Siphakeme .Mnindwa
Tsenulo Moyo
A BULAWAYO-BASED organisation, “Do It for the Kids Trust,” is working to empower and assist those in vulnerable communities through its various initiatives and programmes.
It was founded in 2015 by a group of young people who had finished high school and struggled to find traditional volunteer opportunities, its mission is to help alleviate the plight of underprivileged children in Zimbabwe through dedicated service.
The trust has implemented food distribution programmes with organisations such as Feed the City, a Kids2School literacy programme, clean-up campaigns, school shoe drives, book drives, and fundraisers for children in vulnerable communities.
The Trust relies on donors, grants and fundraising events to support its programmes.
Administrator and safeguarding officer at Do It for the Kids Trust, Bernadette Njekeya (27) said the organisation aims to change the lives of children in Zimbabwe’s marginalised communities through advocacy, literacy initiatives and spiritual growth within the Christian faith.
“We don’t have a formal motto, but we often say we do it for the kids ‘For the glory of God’,” she explained.
“As a Christian organisation, we believe in delivering hope not only through service but also by sharing our Christian faith and values. Over the years, we have also provided hope by connecting young people in our community with opportunities to serve in child-related settings, such as children’s homes. We encourage them to actively spend time with the children and be positive role models,” Njekeya added.
“Our organisation also runs a literacy programme for marginalised children called Kids2School, currently active in the Ngozi Mine community. This programme addresses the children’s educational needs by assisting with literacy development, as well as their physical needs through food hampers for their families and their spiritual needs through One Hope Christian literature lessons,” she said.
Njekeya said literacy has also become a big part of the organisation’s objectives as they help children who do not have access to the best conventional education to access good literacy programs with a holistic approach that goes beyond academia.
She said the main challenges they face are limited funding, logistical constraints and social barriers, however, they are committed to finding innovative solutions to overcome these challenges.
“Personally, I believe we are all meant to contribute, create and connect to truly walk in our purpose therefore joining Do It For the Kids helped me contribute to the future of our society, which is children,” she said.
Looking into the future, she said the organisation plans to partner with homes that care for underprivileged children to help improve their literacy and empower the children to not be left behind no matter their circumstances.
“This initiative will also provide more volunteer opportunities to youths, especially those on their gap year, to gain some experience and use their time to serve instead of wasting it on unproductive activities,” she said.
Online Reporter