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Nkayi Area Program

Sponsor a child

Program Type

Community Development

Planned Life Cycle

2013 - 2028

Location

Zimbabwe

Areas of Focus

Health

Program Timeline

Status: Active

Progress

2,999children and adults were trained on child protection, including positive parenting, children's rights and early marriage

Progress

2,998people participated in trainings, counseling or activities on preventing and responding to infectious diseases, such as COVID-19

Progress

2,498people participated in activities aimed at supporting child protection and ending violence against children

A white jeep driving through a muddy path, featuring a rainbow and trees in the background.

Program Details

Context

The Nkayi community is located a little over 600 km from Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe. The area has suffered from recurring droughts and rainfall is low and unevenly distributed, with an average of 450-600mm per year. Temperatures range between 7-20℃ in the winter and 15-32℃ in the summer.

People in Nkayi practice farming to earn a living, as well as engage in vocations such as basketry, dressmaking, brick making, and carpentry.The area is fortunate to have lush open grassland which helps with animal ranching. However, the sandy soil makes it difficult to grow food, which has contributed to chronic food shortages. Housing conditions are generally poor and less than 20% of households have latrines.

...
Challenges
Education
Receiving a quality education is difficult for children in Nkayi. Only 12% of children graduate from primary school. As family income is low, parents are unable to pay school fees and few adults are able to read and write. Without understanding the value of education, most parents do not have much interaction with teachers and do not value education for their children.

Existing schools are poorly staffed and learning resources are scarce. There are few schools in the area and children have to travel long distances to attend. School curriculum is not diverse and there are no lessons for practical learning, such as gardening or woodworking.

Food
The scarcity of food is a challenge in Nkayi. Frequent droughts and the lack of modern farming equipment and materials such as seeds and fertilizers make it difficult to achieve good harvests. Maize is the main staple food, however, even in a good year, maize production is rarely enough to meet families food requirements for the entire year. 40% of people do not have access to food year round.

Many families mostly eat starchy foods, with small amounts of food rich in protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals. This is due to persistent water problems that make it difficult to have home gardens. This type of diet cannot meet the nutritional requirements of growing children, and has a negative effect on children's nutrition. 30%of children in Nkayi are below average weight and 40% of children are below average height for their age. Prolonged cases of malnutrition among young children and mothers are common.

Child Protection
Less than 75% of children under the age of five in the Nkayi community have a birth certificate. This is significant, as it prevents children from accessing social services, such as education.

Water and Sanitation
Sanitation conditions in Nkayi are poor, which significantly increases the incidence of hygiene-related diseases. There is a shortage of safe, clean water sources and children often suffer from diarrhea and other waterborne diseases. There are not enough health workers in the community, and existing personnel are overburdened and not able to provide community members with necessary information about hygiene and sanitation.

Economic Development
Farmers and community members earn very little income. Even though people engage in other income-generating activities, there are no markets to sell their products....
An image of children sitting on the ground in a classroom, writing in workbooks.

Results

Unless otherwise stated, data presented on this page reflects the most up-to-date results of World Vision Canada programs reported between October 2022 and September 2023, and any previous fiscal years available. Previously reported data may not match the current presentation as we continuously receive and refine data from our programs. If you have any questions, kindly reach out to us.