Chiedza Child Care Centre (CCCC) was established in 2001 and was founded by a group of concerned professionals, academics and business people in response to the escalating need to provide practical help for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The centre is located on five acres of land in Ardbennie Township in Harare.

The centre runs a community home-based programme for the vulnerable orphaned children and assists the care givers of children in dire circumstances with their immediate needs and empowering them through life skills development.

Since 2001 QCCT has helped Chiedza grow from a small organisation with one building on five acres of land to a thriving centre where more than 200 children and youth come in each day for a hot meal and after school activities.

Montessori trained teachers teach early childhood education and the children have a range of sporting, cultural, social activities and community health. With QCCT’s support Chiedza also targets teenage girls and boys with sexual health programs to educate them about their rights and responsibilities. Another Chiedza course is to empower the women of the future, female only classes help to overcome their cultural disadvantages due to the male patriarchy and their roles as caregivers or home managers causing girls to drop out or be excluded from educational opportunities.

Since 2005 Australian donors have supported the children of Chiedza with an ongoing educational sponsorship co-ordinated by QCCT members. With supporting grants and donations, we also built a well-equipped resource centre for their after school tuition and study.

One of QCCT’s priorities is education and for many years we have supported Chiedza’s Out of School Program which gives children a second chance at an education.  Children who have dropped out of the education system due to poverty and dislocation are brought to Chiedza where retired teachers tutor the children to bring them up to a level in preparation for reintegration into the formal schooling system. This program has expanded to four schools in the rural Zvimba region and now has an added focus on students with a disability.  These children formerly were excluded from the education system entirely.

Through QCCT’s sponsorship program funding is provided to facilitate economic strengthening programs for the caregivers which are income generating to help them become economically and socially independent. The projects are to benefit the caregivers of the children to enable them to pay for school fees and uniforms. Some of the income generating activities include chicken rearing projects, food stall operating, cross border trading and Income Saving and Lending Scheme (ISALs).

In 2000 Qantas ceased flying to Harare, however, the Zimbabwe projects team continue to visit Chiedza bi-annually and it is inspiring to see Director, Spiwe Chakawa and her dedicated staff go from strength to strength with their vision to support the children and caregivers in the Ardbennie community.