Manchester Aid for Children

http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php

2012-01-18T08:23:00.000-08:00

Charity Swim 2012 for Manchester Aid for Children - Simply Swim gear available http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php

New website & charity launch!

2010-04-15T12:05:00.000-07:00

Our new website is http://www.manchesteraidforchildren.org where we've recent news, stories, photos and info about us.
Donate online http://www.justgiving.com/manchesteraidforchildren/donate
Now on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=125264860301&ref=ts
On Twitter coming soon!

There will be lots more on Facebook & Twitter & this blog will be winding down soon so please bookmark our new MAC website!

thankyou for your continued support.

Director of MAC in Zambia Sept-Oct

2009-09-24T04:06:00.001-07:00

One of our MAC Directors, David Ward, will be in Zambia to work on building plans for a children's village with partners Lesa Kutemwa, based in Chingola on the copperbelt. He is following up from Lisa Tilsleys visit, learning more about the water supply, land issues and working with Zambian architects to progress plans for the childrens village by running a series of workshops with a range of stakeholders.

The photo of the building is one David has previously visited in a village nearby Chimfinsa, Chingola area of copperbelt. This visit will include further special research visits to buildings of interest to help with plans for childrens village.

Football tournament in Chimfinsa this week!

2009-08-24T12:31:00.000-07:00

MAC Trustee, Lisa Tilsley, is in Zambia for one month Aug-Sept meeting with partners Lesa Kutemwa. She is busy visiting the sites at Chimfinsa village where MAC is designing a children's village with Lesa Kutemwa and learning about the young people there including organising a football tournament for this week! The teams are from Chimfinsa and Chingola and the young people will also garden when they visit Chimfinsa to support children of Lesa Kutemwa.

Lisa is also supporting Lesa Kutemwas volunteers in a town called Kitwe who are working on a generously donated building and transforming it into a school to be opened soon. This is exciting news for children and young people in Kitwe who will be taught by two qualified teachers from a local private school in Kitwe daily on opening. Basic repairs are to be completed when the new school year starts in September.

At the Chimfinsa site there is much work going on with gardening on the land and working with children and young people learning skills with vegetable growing including maize which is expensive locally at present. Revd. Ruth Dillon and Sister Beatrice Malambo from CHAZ (Churches Health Assoc. of Zambia) visited Lesa Kutemwa and met with MAC Trustee Lisa and are very keen to continue supporting them and building up the partnerships at Chingola and Chimfinsa specifically with children and young people.

MAC is delighted that Dave Corrie is also completing his Coast to Coast Walk 2009 for Manchester Aid for Children and hopes to raise significant funds towards the children's village at Chimfinsa.

More news coming soon!

Dave Corrie & team on Coast to Coast Walk 2009

2009-07-26T00:26:00.000-07:00

All at Manchester Aid for Children wish Dave Corrie, of Wythenshawe, & his team of walkers well as they prepare to leave on the 192-mile Coast to Coast Walk 2009 in support of children of Lesa Kutemwa (a partner organisation in Zambia with whom MAC is working).

The walk begins on 1st August - send them your good vibes and send MAC a cheque to help Zambian children with food, school fees and equipment, medical care and housing. £15 supports one child per month. £25 supports the work of a teacher in Chiimfinsa village near Chingola.

More news on volunteer visits to Zambia by Manchester Aid for Children coming soon!

Download special MAC report

2009-05-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

Now available is the special report of the visit made to Zambia by David Ward & Kate Gray.
Download it from our sponsors website http://www.triangle-architects.ltd.uk/newsArticle.asp?ID=27
There are pictures, stories, background and recent updates about what Manchester Aid for Children is doing during 2009 in the UK supporting our Zambian partners, Lesa Kutemwa.

MAC at The Forum!

2009-03-09T08:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you who visited the MAC stand and stall recently - over 80 children, young people and adults signed the 'message board' giant sheet to go to children and young people of Chimfinsa Village in Zambia! Fantastic support and conversations through the day were had - we hope that some of you 16-25s will want to visit children and young people in Chimfinsa in summer 2010 when we're planning to visit for about 2 weeks to show support and care through sports, arts, games, storytelling, music, dance and more. Watch this space over the next few months for more info. More photos from the day in next couple of days!

MAC youth involvement

2009-02-26T09:33:00.000-08:00

Around 400 young people from Wythenshawe gathered recently at The Forum for an event 'YOUth Reborn' where MAC had a stall including a giant sheet used as a message board for young people (age 11-22) to write their messages for children and young people in Chimfinsa, Zambia where a Childrens Village is being planned to support them within their own larger village.
There were photos, info and Zambian snacks available to try and some young people have registered their interest in going to meet young people in Chimfinsa next summer 2010 on a group trip! Some also signed up to be penpals and others have joined the Facebook group - go to Facebook and search 'Manchester Aid for Children' to join too!
We're looking forward to the next event raising the profile and getting people involved in MAC in Manchester when we're at the One World Event on Sat. 7th March in the afternoon at The Forum celebrating diversity in our city and what the people of Manchester can do! Come along and introduce yourself - we'd love to meet you there!

Use EasySearch and raise funds for MAC!

2009-02-09T07:22:00.000-08:00

Calling all MAC supporters!
Please set your home page/search engine to
http://manchesterafc.easysearch.org.uk/
Every time you search and surf the internet via this site you're raising funds for MAC.

MAC Newsletter for Christmas/New Year

2008-12-23T14:13:00.000-08:00

Manchester Aid for Children have now issued our first newsletter!
Please read & download it from one of corporate sponsors website Triangle Architects based in Manchester:
http://www.triangle-architects.ltd.uk/newsArticle.asp?ID=27
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas Update

2008-12-20T09:50:00.000-08:00

Manchester Aid for Children's partners, Lesa Kutemwa, in Zambia are soon to have a regular income, due to your generous donations, for 3 part time staff to support children and young people. A part time administrator, gardener and nursery school teacher for the children of Chimfinsa village will be supported now that Lesa Kutemwa has a bank account!

In January Dignity, a charity based in Didsbury in Manchester, will deliver a computer to Lesa Kutemwa to support their admin and accounts work and implement monitoring systems for each child supported.

This and lots of other news is now available in our first MAC Newsletter. Contact us for a copy: kate (dot) gray (at) nwsynod (dot) org (dot) uk

or our postal address:
Directors: D. Ward & K. Gray,
Manchester Aid for Children
c/o St. Mark's United Reformed Church
Oatlands Road
Manchester M22 1AH
UK
Merry Christmas from all of us at Manchester Aid for Children! Thankyou to our supporters, partners and corporate sponsors for all your hard work and commitment this year.

2008-11-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

MAC visited Parklands High School and made a presentation to the School Council of 30 young people ages 11-16 plus two teachers. The School Council would like to explore ways of working with MACs priorities of a Children's Village at Chimfinsa, school, football team set-up and mobile clinc. Exciting new partnerships ahead. Watch this space!

2008-10-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

Jo Hardy is from Manchester and she is volunteering in Zambia for 3 months. Whilst there she has agreed to visit MAC partners Lesa Kutemwa in Chingola to offer support in their infrastructure. Thanks Jo! We're glad you're working with Dignity and MAC and others and look forward to hearing more from you soon!

To read her blog visit http://jobomohoho.blogspot.com

New children

2008-09-22T12:39:00.000-07:00

Several new children are being supported jointly by Lesa Kutemwa and Manchester Aid for Children including two babies - Magie and Frank who are in the photo. They are with two of the Lesa Kutemwa Team, Elizabeth & Joyce and are joined by two sisters, Jenipher (14 yrs) and Martha (11yrs).

Monies such as those raised recently by the Coast to Coast Walk will go towards much needed water, housing and medical support.

We are also working hard to complete our charity commission registration this month and submit it for processing.

We are pleased also to be partnering with Tools With A Mission who are shipping out to Lesa Kutemwa much needed items later this year or early next.

The coast to coast walkers

2008-09-17T12:30:00.001-07:00

It has been a struggle but our 2008 walkers have kept on going with steely determination and motivation walking the gruelling 192-miles across from one side of England to the other! Rob and Dave have kept each other in good humour as they have walked.
We look forward to seeing the evidence of their walking adventures soon!

2008-09-09T01:42:00.000-07:00

Coast to Coast Walk 2008 begins!
Dave & Rob, our two MAC walkers for 2008, are well on their way across England in the windy and rainy weather supported by sponsors and friends.

A text received said it had taken them 5 hours to walk 8 miles in the pouring rain to their next stop but that their spirits were high and they were determined to keep going!

The photo above is of the send-of group of well-wishers from around Wythenshawe Churches Together including Rev Melanie Appleby who led a service of prayer and blessing for Manchester Aid for Children walkers Rob and Dave (in the middle holding a Lesa Kutemwa t-shirt of our Zambian partner-organisation for children).

People around England are waiting to welcome the walkers on their 192-mile coast to coast trek in support of Manchester Aid for Children.

We hope to raise over £800 this year in sponsorships.

Watch this space for regular updates over these two weeks from Rob & Dave.

Small school begins in Chimfinsa

2008-06-15T14:34:00.000-07:00

The latest news Manchester Aid for Children has received from partners Lesa Kutemwa in Chingola is that a small school for 40 children has begun in Chimfinsa village for children between the ages of 3-6 years. There are two teachers; one from Chingola and the other from Chimfinsa village itself. The school are meeting in the church and community building whilst arrangements for two classrooms to be built go ahead.

School uniforms and schools equipment are being provided by supporters through Manchester Aid for Children during this month and we hope will be with them by the beginning of July. We are delighted that finances for 60 childrens school uniforms has been provided which will mean that the children will have at least one change of clothes and a new pride in their new school!

The two classrooms will be built on the site in the photo!

Special Occasions for MAC

2008-05-12T02:31:00.000-07:00

You can help children and young people in Zambia by having a party!

You can raise funds for school fees, text books & equipment, school uniforms, food and medication and housing support by inviting all your guests to make donations to Manchester Aid for Children as their way of giving gifts. You can have a great time partying and be generous in helping others to have a great time too - all the way around the world in Zambia, Africa! Try playing some African or Zambian music and having some Zambian sweet or savoury food as tasters too!

It's great for parties of all ages and special occasions. If you are having a:

birthday
anniversary
wedding reception
house warming
we can provide you with a Party Pack for you and your guests to be able to see where donations are making a difference including a CD with powerpoint presentation of our recent visit to Zambia, plan for a Children's Village, information sheets, photos, and more. Simply have a party and send us your cheque/s payable to 'Manchester Aid for Children' or for further information please email us: treasurer(at)breadbreakers(dot)co(dot)uk or write to us: Manchester Aid for Children, c/o St. Marks URC, Oatlands Rd, Manchester M22 6AH.

We hope you'll have a great time partying and raising much-needed funds to make a difference in Zambia. Email or post us some photos of your parties and any imaginative and creative ways you've found to celebrate and fundraise through partying and we'll select some to show on our blog here!

Tree of Life Centre supports MAC!

2008-03-03T04:29:00.000-08:00

MAC held an information event at The Tree of Life Centre, Wythenshawe recently. It was attended by about 14 staff and volunteers who enjoyed delicious Zambian food prepared by the chef, Alex. We tried nshima and a kind-of vegetable stew and some yummy sweet potato dumpling snacks for pudding! They worked hard to get all the ingredients together, some of which were a first for us all. We also looked at some pictures and a short presentation giving an update about some of our partners in Zambia including our ambitious vision to design and build a children's village in Chimfinsa for 30 children. That is the focus of MACs work at present, as well as the setting up all the logistics to enable us to do that.

The photo above is the land gifted to our partners, Lesa Kutemwa, in Zambia on which the children's village is being planned.

Thanks to The Tree of Life Centre for giving MAC the opportunity to share what we're up to and what people are doing by collecing small change in little film holders together. About a dozen film cases were taken by Tree of Life staff & volunteers to fill with their change & to give to a friend to do the same. This way pennies turn into pounds and the vision of a children's village in Chimfinsa becomes a reality.

Change of Name!

2008-02-07T02:41:00.000-08:00

We've changed our name to Manchester Aid for Children. Please bookmark us & tell all your friends & colleagues!

Our name-change is to enable us to work in improved ways with a range of independent organisations including Lesa Kutemwa in Zambia with whom we are embarking on a range of projects together.

Manchester Aid For Children has agreed new objects of association. They set out what we are about and how we go about it. They enable us to become a registered Company Ltd by Guarantee and a registered Charity.

Objects:

To act as a resource for young people living in developing countries by providing advice and assistance and organising programmes as a means of advancing in life by developing their skills, capacities and capabilities to enable them to participate in society as independent, mature and responsible individuals.

To promote sustainable development for the benefit of communities in developing countries by:
a) the relief of poverty and the improvement of the conditions in socially disadvantages communities
b) the promotion of sustainable means of achieving economic growth and regeneration.

Sustainable development means "development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".

Maize Planting in Chimfinsa

2008-01-31T08:11:00.000-08:00

Manchester Aid for Children's have had news from our Zambian partners, Lesa Kutemwa, that they have started a local food project at Chimfinsa! Recently maize has been planted with the help and hard work of willing volunteers in the village of Chimfinsa and involves the children and young people there who have also started using the local church building as a school too. This food project is hands-on and will mean harvesting several crops of maize a year providing sustainable, local maize for many people including children and young people of the Lesa Kutemwa charity. If there is a surplus they plan to sell it & invest the monies back into Lesa Kutemwa's work with children & young people in that area. What good news!

Christmas/New Year delivery arrives in Chingola!

2008-01-01T05:51:00.000-08:00

A special delivery has arrived of toothbrushes, toothpaste, teddies and school shoes for the children of Chiwempala and Chimfinsa! Around 40 children will benefit from this Christmas-New Year parcel!

A big thankyou to those who donated funds for the postage, those who donated goods to send and to those who have committed to monthly sponsorship of the children of Zambia and the Manchester Aid for Children projects. Our total fundraising in December 2007 to date is £1300 from cash, cheques and new sign-up sponsorships!

All these things will enable the children in Zambia to have a more positive future in 2008!

Exploring the Farm Site in Zambia

2007-12-19T02:12:00.000-08:00

In this short clip the village Chairperson is giving a tour of the farm site which he has gifted to our Zambian partners, Lesa Kutemwa, for the cultivation of crops and building of a small home for staff who will work there to oversee the farming project. The site is located next to a small river with fresh water and the land is very fertile.

This site will enable crops to be planted & harvested year-round, even during the dry season, because of the access to fresh water. The vegetables which will be planted here will be shared with the children & young people of Chimfinsa and Chiwempala and some sold at market thereby yielding a small income for Lesa Kutemwa. The adults of this village have volunteered there support for Lesa Kutemwa & offered their time & labour to support the children.

The children in this clip already have housing and schooling provision within this village where a small school building, village hall and gathering area have been built in partnership with other organisations.

There is much to be done before then - the land needs clearing and the planting can begin. The house on this site will be built in a later phase of the project with involvement from Manchester Aid for Children.

Zambia Update

2007-11-14T10:08:00.000-08:00

Our aim is to find 50 new child & project sponsors who will commit to £15 per month towards life-saving medical, food and housing support for the children of Chiwempala and Chimfinsa villages in Chingola.

The photo (left) is of Lesa Kutemwa Zambia committee members and children of Chimfinsa Village on the copperbelt.

Thanks to South District Council for supporting Lesa Kutemwa in partnership with St. Marks by giving £300.

A visual presentation is being prepared for UK supporters of the Zambia partnership. It will be available soon on disk.

Next planning meeting is: Wed 21 Nov at St. Marks. 5.15-6.30pm. Planning group only.

Choir in Zambia - part of church social & political movement

2007-10-17T03:46:00.000-07:00

St. Marks United Church of Zambia in Chingola (on the copperbelt) celebrated 50 years last month! Our recent visit to Chingola to visit our partner organisation, Lesa Kutemwa Zambia, involved sharing with them and 2000 other people in their churches celebrations. The church has had a significant role in promoting Zambian independence, human rights and advocacy work and support of the most vulnerable and marginalised people in Zambia; those who are HIV positive. It was a great 5 hour celebration at St. Marks with partner organisations from around the globe including the UK Methodist Church, United Church of Canada and the ZL Zwane Memorial Church in South Africa. There were choirs present from all around Zambia and it was a joyful celebration with hope for the future of the role of the church in social, political and economic life of the country.

More on our visit soon - with features about the Lesa Kutemwa staff team.

Triangle Architects become Corporate Sponsors

2007-09-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

Triangle Architects in Manchester has become a corporate sponsor of the group supporting Lesa Kutemwa called Manchester Aid for Children. Check out the news update on their website for more info: http://www.triangle-architects.ltd.uk/News.asp

Zambian Preparations

2007-09-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

Dave Corrie (left) of Wythenshawe FM and David Ward (right) of Triangle Architects learn about the digital recording equipment in preparation for the visit to Zambia on 24th September. Dave Corrie has now begun the 192-mile Coast-2-Coast Walk in aid of Lesa Kutemwa, Zambia and the children who live in Chingola with HIV-AIDS. We remember him and his walking colleage Anne Pilkington. David Ward will visit Zambian partners later this month on a fact-finding visit to aid UK support.

Jumpers and teddy bears, timetables and recording equipment! These are some of the things being sorted out and prepared for the visit to our Zambian partners in 2 weeks time.

Baby Vests for Zambia

2007-08-29T04:46:00.000-07:00

A BIG THANKYOU TO:

The people of Acomb Methodist Church in York and Edgeley United Reformed Church in Stockport who have been busy knitting over 120 baby vests & jumpers and 40 teddy bears for our visit to Zambia! What knotty knitters!They are so colourful and cheery!

Gambian Care in North Wales have also donated some of their items which they are not able to ship out to Gambia. Sefton Road United Reformed Church held a special offering and sent £100 for the visit to Zambia on 24th September. Wythenshawe FM Faith Show in Manchester is recording a special show featuring Lesa Kutemwa in the UK!

Lots of different partners are involved in the grassroots fundraising and awareness raising about Lesa Kutemwa in the UK! Contact us to see how you could be involved!

lesakutemwa@breadbreakers.co.uk

Visit to our partners in Zambia

2007-08-09T00:37:00.001-07:00

We're going to visit our Zambian Lesa Kutemwa partners!

Two people from Lesa Kutemwa in the UK going to celebrate with St. Mark's United Church of Zambia on their 50 year church anniversary and to meet with Rev Paul Matembo and Mrs Joyce Chibungo and our partners there who are caring for the babies and small children of Lesa Kutemwa in the rural areas around Chingola in the copper belt region.

We're going Mon 24th Sept. and return Thurs 4th Oct 07.
We have been given knitted jumpers and teddy bears to give to the children.

If you would like to support this visit financially or to send a letter or card of support to Joyce and the Lesa Kutemwa team please contact St. Marks Church in Wythenshawe:

Lesa Kutemwa c/o St. Marks URC
Oatlands Rd
Wythenshawe M22 6AH
or Tel. 0161 437 4392

Stitched Up?

2007-05-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of a small business outside a home in Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia. At present the economy is unstable and £1=8000 kwacha in local currency. It is hard to pay for staple foods like maize. This is resulting in our partners in Zambia encouraging many different projects to be developed from sewing businesses, farming on small patches of land to sell produce at market and small-scale medical clinics where people affected by HIV-AIDs can go without having to pay. The combination of challenges which face the Zambian people, including our partners, may seem impossible but there are successes: local faith groups are utilising the land around their buildings to start food projects and many churches offer support for families affected by HIV-AIDS. There are safer-sex programmes in the churches and children whose parents have died from AIDs related illnesses are treated with care and respect although resources are short.

Things with the wider economy are being countered in small ways so that peoples lives are not stitched up. We in Lesa Kutemwa in the UK are committed to working for the long-term in Zambia. The wider trade justice and fair-trade movements are part of what motivate us - we have seen that people can and are making a difference for good together. This is why Lesa Kutemwa in the UK have committed ourselves to working with all partners whose skills, energy, resources and vision can benefit people in Zambia.

Soon you will be able to make donations online which will go directly to make a difference in the lives of children in Zambia

In September a small team from the UK will visit partners in Chingola to learn and identify what steps are next for partners and what we can do so that children in Zambia can thrive and grow up with hope

Child Sponsorship in Zambia

2007-04-10T06:06:00.000-07:00

We are setting up a child sponsorship programme with our partner organisation, Lesa Kutemwa, Zambia. A donation of £15 will enable one month’s child sponsorship covering basic food, clothing and shelter for a child under 6. Direct debit is preferable & details are available by emailing via the comments box. Secure online donations coming soon!

This photo is of Joyce Chibungo and some of our Lesa Kutemwa Zambia team who care for babies and children under 6 in Chingola. They are supported by St. Marks Presbyterian Church, Chingola in this work.

If you would like your business, school or faith group to get involved please leave a comment. We'd love to hear from you.

2007-04-10T06:03:00.000-07:00

A cd of Joyce Chibungo’s vision for Lesa Kutemwa has been produced by The Faith Show of Wythenshawe FM radio station. This available free for individuals and organisations to use, copy and share. Please contact us for your free copy by leaving a comment below.