Partners

Cecily's Fund works in close partnership with with three local organisations: Hodi, CHEP and Bwafwano.

Our partners provide invaluable on-the-ground knowledge and expertise. The dedicated staff help to identify the children who most need help, and then work with the schools to support them right through their education. Like all Zambians, each of of them understands the reality of living under the shadow of HIV and AIDS and can carry this understanding into their work with children who are learning to cope.

Our relationship with all our partners is based on the shared importance we put on accountability. We know that donors want to be confident that the money we send to Zambia is being spent exactly as promised - and to that end we make regular monitoring visits, receive monthly reports on expenditure and activities and ask to see annual audited accounts. We ensure that books are formally audited, and we receive regular monthly updates on each programme.

We also help our partners to continue to develop as efficient, accountable, independent organisations. We support key staff, training and IT developments and we are always keen to use our contacts to put our partners in touch with new funders.

Hodi

We began working with Hodi in early 2007 to continue our support of children at primary and secondary schools and teacher training colleges in the Kitwe area. We are currently working with 57 schools, each of which has a volunteer "contact teacher" - a teacher who is responsible for overseeing the orphans in school. These teachers make sure the children atetnd school and mentor them if necessary. They liaise with Hodi and the children's guardians, following up any problems that might affect their schooling.

Hodi was set up in 1996 and has an impressive record of providing support for community-based organisations, with the aim of encouraging self-sufficiency. It has been involved in food security and income generation programmes; has built 16 primary schools; and has particular experience of helping young people out of child labour and back into school. Until recently, Hodi also worked with refugees in government -run camps on the Congolese border. It was responsible for HIV prevention and positive-living activities in transient communities. Hodi operates primarily in rural areas, in five of Zambia's regions: Southern, Central, Copperbelt, Luapala and Northern provinces.

In 2007/8, we supported 4,179 children at primary level and 3,049 at secondary level. Click here to find out more about our education programme.

www.hodi.org.zm

CHEP- The Copperbelt Health Education Project

CHEP is an internationally renowned organisation, set up in 1988 in response to the rapidly emerging problems of HIV and AIDS in Zambia and in the Copperbelt region in particular. Its aim is to inform and educate people in the area about HIV and AIDS and encourage them to adopt healthy, safe behaviour. As well as running its own programmes, it acts as a support centre for other smaller health awareness groups that need materials and training. It draws on best practice from all over Africa and in turn is seen as a generator of best practice.

Cecily's Fund supports CHEP to run a peer health education programme.

www.chep.org.zm

Bwafwano

Bwafwano's community school is on the outskirts of Lusaka. The school is part of a larger organisation which cares for people living with HIV and their dependents. Bwafwano means 'helping one another'. It was set up by a local nurse and is run by volunteers in the area.

Bwafwano forms part of Cecily's Fund's education programme for orphans adn vulnerable children. Cecily's Fund pays the salaries of the four teachers, a head teacher and a matron who work back-to-back shifts to ensure all 650 children are taught. We also provide these pupils and the 106 pre-school children, with a midday meal of maize and vegetables. For many children it is their only meal of the day and without it they are too hungry to concentrate on their work. When children complete grade 4 at Bwafwano's community school we fund them at local government schools. In 2007/8 we supported 1,150 children in nearby government schools.

The Overseas Aid Committee of the Isle of Man Government (www.gov.im) provided a grant of £10,000 towards the cost of the Bwafwano Community School programme in 2007-08. This support was invaluable in ensuring that the school was able to run at full capacity, providing quality free education to 650 children that have been orphaned or made vulnerable by AIDS in the Chipata compound on the outskirts of Lusaka, Zambia.