THE CHAINDA CENTRE

Kitchen and pantry for children's feeding programme - Zambia

REGIONAL BACKGROUND

Zambia continues to face alarming levels of socio - economic decline. Currently it is estimated that 80% of the population live below the poverty line. Although there are reports that indicate a drop in HIV / AIDS infection rates, the country still suffers high prevalence levels and life expectancy has dropped to 37 years of age. This has resulted in a visible emergence of orphans, destitution among the young and children-headed households. The strain is intense upon these children who have to contribute meaningfully towards the household income as their parents have died of AIDS. Such is the number of orphans that the social structures are simply not able to cope with the saturation.

Chainda is a densely populated shanty compound east of Lusaka. It lacks basic amenities, which should be provided by the local council, and has one of the highest rates of orphans in the capital.

PROJECT PARTNER

In 1999, a group of women from the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Lusaka initiated The Chainda Centre for Underprivileged Children and Women. It opened in February 2000 with an initial intake of 120 children, 26 adults and 4 voluntary helpers from the Chainda community. Its main aims are: to improve the quality of life among the orphans, widows and aged by reducing the level of malnutrition through a supplementary feeding programme; to sponsor the registered orphans into formal schools and provide pre-school education for the very young; to provide an orphanage for some of the children to ease the burden from the surrounding homes and hospices; to initiate skill training programmes to empower the children and women in their role as bread winners.

PROJECT AIMS

The project has thus far operated from a rented property. In 2003, however, the government offered a substantial plot of land, which would be repossessed unless it was developed within two years. So far, the project have only managed to lay the foundations of a building designed to double up as an orphanage and eating place. There is, at present, no kitchen at the rented premises and the volunteer cooks are forced to cook outside and then lift the big pots of food to the small rooms (see above) where it is subsequently dished out.

HOW YOU HAVE HELPED

The money that you have given through the Besom has been used to purchase the materials required to construct and equip a kitchen at the new site. This will provide a hygienic environment in which to cook indoors. The food can also be kept warm for those older children who return late from school. This will help reduce the level of malnutrition among the children and ensure that they attend classes well-fed. It is a well known fact that you cannot send a hungry child to school.