Emmanuel Children's Home Report October 2025

INTRODUCTION

This report serves to inform the advisory board, key stakeholders and the community at large about the progress and overall operations and developments at Emmanuel Children’s Home. The report provides an overview of the institution’s structure, welfare and education of the children and also the daily activities undertaken by the staff and the children. To add on, in the report is the information on the donations received, income generated, expenditure incurred to ensure transparency and accountability. It also gives a glimpse on the projects implemented, activities held, meetings attended and general institutional progress and development as the institution continues to gain ground in its operation. There is a section in the report that highlights the challenges faced and offers possible solutions to ensure kaizen.

ACTIVITIES PROMOTING CHILD WELL BEING

Between October and December, at Emmanuel Children’s Home we implement a number of activities promoting children wellbeing. These activities promote children’s wellbeing in physical, emotional, and cognitive development. The reporting period was characterized by the festive season and some of our partners vested and carried out early Christmas cheer for the children, mothers and staff. These help in promoting bonding, socializing and play for the children as they had fun through music and dance. Focusing on building healthy habits, develop positive relationships, and enhance their self-esteem and resilience, weekly psychosocial meetings with the matron successfully continued during the reporting period. Again, the home has partnered with Psychologists who are working with are children’s psychological well-being helping address the various traumas experienced along the journey of life. Continued monitoring with the psychologists has ensured steadfast progress in children previously diagnosed with higher levels of depression. Also, they engage in play, physical exercise, creative arts, and social interactions supports which helps thrive in a balanced and nurturing environment at the same time, grooming talent. Another partner, Dr Felistas, came through to introduce table tennis at the institution and donated the equipment for the sport. Talent has been identified from among the children and support offered for coaching and grooming for the interested children. These activities also foster a sense of security and happiness which is essential for lifelong wellbeing. Below are key activities:

Psychological Support (PSS)

Besides the matron’s weekly PSS meetings held, the children's home provides counselling sessions, a safe space for children to express their emotions and work through challenges. Social workers and care givers offer one-on-one or group therapy, helping children develop coping strategies, build resilience, and process traumatic experiences. This support is crucial in promoting emotional wellbeing, self-awareness, and healthy relationships and building resilience.

Education Sessions on Social Ills

In the reporting period, Emmanuel children’s home conducted education sessions on drug and substance abuse through videos on the effects of drug and substance abuse from Matrix disciplinary camp. These came as awareness on Drug and substance abuse prevention. A plenary was conducted after watching the videos and from the feedback it was noted that the children were greatly helped by the visual clips. These sessions empower children to make informed decisions, develop healthy relationships, and avoid risky behaviors. By educating children on social ills, the home promotes their safety, wellbeing, and future success.

Devotion Sessions

As a faith-based institution, ECH continues to offer spiritual support through daily prayers, weekly bible studies and services. As these have become a culture within the institution, it has seen even our children taking turns to lead and freely volunteering to participate in the

programs. Devotion sessions provide spiritual guidance and nourishment, fostering a sense of purpose and meaning in the children's lives. Through Bible studies, prayers, and worship sessions, children develop a deeper understanding of their faith and cultivate a personal relationship with God. These sessions offer emotional comfort, hope, and inspiration, helping children navigate life's challenges with faith and resilience.

Sporting Activities

In the reporting period the main sport that has been introduced at the institution was Table tennis. A new Partner has donated the full kit of the table tennis equipment and provided initial training while identifying talented children from among the children at ECH. A number of them showed talent and the sport continues to be played especially during the weekends. Professional coaching is provided by a Harare coach who visits the home at scheduled times to nurture and groom the talent among the boys and girls for participation in competitions and tournaments in the future. Such activities promote physical health, teamwork, and socialization. Sporting activities help children develop essential life skills, build confidence, friendships, and have fun while staying active.

Life Skills Training

The home continues to provide life skills training, equipping children with practical skills for independent living. Especially in the reporting period which was characterized more by crop farming, sowing, weeding and spraying were some of the activities which the children participated in. some of them were learning these skills for the first time. The children were interested in learning the sowing of the different seeds such as maize seed using the pfumvudza practice versus the sowing of groundnuts. Sweet potatoes also were another plant the children took part in learning how to plant after making the proper ridges and heaps. Activities like gardening teach children about nutrition, sustainability, and responsibility. Poultry projects continue to develop skills in animal care, entrepreneurship, and food production. House chores foster independence, responsibility, and teamwork. These skills prepare children for adulthood, enabling them to thrive in their future endeavors.

Personal Hygiene

Another partner came through with menstrual hygiene talk with the adolescent girls at the institution. However, the home continues to emphasize personal hygiene and promotes rewarding the smartest boy and girl child as a way of fostering intentional personal hygiene for their wellbeing. Children learn about proper hygiene habits, sanitation, and health, developing good habits that promote self-esteem and social confidence. By prioritizing personal hygiene, the home helps children maintain their physical health and feel confident in their appearance.

CHILD WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT

At Emmanuel Children’s Home, we are deeply committed to fostering an environment, where children can thrive and reach their full potential. We sincerely thank all our donors and partners for their generous support, which plays a crucial role in sustaining our programs and services. Your contributions help us provide essential care, education, and opportunities for the children. However, we would like to be transparent about the ongoing challenges we face, particularly regarding food donations, which are not yet fully in place. We are actively working to address this issue to ensure that every child’s nutritional needs are met consistently. Together, we remain dedicated to creating and maintaining a safe, supportive space that reinforces the physical and emotional wellbeing of every child under our care. We are also in need of medical routine checks ups

PROJECTS

The home has continued with the running projects i.e. broiler project, piggery, goat and sheep project, road runner, turkey and duck rearing projects and gardening. These projects are meant to provide financial support for the home, and they increase self-reliance, self-accomplishment and improve creativity at the institution as well as provide improved nutrition as some are meant for consumption by the children. They also help children in life skills training. In the same reporting period, the home has managed to sell green mealies from the irrigation at the same time the children have enjoyed some, while in the planting season.  

Community Engagement and Partnerships.

At Emmanuel Children Home, we recognize the vital role that community engagement and partnerships play in enriching the lives of the children we serve. We are actively working to build strong connections with nearby schools to educate the younger generation about social issues that can hinder their life journey. In addition, we warmly include community children in our sporting activities and church services, fostering a sense of unity, inclusion, and shared growth. This not only broadens the social experiences of the children but also strengthens community bonds. Furthermore, we value the insights and ideas from community members who have a deep understanding of local challenges and opportunities. Their input helps us improve our operations and tailor our programs to better meet the needs of all children involved. Through these partnerships and engagements, Emmanuel Children Home aims to create a supportive network that champions the wellbeing and development of every child.

CHALLENGES FACED

In this reporting period, Emmanuel Children’s home has faced challenges related to education support and incentives for the staff. The institution has not had a stipulated budget for staff remuneration or incentives. It has mostly been voluntary work which at times has seen the suffering of the work at the institution as they take breaks to go and attend to family needs and obligations. Resource mobilization remains our priority to cater for such administrative needs of the home.

We are still grappling with the completion of Administration block, fowl run and complete renovation of pigsty due to lack of resources.

However, as the secretariate we shall intensify friend raising and fundraising activities to try have more resources for the development and other needs at the institution. At the same time, there is need to expand our income generation activities at the home.

ACHIEVEMENTS & SUCCESS STORIES

Emmanuel children’s home has been applauded for championing personal hygiene as the primary school where all the children attend, Sikato Primary school has commended that all their children are smartly dressed and maintain a neat presentation regardless of their age or level at school. Also, it is important to note that two of ECH children have been selected to be prefects at the school where they have barely attended for a year. This has been met with hearts full of gratitude by the ECH secretariate as this can only but point out to both good behavior and better performance from our children. Considering the trauma the children have been through, managing to focus and portray leadership qualities in a new school, says a lot about the success of the psychosocial work being done at home.

. PLANS FOR NEXT QUARTER (October to December)

• Enroll older children for vocational training courses

• Mobilize resources for administration block completion and office furniture

• Mobilize more support by engaging generous individuals, reaching out to new donors and hosting events to showcase our impact and attract funding.

• Achieve developmental milestones by upgrading infrastructure, supporting children`s education and well- being and tracking progress for accountability

• Continued PSS for the children and caregivers.

• Through these initiatives, we aim to improve sustainability, generate income and uplift the lives of the children in our care

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

 As Emmanuel Children’s Home we would like to acknowledge all our dedicated board members and church for their support and direction. Also, the home has established and maintained strong partnerships with various partners, organizations and government entities who support our operations and this is cherished much. These collaborations have been instrumental in sustaining the Home and promoting the well- being of the children in our care. We would like to appreciate all our partners for unwavering support towards the well-being of all our children.