Shine African Children's Trust

african children

What we do

Shine African Children's Trust was set up to establish and run children’s homes in Zimbabwe. Our first home is called Malaika (meaning "little angels"). It is in Nyanga – a mountainous area of eastern Zimbabwe characterised by great granite kopjes, forests, lakes, waterfalls and panoramic landscapes under deep blue skies.

Shine African Children's Trust will work with local authorities to identify orphaned children up to 5 years old who have no visible means of support. Many of these children will be victims of the scourge of HIV AIDS that is taking a terrible toll throughout much of Africa.

In Zimbabwe:

One in five people is living with HIV AIDS.
There’s almost no AIDS treatment available, so the disease is usually fatal
An average of 560 people become infected each day.
Most of those infected are in the middle-age range, leaving behind them children and grandparents.
According to UNICEF, Zimbabwe now has the highest number of orphan children in the world, in proportion to its population, most of them a result of parents dying from AIDS.

We want the Shine African Children's Trust homes to become an integral part of the local community. As far as possible, we will make our play and educational facilities – such as the library and the playground – available to children in the surrounding area. And we will encourage the staff and children in our homes to contribute to and participate in the life and welfare of the local community.