Teacher establishes orphan project in Zambezi

Without Umhambi these children would continue to live in poverty and have a bleak future as poor rural farm workers or be unemployed.

In Victoria Falls Zimbabwe, 6000 of the 40,000 residents are orphans due to the AIDS epidemic. Co-President of the Visual Arts and Design Educators Association NSW (VADEA NSW), teacher at Trinity Grammar and IEU member, Stephen Collins established a charity to help support students in the area.

In 2006 Stephen took a school photographic safari tour to Southern Africa. On the safari he met Misheck Mujeni, the safari cook, who looked after local orphan children in his hometown of Victoria Falls.

Stephen kept in touch with Misheck and in 2009 they created a Trust in Victoria Falls called Umhambi Childrens Fountain of Hope Trust, and registered it with the Zimbabwe authorities.

Later in 2010 Stephen, along with the Miller family from Burwood, established the Umhambi Zambezi Orphan Project Incorporated Association that raises money to send to the Trust in Victoria Falls.

Umhambi looks after local orphan children in Victoria Falls by paying their school fees, buying their uniforms, and paying for their food and any medical needs.

Umhambi recently bought a small farm so they can grow their own maize crops, built a small orphanage so the rural orphans can attend the senior school in Victoria Falls and continue to pay the fees and associated costs of schooling up to 40 orphans in Victoria Falls and local rural villages without high schools.

Umhambi has had great success over the last few years with school graduates getting good jobs with local firms, and even gaining entrance to university.

Without Umhambi these children would continue to live in poverty and have a bleak future as poor rural farm workers or be unemployed.

Markossi, a recent graduate from high school was asked by Stephen what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go and his reply was “further than my eyes can see”. Markossi has enrolled in a computer course at TAFE college and lives in the orphanage along with the manager Thembinkosi Dube, and other senior school residents.

Umhambi looks after orphans that demonstrate academic ability and have little or no extended family. Umhambi’s aim is to educate these bright young students so they can go onto good employment opportunities and to improve their community.

Stephen Collins says other teachers might like to explore the way they can be part of the Zambezi Orphan Project and can visit www.umhambi.org for information and inspiration.