Food and Self-Reliance for AIDS Orphans

After just short of two years of support from the American Foundation for Children with AIDS, the Alpha Teens group in the tiny rural village of Dula in southern Zimbabwe is well on the way to becoming food sufficient.

AFCA funded a solar powered borehole and water system for the group which gave them the water security to go ahead and establish a vegetable garden and plant traditional maize and ground nuts. They are harvesting their first crop of traditional maize as we speak.

They have also been supported to start poultry and rabbit breeding and expand their existing pig project. Although still at an early stage these three micro empowerment initiatives are showing great promise.  However, the most unexpected development that I have observed here is the transformation of each of these children from being really shy and withdrawn to being confident and engaging. Remember, we are dealing with HIV+ teenagers living in a rural African setting where stigma and suspicion toward Aids still prevail to this day.

I have been privileged to work with and alongside the Alpha Teens for the past two years.  Thanks to AFCA and Mrs Sitheni Ncube, the founder of the group, they have bonded into a tight knit unit who work hard to support each other and become as self reliant as possible.  Their new found confidence and self reliance have led to them starting to give back to their community in Dula Village.  They have banded together to assist an elderly gentleman, Mr Ndlovu, who lives alone with no support. They cleaned his house and garden, carried water and firewood for him plus purchased a months worth of basic groceries for him.  Then earlier this month they teamed up with other community members and did a clean up of their village area by collecting rubbish and generally tidying up of the central business centre.

The team here at the American Foundation for Children with AIDS thanks you for supporting this project and the work we do for the children in Africa.  If you would like to learn even more about what we do or how you can meet some of the children you have helped, please contact Tanya Weaver at tweaver@AFCAids.org.