The orphans care and community development centres

WHY O.C.C.D.C.s?

The case for the O.C.C.D.C.s can be summarized as follows:1. To address and resolve those problems that community outreach alone cannot resolve satisfactorily. These include the growing problem of orphans in child headed households and the often deplorable conditions we find some destitute AIDS sufferers. These two groups in particular have fallen through the cracks of the traditional African social safety net, as a result of the unprecedented burden the HIV-AIDS pandemic has laid on its structures. Our experience with these groups has led us to the inevitable conclusion; that we must support our community work with a structure that will remove or/and cushion their suffering and helplessness.2. To expand and grow the capacity for community work so that more people in a greater number of localities and situations can be reached and helped and where the outcomes of the community work can be measured and improved. In doing this we want to create the infrastructure, provide the facilities and equip community workers so that their work is to a lesser cost to their persons, more inspiring and of long term impact.3. Incorporate a drive for community development so that the disadvantaged can generate their own responses to their problems. Most of those hardest hit by poverty, hardship, bereavement and hopelessness are individuals whose minds and hearts are gripped in a cycle from which they do not seem to see a way out. By addressing these spiritual, emotional and mental dilemmas we have witnessed transformation of the capacity for self help and a desire for change. The O.C.C.D.C. will facilitate the public education, skills training and funding as well as rehabilitation programs that will give impetus to the change.4. WIF intends to build O.C.C.D.C.s in as many African countries as possible.

The Objectives in establishing the O.C.C.D.C.s

Below is the outline of how the Centers will address the above issues in each target country:

1. Adopt a holistic approach to its community outreach activities.

The Centers will provide WIF with the necessary infrastructure that will enable us to recruit and train more community workers and caregivers and encourage organizations and churches to initiate and engage in community work and outreaches. In this way more people can be reached and helped within their communities. WIF will also be able to use the Centers to engage in public health education and advocacy work, and run skills training and rehabilitation programs for various groups as needed.  A special coordinator will spearhead this work.

2. Secure the physical safety of vulnerable children and provide them with a caring and nurturing environment within which they can be equipped with basic education and other life skills.

This objective is particularly important in the taking care of orphans from child headed households ,especially those living in environments of neglect or abuse that often lead to rape, homelessness, prostitution and child marriages.

3. Secure and expand the future prospects of older orphans.

These youngsters are often the hardest to help. Often, by the time community workers get to them, they have already dropped out of school and are too old to be reinstated and therefore too “uneducated” for formal job training or employment. Problems for this group include homelessness, sometimes delinquent behaviour and suicides for boys and prostitution and early marriages for girls. The O.C.C.D.C.’s Vocational Training Center will offer skills and apprenticeship, training as well as mentoring.

4. Provide facilities for the all round development of orphans.

 These will include a rich and diverse curriculum at our Crèches, Community Schools and Vocational Training Centers, athletic and sporting facilities, libraries, computer centers, facilities for indoor activities and health care. Additionally, older orphans will be expected to participate in community outreach work. It is hoped that these Centers will be centers of innovation and self reinvention, allowing each child and youngster to discover their talents, pursue their potential and stay connected to the communities.

5. Provide a Sanctuary for AIDS sufferers.

The Centers will each operate a Convalescence Home for destitute AIDS sufferers, especially those who have been abandoned by family and friends and cannot access formal medical services.

6. Be a model in cost saving development

THE CENTERS’ PROPOSED PHYSICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PHILOSOPHY

Introduction

The physical development, facilities, management and administration of the proposed Orphans Care and community Development Centers [O.C.C.D.C.s] will be committed to the care, nurture and development of each orphan under our care. They will expand the prospects of each child by providing sound education from pre-school through High school, vocational and apprenticeship training.They will also provide the necessary infrastructure for the expansion of community work and facilitate the advocacy, training and rehabilitation programs that will enable caregivers, certain groups and communities to break out of the strangleholds of hardships and destitution. The approach to their physical design will be a model in cost saving development, incorporating cost saving features that will minimize their capital and operational costs (including maintenance) thus helping to assure their sustainability. The O.C.C.D.C.s will use solar energy, recycle waste, harness and use rain and underground water and grow their own food. They will aim to become self sustaining in 5 years. The facilities to be provided in each Center will consist of both core and support facilities. The core facilities will comprise of:

• 1. Homes for orphans grouped in clusters of ten single family units/houses.
  2. Multi-purpose buildings/centers for crèches, indoor activities and recreation.
  3. A community school.
  4. A vocational training center and hostel accommodation for older orphans.
  5. An Administrative Block.
  6. A convalescence home.
  7. A WIF Secretariat.
  8. A conference center: an income earner

The support facilities on the other hand will include:

• 1. A Dispensary.
  2. A Library and Computer Center.
  3. Staff quarters.
  4. Visiting volunteers’ accommodation.
  5. A Radio Station.
  6. A Chapel.

In addition, it is proposed that each Center establish income generating activities to tap into the scope of some of the facilities of the Center to generate income. The establishment of additional income generating ventures outside the O.C.C.D.C.s may be deemed necessary in order to ensure the long term sustainability and prosperity of these Centers. In this regard, each country is expected to present its peculiar opportunities.

THE CORE FACILITIES

The Housing Clusters/Villages

To aid its function as a community, each O.C.C.D.C. will be designed around the concept of a housing “cluster” or “village” of 10 houses each guided by the principles outlined below.

• All orphans 14 years and younger will be housed in single family “homes” parented by a salaried mother who will be assisted by an auntie. It is estimated that 70% of the initial admission will be mostly of 0-10 year olds. This estimate is based on the fact that most relatives find this group the hardest to look after.
• All siblings will be kept together in the same “home” or household.
• The average “home” will accommodate 10-12 children but will have a potential to house up to 16 children. All school going children will live in the same home until they complete High school. Children in boarding schools or colleges can also come “home” during vacations. In this way they will have minimum disruption to their lives and education.
• Each home will have all the necessary facilities for modern home living. It will have 6 bedrooms; 4 for the children and a room each for the mother and the auntie. Each of the 4 bedrooms will accommodate 4 children on 2 bunk beds with a maximum occupancy of 16 children per house. When the number of children exceeds 12 or when the majority of the children are infants then a second auntie or assistant will be assigned to the household.
• The homes will have a kitchen and an eating area, a play area and a sitting room, storage facilities and a laundry area, adequate bathing, washing and toilet facilities. The children’s bedrooms will also have adequate cupboard and study/desk space. The mother’s room will be en-suite while the auntie’s will be big enough to accommodate an additional assistant should the need arise.
• The mothers and aunties will be trained and required to run their homes in a manner that ministers love, nurture and harmony. They are also expected to train the children with life skills at the appropriate ages, as an early preparation for an eventual future life outside the O.C.C.D.C. e.g. cooking, washing, cleaning, money management and culturally appropriate etiquette.
• Children 14 years and older, who no longer attend regular school, will be directly admitted into the Vocational Training Centre [VTC] and live at its hostels.

Multi-Purpose Building/ Center

Each cluster/village will have a multi-purpose building [MPB]. In some locations this facility may be shared among two “villages”. Some of these buildings may be used as temporary classrooms and/or administrative offices at the beginning of the construction of the O.C.C.D.C.s. However eventually, they will accommodate:

• A crèche for 0-5/6 year olds with its own playrooms, sleeping/nap area, a kitchenette and outdoor activities and playgrounds. The crèche will afford the mothers and aunties time for training, community work and other commitments.
• Indoor recreation, organized school study and homework, movies, games, television, and “village” based meetings and activities etc.
• Storage facilities for the whole cluster/village.
• A Dispensary.
• A Reception Hall for visitors to the “village”
• A shop that will sell agriculture produce, groceries and household goods; depending on the location of a particular O.C.C.D.C.

The Vocational Training Center will have its own MPB to cater for recreation, sporting and other activities specific to this older group.

The Community Schools

These schools are an important interface between the O.C.C.D.C.s and the larger community. They will offer Primary to High School education to the orphans in the O.C.C.D.C.s as well as children from the larger community. On completion of their education from this school the children can proceed to the Vocational Training Center for skills training, join apprenticeship schemes or continue their education in other tertiary institutions, according to each child’s ability. The schools will provide a diverse and rich curriculum necessary to enable each child reach his/her potential as well as prepare him/her to eventually adapt well to different environments and demands of life later on.The general prosperity of the schools can also be enhanced by entering into mentoring and exchange programs with churches, local, national and international schools and colleges.The schools will provide lunch and snacks in the course of its day.

Vocational Training Centers

The Vocational Training Centers [VTCs] will serve two primary purposes. Firstly they will impart job skills to older orphans who are past school going age thereby improving their employment opportunities and secondly they will be a mid way house for children who have gone through our “homes” so that they can graduate to a productive life in the larger community.The [VTCs] will offer training in low and medium level job skills as well as operate apprenticeship schemes with local and national industries and institutions.The Trainees will also be mentored so that they are later well heeled in the demands of life on their own.The courses at the VTC will be market relevant. They will include income generating activities and services; art and crafts, catering, carpentry, plumbing, electrical and car mechanics. There will also be instruction in food processing, fashion design, textiles and producing other household items. These Centers can also benefit through cooperation, training and exchange programs with local and international institutions and industries, agencies and other organizations.

Hostel Accommodation

The trainees at the VTC will live in its hostels.  These will be of single 4 bedroom apartments, with 4 students in a semi partitioned bedroom. Each apartment/home will have the necessary facilities for communal living; cooking, eating, bathing and laundry facilities. The 16 youths will learn to live and organize themselves and learn home and budget management, share all household chores and contribute to the upkeep and organization of the home. The occupants will select a leader amongst themselves to aid the mentor/supervisor assigned to their home.Boys and girls will live in separate hostels at separate locations.

Mentoring of the Youth

A mentor will be assigned to about 4-6 trainee apartments to supervise and mentor the occupants. Mentors must be married, vetted role models that may also be tutors at the VTC. They will be offered free accommodation in exchange for their mentoring roles. Each mentor will be assisted by a “leader” from each apartment.The role of these mentors individually and as a group will be to:

• Ensure discipline and order among the youth and that the homes are run properly,
• Ensure that conflicts are resolved wisely.
• Organize activities and training of the youth that will help form the youth’s character and understanding of her/his responsibilities to her/himself and to others and generally prepare them for a life outside the O.C.C.D.C.
• Ensure there is no abuse or molestation against or among his/her wards and act quickly at any hint or suspicion of such threats.
• Assign each resident the required number of hours of community work every week. The youth’s participation in community work will help the youth to stay familiar with the communities’ environment and issues and thus cultivate appropriate values and responses. Community work may include helping out at the crèche, community school, the convalescence home as well as in communities outside the O.C.C.D.C..
• Encourage the trainees to work part time or during vacation and save towards their graduation into the larger communities.

Multi-Purpose Center/ Indoor Recreation

The VTC will have a building or facilities for indoor activities including high impact sports such as gymnastics, squash and table tennis as well as other games, shows etc. The multi-purpose center (MPC) will also serve as a venue for meetings, debates, study, training and other activities.

The Administration Block

This block will contain WIF’s headquarters, offices for the Executive Director, Board Room to host the Boards of Trustees and the Management Committee. It will be strategically located, accessible and easily identifiable from other buildings. It will include:

• A reception office or area (open plan space for future partitioning).
• The Executive Director’s office and offices for her Secretariat.
• Board/Prayer room
• Accountant/Finance Manager’s offices
• A Grounds and Buildings Maintenance Superintendent office
• Files/records/messenger room
• A kitchenette
• Offices for the Manager of income generating ventures where applicable.

      WIF Secretariat

This will comprise of:

• A reception area (can be share reception area in the Administration Block).
• A Board/Prayer room that can accommodate 40-50 people.
• 3 offices and a reception desk for the secretariat.
• The board of trustees in each country will establish other income generating ventures that will make the O.C.C.D.C.s self sufficient within 5 years of its operation.
• 2 counseling offices/prayer rooms.
• A community workers briefing and record sorting room.
• A files/records room.
• A kitchenette.

Convalescence Homes

These are part of WIF’s calling and a response to especially destitute AIDS sufferers who have no help elsewhere. These Homes are not hospitals but a place to offer respite to the many faces of sickness and poverty. The patients will receive medical attention but equally important, proper feeding, counseling and spiritual ministration. They will be fenced off from the other activities on the site and will have their own access points.

A convalescence home will be a simple ward block with the female ward separated from the male ward by a dispensary and a nurses’ room with storage space for emergency equipment and medicines.

Sick children from the outside community will be accommodated in a children’s ward with a play, games and reading area. The children’s ward will have a capacity of about 15 children.  Other facilities will be:

• 2 Prayer/counseling rooms
• Staff room with alarm lights showing connections to each bed.
• A general kitchen for patients meals preparation
• A kitchenette for patients’ general use
• Laundry and sluice rooms
• A patients recreation/TV room
• Outdoor resting area

Outdoor Athletic and Sporting Facilities:

1. Playgrounds and athletic track

These facilities will promote good health practices and fitness as well as aid the development of athletic skills and sportsmanship within the O.C.C.D.C.s and the larger community. Playgrounds for soccer, basketball, rugby, cricket/baseball, volleyball, lawn tennis, track and field and sports facilities should be of standards that can contribute to the development of national and international sporting and athletic talent.

Playgrounds for soccer, basketball, rugby, cricket/ baseball, volleyball, long tennis and track and field and swimming pools should be of standards that can contribute to the development of national and international sports and athletic talent.

There should be the prudent use of the available land by encouraging multiple uses of spaces without creating a conflict in use and without causing an under-provision of facilities.

The general landscape planning will reflect the fact that African children spend a high proportion of their free time outdoors.

2. Swimming Pools

Swimming pools are expensive to maintain so provision in a central lock-up facility will be ideal. These should have restricted access and close supervision so as to minimize conflicts between the different age groups as well as accidents.

SUPPORT FACILITIES

1. Dispensary

It is expected that a significant proportion of the children in the O.C.C.D.C.s would have already contracted HIV-AIDS on admission. This makes the dispensary an important facility that will provide ongoing care to the general children’s population as well as to this special group. The Dispensary will have a doctor’s room, a nurses’ room, an observation room with 4 beds and a sickbay of about 10 beds. Children at the O.C.C.D.C. with illnesses that cannot be treated at the dispensary will be taken to a general hospital outside the Centers.

The Boards of Trustees and Management Committees will determine whether the dispensary will offer services to the larger community or not.

2. Library and Computer Center

The library will have a reference/study area and computer center subdivided into smaller sections that can serve small groups at a time.  Again, particular attention should be paid to the needs of the different age groups. The library can be located at the school.

3. Staff Quarters

In addition to the mothers and aunties other key support staff should have living quarters at the O.C.C.D.C.s so that there will be some form of 24/7 support to the children, caregivers and the sick. Eventually the Board of Trustees will have to determine the level of this provision. In the case of the location of our first project at Kibaha-Msangani, the provision of staff quarters to some key personnel is unavoidable. The suggestion below is based on working day shifts but can be adjusted by the Boards to suit their locations and realities:

• • 2 medical doctors
  • 3 nurses,
  • 2 medical aide persons/drivers, and
  • 3 administration staff
  • 4-6 apartments for mentors/supervisors
  • Housekeeping and security staff quarters

Guests/ Volunteers Accommodation

WIF expects to work with various regional and international organizations, especially those that can volunteer medical personnel, engineers, artisans, technical trainers/educators or specialized training for various categories of the children and our staff. For their services, the O.C.C.D.C.s will offer them free accommodation and food. These homes can be specially built en-suite rooms with common concierge, housekeeping and living space or they can be located in the Guest House where one is provided.

Radio Station

WIF will run a local, non political Christian radio station that will broadcast in vernacular languages where required. It will publish the Gospel as well as engage in public health education generally and on HIV-AIDS in particular. It will also encourage community engagement on social issues, educate home and community care givers and generally advocate for the welfare of children, the sick, the poor, conflict and violence.The Station will also facilitate quick responses to natural disasters.

The Chapel

The Chapel’s architecture and location should take into consideration the fact that all the various departments on the site will get to use the chapel at some time during the week. It will also be the main meeting place for morning prayers and school festivities as well as Sunday Worship services. The Chapel will also be used by WIF for conferences and retreats and may be rented to other Christian groups for similar purposes.The Chapel should be able to sit 300-400 people in an interesting setting with an entrance or hallway where people can interact after services or meetings.It will have side rooms for Sunday school for children below 12 years and meeting rooms for teens. The side rooms can double as seminar/workshop rooms at other times.There will be one large kitchen equipped to cater for larger congregations, or meetings as well as a tea/coffee making kitchenette, with a serving counter, attached to the hallway.

INCOME GENERATING FACILITIES

A Conference Center

The Conference Centre is proposed to jump start income generating efforts of the O.C.C.D.C.s. It is the onus of the Board of Trustees to achieve the sustainability of the O.C.C.D.s in their country and to that end establish other income generation ventures within and outside the Centers.The design of the Conference Center will give consideration to non conference use for example wedding receptions, stage performances, movie screening, preaching etc. These facilities will include:

• An amphitheatre to accommodate about 400-500 people; with a design that can reduce or increase the space for larger or smaller audiences. Conference rooms of 40-60 seating that can also be used as dining/eating area.
• Seminar rooms of 30-50 seating that can also be used as dining/eating area.
• The Manager’s and other offices for the administration of the facilities.
• A kitchen large enough for cooking and catering services, adequately equipped.
• A café for coffee, tea, soft drinks and snacks.

Business Centre: to include printing, photocopying, Internet services, faxing, telephones, scanning, a bookshop and an art and craft shop.

Guest Rooms

Each country’s requirement for these facilities will differ. The key determinant will be the location of the Conference Center relative to quality accommodation available to its users elsewhere. In light of this, the location of the proposed Conference Center for the Tanzania O.C.C.D.C. at Kibaha-Msangani warrants the addition of these facilities. The Guest Rooms will be rented out for the exclusive use of those attending functions and events at the Conference Center. They will include a concierge/reception hall, kitchen, a dining hall, housekeeping and a gym.  The conference and seminar rooms can also double as dining/catering rooms when required. The landscape design can also include outdoor catering.

OPERATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE O.C.C.D.C.s

Each project country will have a Board of Trustees that will oversee the construction and later the management of the O.C.C.D.C.s. The day to day running of the Centers will be under an Executive Director [ED]. The ED will also chair the Management Committee comprising of heads of departments. WIF’s National Executive Committee on the other hand will be responsible for all community work outreach and offer spiritual support to the O.C.C.D.C.s.The Board of Trustees in Tanzania consists of diverse, professional and influential individuals. It includes a former cabinet minister, a former ambassador and professionals in international and local organizations based in Dar es Salaam.The Board in that country has already initiated some critical groundwork. For instance, the chairman is credited with the identification and the purchase of the land for the O.C.C.D.C. and the setting up of the Trust Fund account while another Trustee had oversight of the drawing up of the Trust Deed to conform with the laws of the land and ensured WIF is registered as a Trust. Additional land for the VTC and farming purposes is being sought.Below is the broad and general outline of how the development and operation of the O.C.C.D.C.s is to be carried out in every country.

1. The Board of Trustees

• • Recommend and help in the purchase of the land for the development of the O.C.C.D.C. in their country.
  • Obtain the necessary planning permissions and oversee the development of the O.C.C.D.C. according to an approved Master Plan. The location of the Tanzanian O.C.C.D.C. is outside municipal regulations.
  • They will also interview and appoint all key staff and oversee and counsel the Management Committee and generally work for the prosperity of the O.C.C.D.C.. These will include fundraising for the establishment of scholarships and apprenticeship schemes as well as seek employment opportunities for the graduates of the O.C.C.DC. with local industries and institutions.
  • The Boards are also expected to ensure the O.C.C.D.C. in their country is self sustaining in the shortest time possible.
  • The Board will be the place of last appeal for all aggrieved staff and others

2. The Management Committee

The Committee, whose chairperson is the Executive Director [ED], comprises of all heads of departments, including the heads of the community school and of the Vocational Training Center, the accountant, maintenance superintendent. The National President of WIF will also be a member of the Committee. The ED’s office will be given to a professional manager who will be tasked with the day to day running of the O.C.C.D.C.. She will therefore be a key person in ensuring the welfare of the orphans is secured and that all facets of the O.C.C.D.C. are run efficiently and achieve their objectives. 

The primary purpose of this committee is to constitute a forum where heads of departments can be informed of matters related to the operation of the whole of the O.C.C.D.C., plan for its prosperity and resolve its problems and conflicts.

3. WIF’s National Executive Committee [NEC]

NEC’s principal work is to run and oversee all community outreaches and the spiritual aspects of WIF’s Vision in the particular country. It will appoint two coordinators, one for the convalescence home and another for the coordination of community work.

A considerable the ministry can make input into the decision making process as well as keep these two bodies appraised of its work, problems and prospects. The linkage between NEC and these bodies is also important because its community workers are key in the identification of vulnerable orphans and others that are to benefit from the services of the O.C.C.D.C..

4. Mothers and Aunties

These are the key persons tasked with the welfare of the children within each home so their selection for employment is of great importance. Mothers especially must be able to serve for considerably long periods of time to ensure a sense of security and stability to the already bereaved children. They must also be loving, compassionate and well balanced individuals who understand the gravity of rearing these orphans, equipping and preparing them for a successful life outside the O.C.C.D.C.. 

They must be willing to perform all household chores and train their wards at the appropriate ages with skills on home, money and personal management as well as culturally acceptable etiquette. They will be training in child care and management, psychology and counseling, cooking and nutrition, safety, emergency and first AID procedures and perform a predetermined number of hours of community work each week. The latter requirement will help them empathize with the children in their care because they will know their backgrounds.

5. Mentors/Supervisors

Mentors and supervisors will be appointed for the youth at the Vocational Training Center. Their major tasks are twofold. Firstly they are to ensure that the trainees’ homes or apartments are run properly, deal with negative issues wisely and promptly and ensure that the youngsters live in harmony. Secondly they are to prepare the youth for re-entry into the larger society. They will make sure that they receive the necessary training and counseling that will help form their character and give them social, emotional and mental skills that will make them successful adults once they graduate into the larger society.

The Women International Fellowship is an inter-denominational Christian organization founded in 1998 in Harare, Zimbabwe. The organization has a calling to preach the Gospel, pray for nations and peoples, to help and build up broken lives, the destitute and the most vulnerable persons in society including the sick and the infirm, HIV-AIDS sufferers, commercial sex workers, orphans, prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families, the homeless and such like, as opportunity presents itself to the Fellowship.

The Immediate and Long Term Outlook of WIF

Orphanages and Convalescence HomesTo build and run first rate orphanages in every African country where the AIDS pandemic has had the most impact on children. Such institutions will give priority to the children who have lost both parents to the AIDS pandemic. These children homes will seek to secure the physical safety of such orphans, to nurture, and to work on an all round development of the child. Historically adoption is a stranger to the African culture where traditional social structures have looked after their own orphaned. However, the AIDS pandemic has outstripped the will and the ability of these structures to look after all such children and therefore the current urgent need for orphanages. These homes will take in school going age children. Priority admission will be given to children currently in child headed households. Each orphanage will have a convalescence home and conferencing facilities attached but separated from it. The latter will augment the cost of running the orphanages. Regardless of existing constraints the Fellowship will also pursue adoption and foster parenting wherever possible.Training CentresTo build regional training centers that will take in the older orphans from the streets and elsewhere and equip them with skills that will enable them to be productive in the society and hence secure a future for themselves. Courses like plumbing, electrical engineering, computer studies, motor car mechanics etc will be taught. These centers will also be a mid house for the orphans from the various orphanages under WIF, particularly those who will not make it to tertiary institutions. The training centers will therefore cushion as well as equip the orphans for life in the real world. Like the orphanages the training centers will have income generating activities attached to them to augment the cost of running them.Radio NetworkWIF intends to establish a non-political Christian radio network whose principal work will be to publish the Gospel as well as deal with social, cultural and public education and public health issues. “Awake Africa” will broadcast principally in the local/vernacular languages.Rehabilitation ProgramsThere is a dire need of equipping various groups and individuals who the Fellowship ministers to in the course of its day to day activities. The goal here will be to establish small scale projects and businesses so as to secure long term benefits fo these groups and individuals. Funding will target:

• Women who are converted from commercial sex.
• Ex Prisoners and prisoner’s families. This will augment the work being done by Zimbabwe Prison Fellowship.
• Those who have lost their means of livelihood because of ailment with HIV AIDS so as to re establish themselves and be able to feed their families.
• Prisoner’s wives who often are left destitute and are objects of ostracization by society.