Help keep 3,750 children in school!

We are delighted to share this update about Mother Support Groups in Zimbabwe, who are helping children stay in school with support from GlobalGiving.

Background on Mother Support Groups

Mother Support Groups (MSG) are made up of volunteer mothers and grandmothers in rural communities where Camfed works. Although most do not have a formal education, these women recognize the importance of sending children to school and are dedicated to helping orphans and other children in need. They achieve this by engaging in income-generating projects, which then allow them to provide children with essentials like school supplies, uniforms, groceries and moral support. To date there are more than 1,605 Mother Support Groups in Zimbabwe.

Accolades for Mother Support Groups

MSGs touch children’s lives in tangible and intangible ways, which is why their work is so important. Noriah, a member of the Rudo MSG in Guruve District, says, “Before the MSG was formed we would see children suffering, but all we could do was sympathize with them. Now we don’t just sympathize, we are assisting the children by paying school fees, sewing uniforms for them and buying them exercise books and pens. It brings us all great satisfaction.”

The skirt and blouse Faith, a girl in Buhera District, received from the local MSG allowed her to feel confident at school. Previously she avoided standing up in front of her peers at school because of her torn dress. Similarly, Mr. J. Makusha, headmaster at Nyahunzvi Primary School in Guruve District, says the school supplies provided by the local MSG “go a long way in assisting the needy.”

Continuing the Work of Mother Support Groups

Members of Mother Support Groups continue to need support on various levels to enable them to continue serving their communities. Activities you can help provide include:

1. Skills training in soap making and basket weaving to help diversify members’ income- generating activities
2. Grants for outstanding MSGs to recognize their efforts and allow them to expand their initiatives
3. Training in women’s rights around issues like gender-based violence, inheritance and marriage laws as well as child protection.

Thank you for your support to help Mother Support Groups care for children in their communities. Through these groups, dedicated women are serving as mentors and role models for children and ensuring that they have all the supplies they need to stay in school and succeed.

• Tatenda Mother Support Group, Chiredzi District (DOC)