In a community on the outskirts of Harare, Zimbabwe, Shona was toiling over household duties when she wanted to be in school with kids her own age. Having lost both parents to AIDS, she was left to live with an aunt who decided to use her as a maid. As a young girl, Shona had nowhere else to go and had to obey, so she spent her days cooking, cleaning and caring for her aunt’s children, all the while pining for school.
A glimmer of hope entered Shona’s life when she heard that a local church was starting up a Bridging School, part of a Viva Network Zimbabwe initiative to help kids catch up in basic English and maths when they’ve missed out on school. Shona excitedly went to sign up for the programme, only to have her hopes dashed – her aunt refused to give her any time off.
When our volunteers discovered Shona’s situation, they visited her aunt to work something out. After a few discussions the aunt agreed to let Shona attend school as long as she still helped with household duties and cared for the children. For Shona to juggle her responsibilities while attending a regular school would have been impossible; but our teachers allowed her to bring her baby cousin along to the lessons so that she could attend school three times a week.
Shona is just one of the 16 million children under the age of 18 who have lost one or both parents to HIV. Zimbabwe, with 1 million children orphaned by AIDS, has one of the highest proportions of orphans per capita worldwide. Like Shona, 72% of those children affected by AIDS are not in school.
This year World AIDS Day is all about ‘Getting Zero’ – “Zero new HIV infections, Zero discrimination and Zero AIDS-related deaths.” The campaign has laid out 10 goals for 2015, among them: “All people living with HIV and households affected by HIV are addressed in all national social protection strategies and have access to essential care and support”.
Bridging Schools exist for children in different types of disadvantaged circumstances, including being orphaned by AIDS. The staff are constantly watching for children like Shona, aiming to fight the statistics by providing the vital support that can give children a brighter future.
Please pray…
- For children who have been affected by AIDS, whether they are living with the disease or have lost parents from it. Pray that their communities would be able care for them and give them access to basic needs such as food, education and health care.
- For Shona’s aunt. We believe she must also be facing difficult circumstances if she feels she has to force Shona to help her around the house. Please pray that God would be able to provide for the family’s needs so that Shona can continue her education.
- For AIDS research and treatment. Though organisations have made significant steps in reducing AIDS-related deaths, the current economic climate has slashed much needed funding. Pray that God would bless the ongoing research for ‘Getting Zero’ so that we might one day see a world without AIDS
READ OTHER STORIES ABOUT BRIDGING SCHOOLS
Keep up the good work!
Emma, thank you for your encouragement!
i praise God for the eaovnedrs you’re doing, and i believe that one needy child is worth all the help she needs. may all underprivilege and vulnerable children be helped around the world. That’s my prayer.
Thank you for your prayers, Andreza! They are much appreciated and needed.
Blessings
Viva
i praise God for the endeavors you’re doing, and i believe that one needy child is worth all the help she needs. may all underprivilege and vulnerable children be helped around the world. That’s my prayer.
Arev, thank you for praying for the children and our work! We really believe that prayer can change children’s lives, and thanks for being a part of that!