Children sponsorship letter from Bindura
10/12/2007
Update from SOS Children's Village Bindura
With the recent painting of the Village houses and the green lawns which have been given a new lease of life with the addition of top soil, it is a joy seeing our children beam with pride as they come back to a beautiful home after school and other activities.
A peaceful environment is always crucial in the development of children and this was the basis for our participation in the Global Peace Games which were held in the village sports ground. The event saw Village mothers and children taking part in various games against the Family Strengthening Programme staff and beneficiaries. Our newly formed village soccer girls’ team was a force to reckon with when they played against Mambinge Stars a community based team, who were made to sweat for victory by our inexperienced but vastly talented and stylish team. Apart from sport, the village Children’s Performing Arts Workshop (CHIPAWO) took advantage of the occasion to showcase their dancing skills by proving entertainment at the gathering. The village CHIPAWO group once again stole the thunder at the day to commemorate the United Nations Day on the rights of children. One of our young girls almost left the audience in tears after presenting her poem on children’s rights. This function empowered the children with the knowledge of their rights and how to safeguard themselves.
Three of our children who graduated from the local SOS kindergarten, did us proud when they secured places at one of the best primary school in Bindura called Shashi View Primary School after writing and passing a very challenging entrance test. Their end of term reports revealed that they are doing very well. Not to be outdone, five youths attended music lessons at the Zimbabwe College of Music in Harare and reports from the college displayed a lot of talent. This will improve the music skills for our Village choir which has reached greater heights in music competition. To top it up, we celebrated the departure of three Village youths to their respective Universities in South Africa.
Ten mothers received First Aid training through Red Cross. Eight trainee mothers have just completed their phase three training at the SOS Training Centre. This is all done to enhance our mothers’ child care skills. The rest of the other co-workers within the Village attended a series of workshops in order to help them come up with individual and departmental action plans. This was in line with the motto of the year,”Where there is no vision, people perish.”
The SOS Social Centre
Our core business of family strengthening has indeed removed the dependency syndrome in the community that we are supporting. This was born by nine dedicated women who joined hands and started a sewing club. They started very small with six sewing machines and little financial capital. Their moral was boosted when they received a donation of nine sewing machines and one over locking machine from the Austrian Embassy. From this donation, they have produced uniforms that they have sold to SOS Social Centre for its uniform distribution to the beneficiaries. Their production has cushioned them from the economic hardships being faced by non- productive families.
Not to be out done is a child headed family who are now able to pay for their rent, water and electricity out of their prosperous poultry project.
A dream came true for one of the families whose mother is a single parent and with four children in her care. They had been staying in a mud and pole house which did not survive the clean up exercise which was done by the Municipality. We helped the family rent a room for six months whilst the mother applied for accommodation. Her application was considered and she got a two roomed house. SOS Social Centre helped her to pay the deposit fee. As soon as the water and sewage connections are done, she will quickly move into her new home.
The SOS Nursery School
Our enrolment is currently at 80. This year we only have 18 children from the Village, 7 on the KDI Scholarship and 4 toddlers. Most of Village children are now in primary school.
This term we continued with CHIPAWO (Children’s Performing Arts Workshop) despite our tragic loss of the instructor who perished in a car accident. She has since been replaced but the children miss her services. The children are now having aerobic sessions once a week coached by one of our Village mothers who is a qualified instructor.
The SOS Primary school Bindura
Our school continues to excel both academically and in sporting activities. The school athletics team attained third position at District level. In cricket, our team snatched second position at the Primary Schools Cricket Tournament which was co- hosed by SOS Herman Gmeiner High School and SOS Children’s Villages - Bindura. It was at this tournament that two of our bats men were elected the best.
The SOS Secondary School Bindura
Our Motto goes - ‘Every child is a bundle of all possibilities.” This has been evidenced by the participation of our children in different activities ranging from national quiz shows to junior provincial parliaments.
One of our students was selected to attend a quiz show that is broadcasted on National Television. She was chosen the second best participant and she walked away with a number of vouchers. One of our upper six students has been elected as a member of the Mashonaland Central Junior Parliament whilst 4 students have been elected as Junior Counsellors for Bindura town.
The SOS Primary School Maizelands Farm
The school was a hive of activity when the National Director, National Education Co-ordinator and SOS Norway Board members visited the school early this year. Children and staff welcomed the visitors in pomp and style. It was a great morning and the Norwegians expressed their great appreciation in what they saw at the school. They were touched by the humbleness of pupils and their poverty laced background. The visitors promised to assist the school and the whole community at large.
The Vocational Training Centres and Maizelands Farm
Agriculture and Engineering Training Officers opened the year on a different note as they carried out periodic visits to all Villages, enlightening youths on career guidance. Thereafter they forwarded invitation to youths from the entire Village to the Agriculture and Engineering Vocational Training Centres where the youths had a chance to spend a week at each facility. This was done to enable them to make an informed choice of their own career.
We are happy to have scored success among our children and youths. However the Village sadly lost an experienced and committed SOS mother. Apart from all this, we are grateful to the support we receive from you.
Warmest regards from all of us
L. Zungunde
Village Director
Sponsors letter from Bulawayo
It is a great honour to be writing to you again, letting you know about the latest goings on in the SOS Children’s Village and other facilities in Bulawayo
The Village opened the New Year, 2007, with 200 children - 171 village children and 29 youth. The Village has also received three new babies at the end of the first quarter, bringing the total number of children to 203. All children are generally in good health. Our mothers continue to provide guidance, security and warmth to our children so that they face the future with courage and confidence.
The village has transformed into beautiful, green scenery as water flows from the borehole dug sometime last year. The colorful children’s grass-thatched Rondavele, together with new play equipment, have also added to the ‘new look’ of the village.
On the education front, the quality of the 2006 Grade 7 results has noticeably improved. Four students set for ‘O’ level examinations at the end of last year. It is pleasing to note that all four are already engaged in a course or another and seem to be doing well.
The receipt of a large consignment of sporting equipment and uniforms from benevolent donors has enabled the education department to introduce additional sporting disciplines such as volleyball, netball, girls’ soccer and basketball. A young and energetic trainer for these is already on the ground and of late the village has been turned into a hive of activity.
The village held the children’s Christmas party with a difference. Apart from the usual pomp and fanfare and the giving of Christmas presents, which the children expected anyway, the 2006 Christmas party climaxed with the presentation of a variety of prizes to a number of children for excelling in their academic work as well as in various sporting disciplines in their respective schools.
SOS Social Centre
The pre - school holiday programme being offered by the SOS Nursery School has been one of the positive impacts of the Family Strengthening Programme. Apart from the children benefiting through the holiday programmes, their guardians are trained and attached to the Kindergarten during the term. They help run the Kindergarten under the supervision of the kindergarten teachers. This has raised awareness and appreciation of the need for pre - school education amongst parents and guardians.
On the other hand, seven beneficiaries who completed their Ordinary level have embarked on training in Early Childhood Development Training (Pre School). Six of them have secured employment at reputable Pre - Schools and Grade Zero Government Schools. These are now role models to others and a pride to the community.
On legal matters, 27 beneficiaries from child headed families attended a workshop on estate registration. We realised that most of our beneficiaries do not have the required documents such as birth certificates, death certificates of their deceased parents so that they can legally inherit and take control of what their parents would have left them. Therefore this workshop was helpful as it gave them awareness of some legal organizations where they can be assisted.
As a source of livelihood, 11 groups with a total number of 144 beneficiaries that have been funded to consolidate their income generating activities that aim to make the families self sufficient. We have one group, a toy making group that has supplied bright colored and cuddly knitted dolls and shawls to the local Kindergarten. The standard of their crafts continues to improve and more orders are being placed.
The Community Centre has continued to be a hive of activity as we saw greater numbers of children and youths coming to the centre for sporting games, drama and story writing activities. The SOS team, a combination of SOS Children and Community teams, has played six games, won four, drawn one and lost one. They also played as curtain raisers in one game. We feel we are achieving our bid to remove children and youths from the streets and engage them on activities that will remove them from constant exposure to drugs, alcohol and sexual indulgence or abuse.
The SOS Nursery School
The enrollment at the end of the quarter was 172 children. Of the total enrolment 18 children are under the SOS scholarship and 28 are children from the Village. We continue to offer extra stimulation programmes for toddlers twice a week in the afternoons.
The nursery school for the first time is now only enrolling children who will spend at least two years in the nursery school in the hope of maximizing the children’s exposure tot quality pre-learning experience. Each group now has five woolen dolls, cot covers and blankets knitted by guardians from the Family Strengthening Programme.
THE SOS Primary School
Our enrolment, which stands at 780 pupils, is made up of 70 children form the village, 34 children on the SOS scholarship and 680 children from the community. There has been a very high demand for places due to the school’s reputation and the high academic standards which we have maintained.
The school took part in interschool athletics competitions clinching position 2 out of 5 schools. Twenty-four of our pupils were selected to be part of the zonal team, which came first in the zonal athletics competitions. Other activities, on offer during the term were under review such as cricket, tennis, basketball, swimming, karate, music, drama and dance.
D. Dube
Village Director
Child sponsor update from Waterfalls
If you are to visit our Village now, you will be welcomed by the colourful flying kites. The children are enjoying the windy weather as they compete to maintain their kites flying high and not getting them tangled by the tall jacaranda and gum trees. They are now getting ready for winter where they will be concentrating on indoor games.
Our Village has now been filled to full capacity and is now home to 180 children and 58 youths. Of our 180 children, 18 have been confirmed to be HIV positive and 4 of them are already on Anti-retroviral therapy. It pleasing note that these children are responding very well and they look as healthy as the rest of the other children. We continue to raise awareness in issues related to HIV and AIDS and some of our children got a chance to participate in various activities related to HIV and AIDS.
Our children who completed primary school education last year have been placed in some of the best schools in and around the capital city. The rest of the other children have been involved in a lot of cultural activities, camps and outings. Two families managed to go on holiday away from the Village for about 2 weeks and the children enjoyed as they got a chance to appreciate life in the community.
We have 10 youths who are attending lessons for International Computer Driving License (ICDL). The programme was sponsored by Barclays Bank and will end at the end of June. Apart from learning, they also go a chance to meet with other youths who have been identified for this course from the SOS Family Strengthening Programme.
Two girls from our youth have been to the Village with their fiancés for formal introductions. Their gesture, has given the whole Village a chance to experience a ritual that is considered to mark responsibility and maturity in young women in the Zimbabwean culture. They have also set a good example to their younger siblings and they are both planning to tie the knot before the end of the year.
We continue championing the need for the youths who have biological relatives to visit their relatives when they are on holiday. During the last holiday, 4 boys visited their relatives for a number of days. This brings a touch of reality to their lives especially, because in a few years time, they will be going into the community and such social networks are vital.
Three of our mothers retired this year after 15 diligent years of service. Their retirement was followed by the retirement of the Village Director, Mr. W. Chinyuku who had served the Village for 19 years. Mr. J. Chiviru took over from Mr. Chinyuku as Village Director.
The Social Centre
The number of children on the support programme is no longer static but is dynamic due to relocations, deaths and marriages. Enrolment is currently in progress to ensure that we maintain the required number of children on the programme.
Through the kind donation of Murowa Diamond Company, 523 children on our programme are going to have their school fees fully paid for the following terms. This was done through a block grant donated to various schools of textbooks by Murowa Diamond Mining Company and the cost of textbooks will cover the amount equivalent for the school fees.
Turning to health, parents living positively with HIV, continue to meet in support groups where they are offered necessary support and life skills. Members of their families have also been receiving continues training on how they should cope with their day to day lives living with relatives who are HIV Positive. Guardians who are looking after ill orphaned children due to HIV and AIDS are met regularly in order to assess their needs and ascertain the level of support they need.
Meanwhile, psychosocial support is still offered to beneficiaries through children’s clubs, life skills and counselling sessions. These activities also offer recreational therapy and this stabilizes the children’s emotional and psychological well being.
Turning to entrepreneurship development, three sewing groups and a candle making group have been established. Two sewing groups have even secured contracts to produce uniforms for some of the children who are supported by the Waterfalls Social Centre.
The SOS Nursery School
This term we managed to reduce our enrolment and we now have a total of 167 children. 45 are from the Village while 9 are on the SOS- Kinderdorf International Scholarship Programme.
We continue with our Gymnastics sessions, traditional dance, swimming and computer lessons. The children are enjoying these activities very much.
In terms of achievements, our playground is now re-furbished and it has a good new look.
The SOS Primary School
The first assembly of this term was marked by encouragement of pupils by the school head to study hard. He said they should try and maintain our grade 7 pass rate of being the 1st out of 27 schools in the district and becoming number 5 in the whole province of Harare.
Not to be outdone in the sports arena, the school participated in the inter- schools athletics competition and became 2nd out of 6 schools.
In all this, we continue to think of you and your generous support to the children in our care.
Warmest regards from all of us,
J. Chiviru
Village Director
Relevant Countries: Zimbabwe.