BUSHFIRE CHILDREN’S VILLAGE ORPHANAGE CENTRE PROFILE
INTRODUCTION
Bushfire ministry is a registered non-governmental and non profit making faith based organization (FBO) working towards alleviating poverty in Zambia by assisting orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) with shelter, clothing and education support and mobilizing community leaders in the fight against HIV / AIDS.
Bushfire owns and operates on an 88 hector land. It is located in Kitwe District near Hybrid poultry farms 15 km away from Kitwe town centre.
BACKGROUND
Bushfire was formed in 2005 with the help of a white man from UK. This was has a result of impact of HIV/AIDS pandemic resulting in the increased number of orphans and vulnerable children dropping out of school, entering into marriage at very tender age, and working maids in people’s homes and nearby farms where they are being sexually abused..
For a long time now, until recently most of the churches in Zambia were passive in the face of orphans and vulnerable children and the fight against HIV/AIDS as it had a lot of myths and misconception . It is from this background that Bushfire Ministry was born with a vision to provide educational support, nutritional support, and medical care and also providing shelter for orphans and vulnerable children infected and affected with HIV/ AIDS.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION OF THE PROBLEM.
All available data indicates that the number of orphans in Zambia will grow for years to come. The plight of orphans and vulnerable children ( OVC) in Zambia today is widely recognized and much has been done by various agencies to alleviate their situate ion.
Assistance for nutrition education and other social needs have been received from international community.
The links between the poverty in which these children live and Zambia’s future development are well established, as is the necessity that we avoid a new generation of adults suffering the fall – out their own disastrous child hood.
Our overall aim is to enhance the community members develop interactive approach which will enable them to make decisions on how best they will help the young ones couples , out of school in the prevention of HIV/AIDS.
WHY ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY IN THE PREVENTION OF HIV/AIDS
HIV/ AIDS does not only affects the nation without starting with the families that make a community , any nation for it to be called a nation it’s foundation or the roots is the community .
There is no strong nation without a strong community, once the community is mobilizes in the fight against HIV /AIDS then there shall be the reduction of new infection in the nation..
Through the interaction with the children who attends classes at Bush fire Christian school indicates that there is an increased number orphans coming from the communities have been either infected or affected with HIV/AIDS. Not only that a number of young girls who were enrolled in big number and have now dropped out as a result of being forced into early marriages or getting pregnant at very tender age.
Bush fire ministries being found right in the community have identified poverty , unemployment alcohol and substance abuse as the factors leading prostitution, early marriages and multiple and concurrent sexual partners .
If nothing is done by mobilizing community members in identifying , strategizing and initiating programmes aimed at contributing to the reduction of the spread of new HIV infections there shall be no tomorrow leaders.
The ministry has been so much been involved in the prevention of HIV among young people between the ages of 10 – 19 and young adults in the range of 20 – 29 years at the orphanage and those in colleges being supported.
The ministry intends to scale up the intervention strategies aimed at bringing about appropriate behavior change and practices among community members resulting in the prevention of the spread of HIV..
VISION
To have a well informed community on the prevention of HIV /AIDS and able to provide care and support to people affected and infected with HIV/AIDS
MISSION STATEMENT
Raising up a team that will participate in the reduction of new HIV infection .
The Ministry has been involved in the provision of care and support for the orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS. Bush Fire Ministries has also established a christian school at the 88 hector farm the school is helping 291 orphans from the nearby communities who are affected by HIV/AIDS, there are other intervention strategies that Bush Fire Ministries has been involved in which are as follows:-
1. Education support
2. Provision of supplementary and nutritional food for the orphaned children at the orphanage.
3. Skills training for the vulnerable youths who are not in school
4. Training of caregivers taking care of orphans as the way of strenthening African extended family systems
5.HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns to the community members
5. Provision of christian education to the orphans and vulnerable children at the church based at the same farm land.
6. Empowerment of community members in caring for children who were once on the strets as street children and have been absorbed at the orphanage for purposes of rehabiltation before being reintegrated in the community or back to their family members.
7. Provision of Psycho Social Support (PSS) to the vulnerable children
8. Promotion of household food security and livelihood.
PLANS
Bush Fire Ministries has the following plans:-
1.To develop the 88 hector farm land in :
a. Poultry project
b. Piggerly project
c. Fishing farming
d. Banana plantation
e. Skills training
f. Extention of the christian school classes since there is great demand from the community and that the only school in the area helping vulnerable children and provision of basic health services for the orphans
ACHIEVEMENTS
1. We have our own farm land and a stream nearby
2. Recognised by the Government of Zambia as the orphanage involved in the provision of care and support to Orphans and Vulnerable children.
3. Managed to build 5 houses for the orphans
4. Managed to bring up orphans from primary to college university levels
5. Managed to build a 2 by 3 block christian school from pre-school to Grade 7.
6. Managed to work closely with the community .
7. For the orphans and community members to enjoy christian education , Bush Fire have made a foundation for the planned chapel .
CHALLENGES
Bush Fire has the following challenges
1. Finances to meet some of the mentioned programmes at the orphanage
2. Material support for the orphans
4. Human resource / expartees to help in the care and support for orphans
5. Transport for the orphans since the Health centre is about 7 kilometers away from the orphanage
IMPUT FROM OTHER PARTNERS
Bush Fire Ministries will be in a position to seek partnership with companies, institutions, individuals, churches with the passion to alleviate the sufferings of orphans and vulnerable children as they are in need of daily basic needs. For those in schools there is need for educational support, at the orphanage there is need for food , beddings , clothes, shoes, gloceries and toiletries.
