Home > Frequently asked questions
1. Why did you decide to open Liyoyelo rather than support local carers/guardians?
When our project idea was being developed, the situation in Zambia looked different than it does today. Very few people had access to ARVs (which has thankfully changed), so many more people were dying and the community was simply overwhelmed by the amount of orphans it had to care for. In addition, Home Based Care facilities already existed in Limulunga. Opening a facility like Liyoyelo was an appropriate response at the time. This feeling was shared by many members of the community in Limulunga who took part in the meetings and consultations that preceded the founding of the Liyoyelo Community Trust and the Liyoyelo Project.
For now, our main aim to offer a safe and happy home for the children and the elderly in our care. In deciding our future direction, we will once again take our cue from the community in which we work, and decide together where our help is most needed.
2. What are your criteria for admitting children/elderly?
We offer a home to those children and elderly with no-one left to care for them. As you can see from the stories of our residents, not all the children are double orphans. However, all of them were in a situation where the remaining parent/relative/guardian was no longer able to take care of them. We work with the local churches, sometimes with the local radio station and often simply by word of mouth in identifying suitable residents for Liyoyelo. All our staff members are recruited from within Limulunga, and through their knowledge of their own community, also help in identifying children and elderly who need a home. Rather than formulate complex check-lists, we recognise that the community knows itself and its neediest members best.
3. Aren't your residents isolated by living in an 'institution'?
No, definitely not. Liyoyelo looks and feels like any other home in the village of Limulunga – it is perhaps larger, in that there are 15 children and two elderly women here, as well as two live-in staff members. However, life at Liyoyelo is like life in the rest of Limulunga. Our children go to local schools, eat local food (and learn how to cook it), do household chores, have friends over to play. They also have the love (and the discipline) of a houseparent who lives with them, and because all our housemothers are from Limulunga, our children are brought up like any other children within the village. The elderly have children around them (like they would outside Liyoyelo), as well as people to care for them. Our current elderly ladies aren't so mobile anymore, but they can and do receive visitors, and also contribute to our small community. They teach basket-weaving, tell stories, and are simply a valuable presence. Liyoyelo, in practice, is more like a large extended family rather than an 'institution'.
4. For how long will residents remain at Liyoyelo?
The elderly people in our care will remain with us for the rest of their natural lives – this is their home. The children will remain at Liyoyelo for as long as they need to be here. We have committed ourselves to providing the education that best suits each child. All will attend primary and secondary school, followed by higher education or vocational training, whichever suits the needs of the child best. Our aim is to raise independent adults who are able to care for themselves and make a contribution to their community. To this end, we also involve all children in our income generating activities, where they learn important life skills in addition to practical skills like gardening, chicken- and pig keeping etc.
5. Does Liyoyelo have a particular religious affiliation?
No. We are non-denominational and accept residents and employ staff from all backgrounds. However, we encourage children to attend the church or Sunday school of their choice, as we recognise that religion plays an important role in the life of this community. Church attendance is entirely voluntary.
6. Who pays for all of this?
We are supported by a number of organisations and individuals. Because our residents are young children of school-going age and the elderly, our capacity to raise our own funds will always be limited. However, we do our best to make a contribution to our own running costs by engaging in income-generating activities. Voluntary work is also essential to the running of Liyoyelo.
Liyoyelo Community Trust/Liyoyelo Project, Plot 2, Waterplant Road, Limulunga, Zambia
Tel: 00260 979 439 700 Email: liyoyelo@gmail.com