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EGMONT TRUST, MZUZU

Improving access and uptake of quality health and education services for marginalized children 

Project location: Mzuzu City
Target audience: Marginalized children (150)

Funding from: EGMONT Trust - England
Status: Completed

 
Project Overview

Mzimba North district – Mzuzu city has over 13,000 orphans (Mzuzu Social Welfare Report). Most of these children are school drop-outs and flood the streets of Mzuzu City. Many of the children are orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and are living positively themselves. 

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Most of the street children are pushed to the city and stay in the streets when their basic needs like food, shelter, education, medical care, protection and security are neglected. While in the streets, these children are at a high risk of being infected and affected with HIV/AIDS due to their vulnerability as most adults take advantage of their vulnerability to sexually abuse them. This was confirmed according to findings of the survey conducted in 2012 by God Cares in Mzuzu City in which three hundred and sixty two (362) street children were identified. All of the identified children had dropped out of school citing different reasons such as death of their parents and ill-treatment by step parents.

 

This Project was aimed at improving access and uptake of quality health and education services for 150 marginalized children in Mzuzu City by 2020. The project contributed towards improved health and well-being of the children through accelerated health care services such as HIV prevention, care and treatment services. Through this project God Cares Rights Foundation, provided small-scale economic empowerment initiatives to identified households as a self-help approach to necessitate continued care for the vulnerable children and street connected children that had been withdrawn from the streets. The Project also provided fees, School bags, menstrual packs and stationery to Secondary School learners and Stationery to primary school learners identified under this project.  The project proved to address core challenges connected to street-connected children such as school dropout, abuse and poverty. Project beneficiaries (Vulnerable and street connected children) were rescued from the streets and the dangers associated with being a street child. 

Project objectives

  • Improved access and uptake of quality health and education services among 150 orphans and street children. 

  • Increased economic empowerment to 30 households taking care of street connected children and orphans in Mzuzu City (Chibavi, Chibanja Locations).

  • Enhanced community engagement protecting children rights in the locations of Chibavi and Chibanja locations.a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.

Project achievements

  • Training of Block Leaders in HIV/AIDS management and SRH - The project mobilized block leaders, health workers, police staff, mother group members, school teachers, Location Development Committee members, neighborhood members and NGOs in the area in the fight against HIV and SRH. This contributed to an increase in comprehensive HIV knowledge of 60 (27f/33m) project members. It also contributed to increased demand for HTC amongst the community members. Trained members involved themselves holistically in facilitation of project intervention uptake in the project area. This is evidenced by the initiatives taken by the community such as asking for continued HIV counselling, testing and STI screening and treatment services and extension of the project catchment area.

  • Provision of school and health support to 30 secondary school students for one year -  30 (15 boys and 15 girls) identified school learners at Chibavi Community Day Secondary School were provided with learning materials including second hand clothes and school fees. Supported learners are able to participate in all taught subjects in class without defaulting other subjects due to lack of writing materials. Absenteeism and school drop outs in the targeted learners has been controlled with school fees, writing materials, changing with their second hand clothes and sanitary pads in cases of girls.

  • HIV counselling, testing and STI screening and treatment services targeting withdrawn street children - The project improved access to HTC services through the introduction of mobile testing services in targeted schools to project beneficiaries and enhanced the capacity of the health sector to cope with more people seeking services. The percentage of 47.7 (58 boys/25 girls) never tested before in their life. The project tested 174 (88 boys/86girls) representing 38.6% in the three testing services to 150 targeted learners. The results were 2 boys identified positive on confirmatory ART 3 (2 girls/ 1 boy) new infections and 2 (1 girl/ 1 boy) STIs.

  • Trainings of households in small-scale business management - The project reduced vulnerability of 30 households through economic empowerment through pig production and vegetable farming programs in order to ably support marginalised children in their families. Through piglets provided, benefiting households are harvesting manure from them which they use to apply in their vegetable gardens. Interventions of vegetable seeds and piglets have brought a tremendous change in food consumption and economy as are able to sell surplus and buy household necessities like soap and writing materials for other household members not on the program. This necessitate continued care for the vulnerable children and street connected children that have been withdrawn from streets as well as contribute towards improving nutrition of children living with HIV.

  • Sensitization meetings in schools and communities on child rights - The project reached to 672 (158m/ 248f/ 127boys and 139 girls) with child rights messages. The audience comprised of school committees, community leaders and other stakeholders on advancing vulnerable children`s rights to education. Engagement of various stakeholders accelerated law enforcement thereby defending children’s rights timely. This was evidenced when block leaders volunteered that on behalf of the community they would monitor and defend marginalized children's rights in their blocks. In addition, resolutions were made to report anyone denying marginalized children their right to access education to Ward Counsellors. Measures were put in place to mitigate such underlying causes. Empowered communities and community structures uphold and defend the rights of all children, regardless of their status.

Implementing organization: God Cares Rights Foundation (GCRF)

Focus areas: children, health, education, economic empowerment

Project start: August 2019


Project End: November 2020 (initially July 2020 but due to COVID-19 disruptions)

Organisation Registered Name; God Cares Rights Foundation 

Organisation incorporated 18/4/11 RG17053/2M/8.2002 

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