Category: Zimbabwe

Nina’s parents separated when she was still a child. She continued living with her mother who struggled to pay for her school fees. When she was in Year 6 her mother remarried and her stepfather forbade her from working. Sending Nina to school became more and more difficult as her mother had to keep her work a secret when she did several part-time jobs. She could only afford to pay for her to attend school for two days a week so Nina spent the other days helping her mother at work. In 2015, the financial struggles became too burdensome for her mother and when she was in Year 11 at school, Nina dropped out before she could sit for her final examinations. After a year of no schooling, she was identified by a Chiedza Community Volunteer in her area, who referred her to the organisation. Their volunteers and officers made home visits to assess Nina’s level of need and she was given the chance to return to school through the Chiedza Out of School Programme.

Nina describes how Chiedza helped her:

“The organisation supported my studies and I sat for the Ordinary Level examinations and did well. I was then helped to progress to Advanced Level studies at a High School. Chiedza continued to pay for my examination fees and school fees and I was provided with free stationery. Via the Resource Centre, I was able to access  school text books and had free internet access, which helped me to do a lot of research for my studies. I also had access to a digital learning platform from which I was able to practise exercises, tests and notes. At the same time, I gained basic computer skills through the structured computer lessons offered by the Resource Centre Intern. In addition, I benefited from free counselling services from the Child Protection Department, as well as career guidance, which helped me to think about my future career interests and to build goals and set targets for myself. Every weekday, I received two nutritious meals from the food programme. I also received clothes donated by well-wishers. 

The English Access Programme run by the American Embassy at Chiedza Child Care Centre boosted my English communication skills as well as my leadership skills, which Chiedza had nurtured through the Child Advisory Board in 2016. Recreational activities organised by the Centre also helped me to develop my social skills. Having passed my Advanced level exams with 8 points in History, Sociology and Shona, I am waiting to go to university in August of this year. It is my desire to be a social worker and to help other children access basic services that they may not be able to access without the assistance of other people. I want to be able to help other children in the way that Chiedza has helped me and to contribute towards the happiness of less privileged children and to create a prosperous Zimbabwe. I envisage a Zimbabwe where all children are happy, empowered and can fully enjoy their rights without the limitations of being less privileged.”

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.”