Zimbabwe

J301 Isaiah’s Umuzi Wothando / Our Neighbours Ministry

Zimbabwe is experiencing one of the harshest AIDS epidemics in the world. Approximately, one fifth of its adult population is living with HIV and an estimated 565 adults and children are becoming infected every day, (that is approximately one person every three minutes).

Unfortunately many babies are abandoned by their families.and often they are HIV infected or affected. The number of abandoned babies living in government hospitals in Bulawayo has increased significantly. This is due to both the number of abandoned babies and the lack of available places at orphanages.

Isaiah.s Umuzi Wothando (Isaiah’s Home of Love) is a project established to assist abandoned babies in Bulawayo and surrounding areas. It is a community based initiative of Bulawayo Baptist Church and their aim is to see abandoned babies being integrated into loving families and communities. They aim to establish a halfway home to provide a high quality of loving care to abandoned babies, meeting their physical, mental and emotional needs, and to try to help facilitate the fostering and adoption of these babies to loving families. The organisation also plans to start a home to cater for babies from newborn to 3 years old, with a capacity for 35 babies.

J159 ZOPOM Foundation

This project encompasses humanitarian aid in the purest form and is combined with sustainable community development. Basic health and humanitarian needs are provided for abandoned children and the helpless. This is supplied through Homes and safe-houses which includes food, water and basic medical care. Along with micro-economic sustainable projects which will endeavour to support the project over the long term.
An old Venture utility vehicle serves as the local and tribal village ambulance to carry serious AIDS patients and accident victims to the hospital which is 2 hours away.
While one primary function is to provide the essential support necessary for the helpless, local Zimbabweans are being trained to carry on this work with the younger children. Both the programs encourage sustainable agriculture and over 500 fruit trees were planted; wells have been built for the needy communities, tanks installed and basic shelters constructed for the neediest such as abandoned women and AIDS victims.

Project Manager: Frank Wyer/Yvonne

J269 Mothers For Orphans

This project focuses on the educational services provided to otherwise neglected orphans and HIV/AIDS children. The aim of the project is to make sure that underprivileged kids are given equal opportunities and resources needed to become educated at a high school standard. Goals of the project include:

• Reducing barriers for regular school attendance for HIV/AIDS orphans.
• Equipping schools with sufficient educational resources and funding.
• Establishing business enterprises to fund and sustain the vision of this project.

J491 Zimbabwe Community Development Project

Equiplives Educational Foundation works in partnership with Global Development Group in this project to provide education and support to school children - especially orphans and disadvantaged children - from very poor and rural communities in Zvimba, Zimbabwe. Through education, vulnerable people and disadvantaged children can be equipped to be great future leaders of their country. The first school to benefit from this project is Garoyi Primary School.
Currently educational support is provided to 389 children from Garoyi Primary School in Zvimba and 18 families in Kadoma, Zimbabwe.

Goals of the project include:
• Helping orphans and disadvantaged children gain access to education
• Encouraging school re-entry to children who have dropped out of school
• Providing a holistic support approach by working with communities
• Encouraging extra-curricular activities through the school programs
• Engaging widows in the projects so that they understand the value of educating children
• Subsidising teachers’ salaries where necessary