In 2002, Dr Apakombwele Chisuse founded Funsani following the death of her sister. She established Funsani Home as an orphanage, to look after her late sister's son and other orphaned and vulnerable children in Kitwe, a city in the north of Zambia.

 

Funsani has been home to various vulnerable children, most of whom had lost their parents to HIV and were in desperate need of support. Funsani Home provides a stable environment to learn and grow and is a place where those that have lived there over the years consider themselves a family. Many of the youngsters who have grown up at the home are working their way through further education which we help fund. 

 

The prevalence of HIV in Zambia is high, with 1.2m people (11.3%) living with HIV (UNAIDS, 2018). A number of young adults who have grown up in Funsani Home are HIV positive and throughout their childhood Funsani has continued to support them. This includes giving them access to medication needed and promoting the education of HIV awareness. 

 

Despite their difficult start in life, the atmosphere in the home is truly heart-warming. Traditional fun and games are played in the evening, such as board games, dancing, singing and storytelling. The youngsters look after each other and happily help around the house.

 

The youngsters are very focused on educational achievement and progress. The carers of Funsani Home took a keen interest in the students' academic progress from a young age and we have seen many of them start and finish university, attain skilled jobs and continue to support the charity to help other children within the community who are less privileged than themselves. Funsani’s help and support has enabled many of the children to move out of the poverty cycle through education and care.

 

The charity also has an established link with a community school in Livingstone called Maanu Mbwami. The school aims to support vulnerable children in the local township of Libuyu. Many of the children who attend are orphans or come from vulnerable backgrounds, often relying on the school for their only substantial meal of the day. 

 

In the last two decades, we have built countless relationships with local businesses and similar charities, all in support of our mission to protect and promote the physical and mental health of people living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa.