CINDI KITWE TRUST - Seeing Your Donation at work

BUILDING COMMUNITY RESILIENCE THROUGH HOLISTIC RESPONSES TO HIV AND AIDS

Since 1994, Children in Distress (CINDI) in Kitwe, Zambia, a SLF Community based partner, has evolved into an organization that empowers and supports grandmothers and older persons and the children in their care using effective holistic support.

Their programs focus on education support, food and income security, and access to health information and services, while strengthening the community through advocacy. CINDI has worked with hundreds of grandmothers and caregivers, building resilience through psychosocial support, income-generation activities, education and nutrition support in the context of HIV and AIDS, climate change, and now the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response to the pandemic, CINDI staff and volunteers quickly adapted their programming to continue to provide urgently needed supports in a safe way. Lockdowns and restrictions created challenges to continuing programming as usual, but the grandmothers supported by CINDI have built resilience and continue to manage their households for themselves and the children in their care. Staff from CINDI have shared with the SLF that grandmothers show enthusiasm to improve their situation through planning and engagement in income-generating activities and savings programs. And their families are showing growth in their unity through improved communication skills.

Household visits to grandmothers are integral to CINDI's programming, and these visits continue with social distancing and through door-to-door peer support. This outreach and support includes demonstrations of safety precautions thorough hand washing, supplying soap and masks, distributing flyers and posters with relevant COVID-19 information in local languages, as well as psychosocial support, and mentoring to ensure small-business activities continue. The holistic and integrated, family-centred approach that CINDI takes to address individual and household needs, ensures every member of the family benefits from their support.