Tag Archives: Africa

Lefties: A Day Just for You

Posted on August 13, 2012 | Comments Off

By Joan Ng’ang’a, ChildFund Kenya

It’s International Left-Hand Day. Who knew? Not wanting to miss an opportunity, we did a quick check around the ChildFund Kenya office for our left-handed colleagues.

Esther Ndungu in our finance department and Eunice Kilundo in programs were good sports and agreed to share their stories.

How was it growing up using your left hand?

Left-handed woman

Esther

Esther: People used to imitate me; some would get very mad and say my parents failed to teach me how to use my right hand.

Left-handed woman

Eunice

Eunice: Throughout my school life, including college, my classmates teased and made fun of me by imitating me as I wrote and as I played (throwing a ball with “the hand”). They found it funny as I tried to write while seated at a right-hand desk. I could even catch some of them staring as I ate! I guess they thought I would miss my mouth or something.

What have you heard about left-handedness?
Esther: Left-handed are bright people and they are lucky. They think with both sides of the brain…that they are very smart. They die early….

Eunice: I grew up feeling different, strange. My unsuccessful attempt to “change my hand” frustrated me. By and by, my perception changed. I now find it humorous when people get surprised that I am a leftie! I try teaching them the “art” of throwing a ball, eating without missing my mouth. It’s nice to tickle people once in a while by doing something so natural to me… being me.

Any thoughts you have about being left-handed?
Esther: We are unique people in our own way.

Thumbs-upEunice: They can do anything and everything. Just try and find us the left (not right) scissors, enough lecture room seats and allow us to be. To my fellow lefties: Guys, take it easy and go for anything including the presidency: George H.W. Bush, Clinton, and Obama did!

Happy Left-Handers Day!

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Ebola Outbreak Believed Under Control in Uganda

Posted on August 7, 2012 | Comments Off

Reporting from ChildFund Uganda

Village in UgandaAn outbreak of the Ebola virus, which has claimed the lives of at least 16 people in Uganda since late July, now appears to be under control, according to the World Health Organization.

Although the epicenter of the outbreak is in the Kibaale district, more than 230 suspected cases have been identified and are being monitored by the Ministry of Health. Although the bulk of these cases are in Kibaale and surrounding districts, a few are reported in three districts where ChildFund has operations: Kiboga, Amuria and Kampala. To date, there are no Ebola cases involving children and families in ChildFund’s program areas.

ChildFund Uganda, which has been monitoring the situation since the onset, mounted a response plan in Kiboga, which is closest to the epicenter. All other ChildFund programs are on alert, with preparedness plans in place, should the situation change.

Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a deadly disease caused by the Ebola virus first identified in Africa in the mid-1970s. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the incubation period for Ebola ranges from 2 to 21 days. The onset of illness is abrupt and is characterized by fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, sore throat, and weakness, followed by diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. A rash, red eyes, hiccups and internal and external bleeding may be seen in some patients. Up to 90 percent of people who are infected with Ebola die from it, according to the National Institutes of Health.

ChildFund is collaborating with Uganda’s Ministry of Health in all of its preparedness and response activities that include

  1. Launching a sensitization campaign via radio talk shows and spot messages to help educate children and families in the affected districts on safe health practices.
  2. Working with the district health teams to develop a preparedness and response plan.
  3.  Attending and participating in all district-level task force meetings
  4. Contributing to the procurement of some protective gear and disinfection agents (e.g., gloves, disinfectants and face masks for village health teams).

Since the first cases were reported, Uganda’s Ministry of Health has helped the Kiboga district set up a surveillance and response team to quickly identify and isolate cases of the disease. The Ministry of Health is also providing continuous medical education sessions on Ebola for the Kiboga hospital staff.

Although the outbreak appears to be now traced to its source and contained, ChildFund Uganda remains on alert.

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Sierra Leonean Youth Eager for Opportunity

Posted on July 31, 2012 | 1 Comment

By Abu Bakarr Conteh, ChildFund Sierra Leone

As part of ongoing efforts to tackle unemployment in Sierra Leone, some 3,000 youth have started an intensive 12-month training program supported by ChildFund.

Years of civil war in Sierra Leone have robbed thousands of children and youth of a complete education. With few opportunities for employment, this generation of youth has been languishing in their villages with very little to offer and dim prospects for the future.

youth at sewing machinesChildFund, with funding from the World Bank, is rolling out the Youth Employment and Support Project (YESP) in five districts including the capital city of Freetown. And young people are eagerly enrolling in carpentry, masonry, auto mechanics and welding, among other vocational programs.
After completing the YESP training, the youth expect to improve their prospects of getting jobs.

young woman working on vehicle“My dream is to become one of the best female auto mechanics in the country, so I can work for the big companies,” says 18-year-old Mamadi, who has been on the street and suffered exploitation.

youth repairing electronicsMusa, who was struck with polio, is seeking to add value to his life. “I will become self-employed and be able to provide for my family once I complete the training,” he says.

In a country where unemployment remains a huge challenge across the population, these youth are highly spirited and determined to carve their own destinies.

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Posted in In the Field, Voices of Children

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Easing Transitions: Zambia’s Stepping Stones Program

Posted on July 17, 2012 | Comments Off

By Christine Ennulat

The high school dropout is a familiar phenomenon. But an elementary school dropout? In developing countries, it’s a common problem.

“Your first-grade classroom may have 135 kids in it,” says Mary Moran, ChildFund senior specialist in Early Childhood Development. “Your second-grade classroom has 60, and by the time you get to fifth grade, you may be in a class of 10 or 12.”

ChildFund’s Stepping Stones program, in Zambia’s Mumbwa region since 2009, eases the transition between early childhood and primary school environments, helping more children stay in school.

Children at ECD Center

Children gather to start their school day at an Early Childhood Development Center in Zambia.

For a child who is moving to primary school, whether from home or one of ChildFund’s Early Childhood Development (ECD) centers, the change is often a shock. A typical primary school is a teacher-centered, highly structured setting with little individual attention and few to no materials with which to work or play.

The primary school teacher usually has little training in child development or in education methods for young children. Parents may have had no school experience at all, which means no understanding of the school process or how to support their children in it.

Stepping Stones connects teachers, parents and children. Teachers from ECD classes and first-grade classes collaborate on a plan for understanding each other’s practices and expectations. Groups of children and teachers may visit classrooms, or parents may take their children individually. Teachers from both settings spend time in each other’s classrooms. They’re also trained in how to engage with parents and families.

Parents @ ECD Center

Parents participate in a learning activity with their children.

Likewise, parents receive coaching on how to engage and interact with teachers, as well as to recognize when their children are under stress or having other difficulty. All adults work in concert on behalf of the children.

The Stepping Stones program supports children as they learn lifelong skills: resiliency, adaptation to change and how to recognize the differing expectations of people and environments. To help them, teachers are trained in social-emotional learning strategies, from understanding different learning styles to new ways to structure classrooms and schedules that help children prepare for change and provide them with a sense of control.

“We now know how to ask questions of children,” said one teacher who has participated in Stepping Stones. “I thought my role was to make sure the children know the information.” As they learned their new role as guides rather than givers of information, teachers also noted that children were more apt to both ask for help and share their enthusiasm for learning. The level of parents’ engagement was another pleasant surprise.

When the time came for a graduation ceremony to honor the transition, some of the preschool teachers literally handed the children over to the primary teachers as parents looked on. “In one case, a child told us that graduation was really important because he had his first taste of cake,” Moran laughs. “Another told us that what was so important to her was that her community gave them a book to write in, and it was the first time she had ever had a book.”

Child walking to school

A student walks to his primary school classroom.

On the first day of primary school, only one of the 143 children cried. But both the teachers and the parent were prepared to support the child. It took only a handful of days for him to find his footing.

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From Student to Head Teacher: A Sponsored Child’s Journey

Posted on July 10, 2012 | 1 Comment

By Virginia Sowers, ChildFund Community Manager

When I have the opportunity to travel to ChildFund’s programs in the field, I’ve learned to watch for the unexpected moment—the shy, camera-ready smile of a child peering through a window, a chance to walk slowly through a village with a community volunteer who readily shares her insights or an impromptu conversation on the edge of a muddy road with the head of a parent’s committee.

Most recently, my travels to Uganda included a brief stop at the high-performing Buyengo Primary School that ChildFund has supported since 1984. We were there to see the students and tour a new library being built. Someone casually mentioned that a former sponsored child was now the school’s head teacher.

And that’s how I met Fred Wabwira, who recalled the early days of the school when students—so eager for the opportunity of education—sat on rocks in the absence of desks. His own education progressed, however, and he eventually returned to oversee the teaching staff at a school he considers home.

Watch the video interview with Mr. Wabwira.

Special thanks to videographer Jake Lyell and communications intern Mark Robinson for video editing.

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A Photo Diary: Day of the African Child Events

Posted on June 29, 2012 | Comments Off

Having children in our ChildFund programs participate in the Day of the African Child ceremonies at the African Union earlier this month was a shining moment. We asked Joan Ng’ang’a, communications officer for ChildFund Kenya, to post about the experience of traveling with the children from Kenya to Ethiopia.

Wednesday, 13 June
It is 11 a.m. when Jane and James meet for the first time. Discussing what they hope to get out of the trip, their respective projects, and the excitement of flying for the first time, both students are anxious to start their voyage.

One hour before check-in, Jane and James get their passports. They have waited a long time but it is worth it. We get to the airport at 4:20 p.m., check in and proceed to gate number 7 for boarding.

“You mean, they just jump off the ground,” James questions, as he watches a plane take off for the first time. We all laugh. Our flight takes off as scheduled at 6:20 p.m.

three women

Joan (center) catches up with ChildFund colleagues.

We land at Bole Airport in Ethiopia around 8:40 p.m. and are warmly greeted by Tenagne Mekonnen, ChildFund’s regional communications manager in Africa. It’s been nearly a year since our last meeting, so I am excited to see her and she is happy to finally meet Jane and James. After dinner, the children run off to recite their work. Everyone is in bed by 10 p.m.; it has been a long day.

Thursday 14 June
On Thursday, we rise with the sun around 6 a.m. We enjoy a good breakfast and meet the team from Gambia for introductions. We meet Abdulahi and Ramatoulie for the first time. Together, we ride to the U.N. complex in our van. We really like our van because it displays our countries’ names.

boy and girl with ambassador

Abdulahi and Ramatoulie meet with the deputy head of mission at The Gambia’s embassy.

Today is the day that all the children, from Ethiopia, The Gambia and Kenya, will compete in a Q&A before the African Union. They will also be able to share their prepared art work. Both Jane and James read their poems. We conclude the day with a lunch and a visit to the Gambian embassy. It has been an exciting first day.

Friday 15 June

boy and girl

James and Jane in their traditional dress.

On Friday, by 7:30 a.m., we have all had breakfast and the children have dressed in their traditional attire. The fabrics and colors of their clothing display their rich African culture. They are proud to represent their countries.

On our way in, James sees the Kenyan flag and we take some pictures. I am truly humbled to finally arrive at the African Union, a place I had only read about over the last 10 years. We take even more photos!

Our sessions begin at 10 a.m. with opening remarks from the Commissioner of Social Affairs, followed by more speeches from the organizers and representatives from the government of Ethiopia and ChildFund International. Like celebrities, the children get interviewed by two radio stations. Someone from a local newspaper interviews James, as well. Before long, the children are treated to tea time. They really like the break and enjoy their cake and soda.

After lunch, we tour the University of Addis Ababa’s museum. There we absorb the history and culture of Ethiopia. We are all fascinated by the stuffed lion at the entrance of the museum. It looked so real!

Saturday 16 June
Today is the actual anniversary of the uprising in Soweto, South Africa, in 1976. But since it’s a weekend, the children are allowed to sleep until 7:30 a.m. After breakfast, we all head to the Arada community to visit a children’s art club. Abdulahi speaks on behalf of the group. He briefly recaps the last two days of our stay in Ethiopia and the children get to know each other. Split into four groups, the children break off to view and learn more about pieces of art posted in the club. Some of us learn a new word, today: Jambo – hello in Swahili.

children in traditional dress

ChildFund Regional Director Jumbe Sebunya welcomes the children.

Our van picks us up at 5:30 p.m. and takes us to the awards ceremony and closing reception at the African Union. A surprise to us, Tenagne brings ice cream! We arrive at the AU and meet ChildFund’s regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Jumbe Sebunya, with whom the children take photos. The highlight of the evening is the presenting of awards by ChildFund. We are excited when Jane wins first place in literature in the high school group and James wins first place in literature for the middle school group. We take more photos than ever at this event!

Monday 18 June

Kenya children and ChildFund National director

ChildFund Kenya’s National Director Victor Koyi congratulates the children on their achievement.

It is 8:15 a.m. and we have arrived at the airport. We depart from gate number 7 and before long, the plane lands in Nairobi. We are finally home. James and Jane meet with ChildFund Kenya National Director Victor Koyi for a debrief. They tell him about their exciting trip, yet we all express happiness to be home!

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KISS Star Makes Unique Business Deal in Zambia

Posted on June 28, 2012 | Comments Off

By Cynthia Price, Director of Communications

Gene Simmons is a rock star, a reality-TV celebrity and a businessman. He recently entered into a most unusual business contract.

youth in doorway

Esther doesn’t want to give up on her nursing education, but money is scarce.

It all began with a two-hour car ride in Zambia, with the final stretch along a bumpy dirt road, delivering Gene and his wife, Shannon, at the home of Esther, a young woman who recently lost her mother. She is being raised by her grandmother in a small house with a dirt floor and a thin metal roof. A few chickens scratch in the dirt yard.

She is excited to meet her ChildFund sponsor and has called her family together to join in greeting Gene and Shannon. Esther shows the couple where she sleeps with her sister and grandmother. She shares how she walks 6 kilometers to sell vegetables. There are days, though, when she and her family have no food. And while she loves school, she has to walk long distances to attend. But she doesn’t complain. She has a dream – she wants to be a nurse.

Shannon and Gene Simmons in Zambia

Shannon and Gene talk with Esther and her family.

“So, why do you want to be a nurse?” Gene asks. Esther doesn’t hesitate: “If there were more nurses, my mother would not have passed away,” she tells him. Her mother died only last month and her father died when she was five months old.

Gene pauses and looks at Shannon, who nods in unspoken agreement. “I am a businessman,” Gene begins.” I want to make you a deal. We will pay all of your expenses for school.”

Sponsor hugs child

Esther, happy to learn she can continue school, embraces Shannon.

Loud chanting and cheering break out among Esther’s family members.

Gene isn’t finished, though. “You have to do well in school,” he tells her. Esther nods vigorously in agreement.

Shannon adds, “You don’t owe us anything. You don’t have to pay us back. You owe us to be a good nurse.”

As Gene leaves the village, he reflects on the time spent with Esther. “We just met an amazing 16-year-old girl with lots of charisma, who can change the cycle, but the odds are stacked against her,” he says.

“We can help,” he notes. “And ChildFund points us in the right direction. Hopefully, she’ll become a great nurse.”

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Excitement at Muchuto Basic School

Posted on June 27, 2012 | 1 Comment

By Cynthia Price, Director of Communications

Gene and Shannon Simmons recently traveled to Zambia to visit several of the children Gene sponsors through ChildFund. The trip became the basis for the June 25 episode of their reality TV show, Gene Simmons Family Jewels.

Two girls with art

Today is all about learning. Gene and Shannon visit Zambia’s Muchuto Basic School, loaded down with notebooks, pens, pencils and crayons. The children eagerly look through everything, giggling and smiling. Suddenly they give a robust shout, “Thank you!” The children also belt out a healthy rendition of If You’re Happy and You Know It, Clap your Hands.

youth with new bicycle

While at the school, Gene and Shannon meet six children they sponsor: Miyoba, Lydia, Cecilia, Isaac, Kaoma and Robam. While the couple learns about the school and explores the classrooms, the children are busily drawing pictures for their honored guests. Gene and Shannon have brought a gift for each child, and a much-needed one for Roban, whom Gene has sponsored for more than two years. Robam loves school, but he doesn’t always make it to class because he has to walk more than 3 kilometers each day, each way.

youth with new bike

Meeting Gene and Shannon is a thrill for Robam, but, truthfully, he’s even more excited when they present him with a bicycle. He jumps on the bike and makes energetic circles around the school yard, as his classmates cheer. This bicycle is more than a vehicle for fun; it will help Robam get to school on time and complete his education.

As Gene and Sharon prepare to leave, the children come running out of their classroom and surround the couple, eager to present them with drawings they created using their new school supplies. It’s been a good morning at Muchuto Basic School.

children present cards to guests

Students have special thank-you notes for Gene and Shannon.

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Rock Star Brightens Sponsored Child’s Day

Posted on June 26, 2012 | 2 Comments

By Cynthia Price, Director of Communications

boy sitting

Edward awaits his sponsor’s visits.

Fourteen-year-old Edward has waited patiently most of the morning. He’s sat on bench outside his one-room home with his hands clasped in his lap, gazing eagerly down the dusty road that leads to his home. His extended family members are gathered around him.

It’s an important day because Edward is going to meet his ChildFund sponsor. In his eyes, a sponsor is like a rock star – someone whose monthly contribution enables him to attend school and have the books he needs. Little does he know that his sponsor is actually a rock star.

And then the big moment unfolds. Gene Simmons of KISS and star of Gene Simmons Family Jewels arrives with his wife, Shannon, warmly greeting Edward and his family. Gene hears the traditional Nyanja greeting of “Bwanjia,” or “How are you?” Edward breaks out into a big grin.

Edward and guests

Edward gives Gene and Shannon a tour of his village.

A gracious host, Edward shows Gene and Shannon around his home, made of mud thatch, and notes that one of his chores is to wash the dishes. He shows them where his mother cooks the food. A pot is simmering on the small fire, and Gene inquires what is in it. “Sweet potatoes,” Edward answers softly.

Edward takes Gene and Shannon down the long dusty road to the community well where he pumps water for his family to use for drinking and cooking. He points further down the road in the direction he has to walk so he can attend school. As they return to the house, sponsor and child are at ease, with Gene’s arm comfortably resting on Edward’s shoulder as if they’ve been friends for life. And in a way they have. Gene has sponsored Edward since 2006.

As the cameras roll and capture the reunion, a teary-eyed Gene has a difficult time talking. “Just be courageous,” Shannon whispers.

Edward tells Gene that he wants to be a teacher. A delighted Gene observes: “He will continue to give and raise up people.”

Gene and Shannon visit Edward

Gene shows Edward the sign for “I love you.”

At the end of the visit, Edward hands his gifts to the couple. “I don’t want gifts,” Gene protests. “I want to give.” But he accepts the gifts graciously – a flag depicting Zambia’s win of the Africa Cup, a Zambia cap and a skirt for Shannon. After consulting with the interpreter, Gene turns to say thank you to Edward in his native language: “Zikomo.”

Gene and Shannon also have brought gifts, including a soccer ball, which Edward and Gene immediately put to use.

Before departing, Gene takes a moment to talk with Edward’s mother, who is raising him on her own because her husband left when Edward was 6 or 7. “Mothers are the most important people in the world,” Gene tells her, adding that she is raising “an amazing young man.”

As Gene leaves, Edward’s grin doesn’t fade. “I am very happy, very happy.”

And what child wouldn’t be if they could meet their sponsor?

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Hanging Out with Gene Simmons of KISS

Posted on June 25, 2012 | 2 Comments

By Cynthia Price, ChildFund Director of Communications

ChildFund Director of Communications and Gene Simmons

With Gene on location  in Zambia.

OMG! I’m in an African village with Gene Simmons of KISS. Yes, that KISS.

He’s an imposing man. Six-feet, two-inches, and all action. He’s here in Zambia to take action – to meet the children he has sponsored through ChildFund for years and to determine what else he can do to help.logo

The experience will be captured for an episode of his reality TV show, Gene Simmons Family Jewels. His wife, Shannon, helped organize the trip.

I’ve been to ChildFund programs before. I’ve seen the dirt roads. The thatched houses with no running water or electricity. The classrooms with nubby pencils and recycled newspaper as activity books. I know what we’re about to see. Gene and Shannon don’t.

“We came here with a TV show. Let’s go to Africa and visit the children. It’s a nice sound bite,” Gene says. “But what happened along the way is that real life got in the way. We’re going to do something about this.”

Shannon adds, “Poverty and starvation… once you see it in person, you can’t walk away.”

And they don’t. They go for total immersion. And they’ve brought gifts for the children: school supplies, soccer balls, backpacks and clothing. There’s even a bicycle for one of Gene’s sponsored children, so he doesn’t have to walk the long distance to school. Shannon gives one young woman the shoes off her feet.

As we talk about what they saw and experienced, Gene often has to pause because he’s choked up. I’ve seen KISS perform – who would ever expect Gene to be quiet? But it was a lot to take in. “Here is a wake-up call,” Gene says, after meeting Edward, one of his sponsored children. “We must do something.”

Gene Simmons with guitar and children

Music is a universal connector.

Gene and Shannon are absolutely great with the children. They spend tons of time with them. At the schools we visit, they often sing with the children and in one school, Gene plays guitar.

What’s really amazing about the visit is that Gene and Shannon don’t act like rock stars. They’re truly humbled by the experience. “It really makes you appreciate the little things,” Shannon says. “I will waste less, spend less and appreciate more.”

The trip to Africa, Gene adds, is a “stark reminder that life doesn’t treat everyone the same.”

ChildFund supporters like Gene and Shannon help change those circumstances. Although the children didn’t recognize Gene as a celebrity – even when he handed out KISS swag – he’s a rock star in their eyes because he is their ChildFund sponsor.

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