INNOVATIVE MINISTRIES

Baptist World Aid Director

ROTHANGLIANI CHHANGTE traveled to Zimbabwe and Zambia to visit

projects supported

by the Baptist World Alliance, including two in Zimbabwe featured in the

following articles. A Operation Neighbor Care

bundant Life For All (ALFA) “Operation Neighbor Care” was established to respond to the challenges caused by HIV and AIDS in Gokwe, South District, in Zimbabwe. The project is managed under the capable hands of Pastor Chademana of the National Baptist Convention of Zimbabwe.

ALFA was initiated by the people in Nemangwe 1 area in 2008. The Baptist church

and the community felt it was their obligation to care for the sick and to pay school fees for orphans whose parents had died of AIDS. Baptist World Aid has provided funding to the group since 2012. The projects run by ALFA are part of a larger HIV/AIDS effort which is focused on

mitigation and prevention. They have a vision of an AIDS-free community by emphasizing three zeros: zero new infections, zero AIDS related deaths and zero stigmatization. Their goal is to bring HOPE to the communities through – Home Based Care, Orphans and Vulnerable children, Prevention and Enabling, which includes empowerment through income generating projects. Their mantra for prevention is behavior change, which as a faith-based organization they are effective in accomplishing. ALFA has three projects that deal with the agricultural sector: poultry, gardening and

goats. They have 37 poultry rearing projects involving 261 households benefiting 687 people. Sale from the chickens helps families pay for their children’s school fees, buy farm supplies and tools, clothes, repair and improve homes, install toilets and purchase livestock. The projects have been able to supply enough chicken that it has pushed imports from Brazil out of the local market. ALFA was given a plot of land by the Village Chief. They have four garden plots

involving 150 households with an estimated 675 beneficiaries. The largest garden plot is 10 acres and the smallest two are one acre each. ALFA provides training in agriculture and assistance with high breed certified seed and

fertilizers. The farmers grow cabbage, spinach, tomatoes, onions, butternuts, okra, beans, carrots and maize. The members are a mixture of child-headed household families, elderly grandmothers raising orphaned grandchildren, some sick couples and healthy families. They sell the surplus in the market and with the income they have been able to purchase household assets, small livestock, pay school fees and buy clothes. About a dozen farmers were at the farm during my visit. They were a mixture of men and women, young and old, child-headed households and widows. Sally shared that when they

6 BAPTIST WORLD MAGAZINE

Established to respond to the challenges caused by HIV and AIDS . . . members are a mixture of child- headed household families, elderly grandmothers raising orphaned grandchildren, some sick couples and healthy families.

They have been able to purchase household assets, small livestock, pay school fees and buy clothes. . . . There is no more hunger.

Above and facing page: Participants in the Abundant Life for All Project in Zimbabwe