NAMUMU ORPHANAGE CENTRE

Origins: The idea of establishing an orphanage was conceived by Munjongo and Esther Namuyamba in conjunction with Jailas Syanjoka and Josam Kanyama. These founding members were moved by the plight of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) in their communities. Namumu Orphanage Centre (NOC) was registered on 14th July 2000 by the registrar of societies as a non-profit making and non-governmental organization.

Namumu’s vision –“From Desperation to Self Reliance”.


Rationale for Namumu:
The HIV/AIDS pandemic has wrought misery on Zambian society, leading to ahigh prevalence of orphaned children. For many children losing both parents feels like the end of the world. Our work is to help the OVCs develop and grow- mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Namumu Orphanage Centre embarked on a recruitment of the most needy OVCs from all the four chiefdoms in Siavonga district. The first 20 OVCs were admitted to the centre in 2002, while 60 more were admitted in 2005, bringing the total number of resident OVCs to 80 (40 boys and 40 girls). As on date there are 60 OVCs, the reduced number is a result of financial difficulties NOC has faced since end of 2009 following the withdrawal of one of its main funders, the Zambia National Aids Network (ZNAN), and also the discharge of children who are 18 years and above.

Namumu Community School:
The school was built by NOC in conjunction with the community and started operating in March 2002. It provides education from grades one to seven. The school is staffed with trained teachers. The Namumu community school has sent children to basic and secondary schools.

Health Post:
  NOC has a well-furnished health post which provides freeservices to the OVCs, staff and members of the community.
Friends from the Outreach Foundation and the local district hospital supply drugs to the health post.

Income Generating Activities: The income generating activities (IGA) were begun in 2006 in an effort to supplement the financial and material support from Namumu’s donors. All profits from IGA go into providing better support for the children and self-sustenance.

Kapenta Fishing: NOC has two Kapenta fishing rigs which fish nightly on nearby Lake Kariba. The catches are sold to local fish traders. Some of the Kapenta catches are also given to the resident OVCs to supplement their diet.

Poultry: Currently NOC houses 100 chickens (layers). The eggs produced through this operation are sold to NOC staff and the local community. In addition, the eggs supplement the diet of the resident OVCs.

Vegetable Gardening: Under the supervision of the care-givers, the children of Namumu tend to a number of small vegetable gardens, learning different gardening skills. The vegetables grown are either sold to members of the surrounding community or are used to feed the resident children.

Carpentry and Welding: NOC also operated a carpentry and welding workshop in a small scale from 2006 till 2010. The activity has been suspended due to lack of working capital.

Major Funders:

The Outreach Foundation: Without the financial and material support from the Outreach Foundation and the Presbyterian Church in the United States, the centre would not exist. They funded the construction of the chapel, clinic, staff houses, dining halls and two dormitories. They also funded the purchase of four vehicles and two fishing rigs. The Outreach Foundation continues to be the major funder for NOC.

ZNAN: ZNAN (Zambia National Aids Network) also contributed significantly towards the feeding and education costs of our resident OVCs and was one of our main funders till end of 2009. It also paid for community school teachers (who await government recruitment).

Challenges:

The continued ill effects of HIV/AIDS have resulted in NOC receiving frequent requests to admit more OVCs. But there are urgent problems to overcome before NOC can support more children effectively.

• Urgent additional support is needed to provide better feeding provisions and educational support for the resident OVCs
• Funding is required to purchase additional fishing rigs to increase the income from Kapenta IGA
• Funding  is required to scale up the poultry business by adding 200-300 more layers to increase the income from this operation
• Funding is required to set up a water reticulation system that will help provide a year round source of  water that will greatly increase income earned from vegetable production
• Funding needed to set up an Aquaculture unit that, has great potential in the area and is also  an activity encouraged by the local government
• A new carpentry and welding workshop must be constructed and working capital obtained to resume this activity and build it up to decent income levels
• The 2 dormitories in which the OVCs reside cannot house more than eighty children, so there is an urgent need to construct additional dormitories and another dining hall to meet the growing demand to accept more OVCs
• The community school must be expanded, as must its staff housing units and additional classroom furniture must be secured
• There is a need for an office block as the chapel currently serves as the office
• Various NOC buildings require significant rehabilitation
• As transport is an important resource for the effective management of  NOC, the three non-runner vehicles must be repaired
• Sewing machines must be obtained in order to train the children in tailoring skills
• Additional computers must be obtained both for administrative purposes and training for the children

Our Accounts: Zanaco - Current A/C No :069021-205, Barclays -Current USD A/C No: 0000001019366

Contact Info:
Plot 1976 Matinangala Site and Service, PO Box 50, Siavonga
Tel: 01-511450/0979336090/0977926644/0976619983; E-Mail: namumuorphanagecentre@gmail.com