Macheke CFE Centre
News update
September 2010 - The Macheke feeding centre has got off to a flying start on 1st July, this project has taken some time to set up due to the political unrest and the uncertainty in what was once a very volatile area. We have a man by the name of Joseph working for us, and he has secured a place on a farm 4 kilometers outside of Macheke. We are feeding CSB to the children, which is a compound of minerals and vitamins used in emergency food aid and the best source of nutrients for the children. The mothers are taking turns in cooking and feeding the children and we have ordered a water tank which we will install soon as it arrives.
The first day of feeding saw only 15 children come, as we think people in Macheke have been through a lot of hardship in recent years and find it hard to believe that someone would give their children food free, without there being some sort of political motive behind it. However, more and more are starting to come forward as the word spreads and people learn we are simply there to help. These families have been through a lot of adversity and suffering as they were all once employed in the area, and have since been made redundant as farms have been taken over. The situation is very sad as they have no where else to go and many are suffering from starvation.
Parents often go without food in order to feed their children but as a result they have very little energy to look for work. They have tried to grow their own food but drought hit their area again this year. It was a horrible situation as many had saved what little money they had to buy seeds, but this turned out to be a fruitless exercise as the crop never grew. Vimba is still hoping to align itself with a school close to the village centre, this has worked well for our previous feeding centers as it means there are pre-existing buildings, running water and there is only a short walk for the children to get their meal.
The people in Macheke are extremely grateful for this feeding centre and are very excited to be involved in it and see it grow. Their sincere gratitude is evident in their faces at the delight that their children no longer need to go hungry for days on end.
June 2010 - The children at Macheke are amongst some of the most starving children, as a result we have taken the decision to feed more then just the children under 5. These children are suffering badly and often can not get to school because of weakness. We feel that this center is going to be highly beneficial to the children of the area. We are hoping to change the venue from the church to the school.
April 2010 - ASIG donation will go towards setting up a new centre in Macheke. In Macheke there are children who are struggling to cope with the lack of food. The area is in need of food as the maize has not set due to the lack of rain. Water would have to be transported by bowzer to a tank. There are 73 children in the village. We have discussed the possibilities of feeding the children at the school; however with 23 of the children being under the age of 6 we have realised that there needs to be a crèche in the village. We will be costing the possibility of putting a double Woodrow house at the village which will be used as a feeding centre. The school going children under 16 may then go to the crèche for breakfast before they walk the 3 kilometres to school. As previously mentioned water is an issue in the village, there is a nearby A2 farmer who sells water using a bowzer, we will approach the farmer to see if she will donate the water to the crèche. Perhaps we could offer money for fuel.
Project information
Project information to follow shortly
Photos
Photos to be uploaded shortly
