Harvest 2011
Our Harvest Appeal this year was for
Matthew Rusike Children's Home in Zimbabwe.
The final total raised was £3,500 which is wonderful.
THANK YOU
Makwiro
A frightened 12-year old girl has just lost her parents in a village fire and arrives on the doorstep of a Methodist Minister called Matthew Rusike. He takes her in and gives her a home with his family.
In the years that followed, Rev. Rusike took in more orphans and abandoned children until, in 1960, the
Today, the Matthew Rusike organisation is one of
The Epworth residential home cares for about 150 children from babies to 18-year olds. Many have been abandoned by mothers too poor to keep them. Others have been abused or malnourished or have lost parents to HIV/Aids. Some, born to infected parents, have HIV/Aids themselves.
The children live with house mothers in small, caring family groups. Professional staff help look after each child’s total needs - the social, emotional and spiritual as well as the physical.
Most of the children attend local schools with extra lessons at the home.
Vocational training helps to prepare children for life in the outside world.
The emphasis is always on returning children to the community and reuniting families whenever possible.
Although residential care is the only option for some children, the organisation prefers to help deprived children in their own social setting, which is better for the child and means that scarce funds go further. As well as running the home, the organisation helps around 7,000 children in the community.
Throughout
The organisation is now setting up local hubs where needy children can come for counselling or medical treatment, or drop in to do their homework and have a meal.
£2 will care for one child for a day.
£4 will provide medical care for a chronically ill child for a month.
£35 will keep one child in vocational training for a month.
£50 will pay for one child’s school fees for a term.
£170 will pay one staff member’s salary for a month.
Over 60 years on from Rev. Rusike’s initial act of charity, the need is as urgent as ever. The HIV/Aids epidemic means that about one in seven of Zimbabwe’s population is an orphan child. Years of economic hardship have given an 85% unemployment rate, making it difficult - often impossible - for families to feed and educate their children.
The Matthew Rusike organisation can channel support to Zimbabwe's deprived children efficiently and effectively. It’s also a flagship for good childcare practice throughout Southern Africa. MRCH does not only transforms the lives of individual children, it equips them to contribute to Zimbabwe’s future.
MRCH rely almost entirely on the generosity of friends and supporters. With your help, there is so much more they could do to support the children and continue developing the families and communities.
Thank you very much.