Sisi Ni Kesho - We are the future is a child protection project, targeting newborn children, in serious family situations, malnourished or HIV carriers, in the village of Nyololo, in the Iringa region of Tanzania. The Sisi Ni Kesho' Centre takes in children who have been orphaned by one or both parents, aged between 0 and 5 years, providing them with the care and assistance they need to grow up and later reintegrate into their family of origin or into adoptive families.
The Sisi Ni Kesho Children's Centre takes in children who have been orphaned by one or both parents, aged between 0 and 5 years, providing them with the care and assistance they need to grow up and later reintegrate into their family of origin or into adoptive families.
Very often the parents have died of HIV, especially the mothers, leaving young children to be cared for by families (already overburdened by the high number of members) who cannot cope with the financial burden of additional expenses. Moreover, very often the orphaned children themselves have contracted the HIV virus through vertical transmission from their infected mother.
In this region of Tanzania, the spread of HIV in the population is very high and is one of the causes of mortality and infection during childbirth.
The project, launched in 2004, involved the local population starting with the construction of the Children's Centre, a structure built in the shape of a question mark to symbolise the importance for the country of the future of the new generations.
The centre can accommodate a maximum of 30 children and through the local social services, children with the most serious problems are identified and then arranged to enter the centre, always following Tanzanian government regulations. The children received follow a specific diet and are constantly monitored by the workers and medical staff of the nearby Rural Health Centre. In this region of Tanzania, the spread of HIV in the population is still high and is one of the causes of mortality and infection during childbirth. The Centre provides antiretroviral treatment for HIV-infected children and constant monitoring of the disease. The service provided at Sisi Ni Kesho also takes care of the psycho-motor development of the children accommodated: the playroom aims to stimulate the growth and development of motor and cognitive faculties also through a playful and entertaining approach.
