Since 2011, Smiffy's, the leading fancy dress company in the UK, have been partners with SOS Children, making a difference to the lives of vulnerable children and families in Zambia.

The energy and creativity of the Smiffy's team drive forward new fundraising initiatives to support SOS Children's programmes in Chipata, Zambia.

Project information

Chipata is the main town in Zambia's Eastern Province. HIV infection rates in the region have risen and there's a particularly high rate of family breakdown and child abandonment. Around one in six of all children in Chipata are orphans, compared to one in 12 in the general population.

Opened in October 2012 the SOS Children’s Village in Chipata, Zambia, is home to children left alone because of poverty and disease. The newly arrived first generation of children now have a loving family home with an SOS mother.

The SOS Children’s Village in Chipata has 13 family homes, a Nursery, and a Medical Centre. It also operates a Mobile Medical Unit to extend our healthcare work to outlying communities. The Children's Village is next to the local community school – it’s called Damview Community School and provides the local children with a chance of an education.

The Smiffy's house

Corporate donation and employee fundraising initiatives are funding the building of one of the houses in the Village - the 'Smiffy's house'.

This house will be home for orphans and abandoned children for generations to come, providing them with a secure and loving home as they grow into independent adults.

Each house has electricity and a water supply, alongside solar panels to heat the water and a vegetable plot to keep the Village sustainable.

Through sponsoring a child in Chipata, you can help provide a child with the care of a SOS mother, a family for life, education, healthcare and hope of a brighter future.

Strengthening families in the community

In Chipata, SOS Children also reach out into local communities through their Family Strengthening Programmes (FSPs).

On the outskirts of Chipata, there are three shanty town catchment areas - Mchini, Magazine and Nabvutika. More than 20,000 people live there in 4,000 households, but there is little by way of health care or education available.

In these areas SOS community Family Strengthening Programmes work closely with the most vulnerable families to prevent children from losing the care of their families. SOS Children:

• Provide start-up materials for small businesses and income-generating activities
  
• Help families with food parcels and clothing
• Help with school fees and school supplies (stationery and uniforms)
• Give training to care-givers in basic nursing techniques
• Teach families how to grow their own vegetables
• Help families repair their existing housing or assist them with finding somewhere better to live
  

As a result:

• All the children are able to attend school regularly
  
• Families have better access to healthcare
• People find a sustainable source of income
• Living conditions and nutrition are improved for children and care-givers alike