Our children, smile laugh and cry!

Dear friends,

I am delighted to share that we have over the past 10 months been able to streamline our work, have better operational efficiencies and reaching out to more children. 

We are grateful for true partnerships that join hands with us and work to support the lives of children in Zimbabwe. Last night I had a conversation with one of the respected citizens of Zimbabwe and she took me back memory lane to the things that this country used to do to ensure that children are safe and living in secure environments. Some of the information she shared was from back in the day and I could not relate to it because I was not born yet! As much as these mechanisms of childcare where developed in the colonial period, the new government failed to maintain the systems that ensured that the poor and vulnerable children would be taken care of. Now that is really sad…

When I reflect on the work that we are doing at Nhaka Foundation, I see how as a team we are working to reweaving these mechanisms and trying to get communities to take more responsibility to look after their children. Granted this is not an overnight process, we will continue to claw away and ensure that communities value children, respect their wishes and creates friendly spaces for them to play and learn.

When we look at life, how many of us wish that our children do well in life and that they become happy, responsible and productive individuals, citizens, members of society, members of families, leaders, parents and brothers and sisters? This off course should be what everyone cherishes and have as a dream. Are we doing enough to help our children, to ensure that they have all the opportunities available to them?

Im our daily hustle and bustle do we to pause to think and reflect on the fact that our children also have a human side that craves for hugs, smiles, laughter, love and bonding? Are we getting too busy for these basic yet most important aspects in the development of children? 

The above all starts in early life and it is important for us all to invest into the early years of our children.

Until next time,

Patrick

Catching up...

Hello friends,

These are exciting times at Nhaka Foundation. A lot of things have been going on in all facets of the organisation i.e from Admin to Programs. We are grateful to you our friends and partners for the journey that we are taking together. 

Since my last update/post, I have travelled around the country looking at various initiatives that are being undertaken by organisations as well as the various efforts being made by various individuals to promote the wellbeing of the Zimbabwean children. I have also been honoured to meet with various funders who are looking for ways to support the Zimbabwean cause targeted at ensuring that our littlest and most vulnerable children receive the support that they need so that they live happy and fulfilling lives.

Apart from taking a physical journey, I have also been travelling, this time in my spirit. My relationship with God has grown tremendously particularly as I have quiet moments, ruminate on the word of God, the promises He has made over my life and indeed the Word He has spoken over Nhaka Foundation. It is true friends, God watches over His word to perform it. Many of you know of the testimony of Nhaka Foundation and I am proud to say that indeed God is watching over His word and it is springing to life.

When one looks around and at best looks deeply into the Zimbabwean situation, we see no end in sight. We see suffering, we see children not going to school, not having three square meals a day, not prospering, lack of health services, increased maternal mortality, children heading households, an economy that has spiralled out of control. These are the daily heartaches that we are having to wake up to and the realities that we have to face. When shall we live in a Zimbabwe that has abundance for all, a society that is just and whose rulers are fair? I have been spending a lot of time also with my seniors, people who saw the sun decades before i did...trying to delve into their minds, getting wisdom and knowledge at the same time. Interesting journey this has been.

So what is consuming your time, your mind and where are the treasures of your heart? I know a lot of you will be starting up a conversation with me about this..lets talk! remember you can drop me an email on patrick@nhakafoundation.org. Thank you for the conversations that we continue to have. 

Join the discussions on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and be part of the work we are doing in Zimbabwe!

Be blessed!

Patrick

It takes a village to raise a child!

Dear Friends,

It has been quite a while since I personally wrote something on the blog. It has been a very busy season for myself and certainly for the entire team. The team in the past 6 months has grown, we have moved to new offices and have grown our portfolio of projects that are designed to provide holistic support to the children we serve in Mashonaland East. With growth comes various opportunities and challenges and also this comes with a greater level of diligence as we engage with various ones in ensuring that we provide the best service to the little children we reach out to.

Nhaka Foundation has been able to live up to its mission of ensuring that the littlest and most vulnerable children receive the utmost care and programs that support their holistic wellbeing and development. How have we done it? We have been able to engage partners who have funded us to carry out awareness raising campaigns in various communities on the importance of early access to education, importance of regular health checks, importance of a balanced diet for the children, homeschool relationships as well as importance of parental involvement in the lives of children right from the early years. We are optimistic that with this level of community engagement, there is going to be increased enrolment of children at ECD centres, there is going to be increased parental involvement in the lives of children and thus promote guidance socio cultural aspects that are necessary also to stimulate the growth of children. Coupled with these aspects we have also been engaging with community stakeholders, providing information, statistics and evidence of the importance of ECD. There has been an apparent lack of knowledge and clear information on various aspects relating to ECD and thus Nhaka Foundation has been holding community stakeholder meetings, key stakeholder meetings, high level meetings with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary education officials and with other non state actors. These meetings have been also driven by the African proverb that says "it takes a village to raise a child" Thus everyone has a role to play in creating an enabling environment for children to grow and have great lives.

Another passion and area of interest that has been in one corner of my heart has been the issue of inclusion. That is working with children with special needs/disabled/challenged in one way or the other. Africa and indeed Zimbabwe is fraught with stories of disabled children who are locked away in granaries or food storehouses or children who are hidden from mainstream society because of the various challenges that may present themselves in the physical or mentally. Nhaka Foundation is very soon going to be launching programming specifically aimed at working with these children and their families to ensure that they too have access to play and learning opportunities. They are no different and they need the same access to such.

I will be back with more news and insights into what God has been doing in my life and through me to reach other lives and communities.

Be blessed,

Patrick

Meet the Staff 6. Ringisai Chikohomero-ZINECDA Intern

Hello to you all!

My name is Ringisai Chikohomero, and I am the ZINECDA intern at Nhaka Foundation. Education is an important tool that each child has the right to possess. Each child also has the right to learn in a safe environment and have their basic needs catered for. I am driven by a great desire to improve living and learning conditions of young children, particularly those in living in extreme poverty and vulnerable circumstances. A child’s environment greatly affects their performance in school and in later life. It is paramount that each child learns in an environment that is conducive to academic success.

My engagement with child development dates back to my years as a student. I volunteered with a church organisation responsible for orphans and vulnerable children. Interaction with these children left a mark on me. Parents are supposed to provide economic and emotional support to their children but, what about those without parents, are they not entitled to economic and emotional support?

Children do not choose their circumstances but are born into them; surely they should not suffer for having a poor or vulnerable background. Nhaka Foundation in partnership with ZINECDA aims to ensure all children are given the opportunity to use education to better their futures and the future of coming generations.



Best Wishes
Ringisai

Meet the staff 5.Garikai Makokoro-Logistics Officer

Hello Friends.

 Garikai Makokoro is my name, and I am the resident go to guy at Nhaka Foundation otherwise known as, the logistics officer. I am responsible for making sure that the Corn Soya  porridge and Maheu are delivered to the schools on the feeding programme and that the children have their meals. I work mainly in the field making sure that renovations are underway and meet with the builders and painters. I enjoy my job because I spend a lot of time in the field interacting with the community ,being where the action is and seeing the change first hand that Nhaka Foundation makes at schools and in the community.

I am humbled to be a part of bringing such great change to the communities and to vulnerable children. Seeing the smiles of the children we feed drives me to work even harder. I am passionate about equipping children with different tools and resources they need to live a fulfilled life.

Nutrition is an important part of academic success and physical development. In vulnerable communities children often attend school without having had anything to eat and spend the whole day at school hungry. It is difficult for a child to concentrate when they are hungry and in addition,  malnutrition stunts their physical growth. However in some households there is not enough money or food to ensure children receive the proper food they need. Every child has a right to basic nutrition despite their environment or circumstances.  Nutrition is particularly important to ECD pupils. They are young and are in the middle of crucial physical and mental development. A healthy diet will mean they can be more active and play better therefore they can learn better.

 

It is sad to think that our nation used to be the bread basket of Africa however ,due to economic problems a great part of our population are underfed and malnourished. Nhaka Foundation through our feeding program aims to ensure despite turbulent times in our nation the children are not the ones to suffer.

 

Best wishes

Garikai

Meet the Staff 4.Shona Musimbe-Media Intern

Hello Friends!

My name is Shona Musimbe and I am the Media Intern here at Nhaka Foundation. Media and technology play such a pivotal role in our modern day society particularly social media. In fact if Facebook were a country it would be the third largest country in the world. Media, is an important part of transmitting the Nhaka message of the importance of Early Childhood Development to a widespread audience .  I feel fortunate to play a part in spreading this message and being a part of changing children’s lives as well as the future of Zimbabwe.

I am passionate about children because I believe that when we are young we are full of endless possibilities, the world is our oyster. We are like pieces of clay that unmoulded undamaged. Childhood is a crucial part of life and it is the starting point of all future success. It is the time when the human being is most vulnerable and requires the most amount of guidance. It is important that the well-being and development of is children made a priority to communities, parents and governments.  I am a firm believer in the principle of equal opportunities. Each person has an equal right to guarantee their own success or failure. Children should not be held back by their circumstances but be given the tools to rise above them. Education is this tool particularly ECD.

Educating one generation means the quality of life of future generations will be better .If each child has an opportunity to attend an ECD centre and gain basic tools for their future education the playing field will be even. Chances of success should not be determined by a person’s background or by the amount of money they have. Success should be determined by who is willing to work the hardest and most diligently for it .All men and women are born equal therefore is it not logical that they have equal opportunities? Children are not reaching their full potential because of extreme poverty, malnutrition and lack of access to health care. At Nhaka Foundation we are trying to give every child a fighting chance particularly those that do not already have one.

 Till next time

Shona.

Meet Our Staff 3.Nyaradzo Mutasa -Administrative Assistant

Greetings Friends,

Nyaradzo Lennah Mutasa is my name. I am a proud wife and mother of three, two girls and one boy. I am the administrative assistant at Nhaka Foundation. The way I was brought up taught me to respect those in need. My mother and father took in every school dropout from both sides of our families and made sure they continued with their education, had shelter, food and clothing.  Working for organisations that support orphans and vulnerable children gives me the satisfaction that I am my mother’s and father’s daughter and continuing some of the work they began.

Being part of the Nhaka family as we call it, gave me a sense of belonging. In addition to being part of the family I am gaining necessary work experience .I have learnt the importance of love as our Director Patrick Makokoro and the rest of the team are richly blessed with the gift of loving their neighbours irrespective of their weaknesses and strength.

Working in such a blessed environment allows me to go to bed a happy person. I am always eager to return to work as I consider it a home away from home. This job has given me the desire to go the extra mile, so we can achieve our common goal as a team of delivering to communities the importance of Early Childhood Development and general education .Another goal we as a team are passionate about is affording equal opportunities to vulnerable children. At Nhaka Foundation I have learnt to put the needs of children first and to not put my needs first but the needs of the kids. 

At Nhaka it is not about flashy offices and cars but about putting a smile on a child’s face because of the work we do.

Till next time,

Nyaradzo

3 months later….

Dear Friends,

Early childhood education and development programs provide an opportunity for children from deprived backgrounds to receive stimulation and social interaction they may lack at home. The government of Zimbabwe has introduced 9 years of primary education of which the 2 years should be dedicated to ECD.

Nhaka Foundation compliments the government effort to provide early learning. At this stage children learn through play. The concept of learning through playing is not well known and communities are reluctant to receive it. Thus intensive awareness about  importance of ECD is carried  out in schools and communities. Nhaka foundation in partnership  with the Ministry  of Primaryand Secondary education conducts various trainings in Mwanza, Dudzu, Dzvete,Rusike, Chinyika (wards of Goromonzi district.)

ECD is the entry point for other projects undertaken in the communities we operate. Nhaka Foundation identifies orphans and vulnerable children and provides required assistance. The sponsorship program caters for education assistance that is paying for school fees and provides uniforms and stationery for  children in ECD and  other grades. A partnership with the Ministry of Health  was formed to carry out the health assessments on children in ECD. This partnership  assists children   to be treated of minor ailments before they get become more acute. In case of major illness the children are referred for attention to major hospitals.

Birth registration is also considered at this stage .Children without birth certificates are identified and referred to relevant authorities so  they may be registered. A feeding program is implemented in these wards so to ensure the ECD children's basic needs are catered for.

Currently more than 2 000 children are on the feeding program. The porridge and maheu that the children receive does not only provide a supplementary meal but provide the children with a

nutritious meal that aids their physical development. The provision of food in ECD has encouraged caregivers to enrol their children into   ECD since they do not have to worry about the  food that their children must carry  to school.

To facilitate conducive learning  environments ,ECD teachers need to be equipped with different skills. Nhaka Foundation partners with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to train and refresh them on different issues. Currently 4 workshops were done with 40 teachers  from Chikwaka  and

Chinyika clusters. The training was on ECD syllabus and out door playground equipment. An exchange visit was facilitated among schools to exchange ideas on issues of ECD.

The ECD program is an important part of the work done by Nhaka Foundation. We are able to ensure that vulnerable and underprivileged children enjoy equal opportunities to succeed and are able to live a fulfilled life. ECD sets the foundation for a child's future education and plays a major role in their future academic success. Therefore it is important that the needs of the

children are met at this crucial a point.

Get in touch with us, send us an email or message on our Facebook wall! We would love to hear back from you!

Best wishes,

Shana and Grace

Meet the Staff 2- Valerie Jahwi- Finance and Admin

Hello friends!

 My name is Valerie. I am the Finance and Administration Officer at Nhaka Foundation. I joined Nhaka Foundation in January 2014. I was touched by the plight of the many orphans and vulnerable children that we serve in this country. They are living in dire poverty, without access to the most basic needs such as food, adequate clothing, health care & education. Being a mother, I want to make a difference in the world my son is growing up in and teach him to be selfless.

Growing up and living in urban Zimbabwe, one is somewhat unaware or rather we choose to be unaware of the difficulties that other fellow Zimbabweans are in. We tend to take for granted and moan about the hand that life has dealt us. We do not realise that others are worse off than we are. I am challenged by Team Nhaka! They have dedicated their life to meeting the needs of these innocent beings giving them a better start in life and a chance to break the cycle of poverty. Nhaka Foundation is giving hope for a brighter future not only to this generation, but even for generations to come. It is such a noble initiative.

What I love about these kids is how they are so unlike us. They have joy and are always smiling! Reminds me of Job 5: 22 “At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.” Most of us cannot imagine ever living in the conditions they are living in. These kids go to school on an empty stomach and coming back to an empty pantry. This is their reality, except through this they are smiling, laughing and playing!

So take a second look at your life and count your blessings. Things are not as bad as they seem to be. Spread a little joy, smile a bit more and laugh your lungs out.

I’ll leave you with Psalm 126: 2 “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done a good thing for them.””

Come on, laugh through 2014!

Until next time,

Valerie

Meet the staff- Grace Simango- ECD Officer

Dear friends,

My name is Grace Simango. I am an Early Childhood Development (ECD) officer at Nhaka Foundation. I have a passion for children. I particularly have a great interest in the delicate age group of children 0-8 years. This is a very important stage of development for any child and their needs should be a priority. They are young, vulnerable and in most cases policy makers, authorities, even the parents seem not to notice them .If we do not support them completely we can lose the leaders of tomorrow and the future of our country. At this tender age they need a healthy diet for physical and mental development thus we need to provide them with nutritious meals. 

Adults should stop the habit of putting their considerations first when it comes to food. It should be children first in all aspects of life. Let children play indoors or outdoors but under supervision because they are not aware of the dangers they can meet while playing. During play let them lead and guide themselves so that they can develop leadership skills and exercise the freedom of being their own masters. Set aside resources so that children will enjoy their rights and have a future full of fun and possibilities.

Next time I will be talking about some exciting aspects of Early Childhood Development in Zimbabwe.

Regards,

Grace

New Year, new plans and what not!

Hello Friends,

It certainly has been a while since I got some time to put together some thoughts to share with you all. First things first, Compliments of the New Year! I am sure this year will be great, exciting and fulfilling. It takes you to create the kind of year that you want to have, so start early!

Since October 2013, I think that was the last time I sat down to write on the blog, a lot of things have happened. My personal life has evolved around being with our ever growing son, our creative and funny daughter and of course cutting some time out to be with my wife. The importance of spending time with our loved ones is something that many of us take for granted. We tend to get too consumed with trying to make things happen whilst negating some very important aspects of our lives. So yes I did manage to spend some time with the family in October. November and December where hectic but it was during those months that I managed to put together thoughts of how to move the organization forward and ensure that the work we have done in the past five years is consolidated and that we don’t lose track of the vision that God gave us years ago.

So 2014 has beckoned and now the weeks are just flying by. Talking to a friend after church last Sunday made me realize too that time is flying. After enquiring on his health, family and business I then asked him how the week was, looking me in the eye he said “man all I know it was a Monday and before long it was Friday”! We laughed at this but as I drove home from church, this made me ponder on the fact that indeed time waits for no man! So whatever we are doing, lets do it within the time frames we have and not fall into the trap of asking what happened to the time.

The Nhaka team in 2014 has grown. We have acquired more skills and expertise to improve on our operational efficiencies and to ensure that we are moving forward implementing quality programming that reaches out to the littlest and most vulnerable members of our country. As we move forward in 2014 my prayer is that all of our friends put their hands on the plough and do something to support the children who are living in difficult circumstances in this country. One newest staff members gave us a gentle reminder yesterday that our response to the plight of children in this country is not all about money but maybe just a simple gesture like a smile will change the day for some of these children.

Here is hoping that you all have a super 2014 and will try my best to stick to one of my 2014 resolutions which is to ensure that this blog is even more active unlike before!

Until next time,

Patrick