The Kapnek Trust supports orphans and vulnerable children affected by the AIDS epidemic through its preschools, which are established at existing primary schools in Zimbabwe.

With the support of the community, the Trust renovates classrooms, and trains community members to become teachers. The schools provide students with lessons, food, fun, immunizations and routine health care. A daily hot meal prepared by volunteers is protein- and vitamin- fortified, and is often the only meal the children have for the day. This program was given UNICEF’s “Best Pactice Award in 2010 and was listed as a model after a review of 77 other programs in Southern Africa. (For details and to download this report, click here.)

These low-cost preschools provide much-needed relief for the extended families that care for many of these orphaned or vulnerable children and allow teen girls to attend school, rather than to stay at home to care for their young relatives.

Studies have also shown that one of the most effective ways of treating children traumatized by the death of a parent is through play with other children.

Preschools also become community centers, offering a place where parents can attend early childhood education, parenting, nutrition, health and HIV prevention classes.

In the past program year, the trust opened several additional early-childhood education centers, bringing the total of Kapnek-sponsored preschools to 68. Through this program, the Trust provides support to nearly 5,000 children.

Once established, each preschool is designed to run on its own, with ongoing teacher-training provided by the Kapnek Trust.