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

News from KLRN Education

New Beginnings Bring New Experiences
Maricella Borroel
Director of Early Childhood Services


New beginnings don’t happen only with the New Year — they happen because of moments; moments of clarity and instances of questioning. Change happens whether or not a person is ready. It happens when it is needed. Change can be scary and powerful- we grow because we change. We change and we grow.

I’m a work in progress, as are KLRN’s Early Childhood Programs. I’ve had the opportunity the past four years to be part of a team who dream, develop, and deliver high quality experiences for children, their families, and caregivers. The blueprint for our services evolves as we consider what services families need, how we can best meet the need, and as we work to build dynamic opportunities and engage with our participants.

We enter this month continuing that legacy as we present Play & Learn Groups, Parent Workshops, Little Bites, Big Steps Workshops, and Community Cafés; it continues as we modify our delivery of services. Within our programs, we are continuously exploring new ways to assess school readiness, and to measure our effectiveness and impact. New, this year, we are utilizing tools, like the Ages & Stages Questionnaire, to measure children’s developing skills- are they more prepared for success in school and in life? Are the parents and caregivers more aware of developmental milestones? Are families engaging in developmentally appropriate activities? How successful are we? How are we tracking change? I’m encouraged by the commitment, the creativity, and the collaborative effort that each member of KLRN’s Team contributes to building experiences. Our team embraces the challenges and the opportunities. Our team is engaged, powerful, and ready for change- the change that is needed to help us get to the next level.

As a new day breaks, just as we do at KLRN, I encourage you to share resources with others and to engage in new experiences. I encourage you all to enter each day, looking for better, expecting more of yourself, and building opportunities. Be more today and even more the day after that. And if what you need doesn’t exist- create it and invite others to learn from you.

Resources From KLRN

KLRN PBS Learning Media gives you trusted, classroom-ready, resources you can use to engage students (log in or create a free KLRN Connect account):

Divergent Evolution (Grades 1-4)
Gain insight into the animal reproduction process known as divergent evolution, in which two related species become more and more dissimilar, with specialized features and characteristics.

How Evolution Works (Grades 6-8) 
In this lesson, students learn about natural selection, the mechanism that drives evolution. They begin by viewing short videos about the evolution of physical and behavioral adaptations in various organisms.

How New Species Evolve (Grades 9-12)
In this two-part lesson, students learn about both allopatric and sympatric speciation. First, students study allopatric speciation by visiting the Web feature Allopatric Speciation. In the second part of the lesson, students learn about sympatric speciation by studying hummingbirds and lacewing flies.