Spring Friends Newsletter 2013

Friends of Cecily’s Fund Update No.6 Spring 2013

Registered charity number: 1071660

Dear Friends We hope you enjoy this new look Spring edition of the Friends update, which is brimming with news of what we have in store in 2013. Let’s hope it brings brighter weather too!

A warm welcome to new Friends. We hope you find these updates give you greater understanding of our work with orphans in Zambia, in recognition of the vital help your regular giving provides. We want to link you to the inspiring community of supporters across UK, Switzerland and USA. Many of you have loyally supported Cecily’s Fund for years now. You will know that the Friends Scheme is an opportunity to gain greater insight into our programmes. We therefore want our Friends to be the first to know about an important development in our partner work in Zambia.

Cecily’s Fund has made a change in one of our key partners. Hodi, our partner since 2007, had to make the decision to close in 2013. Unfortunately changes made in 2012 by the Zambian Revenue Authority have meant that it became untenable for Hodi to remain operating. On page 8 you can read all about our process to find a new partner. We are delighted with our choice of Afya Mzuri (which means ‘Good health!’ in Swahili). Afya Mzuri has been operating in Kitwe for many years and they have an excellent reputation in Zambia for delivering high quality programmes.

Cecily’s Fund will have an interim Director between May and December this year, as I take maternity leave. You can meet the interim director at Cecily’s Day on 7th September. This marks the launch of our 15 year anniversary, and will be a fantastic opportunity to reflect on everything we have achieved together since the start of the charity in 1998. Here’s to the next 15 years!

Molly Brech, Director Get in touch: Cecily’s Fund, 6 Church Green, Witney, OX28 4AW tel: 01993 358089 email: admin@cecilysfund.org web: www.cecilysfund.org 1

News from the US and Switzerland American Friends of Cecily’s Fund (AFCF) The last few months have been particularly eventful on the board of AFCF, with three new directors coming on board.

Sue Skaf, Director and Development Officer of AFCF, had the chance to meet two of them and reports: “This month I have had the pleasure of spending time with our new Directors Craig Covil (pictured right) and Mahadev Raman (left) at the ARUP offices where they both work. We spent an hour getting to know each other and I was delighted to hear more about Mahadev's early years in Zambia.

“ARUP have very kindly offered us space for future meetings and events, and Craig gave me the tour of their beautiful new offices. He has kindly offered to host a Cheese & Wine Party at ARUP in the late spring/early summer, which will be our next NYC event!”

Swiss Friends of Cecily’s Fund (SFCF) Yvonne Bomonti (Berne Representative of SFCF) reports on her trip to BISO in Lusaka last year: “My trip to Zambia last year was one of the best in my life. Whilst there, we visited BISO Community School and watched their sports day. It was lovely to see all the children giving their best efforts.

“Whether they were winners or losers they were cheered on by classmates, friends and teachers. After each match both teams would start to sing and dance with all their hearts before beginning a new match.

“At the end of that wonderful afternoon, Alex Harvey (from BPL, a UK company that supports Cecily’s Fund) and Basil Eastwood presented the golden medals to the winners. The children’s faces clearly showed that they were extremely proud to receive the medals.”

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Zambia - the year so far Our partners in Zambia work hard to provide a quality education for the children we support. Thanks to your help we have an excellent relationship with them and every three months they report on the year so far. Here is a snapshot of what has happened for each partner.

BISO (Community School) BISO has been focussing on ensuring that the children they support in government schools have a good grounding to find a career after they have left school. They have been working with Grade 12s to provide them with good analytical and decision-making skills for when they finish school. They also organised a careers fair in conjunction with Barclays Bank, which explained the types of jobs available in banks and the qualifications needed. In addition, there were workshops where staff members of the bank shared their background with the pupils to encourage the students to work hard despite any challenges they might face.

CHEP (Peer Health Education) The new year is well under way for CHEP with 52 new Peer Health Educators (PHEs). The new PHEs had their training at the end of January and are now well into delivering their education sessions.

CHEP is also one of the lead partners delivering the Comic Relief ‘Hands on Learning’ project which is featured on page 6.

Hodi (Primary, Secondary and Tertiary education) 2013 will be a good year for two of our students who are training to be teachers.

Rita Ngwira and Jackson Mwandwe spent the first and second year of their teacher training sleeping on the floor of a hairdressing salon and barbershop. After Hodi found out about this, they met with the Registrar of the Mufulira College of Education and persuaded them to find accommodation for the two students on campus. Sleep well Rita and Jackson!

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Faithful friends Derek and Sheila Phillips are two of Cecily’s Fund’s longest standing supporters. Both have proved invaluable in their time, with Sheila acting as accountant and trustee and Derek even acting as an odd job man from time to time! We talk to Derek about their experiences both of Cecily’s Fund and Zambia as a whole.

Could you tell us a little bit about yourselves?

We were born in Lincoln where we grew up, met, married and started a family. Work took us first to Cheltenham and then on to Stonesfield. As a chartered surveyor my career has centred on construction cost and project management.

Sheila is an accountant and has been mostly involved with charities.

We have a son, daughter, daughter -in-law and now two grandsons, Sam and Thomas.

How did you first become involved with Cecily’s Fund & why?

Our relocation to Stonesfield in 1995 brought us to the local Anglican Church. We were lucky enough to be welcomed and befriended by a number of people including the Eastwood Family. Cecily and Philippa introduced our daughter, Heather, to the young people in the village.

When Basil and Alison decided to set up a charity in memory of Cecily an accountant was required and Sheila’s offer to fill the role on a voluntary basis was accepted.

How do you feel Cecily’s Fund has changed over the years?

Cecily’s Fund has grown through the years from a tiny organisation run 4

by willing and gifted volunteers into a professional charity with talented and committed staff supported by friends and helpers. The growth has enabled Cecily’s Fund to improve their performance in the key areas that have always been at the core of their aspirations – educating vulnerable orphans, good governance and fundraising.

Tell us a little about your trips to Zambia?

We first visited Zambia in 2001 on a fact finding visit to Kitwe for Cecily’s Fund followed by some leisure time in Livingstone. We have been back five times. Zambia is a beautiful country and Zambians generally very hospitable. We are looking forward to visiting again in June 2013.

What times in Zambia have particularly stuck in your mind?

[In one visit we met] an old couple, living in a desperately poor village of wood and grass huts, who were looking after their orphaned grandchildren. They invited us into their home and offered us hospitality from their meagre resources. In the same village [we met] a brother and sister about 10 years old with no other relatives, no adults providing for them, existing in a tiny filthy decrepit shed with one set of filthy rags for clothes, skin grey with dirt and malnutrition, and the brother trying to support his listless sister by gathering firewood.

On the other hand, our hearts have been warmed talking with Zambian teenagers [supported by Cecily’s Fund]. We have experienced the pride and enthusiasm of young people given an opportunity to stay alive and to do something with their lives. We have talked to business people in Zambia who are committed to helping their local communities. Zambians can often be cheerful with a smile on their faces even though they live in extreme poverty.

How you would like to see Cecily’s Fund progress in the future?

Cecily’s Fund has attracted some superb people to its ranks over the years. Those people have all contributed to the undoubted success of this tremendous organisation. We hope that Cecily’s Fund can continue to attract gifted and committed people who will maintain and develop the support provided to African partners to assist vulnerable orphans.

As parents our duty never ends and we never cease to care for our children.

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‘Hands on Learning’ gets started A huge thank you to all of you who donated to our Christmas Give campaign last year, we were overwhelmed by the level of support we received. This campaign focused on raising money for our Comic Relief ‘Hands on Learning’ project which has been set up in conjunction with CHEP, Hodi and a new partner, Restless Development.

In a nutshell ’Hands on Learning’ means giving communities and their vulnerable young people a voice, both within their community and in Zambia as a whole. This is achieved by setting up ‘ward committees’ that consist of parents, teachers, pupils, health professionals and members of the public from each community. CHEP’s work for the project is well under way and they have established three committees, each with ten members.

The three wards each face their own challenges with many more orphans and vulnerable children than they are necessarily able to help. Chimwemwe community for example has over 54,000 residents and just one health clinic.

Of the 140 orphans that are funded in Chimwemwe School, 130 are supported

by Cecily’s Fund. However, Nonde the contact teacher for the committee estimates that just 40% of the orphans and vulnerable children in the area go to school and that once there it can be very difficult for them to stay on. Factors such as homelessness, lack of money, uniforms, shoes and books all make it extremely difficult for the children to remain in school beyond grade 8. Without someone to watch out for them and encourage them to go to school it can be very difficult for these children.

All of the community committees are very keen to help the vulnerable children in their areas. Buntungwa committee (pictured) want to get the views of people in their community and to help them to recognise that these children are ’people just like us’. The committee feels that it is their role and responsibility to drive the agenda of change and development in their community.

We look forward to hearing more from the committees as the project progresses.

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Emmanuel Mafungwe - a CHEP case study Emmanuel Mafungwe is 17 and had lost both his parents by the time he was four.

With your help he has been supported by Cecily’s Fund since he was in grade 8. Last year he was one of our Peer Health Educators at CHEP. Here he is interviewed

by Kai Dimingo, Project Officer at CHEP. How are you Emmanuel? Would you like to tell me about yourself?

I am very fine thank you. I am 17 years old and was born in Kitwe in a family of 5. My father died in 1996 and 3 years later my mother died as well. After the death of my parents, my siblings together with myself had to stay with our grandfather in Luanshya. As time went by, it became difficult for grandfather to take care of all of us so my cousin decided to take me so that I could stay with him in Kitwe to reduce the burden on our grandfather. My cousin has 3 children and is married to a policeman. To make extra money for food my cousin makes and sells Munkoyo - which is an African drink made from maize seed.

How did you find yourself being supported by Cecily’s Fund?

My class teacher knew I was an orphan and recommended me. My school fees were paid for, and on top of that, I received school requirements such as books, pencils and pens. With the support from Hodi, I was able to graduate from High school with 5 distinctions and 1 merit.

Why did you become a peer educator?

I became a peer educator because I saw it as an opportunity to keep me busy after High school and because I wanted to save some money for College/ University. Being a peer educator has helped to modify my attitude towards life challenges. It has also improved on my intellectual ability and [helped me] discover my career. I have also been able to save some money for school.

What is your career plan?

My career has now been shaped because of the PHE Project. I want to pursue medicine and become a lecturer. I applied at University of Zambia (UNZA) and Copperbelt University (CBU) and I am currently waiting to hear back from them.

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STOP PRESS We have just heard from Paul Kasoka at CHEP that Emmanuel has been offered a place at CBU. Congratulations Emmanuel!

Our new partner—Afya Mzuri In March 2013, Cecily’s Fund decided on a new partner in Kitwe, Zambia, to take over from Hodi.

Hodi has been running our primary, secondary and tertiary programme in Kitwe since 2007. Regrettably it has been forced to shut down, as it could not repay historic debts to the Zambian Revenue Authority. These debts were accumulated many years ago, and Hodi has been in negotiations with the Zambian Revenue Authority about them for some time. However in late 2012, the repayment rules were changed, and Hodi took the step to close operations.

The new partner - Afya Mzuri (www.afyamzuri.org) is a well-established national charity, with a long standing presence in Kitwe. They have an excellent track record in programme delivery, with robust systems in place (they have managed big grants from the US government for many years), and they represent low overall risk to Cecily’s Fund. We have made certain that the money you so generously provide will be safely handled through this organisation.

We completed a very thorough process when deciding on this partner: Trustees and staff have visited both the Lusaka and Kitwe sites in person several times, we have analysed recent accounts and an independent consultant conducted a thorough review of their systems.

Whilst Afya Mzuri has a traditional strength in health (the name means ‘Good Health!’ in Swahili), it is keen to diversify into education, building on its existing peer health interventions in schools. We feel that Afya Mzuri’s expertise adds value to Cecily’s Fund as we examine how best we can address the multiple needs of orphans going forward.

Charlene, Hodi’s Programme Manager, and the rest of the Hodi team will complete the handover process with Afya Mzuri’s team over the course of April.

It seems likely that the community development officer from Hodi will transfer over to Afya Mzuri, which will help to maintain the cooperation from local schools and community groups. Luckily the changeover will occur in the Easter break, meaning that Afya Mzuri should be ready to carry on with the orphans we support by the time schools are back in session.

We will feature Afya Mzuri in our next newsletter so you get a chance to ‘meet’ the new team. We are really excited by the new possibilities this partnership offers, and above all we are satisfied that we will be able to offer continuity in our support to the orphans who have precious few constant forms of support in their lives. Please get in touch if you would like more information at nicolette@cecilysfund.org 8

News from the UK We are extremely grateful to all our Friends who give up their time and efforts to raise important funds. With your help, we can ensure that the children we support can continue to go to school. Any fundraising event is important not just because of the money that it makes but also because they play a vital part in raising awareness.

Next month will see the launch of our new supporter’s pack; a helping hand for anyone wanting to run an event for Cecily’s Fund. This will be available on our website from the middle of May and will be jam-packed full of useful advice to encourage our supporters to run their own events, from coffee mornings through to gala balls!

Runs coming up: London 10K & Royal Parks Cecily’s Day Saturday 7th September This year Cecily’s Day will be a very special one, marking the 15th anniversary of Cecily’s Fund. As usual there will be an informal picnic in the extensive grounds of Stonesfield Manor, and to mark the special occasion, Charlotte and Evelyn Oakeshott have very kindly offered their lovely manor house for drinks afterwards (at 3:30pm) exclusively for Friends of Cecily's Fund.

This promises to be a great day and we hope that you will all put the date in your diary as we would love to see you there. Look out for an invitation coming through your door in June.

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We still have a few places left for the London 10k in July if you would like an incentive to get fit for summer. Thought by many to be the greatest road race route in the world, this race takes you past The Ritz, St. James's Palace, Trafalgar Square, St. Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey before finishing on Whitehall.

Alternatively if you would like a bigger challenge, why not run the Royal Parks Half Marathon which takes you on a beautiful route through some of the nicest parks in London finishing in Hyde Park. If you would like to run either of these races for Cecily's Fund please email us (admin@cecilysfund.org) or ring the office (01993 358089).

Let Their Success Be Your Inspiration!

Junior Achievement Zambia (JAZ) is one of the organisations responsible for delivering our ‘Fresh Start’ initiative; encouraging children back into schools and giving them basic entrepreneurship skills. Here their Executive Director Teddy Nyasulu tells us about how JAZ works and some success stories.

I am the founder, Program Coordinator and Executive Director for Junior Achievement Zambia having set it up in 2003 with the assistance of the International Executive Service Corps (IESC). It is actually a part of a worldwide initiative first set up in the United States in 1919. We aim to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy, by teaching them to value free enterprise, appreciate self-employment as a viable career option, and understand business and economics concepts.

At JAZ we believe strongly in the boundless potential of young people and have a passion for bringing out the talents and creativity of all individuals. Although there are a number of business training schemes throughout the country, very few of these are targeted at youths. Yet with an estimated 80% of young people failing to get jobs in the formal sector, we think this is essential.

Junior Achievement programs offer business and economic-related education specifically designed for young people to develop entrepreneurial skills and workforce readiness. We are committed to the belief that the best 10

Let Their Success Be Your Inspiration! (cont) way to learn is by doing and programs like this provide real-life learning situations.

Our approach is completely interactive, using techniques such as role-play, case studies, group and individual exercises and simulation exercises to ensure participants are kept fully involved throughout the sessions.

We focus on real-life situations including problem solving, marketing, advertising, pricing and costing, and market research.

This learner-centred methodology has proven to be the most effective as it highlights any gaps in the participants’ knowledge.

We work with a wide age range from kindergarten to young adults aged 25 years. Worldwide, we have over 30 different programs designed by experts, which expose young people to the world of business including:

Stephen Lungu from the Vital Stimulus Youth Group in Chongwe took part in the ITS TYME programme run by JAZ, setting up a business raising 400 broiler chickens. He said: “We have received entrepreneurship training in the past from the ministry of agriculture but it never changed my understanding of business compared to ‘ITS TYME’ training.

The program has really opened my eyes and showed me the goodness of running your own business. Some things that I have learnt is making your product special or different from your competitors. With this knowledge I have no doubts that our chicken business will flourish”

1. JA Company Programme. This programme is the one that the Fresh Start scheme will be using. It is targeted at young people aged 15 – 25 and helps young people appreciate and better understand the role of business in our society. Through this hands-on experience, students learn about the free enterprise system and how businesses function. Meeting once a week for 12 – 16 weeks, students form an actual small business. They conduct market research, apply for jobs and elect officers, develop business plans, sell shares to raise capital, produce and market products or services, track operations and keep records, conduct stockholders' 11

Let Their Success Be Your Inspiration! (cont) meetings, and liquidate returning a profit).

(usually Elijah

2. JA Careers with a Purpose Programme. This scheme introduces students to the importance of seeking careers that help them realize their life potential and noble purpose. The program demonstrates the importance of positive values, life maxims, and ethical decision-making within the context of career and life decisions.

Banda is group leader for the Shiyala Youth Group in Chongwe. They set up a business raising 300 broiler chickens and 8 goats: “ITS TYME training has really open my eyes, when we were given some loans our focus was to pay back the loan immediately, but through this training I have learnt how to grow the business, how to market our products, how to keep records and how to work with the team. Other than that we have to reward ourselves as a group by giving ourselves small salaries”

3. First Lady for a Day Mentorship Programme. This is aimed at empowering rural girls aged 14 to 18 years old with life skills in order to build their self-confidence, instil a passion to succeed and also provide career guidance. Rural based students aged 14 to 18 years are identified to travel to Lusaka and participate in the JA Careers With a Purpose program before they are mentored personally by the First Lady of the Republic of Zambia.

Since JAZ commenced its operations in 2003, over 20,000 young people from schools and vocational training centres across the country have participated in JAZ programmes. In 2013, a further 6,000 young people will participate in our in-school and out of school programmes.

I love my job and love working with young people, helping them to develop themselves. Every time we train young people, I always feel happy: mainly because many Cecily’s Fund works with well-run Zambian years later I meet some of the partner organisations to enable over 8,000 young people who have grown orphans to go to school each year. With an and have independent education, orphans gain confidence, livelihoods. It’s just a wonderful information and skills that empower them feeling. to take control of their lives.

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