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

Assignment series-Conclusion

Dear friends,

I have had some awesome conversations in the past month as a result of this series. I am moved by what people have begun to do as a result of their seeking to fulfil the mandate they have here on earth. Being practical is the best and I encourage you to pay your rent on earth as it were!

I was battling on how to conclude this because as someone who realized his purpose and managed to start working at it at an early age, I always want to urge others to find fulfilment, joy and happiness in fulfilling their own purpose. Remember we all have different tasks that were set for us to accomplish. I will lean heavily on the Word of God in my conclusion. We were chosen by God before we were formed. The Lord made us and shaped us into the people we are. He knows our behaviour, our strengths, weaknesses, capabilities and our character. These unique personalities that we have should be used to achieve a specific purpose. God is going to use us for the fulfilment of His plan. Think for a moment when you try to be like someone . If you try to be someone else you then want to be a carbon copy of what is already in existence, in fact God doesn’t need you as someone else! You are trying to be a piece of the puzzle that God already has! So stop trying to be like someone, be you and fit into the puzzle the way God wants you to. You were made in a precise manner, for a specific purpose and only you will serve that purpose. When God made you, He wanted you, when He chose you, He wanted you!

So in conclusion, the understanding that I have no doubts about is that we all have been chosen as God’s treasure and for His purpose. Our destiny can be discovered and lived out as we walk in harmony with God our creator. Thus we can only know the true reason for our existence when we are close to Him and we allow Him to direct our path.

As the year comes to an end, I hope you have been on that path of living a life fulfilling your purpose? How have you been paying your rent of being on earth?

Until next time,

Patrick

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.
-Winston Churchill

The Assignment series 2

Dear friends,

I hope this finds you all well. Well I was offline a bit pressure of work and other commitments related to my own life assignment! I am trusting that this second installment is finding you well on course to discover your purpose and reason for existence on this beautiful planet of ours. As they say, an apple does not fall far away from its tree and I would like to use that to make reference to the fact that your purpose lies inherently within you and it should be a struggle to find your passion and that will lead you to the reason for your very presence.

Friends, we are not passengers on a bus enjoying a free ride. To each one of us an account of how we spent our lives and time on earth will be demanded. How are you paying your rent? In other words how are you paying for your time on earth? My friends have always laughed when I ask them that question suffice to say that many of them have began to be engaged productively in giving back to communities in various ways. Some are donating books and library equipment to their former schools, some are paying school fees for the less privileged whilst some are putting aside time to mentor young men and women. What are you doing? I have grown to realize that the best gift to a person is not very expensive and does not need to be bought! Now that's really pushing it isn't it? Consider this, spending two hours mentoring a young person on life and different issues they will face as they grow older is a gift to that young person. Or spending one hour at your former school assessing the needs and finding gaps to assist is a gift to that school. Come on now, we all have a gift to give! We need to reach out to our communities with the little we have and make a difference through the same. What is your assignment?

Over the years I have been intrigued and fascinated by how my own world view has been shaped.Your  don't need to have a million bucks to change some circumstances. Just your heart and mind being in the right place is the million bucks you need. There is so much suffering in the world that is not necessary. Localizing this, there is so much suffering in Zimbabwe that is unwarranted. People have grown to be selfish each day...instead of looking out for the welfare of our neighbor, relative or friend we have grown accustomed to just thinking and looking out for our needs more than anything else. Anything to bring in the next dollar is all that people have been concerned about particularly in thin country. The past two days I was reflecting on how our traditional safety nets for the care and protection of the weakest and most vulnerable amongst us have been destroyed. How it was so easy in decades gone by to have a communal land holding that would be farmed by everyone in that community and the harvest channeled to the vulnerable members of that community. What happened?  Have we grown to be so sophisticated and complicated that we fail to respect and respond to the needs of others?

I am almost at a stage where I can pick up a second assignment....maybe I would work to revitalize these safety nets and bring back the glory of the lost decades where it would be impossible to find a poor person or even an "orphan" in a community. Hmmmm sounds like a big enough challenge!

Since the good people are doing nothing, the perpetuation of the poverty cycle in our country and beyond continues.

I am thoroughly blessed by the feedback and responses I have received on issues raised in the blogs and I am encouraged by the fact that these are starting some small fires that hopefully will lead into bigger conversations and actions. Gone are the days of folding hands and not doing anything because you think you are not qualified enough or don't have the material or financial resources. Remember God does not call the qualified but He qualifies the called! Be a willing vessel and reach out.

Have a super week friends,

Until next time,

Patrick

" A thousand years from today I don't want to be known for the cars, houses or the size  of my bank accounts but I want to be known for the difference I would have made in my time" 

Patrick Makokoro 2008