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Name of Organization: Nkhoma Synod HIV/AIDS Community Programme (Nkhoma) Country: Malawi Project Title: "Education for a Healthy Future" Project Timeframe: 10 months Location of Project: Central Region Budget Amount: $10,000 NGO contact and website: P. O. Box 45, Nkhoma Lilongwe, Malawi Phone: 265-175-6628/265-175-1125 Email: nkhomaaids@malawi.net Project's Primary Objective: Strengthen formal and transitional education systems that encourage working children and those at risk of working to attend school. Description of Organization: Nkhoma Synod HIV/AIDS Community Program was established in January 2000, in response to the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic within the community. The program operates under CCAP Nkhoma Synod, a registered religious organization, and is a registered member of the Malawi Network of AIDS Service Organizations (MANASO). Nkhoma strives to build a community free from HIV/AIDS in all spiritual, physical, psychological and emotional aspects and to fully and actively participate in preventing the spread of HIV and caring for the infected and affected individuals. Currently, Nkhoma runs several locally-driven projects aimed at addressing the social issues that increase the risk of HIV/AIDS as well as the social issues created by the disease. Education is a significant component of this, as the foundation for a healthy future. Strategically, the Program activities revolve around four major components: Orphan Care, Youth, Gender & Human Rights, and Home Based Care. Nkhoma's objectives are as follows:
Description of Project funded by CIRCLE: HIV/AIDS is crippling our community. There are now approximately 1.6 million people living with HIV/AIDS in Malawi and 850,000 orphans. Although HIV/AIDS is considered by many to be a health-related problem, Nkhoma realizes that it also has significant impacts on economics, society, culture, and mental and spiritual well-being. This is particularly true for children, many of whom have been orphaned by the disease. As a result, many responsibilities have shifted onto children including caring for sick relatives or siblings, maintaining the household, and generating income for healthcare expenses, funerals and basic necessities such as food. Many children must leave school to perform these tasks. Most work as domestic servants, unskilled labour in fields/factories, beg on the streets or become prostitutes. These children are not acquiring real skills and thus may never find regular employment. Therefore, Nkhoma is implementing a CIRCLE project entitled "Education for a Healthy Future," aiming to help orphaned and vulnerable children in target areas of Malawi to reach their greatest potential. The primary CIRCLE objective of these projects is strengthening educational systems, and the projects also focus on raising awareness. Key activities are as follows: Orphan Care and Early Childhood Education; Youth Programming and Educational Resource Centre; and Education Support. Through these projects, Nkhoma/CIRCLE will provide educational opportunities and support so that children do not have to leave school due to lack of money and familial obligations. The project will increase the quality of nursery school education; increase the number of students enrolled in nursery, primary and secondary schools; reduce the drop out rate of orphans/vulnerable children in primary and secondary schools; and increase youth support programs. A key target is to decrease the amount of orphans/vulnerable children used as child labour from 26% to 15% within 10 months. The following outcomes are expected: a reduction in the drop out rate of orphans and vulnerable children from an average of 7.5% per month to 4.5% per month; an Educational Resource Centre used by over 2,500 youths; and educational scholarships for 83 secondary students. Project Targets (Common Indicators): Enrollment:: increase the number of children in nursery school by 5% Increase the number of orphans and vulnerable children in school by 20% Persistence: reduction of drop-out rates of orphans and vulnerable children from 7.5% to 4.5% per month Transition: Scholarships for 83 secondary school students Completion: 90% of orphans and vulnerable children in the Winrock program |
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CIRCLE Project NGO Partners in Africa