Zimbabwe

Impact:

• School fee payments for children otherwise unable to afford them
• Voluntary HIV testing for clients
• Support for schools participating in Peer Education Programme
• Volunteer home-based care workers trained
• Home-based care supply kits distributed to needy families

Partners: BIC World Missions and Mennonite Central Committee

Our first project partner in Africa, this ministry is a testament to the reach and willingness of the local church to do the hard part of loving kids 24/7, wherever they are located.  This project is connected to a network of nearly 100 churches alone, covering 7 different districts around Zimbabwe.  Each district organizes its ministry to children orphaned by AIDS, under the direction of the national AIDS programme, which is located at Mtshabezi Mission, the main BICC Zimbabwe mission hospital.

While our work has continued to expand to different church led projects in Zimbabwe and now into Zambia, our heart for the work of the local church toward children orphaned by AIDS was found at Mtshabezi.  Their efforts are like the little engine that could, with so much against them.  They press on in the face of adversity.  Nearly 1/3 of women in the Mtshabezi region are infected with HIV and 40% of adults are feared to have HIV, making their challenge overwhelming daily.

Forgotten Voices is partnering with this ministry because it is equipping local churches around Zimbabwe with the physical and spiritual support local pastors need to meet the unique challenges faced by children orphaned by AIDS.  We are pleased to be in partnership with Mennonite Central Committe to help the ministry expand its reach, while building a stronger local ownership of the national project over the whole of Zimbabwe.

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