A sponsorship programme to support the education of orphaned and vulnerable children.
SHAREAfrica UK and SHAREAfrica Zambia run a sponsorship programme for orphaned and vulnerable children. The purpose is to help pay for school fees and other items such as shoes, uniforms and school books.
The children are selected based on an agreed criterion which includes an assessment of the household’s ability to pay for the children’s education as well as their ability to care for the child. At the time children are added to the programme most are not attending school. This means that ages of children joining the program can vary from primary age to early teens.
Priority is given to orphaned children living with extended families. The extended families themselves may well be very poor and find it difficult to adequately feed, clothe and provide for the children in their care.
In Zambia, the programme is administered by experienced staff who visit the children at least three times a year. The children are spread throughout the country although attempts are made to cluster them around villages and townships to make visitation easier.
An on-line system of record is maintained by the administration staff. As well as holding information relevant to each child, sponsors can also view information about the child they support, including pictures, school reports, general wellbeing, as well as exchanging messages with the child. (such messages are monitored for the purpose of security). The system also complies with the UK and EU data protection Laws.
