Help 100 Underprivileged Kids in Zimbabwe

There are no words to adequately express our sincere gratitude to you for all the support you have given to disadvantaged rural kids in Zimbabwe over the years. We are proud of what we have accomplished together so far to empower the kids to reach their full potential. We have accomplished a lot along the way—thanks to your help! Here are some midyear highlights:

1. Youth Care Program Progress

Through your donations, The Tekeshe offers the Youth Cares Program as an after-school program. The focus of the Program is to empower young people to grow up to be successful, well-balanced and self-sufficient citizens. It emphasizes the importance of young people's personal development and their contributions to their communities. We strongly believe that young people need more than just academics, they also need to be taught life's lessons which are not taught at a desk in the classroom.

Why The Youth Cares Program Is Important?

After-school programs can do much more than keep children occupied when they are not in school. According to a study done on after- school programs, kids who participated in after-school programs performed much better academically than their peers and they exihibited notable improvements in work habits and behavior as well. Here are some of the ways that after school activities can help the kids:

• Exploring diverse interests - By providing kids the opportunity to explore diverse interests, we give them the opportunity to discover what they are passionate about. For example, there are so many kids in these rural areas who are talented and passionate about music and dancing, without this program they would have no opportunity to develop their talents.
• Team work - Activities such as, soccer, scouting clubs, dancing and music etc require kids to work collectively toward a common goal. As a result, kids develop the skills necessary to work as team. Most importantly, extracurricular activities enable kids to build relationships and socialize with peers who share their interests.
• Making a Contribution - Extracurricular activities allow kids to make a contribution to their community, which is an important step in preparing them for life beyond the classroom.
• Goal Setting - Most extracurricular activities entail achieving a goal. While kids are having fun they are also getting opportunities to develop their goal setting skills.

In keeping with this approach here is what the Youth Cares Program has accomplised so far with your help:

• Music and Dancing program - The kids are enjoying the music and dancing program. As you can see from the pictures the two girls are proudly modelling the costumes the girls will wear when performing the African dance. In the pictures, the young boys are enjoying playing mbira.
• Soccer Program - As you can see from these pictures the kids are ecstatic to have 3 soccer balls!  Having grown up in Zimbabwe I know how these kids feel! Due to poverty kids in these rural areas cannot afford a soccer ball and yet only a few kids can be part of the school team. Only the kids who qualify to play on the school team have the opportunity to play soccer with real soccer balls. This doesnt deter the kids - they are very creative; they use old rags and twine to make a soccer ball. So you can just imagine how excited these kids are that they have 3 soccer balls! Holding a soccer ball in these rural areas is like holding a pot of "gold". You can see the joy in their faces. They now have 3 soccer balls! 
• Community service - To date the kids have picked up trash in the township and delivered drinking water to the elderly. In addition, as you can see in the pictures the kids are involved in a project to save the environment by planting trees.
• Scout Program - The scouts are preparing to host a scout camping event in the village

2. Pre-School Program Progress

Your donations make it possible for the Tekeshe Foundation to provide a free playtime program which promotes early childhood development and learning through play. This program is at the heart of our organization. Research has found out that children who complete pre-school programs are more advanced in literacy, creativity, initiative, and social skills and they are more likely to succeed in school and to end up as productive members of society. Through your donations we are able to enroll 30 children in our pre-school. I am pleased to announce that the playground equipement and the 10 chairs and table are now at the pre-school. As you can see from the pictures the kids are having fun! This is the first time they get to play on swings. These kids are very fortunate, there are so many kids in these rural areas who want to enroll in our pre-school so that they can play with toys and play on the swings, unfortunately we can only take 30 kids for now. 

3. Education Program

Your donations make it possible for the Tekeshe Foundation to provide school uniforms, school supplies and backpacks to disadvantaged rural kids. I am pleased to announced that we inclued 75 backpacks, 500 pencils, notebooks and other much needed school supplies with the last shipment to Zimbabwe. In my next progress report you will see the pictures of the kids receiving the items.

Our Goals for 2017

• Start construction on a new building that will house our pre-school and our youth centre.

 As you can see we have accomplished a lot . These accomplishments would not have been possible without your support. Through your donations you are playing a major role in tranforming the lives of rural kids!

Best wishes,

Thelma

Thank you for your continued support of this project. It is at the heart of our organization and is our strategy for empowering disadvantaged rural youth. Here are some of the highlights of what we accomplished together in 2016. We couldnt have done it without your support!

Bringing Joy To Kids At Christmas Time

In addition to providing school fees, school uniforms and school supplies we also bring joy to kids at Christmas time. We give them toys, candy and cookies. Due to poverty the majority of kids in the rural areas do not receive toys for Christmas. This year we gave toys, candy, baloons and pencils to over 300 children in Rimbi village. As you can see from the kids' faces in the pictures Christmas 2016 was a happy time indeed for them. They had a wonderful time!. Here is what one of the kids had to say:

"Thank you for giving me a doll and sweets. I stayed awake as I waited for the sun to come up so that I could come and receive toys from the Tekeshe Foundation. I really like the doll. I cannot wait to braid her hair. "

Update on The Youth Program
Our youth program is based upon the principle that young people need more than just academics, they also need to be taught life's lessons which are not taught at a desk in the classroom. The objective of our Youth Program is to empower young people to grow up to be successful, well-balanced and self-sufficient citizens. It emphasizes the importance of young people's personal development and their contributions to their communities. Our approach is as follows:

• Engage youth as resources, not simply recipients of services
• Recognize that preventing problems does not by itself promote development
• Ensures that youth are included as a part of planning and decision-making processes

In keeping with this approach we are pleased to announce that we are now offering two new programs, a Sewing program and a Cultural Music and Poetry program.

Our vision for the Sewing program is to teach the youth sewing skills. Giving sewing skills to the youth ensures that those who are unable to continue with their education will be able to earn an income through sewing. The youth will be taught how to make school uniforms, skirts and shirts. We are ecstastic to bring Robert (the instructor) on board to lead this program. We are very proud of him as he has a great passion to empower youth with sewing skills. We stoped by at Manzvire village to see what Robert had accomplished so far. Even though he doesnt have a building, he teaches sewing from a store front. We were impressed by his creativity! He doesnt have any sewing patterns, instead he uses a blackboard on the store front wall to show the different parts of a garment to the students. Once they understand the structure of a garment he shows them how to cut the material. In one of the pictures, you can see one of the students at the black board explaining to us the different parts of a skirt. I was awe-stricken by such creativity. As you can see in these pictures the youth are eager to learn. The Tekeshe Foundation donated $65 to the project. This money will be used to buy material to make school uniforms. In addition, we will provide 4 sewing machines, currently they only have one sewing machine. The total cost of the sewing machines is $200.00.

The vision of our Cultural Music and Poetry program is to engage the youth in their cultural heritage and to encourage them to study and perfom music. We are please to bring Mr Mhlable on board as the instructor. In these pictures you can see Mr Mahlabe and some of the kids who will participate in the program. As you can see the kids are really excited to learn how to play the instruments. Here is a breakdown of the money used to purchase the instruments:

• 2 drums     - $40
• 2 mbira      - $40.00
• 1 marimba - $100.00
•  material for costumes - $72.00

Through your donations you are playing a major role in shaping the lives of young people in these rural areas. Thank you so much!.

Best wishes,
Thelma

Thank you for your continued support of this project. This project is our strategy for empowering disadvantaged rural youth.

Update on The Youth Program
Through our Youth Program we empower young people to grow up to be successful, well-balanced and self- sufficient citizens. This program focuses on the importance of young people's personal development and their contributions to their communities. Our approach is as follows:

• Engage youth as resources, not simply recipients of services
• Recognize that preventing problems does not by itself promote development
• Young people should be included as a part of planning and decision-making processes

In keeping with this approach we provide opportunities for the youth to get involved in community service in the village. We are pleased to announce that in early May the youth in our youth program helped women who participate in a nutrition garden project to grow vegetables.You can see in these pictures, some of the kids from our youth program wearing their scout uniforms. We are very proud of our scouts for lending a hand. The Scout program is having a positive impact in the lives of rural kids. Here is what one of the scouts had to say:

In His Own Words By One Of The Scouts
"I would like to thank the donors for buying us uniforms. I feel very happy when I put on my uniform. I enjoy the camping events and learning the scout laws. We are taught to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, thrifty, brave and clean. I kindly ask you to help us with more uniforms and camping tents."

Update on Pre-school Program
Our pre-school program provides a free playtime program which promotes early childhood development and learning through play. The ultimate goal of the program is to prepare the children to successfully enter grade one and to become successful and lifelong learners. A typical day at the pre-school includes singing and playing with all kinds of toys including educational toys, structured playtime, story time and games.

The pre-school is doing very well. This year we have 30 kids enrolled in our school. As I mentioned in one of my previous progress reports, the children sit on the floor because we dont have chairs. Also, our school needs to be in compliance with the Ministry of Education requirements. In order  to be in compliance with these requirements we need playground equipement. Once the pre-school is compliant, it can be registered with the Ministry of Education. This helps us tremendously as we will no longer be responsible for paying the pre-school teacher's salary.

I am pleased to announce that we purchased 2 sets of playground equipement, 10 chairs and a desk. These items will be included as part of the next shipment going to Zimbabwe on September 10. Here is the cost breakdown:

• 10 chairs @ $15 a chair  -   $150.00
• 1 table                           -     $75.00
• 2 swings                        -   $430.91

May your hearts be filled with joy as you take a look at these pictures and see the major role you are playing in shaping the lives of these young people who are the leaders of tomorrow. Without your love and support this would not be possible.

Thank you so much for bringing hope in the lives of young people in these rural areas!

Best wishes,
Thelma

Thank you very much for helping us empower underprivileged rural youth in Zimbabwe to reach their full potential through education, skill development, and leadership training. We accomplished a lot in 2015 —thanks to your help!. Here are some highlights.

1. We provided school uniforms, school fees and school supplies to 25 students

2. We provided scout uniforms to 20 scouts and we sponsored 10 scouts to attend 2 scouting events. We also provided funds for the scouts to host a scout event in Rimbi village. The Manicaland Province Scout Association Commissioner, Transport commissioner and scouts from neighbouring villages also attended the event.

3. We enrolled 30 children in our pre-school

4. At Christmas time we gave toys, candy and cookies to over 300 kids in Rimbi village. 

In his Own Words By One Of The Students

"I am giving thanks to you for your financial support.  I was able to complete my studies at Rimbi High school, something that I didnt think would be possible because of financial difficulties. I am now attending Great Zimbabwe University. This would not have been possible without your help! I am very grateful for the opportunity to get an education. My future looks bright now. There are many students in the rural areas who want to get an education but are not able to do so because they dont have the funds. I thank you so much for supporting this program."

What We Have Planned for 2016

• In an effort to bridge the digital divide that exists between urban and rural youth, we will be enhancing our Youth Program to include Basic Computer Training. We will also be providing Cultural Music lessons 

• Start construction on the new building that will house our pre-school and our youth centre.

As you can see from the pictures, we accomplished a lot in 2015. These accomplishments would not have been possible without your support. Through your donations you are playing a major role in tranforming the lives of rural students!.

Thanks again

Best wishes,

Thelma

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you for your continued support of our pre-school program. This program is at the heart of our organization and is our strategy for providing the best start in life to children in these rural areas.

Research has found out that children who complete pre-school programs are more advanced in literacy, creativity, initiative, and social skills and they are more likely to succeed in school and to end up as productive members of society. Sadly the majority of children in the rural areas of Chipinge in Zimbabwe have no access to early childhood development and learning programs. Through your donations we are able to enroll 30 children in our pre-school. Our goal is to increase the number to 90 in 2016.

 As you can you see in the attached pictures, the pre-school program is doing very well. A typical day at the pre-school includes structured playtime, story time, games, singing and playing with all kinds of toys including educational toys.The children's favorite time is when they get to play with the toys and ride bikes. The toys and bikes were donated by New England Pentecostal ministries and friends of the Foundation in the US. Every year we partner with churches in New England to send a 40 foot container of medicines, food and clothing, school supplies and toys to Zimbabwe.

 Though the program is a big success we still have many needs. The following are our goals for 2016

•  Increase the number of children enrolled in our school to 90
•  Hire two additional teachers.
•  Provide a building which will be able to accommodate 90 kids.
•  Provide tables and chairs, currently the kids sit on the floor.
•  Add an outdoor play area with swings

I am pleased to announce that we will begin building the new pre-school facility in January 2016. 

Thank you for helping these little ones have the best start in life! May your hearts be filled with lots of joy and laughter this holiday season as you reflect on the difference you are making in the lives of these children. 

I wish you a very happy Christmas and a prosperous 2016!

Best wishes,

Thelma