Food Security Zimbabwe Project #2818

Food and Self-Reliance for AIDS Orphans

by American Foundation for Children with AIDS

Project Report | Aug 30, 2017
Goats Help to Provide Hope and a Future

By Tara Fisher | Volunteer

This past year I spent six months in Zimbabwe working with American Foundation for Children with AIDS helping to set up one of their livelihoods projects in the Matopos area. While I was there I helped set up the multiplication center for the project, train the people running the center, and identify and train the families that will be beneficiaries.

• We purchased goats from the surrounding communities to build the multiplication center’s herd
• Trained the people who work at the farm that will be running the project
• Visited families in the community and identified possible beneficiaries
• Trained the possible beneficiaries on how to:

   Make drought resistant gardens
     Build goat shelters out of supplies they may already have
     Take care of goats
     Use goats and their gardens to support their families

I loved being able share what I know about goats with the people at the center and in the community. Sometimes they thought what I was doing was weird until I started explaining it to them and showing them why it was important. They learned how to tell the age of a goat, what to look for when buying a goat, how to know when it is sick, and how to care for the goats.

This area of Zimbabwe has been in a drought for about three years. This year while I was there during their rainy season, they received two and a half times the amount of rain they would get in a normal year. Many places flooded and rivers formed where they had not been before. It damaged and washed away many gardens, houses, and homesteads in the community. Through the livelihoods project, people are now learning how to make gardens that will not only thrive in droughts, but be able to survive in the downpours.

When we were identifying families, we visited as many of their homes as possible. AIDS has impacted this community greatly. There are families that are missing one or both parents, parents that are sick, and orphans being raised by older siblings, grandparents or aunts and uncles. Visiting their homes made me realize how important this project was and how much of a difference it will make in their lives. Growing gardens and raising goats will provide the children with food and the nutrients they need to survive and thrive. Being able to barter and sell the milk. fertilizer, and vegetables they grow will provide the families with money for school fees, allowing the children to stay in school longer and have a chance to reach their full potential.

When I left Zimbabwe in May the goat herd at the multiplication center was up to about 55 goats, today they now have over 75 goats with more kids on the way! It is amazing to see how the project is expanding and moving forward. In a few months, the beneficiaries will have finished the rest of their training and goats will start to be given out. This project is giving children in Zimbabwe hope and a future. I am so happy that I got to be a part of it and cannot wait to see how it impacts the community in the years to come!

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May 31, 2017
Pepper and Jam Dreams

By tanya weaver | executive director

Beds ready for seedlings

The Sandra Jones Centre horizon in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe is now dominated with a beautiful white greenhouse dome and we are so excited about the potential and prospects of this project. You see, young ladies will learn how to become farmers and business owners here. This is so exciting for them and for us, as we walk beside this adventure with them.

It all started with the dream of helping young girls already affected by AIDS and who were later victims of abuse. They live in the Sandra Jones Centre and start a new life there, full of hope and a vision towards the future. They receive counseling and so much love, helping them come to grips with their past while learning that they are precious and cherished. They also learn a skill set so that when they leave the Centre, they are able to hold down jobs for which they were trained and which they like.

The beds in the greenhouse have all been dug by the girls - a huge task - and they are waiting expectantly for the seedlings to be planted in the next few weeks. They decided to grow their own seedlings from scratch rather than buying them already prepared. It is all part of training – if the girls learn this skill, they will be able to propagate their own seeds when they return to the rural areas and this will be a cost-saving measure for them.

They are planting red and yellow peppers, as our research has shown that there seems to be a lack of fresh, healthy ones on the market at the moment. They also bring in an excellent return and are full of nutrients! They are very expensive in the shops and we have already begun to get a market for them through some of the private school parents. We are also planning on planting various types of tomatoes and, in the future, we hope to venture into strawberries. The benefit of strawberries is that what they don’t sell, the girls will make into strawberry jam. This will not only benefit the Centre financially, but has the secondary effect of teaching the girls skills they can use later.

So we are all excited about this embryonic project and what benefits we can see for the whole Centre.

Thank you SO much for being part this! Without YOU, it sure wouldn’t be happening.

With much gratitude,

Tanya, for the children

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Mar 6, 2017
Eggs and More Eggs!

By Tanya Weaver | Executive Director

For an HIV+ child, taking medications is essential to successful treatment and these medicines should not be taken without food. At AFCA, we see food as part of treatment and we call it Nutrition by Prescription. We want to make sure that all the children who need it, receive the food they need to take their medicine, to thrive, and to grow.

Due to the exceptional quality of eggs produced, the need/demand for good protein, and the above average outcomes, AFCA will build a second coop that can hold 1000 hens. AFCA's chicken coops are large, with concrete flooring and tin roof, multi-level tables with steps which allow the animals to walk around freely and not be caged up. A storage unit is part of the coop, holding feed, water, a generator, egg trays, and anything the chickens might need in a country where electricity and water are not always available. A room for a guard is also included in the building of the coop, with the guard keeping potential vandals away at night.

The eggs from this coop will be given to school children identified as needing additional nutrition. Most of the children will be HIV+, but no child will be identified as either HIV positive or negative. ALL needy children will receive the benefit of eggs. It's a neat way to include an entire group of children without having to single anyone out!

AFCA has extensive experience in this type of project, having run other livelihoods projects in Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. We firmly believe that everyone can do something to help themselves, but we all need a little hand up. This project is just that. With good food in their bellies, HIV positive and negative children will have the chance to get an education. We know that less school is missed when children eat well and they are better able to concentrate on their work. Their improved health also means that the families and orphanages avoid expenses of additional medicine and doctor fees.

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