Orphans & Vulnerable Children Support Programme KG VI, Zimbabwe , from 200 Euro to 11.000 Euro

Life is difficult for nearly all Zimbabwians. If possible, for the handicapped children of the KG VI Center it is even worse. This boarding school is struggling to survive. Until now they managed, thanks to its staff and foreign volunteers and mostly to its director Inez Hussey. She works with a desperate optimism for the survival and education of “her”children. Is is admirable that she has not yet given up and left the country to live with one of her “real” children in Europe. KG VI has its 50th anniversary in 2007. Below you find a part of the speech Inez gave after a perfomance of the KG VI band Liyana.

“Some people have said how can you be celebrating anything in Zimbabwe. But I think this is just what we have to do. We have to take a break from the struggle to survive to celebrate that survival. The fact that an NGO like KGVI has kept going for 52 years and continues to support more and more needy children is a real achievement. In our independent living houses we now have 115 physically disabled children from all over Zimbabwe. In the school we have 283 students, more than ever before. We are supported almost entirely by friends, both local and international, yes friends, not international donors, not governments.

The theme for our anniversary was 50 years of ability. You have just heard our band and I think you will agree they are extremely able. We believe in finding the strengths of each of our children and then finding a way to develop that strength. Liyana here is the spirit of KGVI, their joy in their music is what we are all about. Not only do we survive but we also keep up our spirits by dreaming and planning.”

Present Situation
Sadly the problems of Zimbabwe are by no means over. We now have no currency of our own and having to use either US dollars or South African Rand means that our prices have tripled. There are no funds to pay teachers and education looks like it will be disrupted for a second year. Education is the key to any country’s development and we are now facing a second year where many children will not see a teacher. Those who have not left the country cannot afford to come to work on the pitiful salary they are offered.
Increasingly at KGVI we have to take care of the family as well as the child! Now we find many of our non disabled children also facing terrible social problems. The social problems are compounded by the runaway HIV AIDS crisis and absentee parents who are out of the country trying to earn a living - Zimbabwe now has an 82% unemployment rate. This leaves vulnerable children in the hands of distant family members where they can suffer neglect, abuse and simply poverty. Our programmes so often have to be based on every day survival but we also try and develop outreach programmes. The ideas below reflect both these approaches.

The Proposal in Support of Orphans & Vulnerable Children

Lunches for 283 children and staff for one year (3,500Euros)
We now try to provide lunch to every child and staff member at KGVI. For far too many this is the only proper meal they receive in a day. And for our staff the fact that they are fed at the school is an important reason for them to still come to the school. The meals generally consist of maize meal, vegetables and/or beans. They are prepared by parents of the children and served at the school.

Bus Fares for 20 Day Scholars for one year (2,800 Euros)
It is not just the boarders but many of our day scholars who stay in Bulawayo are now also struggling to survive. The monthly bus fare is impossible for nearly all of our parents, even if they are earning a basic wage. If the parents have no work then this amount is certainly impossible. Already there are 20 children who desperately need help with daily bus fares but there are many many more who will struggle to find these fares in the coming months. These children have to travel to KGVI which is right the other side of the town because this is the only school for disabled children in the town.

Nutrition Garden and sheep (1,000 Euros)
Vegetables and fruit are now so expensive in Zimbabwe that we really struggle to make them part of the children’s diet. For a child with any sort of weakness a good diet is vital. We now have an increasing number of children with chronic illnesses which require the very best diet to combat. Now the children only receive fruit if someone donates it. At the moment we have to make a very expensive weekly purchase of things like tomatoes, cabbage and potatoes or squash. This is now amounting to a huge and ever growing cost that we struggle to meet. We want to expand our vegetable garden, set up a small irrigation system so we can grow our own vegetables. We would also like to keep some sheep underneath our fruit trees to keep the grass and weeds under control and provide meat for the children.

Disability Awareness Programme (3,500 Euros)
This is a project with two aims, one to find employment for some of our school leavers and two to educate people in disability. We have five school leavers who are members of our band Liyana and who are able to produce small videos to be screened on local TV and in schools. These would be short dramas showing the ability of people with disabilities and showing the affects of discrimination. We would need to send one of the young people on a short course on film editing in South Africa, although he already has much experience a short course will give him more confidence. We would also need to purchase a good video camera and basic sound recording equipment. 

Football Field (200 Euros)
At a recent workshop with the parents of our deaf students it was suggested that if our students could get into a junior football league they could help other students in Bulawayo understand sign language. By regular contact in a social sport like football integration might become more possible and more people will get to learn sign language. As the education ministry no longer supports ground staff we would need to hire a tractor and casual labour to clear a piece of land. We would also need to make goal posts.


Totaal € 11000,-- 

BETAALD uit HET ALGEMENE FONDS VAN moments of joy

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