ALPHA COTTAGE CHILDREN'S HOME REPORT JULY 2025

This Third Quarter Report (July - September 2025) provides stakeholders, partners and the community with an overview of alpha cottage children’s home. It highlights the well-being and education of the children, daily activities of staff and children, donations, income and expenditure and institutional projects. The report also outlines key achievements, challenges and recommendations aimed at improving sustainability, accountability and continued success of the home.

INSTITUTIONAL ENROLMENT

TABLE OF INSTITUTIONAL ENROLMENT

						JULY	AUGUST	SEPTEMBER
Boys	Girls	Total	Boys	Girls	Total	Boys	Girls	Total
22	18	40	23	19	42	23	20	43

District of Origins

DISTRICT	JULY	AUGUST	SEPTEMBER
BIKITA	2	2	2
CHIVI	3	3	2
GUTU	3	3	3
HARARE	2	2	1
MASVINGO	23	26	28
MWENEZI	1	1	1
ZAKA	6	6	6
TOTAL	40	43	43

DETAILS	JULY	AUGUST	SEPTEMBER
PLACE OF SAFETY	5	4	4
COURT ORDERS	25	38	38
EXPIRED COURT ORDERS	2	3	3
W\BIRTH CERTIFICATES	28	33	33
W\O BIRTH CERTIFICATES	10	8	9
NEW ARRIVALS	2	3	2
REUNIFIED	--	--	2

Education

GENDER	ECD	GRADE 1-7	FORM 1-4	TERTIARY	TOTAL
GIRLS	3	10	6	1	20
BOYS	3	9	8	--	20
TOTAL	6	19

SCHOOL ENROLLED	BOYS	GIRLS	TOTAL
Alpha Cottages	3	3	6
Helen McGhie	9	10	19
Victoria High	6	7	13
Gokomere High	1	-	1
Zimuto High	1	1	2
Mushagashe V.T.C	-	1	1
Total	20	22	42

Academic Achivements

LEVEL	GRADES
Primary	Four of the primary level students performed exceptionally well. The others scored below average. This may have been a result of their traumatic experiences and not being able to attend school before being admitted at the home.
Form 2	One of the students performed very well, managing to score 9 subjects out of 10. Other form two students did not perform very well and were below average
Form 3	One student performed very well, achieving 4B’s and 2C’s. The rest of the form 3 students did not perform very well and scored marks that are below average.
Ordinary Level	The Ordinary students did not perform well and are below average.
Lower Sixth	The lower sixth students performed exceptionally well, scoring 14points each.
Advanced Level	The lower sixth students performed exceptionally well, managing to score 14 points each

Children's Well Being and Welfare

Activities focused on emotional, social, physical and spiritual development. Outcomes included improved self-esteem, behaviour and confidence amongst children

Planned Activities for the Childrens

• Life skills training and career guidance

• Counselling, emotional and psychological support

• Health, wellness and recreational activities

• Home education, case management and child protection

• Spiritual development [devotion]

• Resource mobilisation for back to school support

  
  

Achived Activities

• Mobilization of resource support the children’s back to school needs.

• Provision of emotional and psychological support

• Delivery of life skills training

• Regular counselling sessions

• Engagement in recreational activities

• Implementation of case management for individual children’s needs

• Facilitation of home education programs

• Strengthening of the children protection committee

• Conducting devotional and spiritual sessions

Impact

The activities carried out during the quarter have had a positive effect on the children’s growth and development. These initiatives have significantly enhanced the children’s self-confidence, behaviour and overall development. The program continues to be adaptive, effectively addressing the evolving needs of the children.

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ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATES

Staff, Volunteer and Intern Program

STAFF	FEMALE	MALE	TOTAL
Superintendent	1	-	1
Caregiver	2	-	2
General hand	-	1	1
Total	3	1	4

Intern Program

Females	Males	Total
7	2	9

Community Support

We continue to receive overwhelming support from the community. Many people have reached out after accessing our contact information through social media platforms. We are truly grateful for this increased visibility and generosity it has brought.

Promising support and pledges 

A growing number individuals and partners have expressed their interests in supporting the home. Their willingness to assist gives us hope for more sustainable development and enriched care for our children.

PROJECT INITIATIVES

The institution operates five ongoing projects: a pre-school, hall hiring, chicken project, gardening and the grinding mill. These initiatives not only provide financial support to the home but also foster self-reliance, as a sense of accomplishment and enhance creativity within the institution.

Type of Project	Status	Comment
Pre-school	Ongoing	Closed in August for holiday and resumed in September for third term
Hall Hiring	Ongoing	Currently booked by 1 church
Gardening	Ongoing	Earlier seedlings have grown well. Ground preparations and planting of new seedlings completed
Grinding Mill	Ongoing	The grinding mill project is steady and is generating regular income.
Chicken Project	Ongoing	Chicken preparation completed and booking are in progress.

POULTRY PROJECTS

Ø  As of the month of August/September, the home has had 3 batches of broiler chickens and 2 batches of road runners (free range). The batch of broilers is ready for the market while the remaining broilers and roadrunners are growing so well. This poultry project not only provides a source of income for the home but also teaches children life skills such as responsibility, animal care and teamwork.

Broilers

BATCH	WEEK
1	6
2	3
3	1
6 Weeks

3 Weeks 

 One Week

Roud Runner

Grinding Mill

Ø  The Grinding Mill is fully operational and ongoing project, serving as a reliable source of income at the home. We anticipate increase revenue in the upcoming quarter, as many community member are coming to support the home through the grinding mill

GARDEN PROJECT

The garden project at Alpha Cottages Children’s Home is thriving, providing a nurturing space for children to learn, grow and develop essential life skills. The project focuses on cultivating vegetables such as Evergreen Covo, Cabbages, Onions and Tomatoes COMBINING EDUCATION WITH PRACTICAL AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE.

Evergreen Covo

Cabbages 4 Weeks

 Cabbages 9 Weeks

Onions

ACHIEVEMENTS AND SUCCES STORIES

HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

All children remained in good health during the quarter and stable and safe environment was maintained throughout the period.

AGRICULTURE SUCCESS

The vegetable garden yielded a thriving crop, providing fresh produce that enhanced the children’s nutrition and contributed to food security at the Home.

EDUCATION

Significant progress was made in obtaining vital legal documents. Most children who previously lacked birth certificates and national identity cards have now been registered, enabling full participation in school and access to essential services.

INCOME GENERATION AND PROJECTS

The chicken project continued to perform well, generating income into support the payment of caregivers’ wages. Additionally the grinding mill remains the backbone of income generation, providing essential financial support for the Home’s operations and daily necessities. Both projects demonstrate sustainability and effectiveness in supporting the Home.

DONATIONS AND SUPPORT

The Home received generous and timely support from individuals, organisations and companies during the quarter. Both cash and in-kind donations ensured that all essential needs of the children were met, with no shortage experienced.

Challenges

Superindent’s accommodation

The superintendent's allocated house is currently uninhabitable, requiring renovations. Operating from outside the Home limits the supervision, creates safety risks and causes delays in attending urgent matters.

Staffing and Salary Challenges

The Home faced challenges in meeting salary obligations due to limited funds, and the institution is currently understaffed. This is partly because the income generating projects are small scale and do not generate sufficient revenue to fully support all staffing needs.

Recommendations

The Superintendent's Accommodation: Renovate the existing and Superintendent’s house as a priority. Having the superintendent reside on the Home’s premises will ensure effective supervision, enhance security and allow for immediate response to the children’s needs.

Income – generating projects: Expand the poultry project and introduce new initiatives , such as fish farming, a layer chicken project and roadrunner chickens to increase revenue and sustainability

Donor Engagement: Foster strong relationships with donors and supporters by providing regular updates on the Home’s progress and impact. This will help secure ongoing funding and resources for continued operations and development.

Future Plans for the Home

• Repair of Poultry Houses: Resuscitate and expand the poultry project as a core income-generating venture, including raising fences for free-range chickens.

• Poultry Project: Expanding broilers, layers and road-runner chickens to increase meat and egg production and provide income as well as teach the children life skills.

• Layers Project: Ensures consistent egg production and a reliable source of income.

• Roadrunner Project: Low-cost, hard poultry suited for local conditions, providing meat and chicks that will be sold under the brand Alpha Chicks.

• Fish farming: A new initiative to diversify food production and income streams.

• Tuckshop

  
  

PROJECTS

• Drip irrigation and sprinklers: To improve water efficiency and crop yield

• 3 green houses for year round vegetable production and enhanced learning opportunities for children.

• Solar booster pump ensure a reliable water supply for the Home and agricultural projects.

• Water storage facilities : two 5000ltr Jojo tanks to guarantee constant water availability

• Perimeter security wall: construction of a brick or steel wall to protect children and property

• Additional house for older girls it provides safe and appropriate accommodation for our growing number of adolescent girls.

• Outdoor kitchen with dutch ovens: facilitates efficient cooking, particularly during the rainy season

• Interior painting of all houses: creates a clean, comfortable and vibrant environment for the children.

• Renovations to the Superintendent's house: ensures a decent and functional living space for the lead caregiver

• Four Solar Geysers: provides sustainable access to hot water 

  
  

Conclusion

he report highlights steady progress and positive developments at Alpha Cottage Children’s Home during the period from July to September 2025. The children have shown notable improvements both in their physical and emotional well-being, reflecting the consistent care, support and nurturing environment provided by the Home.

While challenged inevitably arise, the Home remains proactive in identifying and implementing sustainable solutions. All planned activities for the quarter were successfully carried out, thanks to the dedication of staff, interns and volunteers, the resilience of the children and the unwavering support from partners and the community.

As we move forward, Alpha Cottage Children’s Home remains committed to enhancing the quality of care and creating even greater opportunities for the growth, development and well-being of the children.