (ISALS) in Harare South District, Zimbabwe.

The aim of this project is to increase the level of income and security of 1,800 poor and vulnerable households in Harare, particularly those headed by widows, or single parents, those with orphaned or vulnerable children at risk of dropping out of school, those with a disability and those with one or more members living with HIV. Each targeted household has to have at least one child under the age of 18 years.

In general, participating households undergo training on ISALS and how to run viable income-generating activities. The main expected outcome of the project is to increase income and financial resilience for vulnerable households in Harare South District  and to improve the health, school enrolment, attendance, retention and achievement of the orphaned and vulnerable children from these households. The project provides training in income saving and lending, project planning, financial planning, business management and micro-enterprise.

Since April 2015, the project has created 150 saving and lending groups and provides income benefits to participants (estimated as 1,800 of whom 10% are men and 90% are women). In addition, it supports 300 participants to jointly or individually establish an income-generating activity. Chiedza also aim to ensure that all wards with participating households are able to sustain and further develop the programme with the support of a community support structure and/or alternative government sources.

Two Success Stories from Harare.

Tammy’s mother attended the Chiedza project and Tammy says  “I live with my mother and my younger sister. My mother works on a Chiedza project and now has a market stall at home where she sells her goods. Before she started this business, she had no income and I did not have school shoes, a school bag or books. Things changed when she started working with Chiedza and she has managed to buy me all these things for school. My primary school fees are also fully paid up and my mother recently bought some household furniture, including a wardrobe, a kitchen table and matching chairs.”

Jenny has just finished her exams and is waiting for her results. She says “throughout my schooling my mother was struggling to pay my fees but last year things improved after she started participating in the Chiedza project. I can tell you that mum’s business is running well. We used to go hungry for long periods but now we always have enough food in the house and we eat three meals a day. My father is not permanently employed so my mother’s business is certainly helping the family. I look forward to doing further exams in the future and then going to university to get a degree. The sky is the limit to my education, thanks to my mum.”

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A Success Story from SERVE in Sri Lanka.

Lakshan is from Moratuwa in Sri Lanka. He lost his mother when he was seven years old and he and his four siblings were brought up by his father and grandmother. His father was an unskilled, casual worker and the family faced many economic difficulties.

Lakshan attended a small village school but also joined the local SERVE Angulana centre when he was 8 years old. He enjoyed reading newspapers and using the library there and with the help of the centre co-ordinator and social worker, Lakshan did his school homework plus studied independently. He also attended computing classes and took part in children’s rights training programmes, leadership training programmes and child abuse prevention programmes carried out by SERVE.

When he was 10 years old, Lakshan was entered for the sponsorship programme on the recommendation of a SERVE social worker. After successfully passing school examinations he entered Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa. In 2017 he sat his GCE Advanced level examinations in the Commerce stream and did well in Accounting, Business Studies and Economics. Lakshan mainly used his sponsorship money to pay for additional educational coaching classes and to buy educational equipment and school clothing.

After leaving school Lakshan attended a two month spoken English course at Cambridge College in Kandy. Since 2018 Lakshan has been working in a private bank as a Marketing Officer, and in order to further his career, he is currently following a certificate course in Marketing at the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing. In the future, Lakshan hopes to complete his Marketing course and also follow additional courses in Banking.

Lakshan is very grateful that he has been able to overcome many challenges with the assistance of ICT and his sponsor through SERVE. He is proud of his academic achievements and the progression of his career until now.

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The Importance of a Biscuit

Photo of boys making biscuits in the JUCONI workshop

What impact can a small shortbread or an oat biscuit have on a child? He does not eat it. He does not sell it. But, in these biscuits, he is receiving skills that will help him forge a career for himself in the future.

In a small workshop a short walk away from the JUCONI Youth House in Puebla, Mexico, the youth have the opportunity to make biscuits that are sold to a local company. Vocational and skills training has become an important part of many international development initiatives, but JUCONI continues to set itself apart.

The boys are not part of a new generation of bakers. In fact, the baked biscuit is barely important. It is the process that is important, not the product.  The boys are being encouraged to develop strong work ethics, to understand employee-employer relationships, to have the ability to create a CV, and to have a strong attention to detail in all of their work.  The boys’ participation is not automatic, but must be earned through good behaviour and positive development.

In this environment, the boys are setting their own paths in careers that they are interested in and passionate about. They are developing the tools that will set them apart for employers.

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27 Years on at JUCONI Mexico

A photo of a mother reading with her son at JUCONI House

In 1989, Fundaciόn JUCONI was founded in Puebla, Mexico with the support of the International Children’s Trust. Working with homeless children, this new professional organisation started operating a small centre that was both a day and residential centre.

Fast forward 27 years and JUCONI is a very different organisation, but one that has remained rooted in addressing the needs to vulnerable children and continues to be supported by the International Children’s Trust.  Over 27 years, JUCONI have recognised the importance of working with marginalised children subject to family violence. By working with the entire family, JUCONI are breaking the cycle of physical violence, reintegrating children and families into their communities, and developing a family’s ability access to education, health care and employment.

And it is clear that this vision works. Each year, JUCONI is working with 350 children and 120 families. Working through 3 different programmes, JUCONI are improving the lives of children by tackling the family violence that heavily influence children living on the streets, working on the streets, or working in the street-markets often with their families.

In 2016, we are beginning to see new exciting steps forward for JUCONI as they take their approach beyond the borders of Mexico.  JUCONI have been working with 160 organisations, primarily in 9 of the 31 states in Mexico. But the JUCONI model and their understanding of family violence, is also influencing organisations in Ghana, Guyana, India, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Guatemala and El Salvador. They do not look to replicate JUCONI in countries throughout the world, but they look to strengthen work with children by imparting the principles guiding their work on other organisations. By focusing on the principles instead of the tools, organisations can focus on appropriate solutions that are suitable for their own local context.

While JUCONI have now worked directly with over 3,000 children, your support is allowing JUCONI to reach children globally. As they move forward with a new General Director, we look forward to being a part of their continued progress.

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Through Joe’s Eyes: JUCONI Ecuador

Photo of Joe playing football with some boys at JUCONI Ecuador

In December, Nicola (one of our team members) was visiting our project with JUCONI Ecuador in Guayaquil.  Supporting street children and their families, she had the opportunity to witness therapeutic sessions with parents and children in their homes, visit the schools that JUCONI works with, and to share in the fun and games of the children’s Christmas party. At the party, she had a chance to catch up with Joe Amiri who is currently working with JUCONI and ask him a few questions…

 

What inspired you to work with children?

I am a volunteer with the Peace Corps who send volunteers to various organisations around Ecuador to serve for two years. My time with JUCONI has been one of the most incredible experiences for any volunteer. I wanted to work with disadvantaged children and their families to help those who need it most but to also establish a good support system for them in the future.

What is so unique about JUCONI is that the work we do is sustainable. One of my first friends in Guayaquil was a kid in the community. While many of the adolescents were timid and shy around the bearded gringo, he always wanted to talk to me and was curious about my life. Months later I discovered that he had actually been part of the JUCONI therapy process with his family when he was four. That early intervention by JUCONI brought him through college and he is a role model in the community.

What aspects of your work do you enjoy most?

The work JUCONI does is so different from many organisations that I have come across in my life. Many have a centre for people to receive services, but JUCONI actually visits each family in their homes to provide therapy each week. Going to each family and getting to know their community shows us more about the reality these families live in. I joke with a co-worker that we are unofficial mayors of Socio Vivienda, one of the communities we work in, because we cannot walk one block without hearing our names.

What do you enjoy least?

The hardest part of my work is saying goodbye at the end of each day. As a member of the community development team, we are spread thin so we only visit each of the four communities once per week. It is hard giving that last high-five to a child in Socio Vivienda and having to wait seven days to see them again.

What have you learnt during your time with JUCONI so far?

I have grown so much professionally and personally. When working in the communities, I can see what a bright future the world has.  Seeing how much positive change can come from small actions like youth groups, art clubs or sports club, I am looking forward to seeing what is next for these kids. Each kid really needs a space where they can be themselves and grow as individuals.

When I am not in the communities, I help with the development side of the organisation by promoting corporate social responsibility. It is wonderful to see how much people, such as those who donate through the International Children’s Trust, really care about the world and want to make it a better place. People love to help, they just sometimes don´t know how.

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Brain Games Begin in South Africa

Photo of father and son watching a recording of their interaction during games

The impact on communication is not an outcome of poverty that is regularly reported. Even in the UK, it is estimated that poorer children are a year behind in terms of language skills than those from wealthier backgrounds.

While limited or aggressive communication at home means that children don’t learn enough oral communication skills and do not develop cognitive skills easily, relationships and behaviour also quickly suffer with the long-term effects clear.

Because of this, our partner in South Africa, New Life, looked to begin a new programme helping improve parent-child communications through the development of a brain game to stimulate intellectual activity, as well as encourage fun and positive conversations.

The basis of the strategy is for the parent and children to play a pick-up-sticks game, with four main outcomes:

  • It sets a goal i.e. there is a specific outcome to be achieved which in turn gives a sense of purpose
  • It prescribes rules i.e. limitations are placed on how to achieve the goal, pushing players to explore different possibilities. This neurochemistry unleashes creativity and fosters creative thinking while helping children to understand life has boundaries
  • It provide a feedback loop i.e. conversations can detail how close players are to achieving their goal, can motivate creativity and encourage everyone to keep playing
  • It allows participation to be voluntary i.e. since everyone freely accepts the goals and rules and can leave at anytime, people understand that they have the right to be involved in making decisions, planning and reviewing an action that might affect them. Having a choice gives them a voice

The scoring of the game is based on eight basic principles of positive communication. The higher the level and number of types of interaction, the better the score.

The games are also videoed and then watched by the parents, children and the therapist who helps the parents and children learn further from the activity.  This guidance in turn strengthens the level of sensitivity shown and the mentalising abilities of the parents so that they can better understand their state of mind and control their own behaviour.

And all these positives are marked on a diagrammatic brain of the child to motivate the parent to add more positive notes during future play and at home.

The International Children’s Trust and New Life have been delighted by the extraordinary success of the programme, and more work is being done to encompass more families and assess whether this initiative can help other programmes we deliver.