A Mother & Child Community Development Initiative Chilenje, Zambia

Community Care Programme

The women who are longterm members of the CWCG group fully appreciate the mentoring which the group and its programmes have provided them. These women wished to expand this mentoring process to the wider community. Using their own new found confidence, and resources, they began to make regular visits to local orphanages and homes. The purpose of these visits is to provide some services (usually cleaning, ironing, or cooking) and to develop working relationships with families, NGO's and donors in the Chilienje district. CWCG now has a core group of women who provide this type of community care on a rota basis.

CWCG Family Support Progamme

Many families live far below the poverty line and food security is a survival issue.

The women who now have become leaders within the core CWCG group have become respected mentors within their own communities. These women made many sad and shocking discoveries during the course of their routine local home visits. Many families live far below the poverty line and food security is a survival issue. In addition these families have little or no ability to achieve or access basic health and hygiene conditions.

In response to these tragic family situations CWCG, with the help of the Hestia Foundation and Professor Andrew Tomkins of the CIHD, Institute of Child Health, developed the Family Sponsorship Programme. This sponsorship provides basic food, and hygiene support, as well as continued educational mentoring. In addition school clothes, books and shoes are provided, so that children in these families can attend school. There are at present only eight families benefiting from sponsorship. Sadly there are so many more families who desperately need this help and we need your help to continue this invaluable work.

CWCG Rural Outreach

CWCG has only been in existence for five years but the model it has created has attracted not only the attention at government level, but also the attention of women in rural areas. To date CWCG has helped to train and support two new groups outside Lusaka.

Kabange Group - bettering the lives of themselves and their families

The Hestia Trustees first went to visit Kabangwe with Molly Chisenga, Senior Project Nurse CWCG, in 2006. This group of women had originally been identified by Mulenga Nulunge, the programme director of CWCG.

Kabange is a rural suburb of Lusaka. Both Molly and Mulenga felt that the women from this group had similar aspirations and potential to the women in the Chilenje group.

It was immediately clear to the Hestia Trustees that this group of women and their families were living well below the poverty line. However, they were well organised and had obvious leaders. Although their nearest health clinic is eight kilometers away they had a general knowledge about HIV/AIDS. They clearly understood the stigma related issues of living with HIV. This group of women was not looking for financial handouts and fully understood the concept of gaining skills through income generating activities that would allow them to better themselves and their families.

A regular series of meetings and training sessions between CWCG and this group was initiated. Some start-up costs and materials were provided by Hestia for this new group.

There is now a strong Kabange group who are using and benefiting from their new acquired skills. The popular skills for this group were tie & dying, sewing cushions and dresses and crochet lessons. One particular mother has built a two roomed house with the money she raised from selling ponchos!

These women are now empowered to solve many of their day to day problems, such as buying food, sending their children to school and transport money to go to the health clinic.

Chongwe Group / Tinyafwane - "we help each other"

Chongwe is a region about 45 kilometers from Lusaka. Chongwe is a large rural town with an active market. There is no industry in this region and farming is the only way of life. The CWCG project director Molly Chisenga had been contacted by women from this region who were interested in starting a group similar to the Chilenje Women and Child Group. Hestia made an introductory visit to Chongwe with Molly in September 2007.

This meeting took place in the Chongwe Health Compound. This Health Compound is receiving medical aid and can access ARV drugs

This group comprised of men and women, who had already taken action by forming a club called Tinyafwane (meaning "we help each other"). It was soon evident to all present that this is a very forward thinking group which could match well in the sharing of skills training for income generating activities.

CWCG followed the same training pattern with this group as they had undertaken with the Kabange Group women. This has meant that members of the Tinyafwane Group are now able to bring real income into their homes. They are also experiencing the positive benefits from the ongoing health mentoring available to them through the group.

The Chilenje Women and Child Group are now firmly established as a model project. In addition CWCG has proved that with some minor adaptations this model can work in more rural regions in Zambia. CWCG is contacted on a regular basis by women who want to start a similar group in their area. We hope you can help us with funding so that this outreach programme can grow to its full potential.

 

CWCG funded through the Hestia Charitable Foundation
UK Registered Charity 1095957

Hestia would like to note with thanks the generous support of the RLPF Foundation, USA