Friends Of Monze

Monze district in southern Zambia is 110 miles south west of the capital Lusaka. The main industry is agriculture, with maize the main crop. Health Visitor and intrepid traveller Deana Owen, visited the Monze area of Southern Zambia after retiring in 2012. The need and poverty she saw shocked her. When asked if she could help she says "How Could I say NO?" With the help of Bridgend Quakers the charity Friends of Monze (FoM) was set up. We believe that all children have the right to good quality education in a healthy and secure environment. We build and equip schools for vulnerable, deprived children, more than 10% of whom are orphaned partly due to HIV /AIDS and the high rate of cervical cancer. We are now building our 8th school. In rural areas we build teachers houses, the Department of Education deploys trained teachers. The local community contribute by making bricks and providing labour. We equip these schools with desks, stationary and books, solar power, laptops, sports equipment. We have drilled 10 bore holes providing water for building, drinking and hygiene, and school gardens. We provided training in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). We established 9 school permaculture gardens to grow food for the children and generate income. We trained 10 local people to be permaculture gardening trainers, teaching the use of indigenous food plants, seed replication, water harvesting, making compost and bokashi. Equality and empowerment for girls in our schools is of the greatest importance so we provide menstrual hygiene training and reusable pads made locally. Since 2012 we worked closely with our trusted Monze based partner NGO, Zambia Women and Girls Foundation (ZaWGF) which promotes education and women's rights. Women's rights training is ongoing in our schools, we are pleased to know of increasing number of girls staying on in school keeping them safe and protecting them from early marriage. We are a "kitchen table charity" run by volunteers.
Social Link - Twitter: http://www. twitter.com/wix
Social Link - Facebook: https://www. facebook.com/FriendsOfMonze
Social Link - Linkedin: http://www. linkedin.com/company /friends-of-monze
Social Link - Youtube: http://www. youtube.com/wixmypage
Employee Count: 5
Keywords: non-profit organizations