Wednesday, May 7, 2014

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

Thursday, April 24, 2014

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

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

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.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

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

Monday, March 17, 2014

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

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

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

Monday, March 3, 2014

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
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