Name of Organisation: Chimanimani Community Based Childcare Organisation
Area of Operation: Chimanimani District, Manicaland, Zimbabwe, Africa
Organisational Background
Chimanimani Community Based Childcare Trust is a membership based organization that is run by a 7 member Board of Trustees which sits at the top of the organisation’s hierarchy. The day to day administrative, implementation of activities and support services are provided for by a 7 member Executive Committee. Local structures have been established in 21 of the 23 wards from village, ward and district level to manage the project activities. Each of the wards is represented by a chairperson who sits in the District Committee that occasionally meets with the Board and Executive Committee to discuss on progress and challenges that affects the operations of the trust as guided by its constitution.
The major driving forces behind the implementation and monitoring of various activities at ground level are the over 2 500 community volunteers in 21 of the 23 wards of the district.
Purpose of the Organisation
The project was conceived and initiated by one outstanding, courageous and visionary woman, Nellie Siwela (70) of Chakohwa ward in the early 1998 and has grown tremendously over the past ten years. The main thrust of the programme is to improve the livelihoods of children especially orphans and other vulnerable children in Chimanimani District in trying to meet the basic human rights.
The program implementation strategy is largely built on strengthening existing community initiatives and coping mechanisms through participatory approaches through training of community volunteers in childcare practices, leadership skills, technical and entrepreneurial skills as well as supporting viable micro-enterprises. The programme is also promoting the building of collaborative linkages with relevant stakeholders to support the interventions at all levels.
CHALLENGES FACING CHILDREN
• Increase in the number of orphans and other vulnerable children and the absence of traditional social support services
• Early marriages and increase early teen pregnancies resulting from seeking risky alternative survival options.
• Increased vulnerability to sexual and physical abuse
• Increased breakdown in family cohesion and traditional extended family support systems
• Reduced focus on primary education, health and child development support services due to increased engagement of children in economic activities to support themselves and other siblings.
• Lack of children representation in key decision making platform and institutions such as the district child protection committees and local authority full council
• Institutional capacity gaps on child related development issues
• Lack of district level policy guidelines on effective child participation and empowerment.
Programme Approach and Strategies
The program implementation strategy is largely built on strengthening existing community initiatives and coping mechanisms through participatory approaches through training of community volunteers in childcare practices, leadership skills, technical and entrepreneurial skills as well as supporting viable micro-enterprises in which children are also engaged through:
• Public awareness creation workshops to highlight the plight of children affected by HIV/AIDS.
• Foster parent training and development for community volunteers, popularly known as ‘mothers’ receive training in a number of areas that include; self-help principles, training for transformation, communication and report writing, networking and local linkages, leadership, resource mobilisation, technical and entrepreneurial skills.
• Child Development will be done through, identification of training needs and to develop suitable training programmes for the affected children. These will include training in training for transformation, self-help skills, leadership, basic survival skills, HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, psychosocial support, tying and dying, mushroom cultivation and crop farming.
