Grants Text

FIRELIGHT FOUNDATION Annual Report 2005 Text-only Version
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GRANTS 2005 Countries Reached in 2005 The organizations listed were recipients of grants during Fiscal Year 2005, from October 1, 2004, through September 30, 2005. In Fiscal Year 2005, Firelight awarded 32 new grants and 63 regrants in 10 African countries totaling nearly $1.3 million, including funds granted through the Firelight Donor Advised Fund at Tides Foundation. In that same period, Firelight awarded three new grants and two regrants in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States totaling $66,300. Organizations listed in this Annual Report have passed an application and review process for their listed grants. If you would like additional information on their current grant status please contact Firelight directly. In some cases Firelight recommends grants through our Donor Advised Fund at Tides (DAF). These grant recommendations go through the same due diligence process as all Firelight grant awards. However, these grants are calculated separately as they are not part of Firelight’s audited budget. • Ethiopia • Kenya • Lesotho • Malawi • Rwanda • South Africa • Tanzania • Uganda • Zambia • Zimbabwe • Canada, United Kingdom, and United States Our statistical information comes from the most recently available estimates. National level HIV-prevalence data present a delayed picture of the epidemic and changes can be due to AIDS deaths as well as data collection techniques. For further information, consult the last page below the credits. Ethiopia
Population Population under age 18 HIV adult seroprevalence Orphans as percent of all children Total number of orphans Percent of orphans due to AIDS During 2005 Total Firelight funding Number of new grants Number of regrants Since 2000 Total Firelight funding Number of new grants Number of regrants		75.6 million 35.0 million 4.4% 11% 4.8 million 18% $75,000 0 1 $105,000 3 1
Firelight only accepts regrant requests and solicited proposals from Ethiopia
JERUSALEM CHILDREN AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION (JeCCDO), Addis Ababa/country-wide
$75,000–Regrant Three-year grant	JeCCDO envisions a society in which disadvantaged children can thrive and become self-reliant. With previous Firelight funding, JeCCDO awarded sub-grants of $2,000 to each of five grassroots organizations that support children and families affected by HIV/AIDS. With this three-year regrant, JeCCDO will offer $3,500 sub-grants annually to each of five child-focused organizations, which provide educational support, medical care, counseling, and microfinance assistance to several hundred AIDS-affected families. With these small grants, the organizations scale up services, expand geographic coverage, and offer a wide array of support for children affected by HIV/AIDS. Funding also enables JeCCDO to work closely with its grantees to strengthen skills needed to secure and manage external resources and to effectively engage families.
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Kenya
Population Population under age 18 HIV adult seroprevalence Orphans as percent of all children Total number of orphans Percent of orphans due to AIDS During 2005 Total Firelight funding Number of new grants Number of regrants Since 2000 Total Firelight funding Number of new grants Number of regrants Total Tides DAF funding Number of Tides DAF grants		33.5 million 15.0 million 6.7% 13% 2.3 million 46% $46,800 0 4 $540,450 17 27 $78,000 3
Firelight only accepts regrant requests and solicited proposals from Kenya
EDUCATION, SELF-SUSTAINABILITY, AND IMPROVEMENT OF ECONOMY DEVELOPMENT GROUP, Nairobi
$8,000–Regrant	ESSIE promotes education, improvement of household income, and good health among marginalized communities, especially those coping with HIV/AIDS. With previous funding ESSIE convened community workshops on the care of sick and vulnerable children and caregivers, paid secondary school expenses for four youth, and prepared a group of guardians to initiate collaborative income-generating activities. Continued Firelight funding allows ESSIE to introduce a beekeeping activity involving 122 caregivers, to educate 10 secondary-school youth, and to convene a series of three-day camps for 500 vulnerable children during school holidays.
GRASSROOTS ALLIANCE FOR COMMUNITY EDUCATION (GRACE), Nairobi
$13,800–Regrant	GRACE supports locally led, grassroots programs to bring about sustainable community building and an improved quality of life. Two previous grants from Firelight covered GRACE’s operational and administrative support costs and an organizational development workshop involving representatives from 14 Firelight grantee-partner organizations. This funding enables GRACE to conduct follow-up visits to workshop participants in Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda. During each visit GRACE staff assesses the organization’s progress in implementing action plans developed during the workshop. They review the group’s financial and management systems, documentation and reporting practices, program activities, governance, and fundraising capacity. Using the information gathered, GRACE works with organizations toward achieving greater effectiveness, and efficiency.
MAMA DARLENE CHILDREN’S CENTRE AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, Tala
$10,000–Regrant	Founded in 1996 by a retired teacher, Mama Darlene Children’s Centre supports children living in poverty, children living with disabilities, and their guardians. Mama Darlene staff and volunteers visit vulnerable families, provide material and psychosocial support, and unite children with foster families. Mama Darlene is the only group in its area addressing the special needs of children with disabilities. Previous Firelight grants have supported Mama Darlene to provide educational, medical, and nutritional support to children at its school (30 percent of whom live with a disability), and to expand its outreach assistance to homebound vulnerable children and their caregivers. With this grant Mama Darlene Children’s Centre helps support 160 children at its school, offering free education to the most impoverished children, as well as medical checkups and daily meals to all students. Funds also enable the group to provide regular home visits to 60 vulnerable families and to conduct HIV/AIDS awareness-raising activities.
RURAL EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMME (REEP), Butula
$15,000–Regrant	REEP strives to break the silence surrounding HIV/AIDS by working with its community to enhance the economic, physical, and emotional wellbeing of vulnerable families and children. Operating in rural western Kenya, the organization provides business management training and credit access to caregivers and adolescent orphans and supports several hundred youth in secondary or vocational schools. REEP’s 30 home-based care teams tend to more than 10,000 children and caregivers. Previous Firelight funding supported REEP in preparing more than 250 caregivers to initiate and maintain viable small businesses. Firelight also helped REEP build an office that includes a health clinic and a resource center, and to purchase a motorbike and a cell phone to facilitate monitoring of beneficiaries. This regrant enables REEP to organize two workshops: the first to train 46 adult community members in the skills necessary to serve as paralegals for abused children, the second to teach 36 community leaders strategies for promoting children’s rights.
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Lesotho
Population Population under age 18 HIV adult seroprevalence Orphans as percent of all children Total number of orphans Percent of orphans due to AIDS During 2005 Total Firelight funding Number of new grants Number of regrants Since 2000 Total Firelight funding Number of new grants Number of regrants		1.8 million 1.0 million 28.9% 17% 150,000 64% $95,500 6 3 $170,300 17 4
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE PROMOTION MOVEMENT (CDPPM), Mafeteng
$5,000	CDPPM works within Mafeteng community operating 11 home-based care and child welfare centers staffed by trained volunteers, who aim to support and recognize children as “subjects with rights,” rather than “objects with needs.” CDPPM’s activities seek to unite community members by counseling and empowering vulnerable children and their guardians. This grant supports CDPPM to provide school fees and uniforms for 27 youth in secondary schools in remote rural areas.
HA MANTILATILANE CHILD RESCUE CENTRE, Maseru
$7,500	Initiated to mitigate the impact of child abandonment, Ha Mantilatilane Child Rescue Centre operates a preschool, along with an after-school recreational facility and tutoring center. Ha Mantilatilane also organizes and trains village development groups to support youth and adult income generation through fruit and vegetable cultivation. Funding from Firelight supports Ha Mantilatilane to extend its vegetable garden and peach tree cultivation activities, benefiting 80 vulnerable youth and caregivers and the children in their care. Fruit and produce is consumed and sold, improving household food security and assisting caregivers in meeting the costs of education and other household expenses.
HLALEFANG MAKAOTA - TEBANG, Mafeteng
$5,600	Started by community members concerned about the lack of hospital care for individuals living with HIV/AIDS, Hlalefang Makaota-Tebang now consists of 10 support groups in the villages of Tebang in rural Mafeteng district. The group aims to “provide protection and care of [orphans and vulnerable children], and ensure their welfare; and to provide support and care for people living with HIV/AIDS and their families.” A grant from Firelight provides educational support to 20 primary and 10 secondary school students. Funds also pay for tailoring materials for an income-generating project benefiting children and their families.
LESOTHO CHILD COUNSELING UNIT (LCCU), Mazenod
$15,000–Regrant	LCCU provides a temporary, safe home and rehabilitative care for sexually, physically, and emotionally abused children. LCCU also prepares concerned citizens to serve in Child Welfare Forums. These forums identify vulnerable children and refer them to essential service providers. Previous Firelight funding allowed LCCU to begin construction of a shelter for 30 abandoned and abused children under its temporary care. This regrant from Firelight enables LCCU to complete this transitional shelter, which will better enable LCCU to prepare children for reintegration into their families and communities. The facility includes a nutrition garden and a fenced yard for cows, chickens, and pigs, promoting the group’s efforts to generate an income for the home and activities for the children.
LESOTHO DURHAM LINK COALITION (LDLC), Maseru
$8,000	LDLC is composed of eight child-focused organizations supporting vulnerable young people, including deaf children and those living with physical and cognitive disabilities. LDLC provides counseling services and recreational opportunities to children served by its member organizations. Firelight funds support the participation of more than 2,000 children and 300 caregivers in canoeing, rock climbing, cycling, swimming, and other outdoor adventures. These recreational activities foster skills and build the self- confidence of youth in their own capabilities. LDLC believes that helping community members recognize this youth strength, reduces stigma and discrimination.
LESOTHO SAVE THE CHILDREN (LSC), Maseru
$30,000–Regrant Two-year grant	For more than 40 years, LSC has provided child protection services and, more recently, hospice care, education, and community-based HIV/AIDS support programs for abandoned infants and neglected children. A previous Firelight grant supported LSC to train community members on how to prepare orphan-care plans for vulnerable children within their villages. Funds also covered the costs of materials for income-generating activities of guardians caring for abandoned children. With this funding LSC trains four HIV/AIDS support groups in psychosocial support techniques, home-based care, children’s rights, and livestock husbandry for income generation. LSC also provides food parcels to households with disabled or vulnerable children.
LESOTHO SOCIETY OF MENTALLY HANDICAPPED PERSONS (LSMHP), Maseru
$10,000	Founded by concerned parents, LSMHP advocates for services for children with disabilities, provides parents with coping skills, and makes referrals to key service providers. With 14 branches in eight districts, LSMHP maintains a database of children in need and of local welfare agencies that can help. With increasing parental deaths due to AIDS, LSMHP is now working to locate and track beneficiaries. Firelight’s grant enables trained volunteers to identify children with disabilities and to update LSMHP’s database, which helps ensure children’s protection and their access to services. Gathering more recent information also enhances LSMHP’s ability to trace children’s relatives.
NAZARETH SUPPORT GROUP, Machache
$3,000	Nazareth Support Group, a community-based organization, provides a holistic set of services to families and their children. Funding from Firelight provides educational assistance for 10 primary school and seven secondary school students. A portion of the grant supports a livestock project, proceeds from which will support Nazareth’s efforts to educate community members about children’s rights, HIV/AIDS, and child-abuse prevention. Funding also enables Nazareth to complete governmental nonprofit registration requirements.
PHOPHOLETSA HIV/AIDS SUPPORT GROUP, Maseru
$11,400–Regrant	Community members formed Phopholetsa HIV/AIDS Support Group to address their four most urgent concerns: hunger, rejection and stigma, abuse, and lack of access to education. Previous Firelight funding paid the educational expenses of 13 children and enabled Phopholetsa to train 36 caregivers in basic counseling. With regrant funding Phopholetsa continues these programs, extending educational assistance to 18 children and training 40 more caregivers in psychosocial support strategies. In addition Phopholetsa is starting a candle-manufacturing project to generate income for at least 20 caregivers.
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Malawi
Population Population under age 18 HIV adult seroprevalence Orphans as percent of all children Total number of orphans Percent of orphans due to AIDS During 2005 Total Firelight funding Number of new grants Number of regrants Since 2000 Total Firelight funding Number of new grants Number of regrants		12.6 million 7.0 million 14.2% 15% 950,000 57% $81,800 3 3 $151,000 12 3
CHURCH OF CENTRAL AFRICA PRESBYTERIAN/NKHOMA COMMUNITY AIDS PROGRAMME (CCAP/NCAP), Nkhoma
$9,800	CCAP/NCAP responds to the needs of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS by offering peer education, treatment for sexually transmitted infections, orphan care, counseling, and economic empowerment training. With this Firelight grant, Nkhoma is educating community leaders about issues facing vulnerable children and ways to support them emotionally. Funds also purchase supplies and food for 12 community-based childcare centers that assist more than 100 children. CCAP/NCAP is also teaching 60 orphan caregivers strategies for dealing with stress, grief, and other emotional challenges.
MATINDI YOUTH ORGANIZATION (MATYO), Blantyre
$24,000–Regrant Two-year grant	Concerned youth started MATYO in order to create a sense of hope for the marginalized, youth, children, and their families. Operating in 40 villages, MATYO provides economic and emotional support programs. The organization used a previous grant to purchase sewing machines and train 30 child heads-of-households in tailoring to increase their income and meet their livelihood needs. Ninety guardians, many of them grandparents, received farming supplies. With this two-year regrant, MATYO is promoting food security by training 90 caregivers in sustainable agricultural practices and livestock management. Funds also support the participation of 80 orphans in life-skills training and cover the salaries of three staff members.
NETWORK OF ORGANIZATIONS WORKING WITH VULNERABLE AND ORPHANED CHILDREN (NOVOC), Lilongwe
$5,000	A national umbrella organization of grassroots groups serving vulnerable children, NOVOC functions as a resource and training hub. It aims to equip members with the skills, tools, and information necessary to meet the needs of vulnerable children and their caregivers. Firelight funds cover the cost of a short-term consultant who is working with NOVOC’s board to register, develop, and staff the organization. The consultant maintains core operations while several donors consider NOVOC’s funding proposals for the salary of a national coordinator and other programs.
POSITIVE WOMEN IN ACTION AND DEVELOPMENT (PWAD), Chiradzulu
$7,000	Started by eight women living with HIV, PWAD counsels women and young people living with the virus. Their activities include referring sick individuals to health care providers, educating the public about the concerns of women living with HIV/AIDS, and training members in strategies for income generation. This grant supports three workshops to train 30 women in small-business management and funds business startup loans for each of them. These 30 women will join 25 members already trained in cash crop and poultry production, who now grow and sell produce to support their families. The grant also provides educational support to 30 students.
RUMPHI HIV/AIDS EDUCATION AWARENESS PROJECT (REAP), Rumphi
$24,000–Regrant Two-year grant	Concerned about the low level of HIV/AIDS awareness and the impact of HIV/AIDS in rural Malawi, Christian missionaries started REAP. In 2003 the missionaries departed and community members assumed leadership. REAP educates the community about HIV/AIDS and mobilizes their support for affected children and youth. With their first Firelight grant, REAP purchased materials and trained 80 youth in carpentry, bricklaying, and tailoring skills. This two-year regrant supports REAP to continue their vocational training activities, to refer graduates to apprenticeship opportunities, and to provide tools and startup materials to training graduates. REAP is also purchasing toys, food, and supplies for community childcare centers serving 250 children under 10 years old. Funds cover staff salaries, office expenses, and the cost of a fax machine.
SALIMA HIV/AIDS SUPPORT ORGANIZATION (SASO), Salima
$12,000–Regrant	A membership organization of Salima residents affected by HIV/AIDS, SASO operates holistic-care and support programs for people living with the virus. Through their weekly Children’s Corner activities, SASO provides recreation opportunities, medical attention, education, and hot meals for hundreds of vulnerable children. Its first Firelight grant enabled SASO to start a second Children’s Corner, reaching 600 vulnerable children weekly in Pemba. With this regrant SASO is continuing the Children’s Corner integrated support activities and is constructing a permanent kitchen for its facility in Pemba. The organization is also training 15 guardians in entrepreneurial skills and providing each trainee with the equivalent of $50 to start businesses.
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Rwanda
Population Population under age 18 HIV adult seroprevalence Orphans as percent of all children Total number of orphans Percent of orphans due to AIDS During 2005 Total Firelight funding Number of new grants Number of regrants Total Tides DAF funding Number of Tides DAF grants Since 2000 Total Firelight funding Number of new grants Number of regrants Total Tides DAF funding Number of Tides DAF grants		8.9 million 5.0 million 5.1% 16% 820,000 26% $165,000 1 10 $8,000 1 $449,900 18 17 $42,800 2
ASSOCIATION BAMPOREZE, Kigali
$30,000–Regrant Two-year grant	Association Bamporeze enhances the income and emotional wellbeing of households headed by women and children devastated by war, HIV/AIDS, or natural disasters. Working in rural Kigali, Bamporeze used previous grant funds to train 75 child heads-of-households in animal husbandry, providing each trainee with two goats. Additionally, Bamporeze paired each youth and his/her family with an adult guardian who visited each family weekly to share material and emotional support. With this regrant Bamporeze is establishing a carpentry workshop to train 70 child heads-of-household, who collectively care for 179 younger siblings. This two-year grant also provides these young people with startup carpentry materials and a year of follow-up assistance. Funds support ongoing guardian relationships and pay a social worker’s salary.
ASSOCIATION DES FEMMES CHEFS DE FAMILLES: GIRIBANGA (AFCF-Giribanga), Kigali
$10,000–Regrant	Formed following the 1994 genocide, AFCF-Giribanga runs support groups for widows living with HIV/AIDS and provides home-based care, vocational and life-skills training for vulnerable youth, and educational and legal assistance. Firelight has funded AFCF since 2000. With the initial funding, AFCF started a bakery that employs vulnerable youth and generates income for AFCF activities. Firelight funds also paid ongoing bakery operating expenses and enabled AFCF to purchase land and build a small office. With this regrant AFCF is promoting vulnerable households’ economic self-sufficiency by forming income-generation groups. Thirty-four caregivers and 20 youth are learning small-business management skills, forming business groups, and accessing startup capital. This regrant also pays for school materials for 40 children and supports recreational activities – including educational field trips – for vulnerable youth.
DIOCÈSE CATHOLIQUE DE CYANGUGU/AMAJYAMBERE-IWACU ASSOCIATION, Cyangugu
$10,000–Regrant	Initiated by a Catholic priest who challenged his congregation to respond to the marginalization of the Batwa people, the Amajyambere-Iwacu Association works in 10 parishes in western Rwanda to promote the wellbeing and development of the Batwa. The Batwa, an indigenous, previously forest-dwelling, nomadic tribe, also known as the pygmies, suffer discrimination due to lack of access to land, jobs, education, and health care. Firelight’s previous funding enabled the Association to enroll more than 800 Batwa children in primary and secondary schools and provide them with uniforms and shoes, school supplies, and medical care. This regrant provides ongoing support for the Association’s program of educational assistance by purchasing school supplies, uniforms, and shoes for Batwa children. Funding also enables the group to address the medical needs of ill children and covers administrative and transportation costs.
EJO NZAMERA NTE ASSOCIATION, Gatsibe District (Umutara)
$30,000–Regrant Two-year grant	Ejo Nzamera Nte Association (How Shall I Be Tomorrow) assists child-headed households and vulnerable youth with vocational training and startup capital for income-generating activities, while also educating youth about HIV prevention. Previously Ejo used Firelight funding to train 40 vulnerable youth, 75 percent of them young women, in carpentry, masonry, and tailoring skills. The organization supported the youth with HIV-prevention information and technical assistance. Two years of regrant funding enables Ejo to build upon this training program, providing the 40 previously trained youth with tools, startup funds, and ongoing advice. These youth will, in turn, offer vocational skills training to 138 peers as well as provide HIV/AIDS and reproductive health education. With Firelight Foundation support, Ejo is also purchasing health insurance for 178 families and distributing a goat to each of 120 vulnerable households to be used to generate income.
HOPE AFTER RAPE (HAR), Kigali
$5,000	Founded to give care and moral support to genocide and rape survivors and children affected by HIV/AIDS, Hope After Rape promotes the psychosocial wellbeing and human rights of these vulnerable groups. Working in five provinces, the organization offers counseling, microfinance and vocational training, educational assistance, and anti-violence advocacy campaigns. This grant covers vocational training fees and related expenses for 50 young people affected by HIV/AIDS.
IHORERE MUNYARWANDA, Kigali
$8,000–Regrant	Ihorere Munywarwanda (Hope for Rwandese People) provides HIV/AIDS prevention and care programs and educational or vocational training to some of the most stigmatized individuals affected by HIV: women who have resorted to prostitution and their children. With previous Firelight funds, Ihorere provided school fees and HIV/AIDS-awareness training to 91 vulnerable children. With this regrant Ihorere Munyarwanda continues its educational support to this group of 80 primary and 11 secondary school students. These children will also benefit from further training in HIV/AIDS prevention strategies.
LES ENFANTS DE DIEU, Kigali
$8,000	Les Enfants de Dieu (God’s Children) provides short-term shelter for more than 100 street boys, equipping them with literacy and vocational skills while working to identify biological or foster families. With Firelight funding Les Enfants de Dieu is purchasing school materials for 104 boys, paying the salaries of four teachers, and covering the fees, supplies, and uniform expenses of 60 street children now studying at government schools. Les Enfants de Dieu’s school teaches the boys literacy and mathematical skills, enabling them to reenter government schools, to join vocational training, or to secure jobs. The entire grant was funded through Firelight’s Donor Advised Fund at Tides Foundation.
PROJET EER/SNEP, Kigali/Countrywide
$15,000–Regrant $4,000–Regrant	Projet EER/SNEP (Project EER/SNEP) is a cooperative effort of the Teacher Teams of Rwanda and the National Union of Primary School Teachers. The organization has trained 10,000 teachers in HIV-prevention strategies and facilitation of school-based anti-AIDS clubs. A component of Projet EER/SNEP’s initiative is to educate primary and secondary school teachers about how HIV/AIDS relates to Rwandan culture. By educating and empowering teachers, Projet EER/SNEP addresses the threat of HIV infection and the stigma of AIDS among school-going youth in Rwanda. Firelight’s first grant supported the group’s training of 1,000 secondary school teachers. With renewed funding Projet EER/SNEP is training 424 teachers in HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and support strategies using participatory learning techniques. These teachers, drawn from the 106 districts of the country, also learn how to facilitate youth anti-AIDS clubs and are committed to training other teachers. With this grant Projet EER/SNEP is producing and distributing a comic book entitled Kibondo (Nice Kid) to 2,500 school-going youth in 90 schools throughout Kigali. Kibondo describes the facts about HIV/AIDS and prevention methods in a youth-friendly format.
RWANDA WOMEN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT NETWORK (RWN), Kigali
$15,000–Regrant	RWN supports sexual-violence survivors, widows, and their children with three core programs: health care and psychosocial support, human and legal rights education, and socioeconomic empowerment. Firelight’s initial grant allowed RWN to train 94 people (in adult-youth pairs) to care for individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Additionally, 27 vulnerable youth learned skills in weaving, knitting, and banana leaf card production and business management to promote their livelihoods. With regrant funding RWN is building a community hall for youth activities. The hall will be a gathering place for anti-AIDS clubs, training activities, and community events. Concurrently, RWN is mobilizing greater youth participation in its anti-AIDS clubs, which now involve 100 participants.
SOLIDARITE FEMMES 3x3 (SOLF 3X3), Cyangugu
$14,000–Regrant Two-year grant	Women in an isolated, rural area of western Rwanda founded SOLF 3x3, believing that by working together to visit vulnerable households in groups of three, they could restore dignity to women traumatized by the country’s genocide and its aftermath, including the spread of HIV/AIDS. Among their highest priorities, SOLF’s members identified support for child heads-of-households. Firelight funding previously enabled the group to initiate a livestock (pig and rabbit) breeding program as an income-generating activity for 60 child heads-of-households. Youth also learned the facts about HIV/AIDS and prevention strategies, and as a result 25 percent chose to be tested for HIV. With this two-year grant, SOLF is assisting 96 vulnerable households to grow organic vegetables for consumption and sale. Funds cover the cost of training workshops, seeds, fertilizer, farming tools, and a crop production expert’s salary.
TRUST AND CARE, Kicukiro
$24,000–Regrant Two-year grant	Five Rwandan staff members of the departing organization Refugee Trust International founded Trust and Care with the mission of giving “hope, protection, and support to vulnerable groups in Rwanda.” Trust and Care provides primary health care training, conducts needs assessments of vulnerable households, and works with communities to create employment opportunities. With their first Firelight grant, Trust and Care established 15 associations for 150 child heads-of-households to manage beekeeping and goat raising projects. They trained participants in business management, bookkeeping, and the facts about HIV/AIDS. This two-year regrant enables Trust and Care to extend similar opportunities to 170 caregivers and vulnerable youth. Twenty children are pursuing tailoring training and 150 households are raising goats and rabbits for income generation.
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South Africa
Population Population under age 18 HIV adult seroprevalence Orphans as percent of all children Total number of orphans Percent of orphans due to AIDS During 2005 Total Firelight funding Number of new grants Number of regrants Total Tides DAF funding Number of Tides DAF grants Since 2000 Total Firelight funding Number of new grants Number of regrants Total Tides DAF funding Number of Tides DAF grants		47.2 million 17.0 million 21.5% 13% 2.5 million 49% $209,200 6 8 $30,000 1 $495,300 29 15 $75,000 2
DEVELOPMENTAL GENDER NETWORK (DGN), East London
$5,000	Formed to respond to the HIV epidemic and an increasing level of child abuse and violence in its region, DGN, formerly Gompo Abused Children Centre Services, works to benefit disadvantaged children living in the informal settlements and rural areas of the Eastern Cape. This region remains underserved and underfunded despite substantial need. DGN provides holistic support to nearly 200 orphans and HIV-infected children and youth, including educational assistance, violence-prevention campaigns, food relief, HIV/AIDS awareness-raising activities, and home visits. With Firelight funding DGN is helping to meet the nutritional needs of 185 vulnerable children and training 60 caregivers, including 20 teachers, to care for children affected by HIV/AIDS.
DIKETSO ESENG DIPUO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TRUST (DEDI), Bloemfontein
$30,000–Regrant Two-year grant	Diketso Eseng Dipuo (Actions and Not Talking), in southern Sotho, believes that empowering and supporting people to act on their own behalf can help eradicate poverty. Observing increasing levels of family disintegration, unemployment, alcohol abuse, and violence, DEDI designed participatory interventions that help families respond creatively to their young children’s growth and development needs. Firelight’s first grant funded integrated Family Support Programs in six communities in the central Free State, reaching 130 children under seven years old with exercise, nutrition, and educational activities. DEDI trained six Family Support Workers, who then trained 117 caregivers in skills and strategies for supporting children in early childhood development programs. With this two-year regrant, DEDI is continuing the six Family Support Programs initiated with their first grant and administering a Women’s Group Saving Society to develop savings’ schemes in four communities.
EMPILWENI PROJECT, Khayelitsha
$30,000–Regrant Two-year grant	Empilweni, a community-based organization, offers emotional support to families coping with ill health, violence, and poverty. Empilweni brings child-centered, culturally appropriate mental health interventions to children in Khayelitsha, one of Cape Town’s largest and poorest townships. Firelight’s first grant funded Empilweni’s HIV/AIDS child and parent support groups, and a beadwork income-generating activity for parents in its support group. With this two-year regrant, Empilweni continues its array of psychosocial support interventions, including children’s and parents’ support groups, as well as peer-led outreach and radio programs that target secondary school-age youth. The grant also covers the salaries of mental health counselors who will supervise Empilweni’s various community-based support groups. The entire grant was funded through Firelight’s Donor Advised Fund at Tides Foundation.
FAMILY LITERACY PROJECT (FLP), Durban
$3,800	By training caregivers to read to their children, FLP strives to develop both adults’ and children’s literacy skills. Noting the dramatic impact of HIV/AIDS on families, FLP expanded its programs to include HIV-prevention, health care, and early childhood development activities. Creatively adapting their successful support group model for literacy promotion, FLP formed Health Support Groups and trained group facilitators (elected by the rural communities) to teach caregivers to improve family health. Facilitators then visit their neighbors, sharing information about the importance of immunization, play and stimulation, and HIV prevention. Firelight funding enables FLP to recruit a consultant skilled in management of early childhood illness to train Health Support Group facilitators.
FIKELELA CHILDREN’S CENTRE, Cape Town
$10,000–Regrant	Fikelela engages Anglican parishes throughout Cape Town to meet the needs of children affected by HIV/AIDS, especially young children living with HIV. Fikelela offers transitional care for HIV-positive and abandoned children while working with communities and social welfare agencies to recruit and train foster caregivers. Previous Firelight funding has supported the running costs of Fikelela’s transitional care facility. This regrant supports Fikelela to offer emergency foster care, including daycare, feeding, and medical care, and to identify, train, and supervise foster parents.
GREATER NELSPRUIT RAPE INTERVENTION PROGRAMME (GRIP), Nelspruit
$30,000–Regrant Two-year grant	GRIP was founded to address the gap in support for rape survivors in and around Nelspruit. With previous Firelight grants, GRIP hired a welfare liaison officer and six field workers, each of whom works monthly with an average of 24 rape survivors. In just one year (2002), GRIP provided compassionate care and legal assistance to more than 2,000 rape survivors, including many girls under the age of 16. GRIP’s effective services have invited national attention and pressure to expand its reach, which has challenged the small staff. With this two-year regrant, GRIP is contracting a management consultant and auditing firm to work with the organization to help strengthen it. Funds also provide interim support for two of GRIP’s core programs: court and legal training, and hospital intervention.
HIV/AIDS Awareness Project and Youth Development (HAPYD), Braamfontein/Johannesburg
$4,000	Founded by a pair of Soweto-based youth living with HIV, HAPYD fills a gap in holistic care and support for children under 10 years old who are dealing with the effects of HIV/AIDS. With this Firelight grant, HAPYD provides an interactive educational program for 200 children in five nursery schools. HAPYD uses theater, music, dance, and role play to teach children their rights and responsibilities. In addition HAPYD is organizing a beadwork income-generating project and support group for 75 people living with AIDS.
HIV/AIDS Prevention Group, Belabela Welfare Society, Belabela
$15,000–Regrant	Belabela operates in an underserved rural area organizing home-based care, orphan assistance, and support groups for vulnerable children and people living with HIV/AIDS. Belabela aims “to help [all] children live their life... equal to other children.” Previous Firelight funding provided educational assistance and recreational opportunities for vulnerable children and covered some administrative costs. This regrant offers continued funding for Belabela’s integrated program of educational, recreational, and counseling support for 80 children. Additionally, Belabela is assisting 60 people living with HIV/AIDS and their families to plant gardens, educating 10 community caretakers in child psychosocial support skills, and training smaller organizations to initiate activities benefiting vulnerable children.
HUMAN SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL/FATHERHOOD PROJECT (HSRC), Durban
$20,000 Two-year grant	Concerned about the increasing levels of child abuse, the neglect of children by their fathers, and the crisis in childcare resulting from the AIDS epidemic, a few social scientists at the Human Sciences Research Council initiated the Fatherhood Project. The Fatherhood Project runs advocacy and awareness-raising programs aimed at increasing men’s participation in children’s care, protection, and development. With Firelight funding the Fatherhood Project is maintaining and expanding its awareness-raising programs through a variety of strategies, including producing 5,000 copies of a 2005 calendar featuring men in caring and protective relationships with children and updating its website.
IKAMVA LABANTU, Cape Town
$9,400–Regrant	Under the umbrella organization of Ikamva Labantu, Khumbulani Day Care provides daycare for HIV-infected and -affected preschool-age children. It also provides overnight care for those who cannot go home due to their own or a family member’s severe illness. With its first Firelight grant, Ikamva Labantu purchased a house for Khumbulani Day Care that accommodates 50 children. Khumbulani is using this regrant to make minor repairs to the house and to purchase furniture, appliances, and recreational equipment for the daycare center. In addition the grant supports training and accreditation expenses for two Khumbulani caregivers.
LULISANDLA KUMNTWANA, Sibhayi
$10,000	Lulisandla Kumntwana (Reach Out to the Child) developed as the community outreach arm for the Mseleni Children’s Home in KwaZulu Natal, serving the growing number of orphans who would benefit from foster care. Lulisandla Kumntwana identifies vulnerable children, acquires documentation for orphans, recruits and trains foster caregivers, and assists families in obtaining foster-care grants. With this grant Lulisandla Kumntwana is initiating recreational and psychosocial support activities for approximately 400 vulnerable youth, most of them in foster care. Additionally, the organization is training young people in life skills, children’s rights, and coping with loss.
MILLENNIUM HOME OF HOPE (MHH), White River
$30,000–Regrant Two-year grant	MHH was founded as a transitional home by individuals working in social welfare who recognized a lack of services for abandoned and orphaned babies. MHH identifies foster homes in the community for children up to age six, and provides training and ongoing guidance to foster families. Firelight’s initial grant enabled MHH to establish 40 Mini Homes of Hope – foster care placement within the community. This two-year regrant supports MHH to continue its foster parent-support programs. It also supports salary and related costs of identifying, screening, and training 60 new foster parents, refresher courses for 50 foster caregivers, and expenses associated with placing 15 children in foster families.
MOTIVATION COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (MCD), Kimberley
$20,000–Regrant Two-year grant	Youth in the mostly KhoiSan township of Roodepan founded MCD to respond to the area’s high rates of addiction, violence, and HIV infection. MCD offers community-based daycare and youth programs. With its initial Firelight grant, MCD established the first daycare center in Doek Doek, a rural, underserved community. Every school day the center provides hot meals and teaches social and play skills to 50 children ages two to six years. This two-year regrant supports the expansion of MCD’s daycare center, which reaches 100 children and 20 caregivers. MCD will also use funding to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and teach life skills to 500 youth via radio shows and workshops, as well as offer youth-friendly clinical HIV and sexual health services to 300 young people.
ORGANISATION FOR AFRICAN HERBALISTS INTERNATIONAL (OAH), Botshabelo
$7,000	Traditional healers founded OAH with the aim of “using cultural medicine to heal.” As its members recognized healers were treating dying parents and trying to address the needs of their patients’ children, OAH integrated home-based care, peer education, and orphan response programs into its training and awareness campaigns. With support from Firelight, OAH is training 70 children in life skills and in gardening for food production. The organization is also teaching parenting skills to 70 caregivers, many of whom are new to parenting.
ROB SMETHERHAM BEREAVEMENT SERVICE FOR CHILDREN (RSBSC), Pietermaritzburg
$15,000–Regrant	Using therapeutic play interventions such as puppetry, RSBSC brings hope and healing to bereaved, orphaned, and vulnerable children. With its initial Firelight grant, RSBSC convened therapeutic play-intervention groups for 100 children, trained six community volunteers in facilitating children’s support groups, and taught 70 adult volunteers to use play to help children cope with distress and grief. With this regrant RSBSC is holding play-intervention groups for an additional 100 children and training six more community volunteers in introductory play therapy skills. To enhance its capacity, RSBSC is also training representatives of 24 strategic-partner organizations in its model of psychosocial support.
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Tanzania
Population Population under age 18 HIV adult seroprevalence Orphans as percent of all children Total number of orphans Percent of orphans due to AIDS During 2005 Total Firelight funding Number of new grants Number of regrants Since 2000 Total Firelight funding Number of new grants Number of regrants		37.6 million 14.0 million 8.8% 12% 2.4 million 44% $118,700 2 10 $312,700 17 22
AIDS OUTREACH-NYAKATO, Mwanza
$7,800–Regrant	AON addresses the need for HIV/AIDS prevention and care in Nyakato. The organization uses peer education, leadership training, food assistance, home-based care, and other strategies to support vulnerable children. Its previous Firelight grant enabled AON to meet the educational expenses of 50 children and to conduct a variety of peer-education and life-skills seminars for vulnerable youth. This regrant supports AON to provide educational and food assistance to 80 orphans, to involve 80 youth in peer HIV/AIDS education and prevention programs, and to pay three staff members’ salaries.
BUTOGWA WOMEN’S HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION (BUWOHEDE), Sengerema
$6,500–Regrant	Women in rural Itanagumba village started BUWOHEDE to address discrimination against women and orphans. Previous Firelight funding enabled BUWOHEDE to train 19 child heads-of-households in tailoring and to teach youth HIV-prevention and life skills. BUWOHEDE also trained 33 orphan caregivers in business management and distributed a small amount of startup capital to a subgroup of these caregivers. With renewed funding BUWOHEDE is continuing its tailoring training and HIV-prevention education program for 20 youth. Five tailoring program graduates, all youth heads-of-households, receive sewing machines. In addition BUWOHEDE is offering startup capital for small businesses to 10 previously trained caregivers as well as continuing the organization’s community HIV-prevention activities.
DIOCESE OF SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS ORPHAN SUPPORT PROGRAM (DSH), Mbeya
$13,000–Regrant	Moved to act by the increasing numbers of children and caregivers affected by HIV/AIDS, DSH began an Orphan Support Program. DSH’s clergy and volunteers minister to the social, physical, and spiritual wellbeing of community members. Firelight initially funded DSH to conduct a needs assessment of orphans and vulnerable children in their region. Firelight subsequently supported DSH’s program of educational assistance for identified children and a pilot economic livelihood improvement project for caregivers. With renewed funding DSH is providing educational assistance, psychosocial support, and medical care to 100 orphans, and is distributing seed capital for income-generating activities to 30 orphan caregivers. Funds to DSH are also assisting 15 youth with vocational training and covering administrative costs.
KAGERA GROUP FOR DEVELOPMENT (KAGDE), Bukoba
$9,600	Twelve concerned individuals founded KAGDE in order to address the increasing numbers of children living on the streets in Bukoba, many of whom migrated to town in search of work following their parents’ deaths. Through their Street Children’s Participation and Empowerment Project, the organization is using Firelight funding to gather 100 street children each week to engage in sports competitions, games, tutoring, and an open forum where they can speak their minds. Each week 75 street children are receiving counseling and health care. KAGDE is working to reunify these children with their families. The organization is also distributing children’s rights brochures to inform the community about the challenges children face living on the street and to offer the appropriate ways to respond.
LAKE NYANZA ENVIRONMENTAL AND SANITATION ORGANIZATION (LANESO), Mwanza
$4,000–Regrant $9,400 – Regrant	LANESO, an environmental conservation organization, works with a marginalized community of fisherboys living on Jumaa Island in Lake Victoria. LANESO used two previous grants to train the boys in sustainable-fishing techniques, to teach them the facts about HIV/AIDS, and to assist them in organizing fishing cooperatives. With this Firelight grant, LANESO is coordinating a pair of three-day learning workshops and exchange visits involving Firelight grantee-partners in the Mwanza area. These exchanges will improve networking among the organizations and encourage participants to share effective program strategies. This Documentation and Dissemination grant supports LANESO to produce audiovisual materials and brochures about HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and support strategies, which will raise awareness of the effects of HIV/AIDS in Mwanza. LANESO found widespread community ignorance about and silence surrounding HIV/AIDS to be one of the obstacles to effective treatment, care, and support for children affected by HIV/AIDS. Funds enabled LANESO to create a video to inform the community of facts about the virus and strategies for caring for the ill and their children, and also to share strategies for preventing new HIV infections. LANESO plans initially to reach approximately 1,700 community members through a series of presentations, and to broadcast the audio program twice on a local radio station. Additionally, they are distributing 500 brochures containing information about HIV/AIDS and prevention.
MARA WIDOWS DEVELOPMENT GROUP, Musoma
$3,000	“In our community… orphans are seen like the lost among the living,” reports Mara Widows Development Group. A membership organization, the group reaches approximately 120 vulnerable children by assisting caregivers, including widows and families who have opened their homes to orphans. Firelight funding is supporting the participation of 40 caregivers in its economic-livelihood program, which involves training caregivers in small business development and management, operating a revolving loan fund, monitoring their progress, and providing feedback to participants.
MUUNGANO COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION (MCBO), Musoma
$6,000–Regrant	Three teachers working in Etaro Village started MCBO to ensure children’s access to education. Previous Firelight funding enabled the group to provide 42 orphaned children with textbooks, uniforms, and school materials. This grant offers continued support for MCBO’s program of educational and psychosocial assistance. As part of its psychosocial support, MCBO provides tutoring support and visits children and their families regularly to assess their situations and to offer moral support. Funding enables MCBO to buy textbooks and school materials for 58 students, to purchase teachers’ guides for eight primary texts in the school curriculum, and to pay the stipends of two junior teachers, both MCBO program graduates.
TEENS AGAINST AIDS (TAA), Dar es Salaam
$30,000–Regrant Three-year grant $15,300 – Regrant	Motivated Tanzanian youth founded TAA so youth could be “represented... [and] start an open dialogue where young people’s views [would] be respected and taken into account” in HIV/AIDS programming. TAA, now a national youth-led organization with nearly 4,000 members, has hosted leadership camps involving 97 vulnerable youth from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. With this three-year regrant, TAA is convening a second camp for 100 participants, where AIDS-affected young people discuss and plan strategies that enable them to participate actively in caregiving, income generation, advocacy, public-awareness raising, and other means of support. Funding also supports TAA’s post-camp follow-up and documentation activities and covers some administrative costs. This grant funds TAA to host a youth leadership workshop involving representatives from 14 of Firelight’s grantee-partner organizations, as well as young leaders from Chad, Ghana, and the Sudan. The training provides opportunities for participants to gain new strategies for responding to HIV, to experience the value of cross-cultural exchanges, and to better appreciate the role that youth play in addressing the impact of HIV/AIDS. The workshop affirms young people’s capacity to lead and to inspire communities to be more involved in the response to the challenges of HIV/AIDS, especially as they affect children and youth.
TUMAINI WOMEN DEVELOPMENT GROUP, Mwanza
$7,000–Regrant	A group of HIV-positive widows founded Tumaini to improve their families’ livelihoods and overcome AIDS-related stigma and discrimination. Tumaini “Swahili for Hope”, educates the community about the effects of HIV/AIDS while supporting members to improve their economic and physical wellbeing and that of their children. Firelight’s two previous grants to Tumaini, which Orphans’ Development Programme International administered on our behalf, funded the group’s economic livelihood improvement and awareness-raising programs and helped Tumaini to address the increasing need for educational support faced by its 39 members’ children. With this grant the group is providing educational assistance to 60 youth, funding 15 caregivers as they start income-generating activities, and teaching 35 young people to serve as peer educators in HIV/AIDS prevention strategies.
WAMATA SENGEREMA, Sengerema
$7,100–Regrant	WAMATA Sengerema, a branch of a national grassroots membership organization, supports families affected by HIV/AIDS with educational assistance, counseling, food assistance, and home-based care. Firelight grants have funded WAMATA’s program of emergency food assistance and educational support for nearly 300 children, including the costs of school supplies, uniforms, and vocational training fees. With this grant WAMATA continues to provide educational assistance, HIV/AIDS-prevention education, and vocational training to benefit 135 children. Firelight’s grant also supports a fund that enables 70 orphan caregivers to start small businesses and covers emergency food aid for 60 vulnerable families.
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Uganda
Population Population under age 18 HIV adult seroprevalence Orphans as percent of all children Total number of orphans Percent of orphans due to AIDS During 2005 Total Firelight funding Number of new grants Number of regrants Since 2000 Total Firelight funding Number of new grants Number of regrants Total Tides DAF funding Number of Tides DAF grants		27.8 million 18.0 million 4.1% 14% 2.3 million 45% $55,000 1 3 $249,000 11 14 $52,000 1
Firelight only accepts regrant requests and solicited proposals from Uganda
FRIENDS OF CHRIST REVIVAL MINISTRIES (FOC-REV), Busia
$15,000–Regrant	FOC-REV was formed to offer holistic care to people living with HIV/AIDS and orphans in Busia district. With previous Firelight funding FOC-REV extended educational support to more than 200 vulnerable children and purchased equipment and supplies used in vocational training. This regrant supports FOC-REV’s educational assistance programs, which will meet the varied educational expenses of 323 young people. FOC-REV is also training 34 HIV-positive parents in succession planning and memory book preparation. Additionally, to improve household incomes, FOC-REV is distributing 150 goats to vulnerable households.
FRIENDS OF ORPHANS (FRO), Pader
$10,000	Established by a group of six university-trained young men, themselves former child soldiers, FRO responds to the needs of former child soldiers and their families in northern Uganda. FRO’s core program includes educational support, sports and recreational activities, counseling, and food assistance. Through these activities FRO intends to address the income needs of beneficiaries, while also addressing issues of stability, nutrition, and education. FRO is using Firelight funding to initiate an income-generating activity for 50 vulnerable children and nine caregivers. The program includes vocational training in tailoring, poultry raising, and crafts production, along with education about HIV/AIDS.
KYETUME COMMUNITY BASED HEALTH CARE PROGRAMME (KCBHCP), Mukono
$15,000–Regrant	Kyetume works to enhance the emotional wellbeing of people affected by HIV and to reduce sexually transmitted infections among youth. With previous funding Kyetume strengthened community-care structures by forming 18 orphan support groups and training 48 community counseling aides. Funds also supported Kyetume’s organic farming project, which benefited 77 children in 30 households. With this regrant Kyetume is assisting 30 households caring for a minimum of three orphans each by expanding its integrated organic farming activities. The organization is providing the households with 15 heifer cows and training them in animal husbandry and crop production. It is also training 30 households in entrepreneurial skills and providing a loan fund to seed income-generating activities.
YOUTH ALIVE CLUB (YAC), Kampala
$15,000–Regrant	Originally organized to promote faith, values, and positive behavior through a small network of support clubs, YAC now reaches thousands of youth through 250 clubs spread across five regions of Uganda. YAC encourages HIV prevention by advocating for “informed and responsible” decision-making among youth. The organization hosts performing arts festivals, sports competitions, peer education opportunities, and life-skills development seminars. YAC has used previous Firelight grants to conduct Education for Life seminars, video shows, and school-based awareness-raising activities, and to run training-of-trainers workshops to build grassroots capacity. These funds enable YAC to hire coordinators for programs in the northern and central regions of Uganda. YAC is also providing psychosocial support training and life-skills seminars for 4,000 peer educators and other youth.
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Zambia
Population Population under age 18 HIV adult seroprevalence Orphans as percent of all children Total number of orphans Percent of orphans due to AIDS During 2005 Total Firelight funding Number of new grants Number of regrants Since 2000 Total Firelight funding Number of new grants Number of regrants Total Tides DAF funding Number of Tides DAF grants		11.5 million 6.0 million 16.5% 20% 1.2 million 57% $251,300 7 12 $673,200 36 32 $66,000 3
CHENTELELWE HEALTH EDUCATION AND LIVELIHOOD PROGRAMME, Ndola
$5,000	Founded by community members concerned about the effects of HIV/AIDS, widespread unemployment, and increasing numbers of school dropouts, Chentelelwe works in Mushili township, on the edges of Ndola. The organization’s volunteer-driven programs include vocational training and livelihood support, food security, and psychosocial support. This grant enables Chentelelwe to purchase two sewing machines and a knitting machine to be used for vocational training and group income-generating activities. Additionally, 50 guardians are learning about small business management and each is receiving $30 of seed capital. Chentelelwe is also teaching 30 caregivers and youth peer educators psychosocial support strategies.
CHIKANTA COMMUNITY SCHOOLS DEVELOPMENT PROJECT (CCSDP), Choma
$10,000–Regrant	CCSDP educates children unable to attend government schools due to distance or a lack of financial means. It also offers adult literacy programs and entrepreneurial training for caregivers. It operates 120 community schools, educating approximately 9,000 children. Firelight has funded CCSDP since 2001, covering the group’s administrative expenses, as well as teachers’ stipends and the costs of school supplies. With this regrant CCSDP is training 30 caregivers in mushroom production for income generation. This grant also supports CCSDP to provide uniforms and school supplies to 1,450 children and to hold community-sensitization meetings to discuss HIV/AIDS and child exploitation, reaching 500 people. Additionally, CCSDP will use funds to purchase a computer and office equipment and to pay administrative expenses.
CHILDREN IN DISTRESS-Kalomo (CINDI-Kalomo), Kalomo
$19,000–Regrant	CINDI is a nationwide network that works to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on children. CINDI-Kalomo focuses on improving vulnerable households’ economic standing as a strategy for promoting children’s wellbeing. Previous grants have supported CINDI-Kalomo to train more than 80 caregivers in business initiation and management, and have supplied seed funding for trainees’ small businesses. With this grant CINDI-Kalomo is supporting 33 young people at all levels of education. Twenty children are participating in a field trip to Kitwe to meet other children affected by HIV/AIDS and to enjoy recreation and peer support. CINDI-Kalomo is also coaching 29 caregivers in parenting skills and providing HIV/AIDS prevention information. A portion of funding covers office equipment and operating expenses.
CHILDREN IN DISTRESS-Kitwe (CINDI-Kitwe), Kitwe
$13,000–Regrant	CINDI-Kitwe, a branch of the national Children in Distress (CINDI) network, aims to deliver an effective and sustainable community response to the needs of vulnerable children, focusing on material and psychosocial support. Since 2002 Firelight has funded CINDI-Kitwe’s efforts to mobilize communities to recognize and support the needs of children. It has enabled them to train volunteers in home health care and psychosocial skills needed to care for adults and children affected by HIV/AIDS. Funds have also supported CINDI-Kitwe’s youth focused HIV-prevention and peer education programs. This regrant supports CINDI-Kitwe to continue its human capacity building activities, supporting a series of training workshops for orphan caregivers, volunteers from the community, and youth peer educators. Additionally, CINDI-Kitwe is producing and distributing posters and pamphlets with HIV-prevention messages designed especially for children and youth.
CHINGOLA ORPHAN CARE/WILSON’S ORPHANS AND STREET KIDS, Chingola
$10,000–Regrant	Formed as a partnership of five local service organizations to address the needs of 2,500 orphans and vulnerable children, Chingola Orphan Care trains widows, orphans, and street children in skills that help them move toward self-sufficiency. With previous Firelight funds, the organization supported 110 children with educational expenses, and provided shelter, food, school necessities, and medical care to 20 street children. This regrant enables Chingola Orphan Care Group to continue this assistance, reaching 34 street children, and to pay for the educational expenses of 30 additional vulnerable children.
COMMUNITY FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT (CHD), Lusaka
$12,000–Regrant	“Education is an investment for the future. Not only is it vital for the country’s development, but it is also each individual’s right, especially children,” affirms CHD. CHD founded a network of community schools to mobilize greater community involvement in meeting vulnerable young people’s needs. CHD has used previous Firelight funding to integrate former street children, mostly young girls, into community and government schools. It has also purchased materials for its 10 schools, which together educate 1,200 children living in isolated rural areas and high-density urban neighborhoods. This grant enables CHD to enroll 40 girls from rural areas in government schools, to distribute school supplies to all of its pupils, to train 16 teachers, and to provide allowances to 10 of these educators.
DEVELOPMENT AID FROM PEOPLE TO PEOPLE CHILDREN’S TOWN (DAPP), Malambanyama
$5,000–Regrant	DAPP-Children’s Town is a residential and vocational center that serves former street children and responds to the needs of vulnerable children in villages neighboring Children’s Town. Firelight funds have been used to support Children’s Town’s community school, its orphan outreach program, and its HIV/AIDS awareness-raising activities. The community school provides students with a basic education, life skills, and vocational skills. The outreach program works with village care committees to strengthen community-based care of orphans and vulnerable children. This discretionary grant provided gap funding to cover salaries for 12 teachers for the months of July and August while Children’s Town awaited funding from other donors.
ECHOES OF MERCY, Chibuluma
$7,000–Regrant	Echoes of Mercy supports families coping with poverty and HIV/AIDS by providing educational and material assistance, training them in vocational skills, and addressing the causes of food insecurity. Previous Firelight funding supported Echoes of Mercy to educate and offer vocational training opportunities to more than 40 vulnerable children. With this regrant Echoes of Mercy is providing 120 children with school assistance and 15 caregivers with training in growing fruit and vegetable gardens. The organization is also convening eight community meetings to highlight the effects of HIV/AIDS and propose ways to encourage prevention, care, and support activities.
FAMILIES FOR CHILDREN PROJECT (FCP), Ndola
$9,600	FCP promotes extended family fostering of orphans within the communities of Masala and Kantolomba on the outskirts of Ndola. More than 250 pupils study, receive hot meals, and participate in sports and drama clubs at FCP’s community school. This grant covers the cost of feeding, clothing, and educating these children and purchasing sports equipment for their recreational enjoyment. The grant also funds business training and startup capital for each of 20 caregivers.
KABWATA WIDOWS AND ORPHANS COMMUNITY SOCIETY (KWOCS), Kabwata
$6,000	KWOCS works to enhance the community’s sense of collective responsibility to address the effects of HIV/AIDS. Its 56 community volunteers function as the cornerstone of outreach to vulnerable households, providing home-based care and legal advice. This grant enables KWOCS to electrify a hammermill used by the community to grind maize meal, which will generate funds for ongoing care and support activities, including other income-generating projects. The organization is also providing educational assistance to 30 children.
KARA COUNSELLING & TRAINING TRUST (KCTT), Lusaka
$30,000–Regrant Two-year grant	KCTT provides counseling services, home-based care, and hospice care to HIV-affected and -infected people, including children living with HIV/AIDS. Firelight funding enabled the group to train hospice staff for a daycare center and 24-hour care facility that meets the special needs of very young HIV-positive children. With this two-year regrant, Kara is training guardians of HIV-positive children in palliative care. The organization is providing 12 hospice staff members with skills that will help them identify and assist orphans and vulnerable children effectively. KCTT is also training 100 guardians in income-generating skills and providing them with loans.
LUAPULA FOUNDATION, Mansa
$30,000–Regrant Two-year grant	Luapula Foundation provides social, financial, and educational assistance to HIV-infected and affected children and their families. Previous Firelight grant funds provided youth-focused HIV/AIDS awareness raising activities, life-skills education for 160 youth, and conservation farming workshops aimed at improving the food security of vulnerable households. Firelight’s funding also supported Luapula to educate 66 young people in secondary school and college. This two-year regrant assists Luapula’s efforts to enhance household food security, funding two conferences on improved farming and food storage techniques, and providing agricultural supplies for 40 families. Regrant funding also covers quarterly HIV/AIDS education for 50 youth, community school fees for 70 young people, secondary school expenses for 50 children, and college tuition for 3 youth.
LUPWA LWABUMI TRUST (LLT), Lusaka
$8,200	Lupwa Lwabumi (Families for Everyone) views family life as vital, not only in meeting the needs of orphans and vulnerable children, but in creating a better future for Zambia. It works to reunite children on the street or in institutional care with extended family members, tracing their relatives and then offering family counseling through the reunification process. Firelight funds support a needs assessment covering 10 communities designed to collect baseline data and inform reunification work plan development. Funds also enable Lupwa Lwabumi to host 20 community mobilization meetings and begin reuniting 70 children with extended family members.
MULUMBO EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION (MECCDF), Lusaka
$7,500–Regrant	MECCDF works to strengthen the community’s capacity to provide holistic childcare services. Previous Firelight funding enabled MECCDF to recruit and train 70 Child Care Community Support Group volunteers in early childhood education, inclusive education for children with disabilities, HIV/AIDS prevention and care, and other topics. Each volunteer assumed responsibility for teaching a minimum of 15 children and their caregivers. With this regrant MECCDF is establishing two additional childcare centers (bringing the total number to five), employing additional trained caregivers at each center, and training at least 25 community support group members. Grant funds also purchase school uniforms and books for 100 children.
RAY OF HOPE FOR ORPHANS, Livingstone
$20,000–Regrant Two-year grant	Ray of Hope improves children’s lives by developing caregivers’ earning capacity, offering psychosocial support to vulnerable families, and providing educational support to children in need. A previous Firelight grant helped Ray of Hope to provide business training and startup loans to 80 caregivers supporting more than 250 orphans and vulnerable children. This two-year Firelight regrant enables Ray of Hope to reach 94 caregivers providing for more than 300 children with business management training and group loans. Loans are given in 20-week cycles and Ray of Hope requires the entire group to meet weekly to make payments. Ray of Hope is also providing 35 children with school funding, and holding camps for 80 children to offer peer support, recreational opportunities, and information about HIV/AIDS. Funds support the staff with program management training and enable Ray of Hope to purchase a computer.
RESCUE MISSION ZAMBIA (RMZ), Lusaka
$4,000	A youth-initiated, youth-led group, RMZ advocates for children’s rights and aims to build youth leaders into effective agents of change. With this grant RMZ is establishing 10 school-based anti-AIDS clubs and 20 soccer teams for out-of-school youth. These clubs enable youth to share information about HIV/AIDS and build children’s confidence, self-esteem, and peer-support networks. RMZ also operates the Nangoma Children and Youth Empowerment Centre, where it offers workshops on HIV/AIDS, teaches vocational skills, and offers space to play and study. Firelight funds purchase a sound system and games for the Centre, an important gathering place and resource center for the community.
THE LAW AND DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION (LADA), Monze
$45,000–Regrant Three-year grant	LADA’s mission is to reduce property grabbing, forced marriages, child abuse, and widow inheritance. They do this by providing legal advice, training community-based paralegal assistants, and advocating for the rights of vulnerable children and their guardians. LADA has used previous Firelight funding to train 41 Paralegal Kids. These youth identify cases of child exploitation and then work with LADA staff and authorities to end and redress abuse. This three-year regrant enables LADA to strengthen the Paralegal Kids program by hiring a full-time coordinator and providing previously trained youth with a refresher course. LADA is assisting 30 of the Paralegal Kids to start an income-generating project. The grant also funds computer and internet access to improve communication and enhance research capacity.
TUSA MUNYANDI ASSOCIATION, Livingstone
$5,000	Widows, widowers, caregivers, and children founded Tusa Munyandi to provide area orphans and vulnerable children with moral, spiritual, and material support. With this grant Tusa Munyandi is purchasing school uniforms and supplies for 60 orphans and vulnerable children and paying their health care costs. The organization is holding a home-based care training workshop for 15 volunteers. Funding also supports income-generating projects for caregivers.
WELFARE CONCERN INTERNATIONAL (WCI), Livingstone
$5,000	Operating in an underserved border area near Livingstone, WCI assists the community through a network of five community centers. WCI raises awareness of HIV/AIDS, trains young people in various trades, and operates revolving loan funds for caregivers of vulnerable children. WCI is using Firelight funds to provide educational support for 50 students and to conduct workshops for 30 community leaders, sensitizing them about the issues that face families coping with HIV/AIDS.
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Zimbabwe
Population Population under age 18 HIV adult seroprevalence Orphans as percent of all children Total number of orphans Percent of orphans due to AIDS During 2005 Total Firelight funding Number of new grants Number of regrants Since 2000 Total Firelight funding Number of new grants Number of regrants Total Tides DAF funding Number of Tides DAF grants		12.9 million 7.0 million 24.6% 21% 1.4 million 77% $169,700 5 8 $591,350 28 28 $86,700 2
CHILD PROTECTION SOCIETY (CPS), Harare
$5,000–Regrant	CPS, the oldest child welfare organization in Zimbabwe, supports abandoned, abused, disabled, and terminally ill children with residential and community-based care. CPS leads a national effort to transition care of vulnerable children away from institutions into community-based family settings. Previous Firelight grants have covered CPS’ operational and administrative costs and enabled the organization to transform dormitories into smaller family units. Firelight grants have also supported CPS with caregivers’ salaries, administrative expenses, and the cost of maintaining the organization’s family houses. This discretionary grant enables CPS to fill a critical administrative funding gap, paying three staff members’ salaries for three months.
ESANDLENI SOTHANDO, Mangwe/Plumtree
$8,000	A young person, inspired by his experience at Masiye Camp to support children affected by HIV/AIDS, founded Esandleni Sothando in his home community. Esandleni Sothando mobilizes community members to respond to the needs of children affected by HIV/AIDS, trains them in basic physical and psychosocial care methods, and provides life skills and emotional support to vulnerable children. With Firelight funding the organization is convening a workshop on AIDS-related stigma and discrimination for 30 children and community leaders. Esandleni Sothando is extending educational assistance to more than 40 children and buying sports equipment for youth clubs involving 500 youth. Additionally, the group is working with communities to establish several communal granaries that will increase food security, especially benefiting the most vulnerable households.
Family AIDS Caring Trust–Chiredzi (FACT-Chiredzi), Tshovani/Chiredzi
$25,000–Regrant Two-year grant	FACT-Chiredzi serves the urban Chiredzi district, providing educational, material, and psychosocial support to more than 1,500 vulnerable children. Firelight has supported FACT-Chiredzi’s integrated orphan-support program since 2001. Funding has enabled the group to extend its services to more vulnerable children and to offer intensive support to families in need, with special attention to children’s and caregivers’ psychosocial wellbeing. This regrant offers continued funding for FACT-Chiredzi’s diverse programs, including educational assistance, HIV/AIDS awareness-raising activities, and training of caregivers in succession planning and memory book preparation.
FARM ORPHAN SUPPORT TRUST OF ZIMBABWE (FOST), Glendale
$10,000–Regrant	Working with families living on Zimbabwe’s commercial farms, FOST strives to increase the capacity of these isolated communities to respond to the orphan crisis and the uncertainty facing farming families during the current period of social and political upheaval. Previous Firelight funding supported FOST to pilot a program to involve and empower young people by training six out-of-school youth in leadership skills and assisting them to start Kids’ Clubs. The clubs offer a safe, nurturing environment for youth to meet and exchange ideas, learn practical skills, and receive peer support. With this regrant FOST is establishing 18 new Kids’ Clubs, training 30 new youth leaders, and conducting refresher courses for the six existing leaders. It is also training club patrons who offer supportive guidance and monitor the needs and work of the clubs. The 24 clubs will reach approximately 1,000 children.
GIRL CHILD NETWORK (GCN), Chitungwiza
$34,500–Regrant Two-year grant	GCN supports the empowerment of the girl child in all spheres of home, school, and community in order to bring about “a society where girls enjoy their economic, social, and political rights and become... women walking in their full potential.” Nearly 20,000 girls throughout Zimbabwe participate in GCN’s activities, through membership in Girls’ Clubs or by entering one of GCN’s Empowerment Villages. With Firelight’s funding GCN constructed a Girls’ Empowerment Village in Chitsotso, Rusape, to address the increasing number of girls reporting sexual abuse and exploitation in rural villages. This two-year regrant provides for the ongoing operation of the Chitsotso Empowerment Village, including educational assistance for 20 girl survivors of sexual abuse, as well as visits to homes and girls’ clubs to provide ongoing emotional support and other resources to 2,500 girls. Funds also enable GCN to hold workshops and awareness-raising activities on child sexual abuse that involve at least 250 individuals, including village headmen, local authorities, and members of the Rusape community.
HELPAGE ZIMBABWE, SOUTHERN REGION, Bulawayo
$7,000	HelpAge Zimbabwe, a national NGO, identifies the needs of and provides services for elderly persons in Zimbabwe. To support the growing number of grandparents caring for orphaned and vulnerable children, the organization’s branch in Bulawayo is providing educational and material assistance, while also working with elderly guardians to establish community gardens and goat raising projects to address their livelihood needs. The grant enables the organization to assist 52 children with school fees and uniforms, to train 30 elders in goat rearing, and to provide their families with two goats apiece. Additionally, HelpAge is conducting a workshop on child-abuse prevention for 140 caregivers, who parent 200 children.
HOPE FOR A CHILD IN CHRIST (HOCIC), Bulawayo
$30,000–Regrant Two-year grant	HOCIC, an umbrella body involving nearly 25 faith-based organizations, works with member religious institutions to support and advocate for vulnerable children. With previous Firelight funding, HOCIC initiated a program of income generation to improve the sustainability of its members’ orphan support programs, and initiated training in psychosocial support strategies for member groups. With this multiyear regrant, HOCIC is continuing this training, assisting 14 faith-based organizations to enhance the quality of the psychosocial support and increase the number of vulnerable children who are benefiting. Firelight funding also supports parenting training for caregivers, childcare professionals, and child-headed households. Funds enable HOCIC to conduct follow-up activities, carry out exchange visits, and document and share members’ achievements and lessons learned.
INSTITUTE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS–ZIMBABWE (ICA-Z), Harare
$8,000–Regrant	Focused on building human cap