It’s time for our 2021 Christmas Appeal, and this year, it’s more important than ever. Could you give the most important gift of all this Christmas, the gift of a better future?

With Covid-19 cases still high, we made the disappointing decision to postpone this year’s Out of Africa Ball. This ball was a vital opportunity for us to build back the funds lost due to the pandemic. By supporting this year’s Christmas Appeal, you will help us restore the financial resources we need to continue to feed over 5,000 children, support the education of over 200 and deliver vital on the ground projects in Zimbabwe. 

Could you help 9-year-old Nenyasha achieve her dream of becoming a pilot? Girls like Nenyasha have been particularly impacted by the pandemic. Their education has been specifically challenged by the pandemic, especially for girls from low-income households and girls in rural areas. Girls have faced threats including increases in child marriage, early pregnancy and gender-based violence. Many girls were married off in exchange for money as a result of the economic effects of the pandemic on families. We must keep these girls safe and secure a brighter future for them.

Period poverty is also a huge issue in Zimbabwe. A survey found that 62 per cent of girls in Zimbabwe miss school for 1-2 days per month with another 28 percent missing 2-4 days. A combination of a lack of education, social stigma, embarrassment, and the absence of hygiene products means that thousands of girls are not receiving an equitable education. Some will use the inside of pillows. Others will be forced to use leaves, weeds and mud. We must put an end to this. By donating to our Christmas appeal, you can help us to provide the resources and training needed that allows women and girls in Zimbabwe to make their own sustainable period products. Let’s help young girls get equal access to education today.

Did you know that just £1 can feed a child for a whole week? That’s less than the price of your favourite Christmas coffee special from Costa! When delivering emergency food parcels during the pandemic, our Zimbabwe Team Leader Dean said the children would “get down on their knees and plead with me, but at times there was no way I could help, as the food stuff was limited to a certain number.”

This year has shown the need for our communities to provide for themselves; we believe self-sufficiency plays a key role in escaping poverty…and you can help! With the right resources and training, a child could grow up to escape poverty and become self-sufficient. You could make this happen by making the following donations to our appeal:

• £10 to gift a chicken that a family will live off.
• £50 to pay for a farming lot they can use to grow their own crops.
• £100 to teach specialised farming techniques that last a lifetime.

You could start a child’s journey out of poverty by teaching practical skills that last a lifetime.

Our focus is to empower orphans and vulnerable children through access to education with fees paid directly to schools. Your financial support can help us to provide new equipment to support learning or could go towards strengthening a teachers’ skills with additional training. Education can be especially life-changing for girls, but research shows that only 49 per cent of countries have achieved gender parity in primary education.

This has been further worsened by the pandemic; we have had many reports of girls not returning to school after lockdown. Coronavirus has created additional demands at home, and girls often have the responsibility to care for other family members or even start their own. We learnt that a 16-year-old girl dropped out of a local school to get married during the lockdown. Donating £25 could organise an outreach visit for a child who hasn’t come back to school.

How will you look back on 2021? Will it be the difficulties of the pandemic? Or will it be your positive contribution to the world? Your generosity has already helped thousands of children, their loved ones and their communities. Now, you can make a lasting change by supporting our Christmas appeal.

Despite the daily challenges that these children face, they always find hope and gratitude. We hold these children in our prayers, especially over the Christmas period, and hope that 2022 is a brighter year for these children and their families.

A heartfelt thank you for your continued support, together we are creating better futures.