CHINANSUNGWI RELIEF HAND ORGANISATION (CHIREHO) BACKGROUND

This is one of the office buildings where the Chinansungwi Relief Hand Organization (CHIREHO) is being headquartered.

Background Information:

Chinansungwi Relief Hand Organization (CHIREHO) is a local Non Governmental Organization. The Organization was registered as a Community Based Organization (CBO) in 2007 with Blantyre District Council through the Social Welfare Office. In 2012 Chinansungwi registered as a Non Governmental Organization with the Registrar General of Companies (NGO) with the consent all of the Ministry of Justice and 1nstitutional Affairs.

The Organization operates in Traditional Authority Kapeni in Blantyre rural targeting the entire general population of 30,000 people. The Organization is currently implementing a number of development projects targeting both the underprivileged and marginalized people.

During the past year Chinansungwi, implemented several activities under the following interventions: Education program, Health, Food Security, Water Hygiene and Sanitation, Economic Empowerment and Environment

CHIREHO EDUCATION PROGRAMME

Under this category, Chinansungwi implemented several activities aimed at assisting pre-school group children in the age range of 3 – 5 years. The children were enrolled targeted in an effort to prepare them for the initial primary school education. In Community Based Child Centres (CBCCs, children were provided with primary school education, indoor /outdoor games and free meals hence most of the children’s  parents could not afford to pay in addition to the fact that some of the theses children are orphans. However, parents and all community members contribute in kind through performing some voluntary work in all the Child Care Centers. The voluntary work is ranges from cooking for the children and gardening for growing both food and cash crops. We reach 800 children in the 15 CBCCs

To the Left: Children in one of the classes learning basics, such as counting, alphabet letters and vowels with the assistance of trained teachers as seen on the picture above a teacher standing in front of the children in the class. While to the Right children at one of the CHIREHO’s pre- schools enjoying nutritious meal provided by the government and other non -governmental organizations.


CHIREHO PREGNANT MOTHERS PROGRAMME

    Pregnant mothers receive nutritious food from one of the CHIREHO Centers   

CHIREHO WATER SANITATION AND HYGIENE (WASH)

 The picture to the left above shows the magnitude of the water and sanitation problem the community is facing in the area and as an organization we are thankful to some well wishers like NOVOC and WACRAD who provide a better source of water like the one to the right

   The two pictures above show some of the domestic sources of water and the duty of the WASHE project is to educate the community on the dangers of using stagnant and unsafe water. 

The organization also educates the community on the methods of how to make water safer such as by boiling it, filtering or chlorinating so that it can be free from germs which causes water borne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, diarrhea, dysentery etc.

WASH PROJECT ACTIVITIES IMPLEMENTED BY CHIREHO

                                                                           To the Left people are clearing the land at a non functioning borehole as it was bushy and the borehole has been dismantled while the one to the right the work of rehabilitating is in the process

The first picture to the left showing the borehole maintenance work continuing while the one in the Right showing the borehole has now be maintained and the water has started flowing again and  the people are enjoying the water at the now maintained and functioning borehole in Chitsonga Village

The picture to the left showing their appreciation by the people of Chitsonga village to the Pollination Project Organisation for maintaining their borehole in their village while the picture to the right showing the previous source of water before the borehole maintenance. This project was funded by the Pollination Project Foundation

The provision of the water sources has had significant outcomes as reported by the 36 sampled households in Blantyre and Kapeni as follows:

·    All households reported increased daily consumption of water from an average of 4 to 7 jerrycans (approximately 80 to 140 litres) per household

·         77% of the sampled households reported a reduced distance walked to collect safe water which has resulted into buying time from 30-50 minutes to 5-15minutes

·       85%  of  households  experienced  less  and  reduced  time  spent  queuing  from  an average of 3 hours to 45 minutes (and less during peak hours)

·   60% of the sampled households reported no occurrence of diarrhea in the last month(this is an indication of a reduction in water-related diseases)

·           Water sources have contributed to improved household and personal hygiene

·           Water sources have led to more time spent on domestic and agriculture work

·   The project has contributed to Sustainable Development Goal number 6for water and sanitation improvement

Two underserved schools (one primary school and one secondary school) in Jameson A village benefited from this project. This has enabled 2000 learners to attain access to safe water. The facilities have greatly improved the children’s timely attendance of classes because of the reduced distance taken to access the unsafe water in the swamps, improved hygienic behaviors of hand washing at critical times.

Leaners of Matindi Community Day Secondary School (CDSS)  to the left and Matindi Primary School to the right displaying their posters of thanks to Pollination Project Foundation for maintaining the borehole which is in their campus in Jameson A Village, Traditional Authority Kapeni in Blantyre


ONE OF THE WATER SANITATION AND HYGIENE COMMUNITY TRAINING

The picture to the left is one of the community Water and Sanitation Committees training on water, sanitation and hygiene while the other picture to the right is a committee come to be trained on borehole maintenance.

WOMEN ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT PROJECT

The objective of this intervention is to help the poorest of the poor to improve their economical status through various income generating activities. The project provided entrepreneur skills in addition to securing loans or grants from various lending institutions to targeted beneficiaries. The common strategy is that loans or grants are secured as revolving funds in form of pass on schemes. The project organized beneficiaries from different catchment areas and implemented village banks. 

One of the women groups enrolling and participating in the training about the entrepreneur skills offered by the organization under the project called Women Economic Empowerment at the organization training center. While to the Right: One of Women Economic Empowerment groups sharing some of the profits in the organization conference room after some of the sales.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION PROJECT

 

This is also one example of the tree nurseries the community establishes through our environmental project in the communities.

FOOD SECURITY

Under the Food Security project, communal gardens were established in all the 15 CBCCs. All village heads were mobilized and provided with farm inputs such as fertilizers and planting materials. Harvest from these communal gardens provided maize flour for preparing porridge to children all the centers.

To date a total of 15 gardens were achieved (one for each CBCC). Types of crops grown depended mainly on the soil type and altitude (ie. whether low or high).

These communal gardens acted as Field schools where modern Farming Methods were demonstrated. The skills learnt from these gardens have improved crop production in the surrounding villages.

The project provided child headed households with starter packs (20kg maize flour) to act as a cushion during the lean period of the year in order to improve the nutrition status.

These are some of the gardens at one of the 15 CBCCs as part of Food Security Project. The one to the left is for maize and other one is for vegetables. Theses gardens do provide food for the CBCCs and also act as training grounds for improved methods of farming to the surrounding communities

 

The three (3) newly constructed classrooms for orphans and vulnerable replacing the old and dangerous temporary shelters


The buildings will benefit 150 children from the surrounding villages

   

    Borehole maintenance in T/A Kapeni

the Village Savings and Loans Association (VS&LA) training class as one way of empowering women economically. It was a class of 20 trainees at the CHIREHO office and Training center

Women graduating from the women empowerment training. They were awarded with certificates during the graduation day. The training took place at the CHIREHO offices

CHIKABVUMBWA SCHOOL BLOCK CONSTRUCTION

CHIREHO constructed a school block of two classrooms at Chikabvumbwa Primary School with the funding from the Third World Combined Services of Ireland.  The aim of the project was to assist learners at the school who were learning under the trees. This was a difficult situation especially during the rainy season and the cold weather with showers.

Learners showing a poster where by they are thanking the donor who provided the school block with two classrooms through CHIREHO

          

ENDING EARLY CHILD MARRIAGES PROJECT

CHIREHO with the funding of Theirworld has been implementing a project focused on ending early child marriages in 60 villages targeting 30,000 people in villages, schools, churches, market places etc. It has very successful as the target has been achived   

One of the ending early child marriages campigns conducted by CHIREHO in schools with the funding from Theirworld (UK)

  

The end child marriages campaigns have also been done in various churches as shown above so that every one should be reached with the information

  

The ending early child marriages campaigns had also taken into typical rural area through traditional dances and meetings as seen above.

WATER BOREHOLE DRILLING PROJECT

CHIREHO has been implementing a water boreholes drilling and installing project with the funding from The German Embassy, NASF of the Netherlands with the aim of reducing water related diseases such as cholera, typhoid, stomach worms etc and also reducing the distances women travel in order to get water. The project has benefited around 5000 people.

  

 

After drilling and installing the community was very happy as it is thanking the donor who really came to their rescue 
 

 The other borehole was was drilled and installed with the funding from The Nederlands Albert Shweitzer Fonds (NASF) of Netherlands 

This water borehole was through the funding from the NASF of The Netherlands 

  

CONTACTS

Chinansungwi Relief Hand Organisation (CHIREHO)
P.O.Box 72
Lunzu
Malawi
Email: chinansungwirelief@gmail.com