Za Foundation

Za Foundation is an educational charity, located in Portishead, near Bristol. Their primary aim is to support, educate and inspire orphan and vulnerable children (OVC) and young people that have been infected/affected by HIV, in the Nkomazi region of South Africa.

In an area devastated by HIV (infection rate around 48%***), these young people face an uncertain future, with a poor education system, high unemployment and therefore, extreme levels of poverty. Za Foundation work with their partner charity Thembalethu Nkomazi who deliver all their programmes which focus on educational and practical support (outside mainstream education) as the best way to help young people change their future for the better. Education is of paramount importance to help these young people out of poverty.

Here we look at how Za Foundation have helped one boy named Msakazi:

At 10 years old, Msakazi has a father and two older brothers to call family. They all live in a one room house with no water or cooking facilities. The boys have no state ID and are not entitled to any state help. Their father works long days as a farmer and the boys are left to raise themselves.

They are often dirty, wear clothes full of holes and regularly go without meals. When Za Foundation first met Msakazi he had experienced a lot of hardship, he would stare with vacant eyes, his speech was poorly developed and had severe learning difficulties. After making the 4 kilometre walk to school he was often excluded from lessons as there was no support for him.

Msakazi has started to attend an after-school club funded by Za Foundation. He receives a nutritional meal that has helped him build strength and received some counselling that has encouraged him to interact with other children. He has learnt to brush his teeth and has been given new clothes which get washed once a week. Many UK schools have donated education games that Msakazi loves to play with and the facilitators at the club have seen an improvement in his maths and basic education. Every day is hard for Msakazi but the club is a lifeline for him and, for a few hours a day, he is given the chance to be a child.

***Source: Za Foundation

Visit the ZA Foundation website >

ACET Uganda

With significant financial support from Paradigm Norton Trust over a number of years, Nakulabye Junior School, which is situated in one of the slum areas of Kampala, continues to thrive.

The additional grant towards the playground equipment was greatly appreciated, and the equipment is constantly used by the children. The children are not only achieving good academic results, but also achieving in other areas, having been recently highly placed in an inter-schools boxing competition and coming first in an inter-schools music, dance and drama competition! The Headmaster has reported that this is against a background of rampant child kidnapping in the area, which have required strict measures to be introduced at the school, especially at the beginning and end of the day.

Paul Clark
Chair – Friends of ACET Uganda

Visi the ACET Uganda website >

Third Hope

The Paradigm Norton Trust has faithfully supported Third Hope since 2013. We are working in Uganda with ex-child soldiers on a programme of recovery that spans agricultural training, arts therapy and trauma counselling.

Initial funds helped us to plant trees, which are already bearing fruit! Subsequent funds have enabled us to begin work on a Peace Centre, focussing on healing and reconciliation within the community. Current support is being channelled towards working with ex-child soldiers who are learning sustainable agriculture. Having run a pilot programme with a small group of participants, we are now expanding this to thirty ex-child soldiers over the year ahead.

Visit the Third Hope website >

DEKI

At Deki we connect lenders with entrepreneurs from Ghana, South Africa, Malawi, South Sudan, Uganda, Togo, and Tanzania.

We work with those living below the international poverty line, helping to reduce reliance on aid, and lower debt dependency. It is the beginning of their journey to overcoming poverty and building a sustainable future for themselves and their family. Through charitable donations, such as the £3,100 we received from Paradigm Norton, we provide loans to individuals to start and develop income generating activities. When the loan is repaid we lend the money to another entrepreneur, and so the cycle continues. Since 2010 Paradigm Norton has helped 248 entrepreneurs and the original donation is now worth £16,080**.

Below is Lucy’s story:

Lucy Dongdeme is 44 years old and lives with her five children and husband in Jirapa, West Upper Ghana.

Lucy saw an opportunity to sell hot snacks and food supplies on the main road in her town near the market. She applied for a Deki loan for £200 and used it to clear some debt, buy beans, shea nuts and firewood. The snacks she made were incredibly tasty and very popular. With hard work Lucy was able to repay the loan. Lucy can now feed her children two meals a day and send them to school. Lucy applied for a second loan from Deki that allowed her to offer a bigger selection of snacks and buy goods in bulk to increase her profit margins. She has already paid back two thirds of the second loan.

**Information correct as at 19th October 2018

Visit the DEKI website >