There are various charities which benefit from Showstoppers. Their work ranges from caring for orphans, educating children, conservation farming and developing healthcare.
Old MacDonald's Children's Home is a home for ex-street kids and other vulnerable children located on Old MacDonald's Farm. Started in 2002 by Scottish couple Don and Christine MacDonald, it has a reputation now for giving kids a chance to escape the street. Don and Christine's philosophy of treating the project as a large family means anyone can find a home there. The children range in age from 11 to 21 and are either brought by social welfare or come looking for help themselves. At OMCH they are housed, fed, schooled and if any of them have family members outwith the home then they too are given financial support. This means that even though the children live at OMCH they retain a form of connection with their families. In recent years the home has also branched into caring for HIV infected youngsters and helping them deal with the psychological effects of the disease. The adjoining farm project provides food as well as education on conservation farming methods. Several of the young men who have been through the home are now at university or have jobs and families of their own. Money raised for OMCH goes towards school fees, medical bills and building the newest part of the project, Taonga School. More information on OMCH can be found at www.omfzambia.com .
Taonga School is a community school at Old MacDonald's Farm for the children from the surrounding area. It is run by Abigail Brown, an English primary school teacher, who has grown it from a reading class for the farm workers' children to a full scale school for over 100 pupils. The children are given breakfast, a uniform and treatment for minor medical issues as well as their education. Classes range from pre-school level to Grade 3. A new school building has been built and there are now three new classrooms in addition to the three small rooms they started out with. With over 100 children the new space makes a huge difference however there are still more classrooms to be built and they hope to also build a library. Abigail also does adult literacy classes with some of the pupils' parents, some of whom go on to become teaching assistants in the ever growing school. Money given to Taonga school goes towards new resources, breakfasts and the teaching staff's wages. More information on Taonga school can be found atwww.taongaschool.org
Undikumbukire Project is a Zambian human rights organisation focused on juveniles in conflict with the law. They help imprisoned juveniles obtain legal representation and social support, and advocate for a more restorative justice system http://www.upzambia.org/
Zoe's Hope is a not-for-profit organisation aiming to meet the needs of vulnerable children in Zambia The aim of the project is the provide and maintain a centre for the care, nurture and development of premature babies and at-risk children in Zambia. We aim to re-integrate these babies back into extended birth families or communities or in to a safe place they can call home - where their ongoing needs can be adequately met. We are currently building a centre that will provide a safe house for 16 babies and small children. More information can be found at www.zoeshope.org
Zoe's Hope is a not-for-profit organisation aiming to meet the needs of vulnerable children in Zambia The aim of the project is the provide and maintain a centre for the care, nurture and development of premature babies and at-risk children in Zambia. We aim to re-integrate these babies back into extended birth families or communities or in to a safe place they can call home - where their ongoing needs can be adequately met. We are currently building a centre that will provide a safe house for 16 babies and small children. More information can be found at www.zoeshope.org
Hope Kabanana is a project aimed at providing nutrition, clothing, education, health care and emotional/spiritual support to orphans and vulnerable children. It is located in the compound of Kabanana, near Roma in Lusaka, Zambia. The work was started by Megan Williamson in 2010 in response to the overwhelming needs she witnessed in the area. It began with 10 orphans whose family members were unable to meet their basic needs. Hope Kabanana currently provides for 30 children and also lends some support to the guardians and family members. A building with a school and kitchen was completed in 2012 and is in operation daily as a center for the feeding program, schooling of the younger children and counseling support. Hope Kabanana appreciates the ongoing financial support that enables us to purchase food, school uniforms and shoes, provide medical care and clinics and an annual recreational camp for the children.
Kasisi Children’s Home is run by a Polish Order of Nuns called “ The Little Servants of Mary Immaculate. It was founded in 1926 and is one of the largest and best run orphanages in Zambia. Kasisi has over 240 children in their care with ages ranging from a few days old to early twenties. In addition to caring for orphaned/vulnerable children there are two wings dedicated to the care of HIV infected babies and children, a street kids house and a small clinic. Currently they are striving to renew the water pipe network into the main buildings due to serious leaks in the old and rusted pipework, which is collapsing and which is going to cost a huge amount of money to put right. Their website is www.kasisichildren.org
Little Assisi centre was started in 2005 with just five children in a room of the community school in Ng'ombe. With increasing numbers of children with special needs needing places, Sr Helen Scully looked for a property and in 2006 purchased buildings we are now using. We currently have 66 children registered but some of these attend the School for the Deaf in Choma, a few are in local schools and a few get home schooling. The remaining come to Little Assisi. We have 4 classrooms and 6 teachers. The main conditions of the children are cerebral palsy, hydrocephaly, microcephaly, Down's syndrome, Autism and hearing and speech disorders.
