Our recipe for Growing Giants
Nutrition and Health
This is the first and most critical need of any child born into poverty and deprivation.
Without adequate nutrition there can be no growth and development – physically or mentally. Hungry children lack the energy to learn. And if they aren’t able to learn in the vital early development years (from birth to 5 years old), they remain stunted for life.
By identifying children at risk – and enrolling them in our feeding programmes promptly – ACFS plays a vital role in saving children from a life-long disadvantage. We monitor the child’s health and provide referrals to partner institutions where necessary.
Our feeding scheme serves as the entry point to all other ACFS programme pathways.
Early Learning and Stimulation
All children are curious and enquiring by nature, as they strive to explore and understand the world around them. For the disadvantaged child, however, opportunities to discover concepts such as shapes, distance, colours, music, matching and building are severely limited.
By providing educational toys and equipment to develop both fine and large motor skills, ACFS encourages children’s curiosity and instills a lifelong love of learning that prepares them to enter the formal education system on the same level as their more fortunate peers.
Care for the Carers
Since children grow up within a family, it’s important for parents and other care givers to be included in our programmes.
ACFS staff visit children’s homes and provide support for family members through psycho-social counselling and access to services such as grants. Unemployed adults are encouraged to join our skills development programmes, to learn income generating skills such as food gardening, sewing, beading and baking. We also provide health and nutrition education.
Skills and Personal Development
We work with youth and adolescents to develop resilience and life skills. Through our Teenage Girls’ Clubs, adolescent girls are encouraged to make healthy choices about relationships, self discipline, responsibility and independence.
Teenage boys and girls are prepared to enter the world of work by developing skills around goal setting, communication, teamwork, initiative, responsibility and work ethic.
