The Kondwa Day Centre for Orphans

(Lusaka, Zambia)

 

Zambia has a population of 11.5 million, of which an estimated 1 million are orphaned children. The national HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is estimated to be at least 16% and the average life expectancy is 38 years.

The Kondwa Day Centre for Orphans is located in the Ng’ombe Compound of Lusaka, one of the city’s poorest and most densely-populated slum communities.  Ng’ombe’s children are most at risk, facing extreme poverty and  the constant threat of neglect and abandonment. The Centre’s founder and director, Angela Gondwe Malik, was exposed to this suffering through her involvement with the Ng’ombe Community Home-Based Care project that cared for the chronically-ill in their homes.

“During these home visits of the sick, I saw a lot of children orphaned, and some of them languishing because the parents were sick. It was then that I started to think of how I could help these children. I knew then as I know now that I cannot help all the children – but I felt then as I feel now that if I could help one or two and someone else helped one or two, together we could at least make a difference.”

And she has…Since its inception, the Centre has grown to provide daily support to nearly 100 children. A typical day in the Centre involves the provision of basic meals, pre-school lessons and primary-school instructions, arts and crafts activities, as well as various psychosocial support programs. The Centre helps the orphans cope with the grief, loss and transition associated with HIV/AIDS. It fosters a supportive family environment for healthy growth and facilitates the development of social connectedness within the community.

The Centre has also created an outreach program, providing meals to an additional 200 children in the community. It organizes and supervises camps for its children, providing a playful and relaxed environment for the children to speak out and express their fears and concerns. Finally, the Centre assists an additional 30 children with basic educational and study needs, such as school uniforms, books and other necessities.

PCF is proud to provide ongoing support to the Kondwa Centre.

 

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