Apprentiship Scheme – Post Primary School

The Nasio Trust is a registered charity which supports HIV orphans with schooling, feeding and medical care.

As a small charity with limited funds we were only able to provide a feeding programme during school term times. This left approximately 12 weeks of the year when the children were not fed during the school holidays. The main problem we have experienced over the years is at the end of the term the children did not wish to return home for holidays because of lack of food and medical care.

At the beginning of each term we spent additional funds getting these children back to good health with nutritional food. Our medical costs also increased due to illnesses related to lack of good nutrition.

The funding from Clifford Chance is to provide funds for a holiday feeding programme as well as creating self-sustaining projects for the future apprentiship post primary school.

HOLIDAY FEEDING PROGRAMME

Children attending our centres are provided with food throughout the year rather than just during school term times. Previously The Nasio Trust could only support term time feeding programmes resulting in children returning to the centre malnourished with associated medical conditions.

The benefits to the CHILDREN are as follows:

• The Children have a nutritious diet throughout the year.
• The Children have increased resistance to diseases and other ailments.
• Due to improved diet and health the children are better able to concentrate on their studies, improving their learning and academic performance.
• Without this funding the Nasio Trust would not currently be able to feed the children throughout the year.
• Some of our children are HIV positive and take antiretroviral medication to control their illness. These are powerful drugs which require regular meals and nourishment to be fully effective.
• Without this funding the antiretroviral medication would not be fully effective putting these children at risk to secondary infections and illnesses.

The benefit to the TRUST is as follows:

• The children are healthier at the beginning of each term and therefore we spend less on medication to address health problems and malnourishment.
• The children's general wellbeing is significantly improved allowing the teaching staff to be more effective. The Trust can support the children emotionally throughout the year as the children come into school during holiday time for their meals.
• Staff have regular contact with the children therefore able to support them emotionaly.
• The Trust can provide additional learning support during holidays where children require additional tutoring.

TO SUSTAINABILITY

The Nasio Trust aims to become self-sustaining in the medium to long term as well as provide food & educational benefit to the children. Through this programme we are able to embrace the local community into our projects & vision.

SELF-SUSTAINING PROJECT– GREENHOUSE PROJECT

We spent the first 6 months researching and understanding a project that could be sustainable in the local community. The supply of cash crops such as tomatoes was identified as an opportunity to pursue via establishing a greenhouse project.

Our aim was to establish a greenhouse as a demonstration to the local community as well as providing our centres with a supply of vegetables. The vision is to sell the surplus to the local market, hotels and other outlets.

The benefit of this project are as follows:

• We are educating the local community in how to establish and set up and manage greenhouse projects to grow cash crops. We are providing our centres with vegatable to supplement the children's diet.
• We will be able to generate income from the surplus crop to fund the project in the future so that it can become self-sustaining.
• We are providing employment for local people.
• We are able to use the greenhouse as an educational vehicle for the children with potential apprentice schemes at a later date.

What are the benefits

• Improved School attendance – especially girls, orphans & vulnerable children. Assessment from center and primary school attendance records.
• Improved children's health throughout the year – Local medical officer ongoing monitoring and health assessments.
• Improved education standards from the extra holiday tuition. (Reading and Numeracy Skills – performance in local schools)
• Increased employment opportunities to the local community (through the centers & farming – 3 new staff employed)
• Improved working relationship with a local Agricultural college