NGO donates to less privileged

Faith Chapuza, Sunday News Reporter
A non-profit making organisation, Arise Deborah International, brought an early festive cheer to more than 100 less privileged children after hosting a Christmas party in Emakhandeni suburb in Bulawayo last weekend.

Arise Deborah International is a prayer group consisting of women from different church denominations and was formed this year.

The organisation has been growing in leaps and bounds over the last few months with more women joining to feed children in Emakhandeni and Magwegwe suburbs twice a week.

The chief executive officer of the organisation, Pastor Brilliant Sithole, said they have grown from just feeding less privileged children to holding education classes in light of the prolonged closure of schools that was forced by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“When we started the prayer group, we focused on feeding the children but we, however, have incorporated educating the kids after we realised that if the parents of the kids cannot afford to give them a decent meal then education and other basic essentials are surely a luxury to them.

“When we started in June, we were feeding 25 children and that number has grown to over 90 and we feed them on Mondays and Fridays in open spaces such as soccer fields in the two suburbs, in full compliance to Covid-19 regulations” said Pastor Sithole.

The founder of the organisation, Mrs Joyce Chiyaka, said their ultimate aim was to cover all the 29 wards in Bulawayo.

“We were hoping that by the end of the year we would have managed to start feeding kids in all the wards in Bulawayo but that is not possible as a result of financial constraints. We depend on the benevolence of individuals who assist us financially and in kind,” said Mrs Chiyaka.

Miss Linda Ncube, a parent of one of the beneficiaries, said the organisation has been of great help in her child’s life.

“Although some may see the efforts of the organisation as small, we really appreciate what they do for our kids,” said Ms Ncube.

Pastor Sithole appealed for more assistance from individuals and the corporate world.