From Rags to Riches for a Former Orphan of CINDI Kitwe

By Anonymous Submitted on 18 July, 2008 - 07:50
DSC00004.jpg

ShareThis
Average rating
(0 votes)

Children in Distress (CINDI) is an organisation known for the provision of an improved life for orphans and vulnerable children, a problem that has become a thorn in the flesh for Zambian communities due to HIV and AIDS. Little, however, would anybody imagine that a 27-year old lady can rise from rags to riches from an orphan background to become the head of this young dynamic organisation.

Petronella Mulenga, the Programmes Manager for CINDI, is a former orphan who spent most of her childhood begging and spending sleepless nights on the cold floor on the streets and was only saved from further agony after she was spotted and picked for support by CINDI, an organisation providing various forms of support to children in distress.

Petronella, who has since advanced her academic career in journalism and programme management, is one of the few orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) to benefit from CINDI, an organisation that has had been working in Kitwe and a few other districts with the support of various community-based organisations and now intends to extend their catchment area wider.

Chrispin Namafente, the Health and Advocacy Advisor for CINDI indicated in an interview from the CINDI offices in Kitwe that the organisation works with several other partners and stakeholders, notable among them being Copperbelt Health Education Project (CHEP) which is carrying out training in income generating activities for the OVC and their care providers, HODI that is providing support for the OVC who cannot afford school fees, and through a holistic approach with government units through the department of Social Welfare to which referrals of children in distress are made.

Chrispin noted that the focus for CINDI is on categories of education, health, governance, food security and nutrition. Escalating food prices were cited as a major challenge.

 By Chris Mumba and Esnart Mwila