Child Protection Zambia Project #16571

"Safe Park" for Children

by Power of Love Foundation

Project Report | Jul 30, 2017
Orphans and Vulnerable Children Are Learning in a Safe and Fun Environment

By Alka Subramanian | Project Leader

Having fun

Children enrolled in our "Safe Park" program are battling the devastating effects of poverty, abuse, HIV, and AIDS. Many have lost parents and family, experience deprivation and abuse, have been stigmatized, and suffer overwhelming grief. These children need emotional and psychosocial support for their normal development and wellbeing. Some of the services provided by trained "Safe Park" staff are:

listening and responding to the problems faced by children,
meaningful discussion of problems with family members and referring them to the right agency,
allowing children to express their feelings and needs,
helping children to appreciate their history and identity,
encouraging children to set goals and reach their potential,
ensuring that children have positive, nurturing relationships and connections in their lives,
providing life skills (such as education on STI's) for older children and youth, and
providing children with safe spaces to play.

The services listed above, have resulted in an improvement in children’s behavior, school attendance and performance and in the general well-being of the child. Given below are stories of two children who have benefitted from Safe Park activities and interventions.

Michael is 12 years old and lives with his grandmother in the community of Matero where most residents live on less than $2 per day and there is a high incidence of HIV, malaria, and TB. Since Michael was nine years old his dream has been to become a pastor when he grows up. To help him achieve this dream, one of his assignments is to open and close Safe Park activities with a prayer. Michael and his family enjoy this assignment. His grandma is happy that Michael works hard at school and can get help with school work at Safe Park. Trained child and youth care workers guide and counsel Michael to help him get closer to his dream. In his free time, Michael loves to play soccer.

Judy: Judy lives with her grandmother who is the sole caregiver for her and five other grandchildren and earns a living by selling mukoyo (a Zambian traditional drink). Judy participates enthusiastically in Safe Park games and activities. She receives help with home-work as she is preparing for grade seven exams (these exams are important in Zambia) at the end of this year. In addition, her family receives mosquito bed nets and education on prevention of malaria and HIV. Judy’s grandma is happy that Safe Park activities help Judy understand the importance of school and hard work. In addition, Judy’s grandma has requested our staff to mentor Judy to keep her away teen pregnancies, alcohol, and drugs that are prevalent in her community. Judy is a good student who loves learning.

"Safe Park' games, activities, and counseling services are popular with community residents as their children get an opportunity to play, interact freely with other children of all ages, mentor younger children, and learn about HIV prevention and care. These activities instill a sense of well-being and belonging that is critical for a child's normal development.

Thanks for your support and caring for orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia.

Learning is fun

Coloring and drawing

Education session for older children

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May 14, 2017
Saturday Mornings Are For Learning and Fun

By Alka Subramanian | Executive Director

A little boy building with legos

Happy Mother’s Day from our Zambian families. This Mom’s day give a gift of free and structured play to a child growing up in extraordinarily difficult circumstances in Zambia. Your ongoing support will provide a safe environment where children can engage in educational activities and games to help them grow normally.

Children from the community in Matero look forward to Saturday mornings when they can have fun by participating in games and educational activities via our "Safe Park" program. Age appropriate activities such as drawing, coloring, and Zambian games create the right conditions for children to play, learn, and interact freely with their peers irrespective of their HIV status. These activities go a long way in helping children cope with difficult circumstances, such as loss of a parent or sibling to HIV, their own HIV+ status and the associated stigma, and reconnect better with their extended families. Children who are shy and withdrawn before joining the program, start playing and chatting with other children and our trained staff after a few weeks. In addition, trained staff observe children, for signs of trauma, stress, grief or abuse and counsel/guide members regarding next steps. With continued participation, children, especially those growing up in extremely difficult circumstances, are better adjusted to their HIV+ status, and begin to feel a sense of belonging in their community. This helps in their normal physical and mental development.

"Safe Park" has been a big hit in the community, both with children and their families, as we see new children join us each week. More than 750 children have enrolled in this program and more than 75 participate each week.

Thanks for giving the joy of learning and playing to orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia.

Group activity for young children

Drawing and chatting with friends

A little girl posing

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Mar 5, 2017
"Safe Park": Impact and Activities

By Alka Subramanian | Executive Director and Founder

Learning while dancing

Need for "Safe Park": Your generosity helps provide a safe and learning environment for orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia. These children are growing up in the community of Matero, which is characterized with a high incidence of HIV, AIDS and malaria and unemployment rates over 60%. Most residents are poor and live on less than $2 per day. Most children are growing up in acute poverty, need counseling and do not have a safe place to play and learn.

Impact of Safe Park: Direct beneficiaries are 70-80 children (a total of 650 children are enrolled) who participate each week and their family members. Family members are provided with counseling if the child shows signs of anxiety/stress/trauma/grief/abuse. For example, last year we observed that a few children were undernourished. The caregivers of these children were encouraged to enroll in our micro loans program so they could take pay for food and medicines with earnings from a business started with loan funds. The women joined our loans program and six months later, the diet of children improved and they were happier playing and learning with peers. In addition, a child was observed to be in very poor health by our community health workers. This child was enrolled in our pediatric HIV care program and his health is slowly improving.

Activities: A few activities that are organized for the children include:

Coloring and drawing for children under five. This prepares them for grade one in school once they turn six years old,
Homework help for school age children,
Children who are grieving due to a recent loss of a parent/sibling are counseled so they can cope with the loss. These children are identified by the child counsellor and asked to draw/talk about their fears to understand their anxiety. Family members are included in designing a plan for counseling and next steps.
Older children are educated on STI's, safe sex, HIV prevention, and the dangers of drug and alcohol use.
Children from the community who are 18 or older are invited to mentor younger children, as in a Big sister/Big brother program in the US.

As a result, all children interact and play freely with their peers and feel a sense of belonging in the community.

Conclusion: Community residents are happy and grateful for this program as it keeps children safe and off the street on weekends. In addition, education on STI’s, safe sex, drugs, alcohol and prevention of HIV, enables children to make the right choices regarding their health, school, and make them more self-reliant. Family members are counselled and provided with information regarding other agencies that can guide the family. Over the past few months, we are seeing more children participate and enjoy Safe Park games and educational activities.

Your gift of fun and learning, continues to benefit more than 650 children from the community of Matero in Lusaka, Zambia. Thanks!

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