Maitengwe Home Based Care Center works closely with Kabelano Pre-School for Orphans and Vulnerable Children. I’ve been directing most of my attention here since the Center is struggling financially. There are 19 orphans and 29 regular children. The Catholic Church supports 12 orphans through funding from PEPFAR/Catholic Relief Services. They support school fees, shoes, uniforms and tracksuits. However, there is not enough money for school meals and teacher salaries, so we have been doing a lot of fundraising to run the school’s daily activities. Last week we had a talent show for the pre-school girls. The practiced so hard on their cat walk and their individual dance moves.
There are parents who don’t pay school fees so I calculated the amount of over due payments and realized it would solve our financial problems of not being able to pay the teacher salaries and school meals. The teachers and I made a new policy that school fees are due on the 5th of every month. If the child has not paid the fee by the last day of that month then he/she is not allowed to attend school the following month until payment is received. Most of these parents are employed and can afford school fees. We wrote a letter with a list of names to the appropriate person at the district government office for registering them for government assistance for those parents who can't afford school fees. Most of my Peace Corps service has been political: gaining support from local government, writing to the Minister of Local Government and to the Ministry of Health about the situation.
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