“Safe Park” was designed for children from the community to learn and play in a safe environment. Due to COVID, program activities were cancelled for the months of April, May, and June. In July, we resumed “Safe Park” in a new format to provide education and prevent the spread of COVID.
New “Safe Park” Format: Since most families have little knowledge about COVID, and children are out of school, we are now providing education on COVID prevention and PPE to children from the community. Two COVID prevention workshops are conducted every week with social distancing. PPE and a small snack are provided. About 40 children attend each week.
Goal: Our goal is to keep families informed so that they follow all protocols (hand washing, social distancing, and wearing a mask) to stay safe from COVID.
Content of COVID workshops: Topics discussed during these workshops are:
Stay safe. We are all in this together.
Thanks for keeping children and families safe from COVID.
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Happy Dad's day. Here is heartwarming news from the ground in Zambia. Last month, along with our partner Greenway Appliances, we launched an innovative project that provides clean cooking stoves to vulnerable families. These stoves have a minimal carbon footprint, are almost smoke free, use less fuel, and cook food faster. The stoves were pre-tested for smoke generation, fuel availability/cost, local recipes, cooking speed, and ease of use before the project was launched.
Goals of this project are to improve the health of families, save money on fuel, and income generation. So far, recipients love their new stoves as they are easy to use, smoke generation is almost nil, and they are saving money on fuel costs.
Beneficiaries: 10,000 vulnerable families living in impoverished neighborhoods.
Due to COVID-19, “Safe Park” was cancelled around March 20. However, we have started providing stoves to families who are enrolled in our “Safe Park” program.
Thank you for giving the gift of play to vulnerable children in Zambia.
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Wishing all moms, a beautiful Mother’s Day.
As many of us continue to work from the safety of our homes, we are reminded that it is a privilege to have a safe shelter, ample food, and good health care. However, this is not true for most families enrolled in our weekly games and educational activities program in Zambia. To keep children healthy and COVID free, "Safe Park" is cancelled till June 1, 2020. We are working hard to keep children and families safe from COVID-19.
COVID-19 has created loss of livelihood and uncertainty for families that were food insecure and in poor health pre-COVID and are likely unable to provide even one meal a day for their families going forward.
Stay safe. We are all in this together.
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Hope you are keeping safe from the virus.
Power of Love is taking aggressive steps to keep our staff and beneficiary families safe from COVID-19. We are monitoring the situation continuously in Matero and the neighboring compounds in Lusaka, Zambia where our programs are located. Our goal is to keep our health care team, their families, and children and families enrolled safe from the virus. Our team on the ground is equipped with personal protective equipment (face masks, gloves etc.) and they are following a strict health protocol. In addition, we have set side emergency funds for families impacted by COVID-19.
Take extra care of yourself during these uncertain times. We are all in this together.
Thanks for helping provide a safe environment for orphans and vulnerable children to learn and play.
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Who attends "Safe Park"? “Safe Park” is Power of Love’s community outreach program and is free and open to all children in the community of Matero, in Lusaka, Zambia. Most children in Matero are vulnerable and/or orphaned; they live with extended families, grandmothers or older siblings and face hunger, disease, abuse and neglect. As a result, they need counseling, support, and a safe area to play freely; their families’ need information about organizations who could be help to them.
"Safe Park" benefits about 760 children and their families. As we plan new program activities for 2020, we would like to share the story of a typical child who participates in "Safe Park" and illustrate how your support is making an impact on vulnerable families and children.
Here is a story of Frank, one of the hundreds of children who join us in learning and playing every week. Frank and his brother are regular participants in “Safe Park” games and activities. They are cared for by their aunt and live with seven other family members in a home in Matero. The family can barely afford three meals a day. Since joining the program, Frank is happier and better adjusted to his difficult circumstances at home. He now participates regularly in games and activities and interacts well with other children. Frank’s family is happy that the children can play games and learn in safe environment and that the whole family receives a package of health care services to keep them healthy. They also receive counseling and support. In addition, they received long lasting insecticide treated nets and education on malaria last November. They are grateful and would like this program to continue in the community.
Impact of Safe Park: “Safe Park” activities impact hundreds of children like Frank get help with schoolwork, learn about HIV prevention, and their families are referred to government clinics for counseling and testing for HIV, TB and cervical cancer. In addition, the children are happier as they get an opportunity to play, interact freely with other children, and mentor younger children. All program activities are designed to help participants learn life skills, provide critical information (location of clinics for counseling) and malaria bed nets to family members. The result is a stronger and well-informed family and community.
Thank you for giving the gift of play to vulnerable children in Zambia.
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