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Ministries give hope to needy Zimbabwean children
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A UMNS photo by Phileas Jusu United Methodist communicators, attending a training session at Africa University, arrive at nearby Munyarari Primary School.
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United
Methodist communicators, attending a training session at Africa
University, arrive at nearby Munyarari Primary School in eastern
Zimbabwe. The school is the recipient of sewing machines from the
Zimbabwe Orphans Endeavors, a ministry founded by the Rev. Greg Jenks of
North Carolina. Community volunteers use the sewing machines to sew
school uniforms for the children who attend the school. Many of the
students have been orphaned by AIDS. A UMNS photo by Phileas Jusu. Photo
#06-1227. Accompanies UMNS story #636. 10/25/06 |
Oct. 25, 2006
By Phileas Jusu*
MUTARE, Zimbabwe (UMNS) -- United Methodist mission centers in rural
eastern Zimbabwe are helping feed, clothe and educate children, many of whom
are living with HIV/AIDS or otherwise come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
A significant ally in the church's work is the Zimbabwe Orphans Endeavor,
founded by the Rev. Greg Jenks of Clayton, N.C. Working with the United
Methodist Church, ZOE provides school materials and food during school hours
to disadvantaged pupils in rural communities.
At Munyarari Primary School in Zimunya, ZOE donated two sewing machines
in 2005
and continues to provide uniform materials every year for disadvantaged
children who attend the school. The children in need are mainly pupils
orphaned by AIDS -- that is, they have lost one or both parents to the
disease. The program also assists children of other denominations outside
the school.
"People die of AIDS almost on a daily basis," said Gladys Chikowo, head
of the uniform project. "It's sad, you know."
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A UMNS photo by Phileas Jusu Community volunteers sew school uniforms for children orphaned by AIDS.
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At
Munyarari Primary School in Zimunya, eastern Zimbabwe, community
volunteers sew school uniforms for children orphaned by AIDS. The school
is the recipient of sewing machines from the Zimbabwe Orphans
Endeavors, a ministry founded by the Rev. Greg Jenks of North Carolina.
The ministry also funds a feeding program at nearby Mt. Makomwe Primary
School. A UMNS photo by Phileas Jusu. Photo #06-1228. Accompanies UMNS
story #636. 10/25/06 |
Of the school's 520 students, 90 girls and 77 boys are served directly
through the ZOE sewing ministry, according to Willard Mungomezi, headmaster.
"We do not discriminate among denominations or any other affiliation."
About 11 of the children have HIV/AIDS, he said.
The uniform project in the school is implemented by community women
volunteers who do the sewing. Pastor Eunice Nduna, the station chairperson
of the project, explained that "the volunteers come to work three days a
week and have the other days of the week to fend for themselves since we
don't pay them."
Volunteer Rachel Nyazire said serving the children has been an enriching
experience. "It helps me personally to get more experience. It's also good
to help the orphans because they need us in order to survive."
Marange
At Mt. Makomwe Primary School in Marange, ZOE funds a feeding program and
a tailoring project.
In the primary school, the children are given a local nutrition drink
known as mahewu during lunch. Mahewu is a mixture of maize and soy meal,
sucrose, malt and fruit acid.
The Rev. Elisha Kabundgaidze, the Marange District superintendent, said
the feeding program has helped a lot of the pupils. "Before now, some of
them who come from very poor homes starved and could not attend school
regularly."
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A UMNS photo by Phileas Jusu Mt. Makomwe Primary schoolchildren drink Mahewu, a nutritional beverage.
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In
eastern Zimbabwe, Mt. Makomwe Primary schoolchildren drink Mahewu, a
nutritional beverage. The feeding program is funded by the Zimbabwe
Orphans Endeavors, a ministry founded by the Rev. Greg Jenks of North
Carolina. Many of the children at the school have been orphaned by AIDS.
The ministry has also given sewing machines to local schools where
local women sew school uniforms for the children. A UMNS photo by
Phileas Jusu. Photo #06-1229. Accompanies UMNS story #636. 10/25/06 |
Richard Mawondo, headmaster of Mt. Makomwe Primary School, added:
"Classes are livelier now. Attendance has increased."
The Rev. Joseph Chimberengwa, the pastor in charge of the local church,
said "some pupils even left other schools to attend our school."
Jane Maone, a teacher in the school, explained that the feeding project
started in 2005 and that 549 pupils now benefit from the program -- 60 from
the pre-school and 489 from the primary school. Mahewu is served every day
at lunch and porridge at irregular intervals.
The ZOE tailoring project close to the primary school has four volunteers
headed by Nyasha Marange, who is also the AIDS coordinator for the Marange
community. She said the project at the moment caters for 104 girls and 97
boys of the Mt. Makomwe Primary School, many of them orphaned by AIDS. She
said her organization, the Greeley Children's Home Sewing Club (named after
a popular missionary), was formed to assist orphaned kids through the
implementation of various projects, the ZOE project being one of them.
"We intend to include AIDS-orphaned kids from other areas in the Marange
District," Marange said.
Speaking on challenges, she said the number of orphaned kids is going up,
and this is putting pressure on resources. "There are a lot of deprived
children, some of whom don't attend school because their parents cannot
afford to," she explained.
The tailoring project also teaches the children how to sew and knit. Such
life skills are important, particularly for students at the United
Methodist-run high school at Marange, which has about 830 students.
By teaching the children how to sew and knit, the women are enabling the
young people to earn a living after they graduate. "Because at the end of
the day," said technical adviser and teacher Elizabeth Musimwa, "when they
leave this place, they should be able to impart this same knowledge to their
neighborhood and to their families."
*Jusu is director of communications for the United Methodist Church's
Sierra Leone Annual Conference.
News media contact: Tim Tanton, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or
newsdesk@umcom.org. |