Sani...

_________________________________________________________________________ Sani Foundation – 2015 Annual Report 1

Sani Foundation

2015 ANNUAL REPORT

____________________________________________________________________________ Sani Foundation - 2015 Annual Report 2

Table of Contents SECTION 1: AN OVERVIEW OF SANI FOUNDATION .............................................................. 4

About us ................................................................................................................................. 4

Our History ............................................................................................................................. 4

Structure & Management ........................................................................................................ 5

Governing Board ..................................................................................................................... 5

Management Structure ........................................................................................................... 5

SECTION 2: NARRATIVE REPORT .......................................................................................... 7

Sunshine Zambia Project ........................................................................................................ 7

Our members .......................................................................................................................... 7

2015 Activities and Results ..................................................................................................... 8

Challenges .............................................................................................................................. 8

Organisation Development...................................................................................................... 9

Networking and Learning ........................................................................................................ 9

Media Recognition ................................................................................................................ 10

SECTION 3: LOOKING TO THE FUTURE ............................................................................... 11

Institutional Strengthening .................................................................................................... 11

Programmatic focus .............................................................................................................. 11

SECTION 4: OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION ................................................................ 12

Acknowledgments & Thank You ........................................................................................... 12

Contact Us .............................................................................................................................. 3

Our vision statement

To promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by persons with intellectual disabilities and to promote respect for their inherent dignity

Our mission statement

The provision of relevant and holistic education and training to young adults with intellectual disabilities in preparation for employment and independent living

Contact Us Sani Foundation

221/100 Monkey Close, Ibex Hill,

P.O. Box 37601

Tel: +260 977 787 405 Email: [email protected]

Facebook: Sunshine Zambia Project

Adaptive skills training

Personal care training

Vocational skills training Career exploration

mailto:[email protected]


SECTION 1: AN OVERVIEW OF SANI FOUNDATION

About us

The Sani Foundation is a Zambian non-profit organisation that aims to facilitate the full inclusion of persons with intellectual disabilities (ID) in both rural and urban areas of Zambia into all aspects of society. The organisation was founded by family members of a person with an intellectual disability upon seeing the limited services available to persons with IDs in Zambia and the poor quality of life which results from this.

This Foundation operates within Lusaka, Zambia and is currently working with male and female persons with intellectual disabilities between the ages of 14 and 25. A broad range of intellectual disabilities falling within the World Health Organisation (WHO) definitions are be supported. The Foundation also targets members of the person with ID’s support network in several activities; most of the time, these individuals are members of the nuclear or extended family. Family members are encouraged to participate in all program activities as this participation not only helps build the skillsets of the carers, but also allows him or her to see the member interact with and being assisted by other members and volunteers, alleviating some burden of care.

Our History

The Sani Foundation was founded in 2014 with very limited resources from family and friends. From April 2014 to January 2015, the Sunshine Zambia Project was hosted by Cheshire Homes Zambia, allowing us to meet with persons with IDs (members) and their families on Saturday's from 09:00 to 12:00. At Cheshire Homes, we worked with 5 young persons with Intellectual disabilities as this was the amount of persons we could support with the space and resources available to us. From July 2014, the Foundation held a series of fundraising event at which we also raised awareness about intellectual disabilities. This fundraising enabled the Foundation to open the Sunshine Zambia Centre, in February 2015, where 10 members are receiving daily and individualised training in preparation for employment.

Section 1 An Overview of Sani Foundation


Structure & Management Sani Foundation is an NGO duly registered as a company limited by guarantee with the Patents and Company Registration Agency (PACRA) and as disability person’s organisations with the Zambia Agency of Persons with Disabilities (ZAPD). The Foundation is currently in the process of registering as a public benefit organisation with the Zambia Revenue Authority

Governing Board The activities of the Sani Foundation are governed by a voluntary Board of Directors. Within this team are; an Educationalist, a Lawyer, a Chartered Certified Accountant, a Business Professional and a Development Specialist. The board oversees provides strategic direction and oversight of the management team.

# Name Profession Position

1 Daphne Chimuka Educationalist/Gender Specialist Chairperson

2 Kalila Chellah Business Professional Member

3 Chilufya Chileshe Development Specialist Member

4 Emmanuel Haambote Economist/Disability Specialist Member

5 Matilda Nkashi Chartered Accountant Member

6 Moses Silanda Chartered Accountant Member

7 Audrey Mwansa Educationalist Member

8 Abigail Chimuka Lawyer Secretary

9 Chisanza Mwale 1 Chartered Accountant Treasurer

Management Structure The Executive Director of the organisation has a sibling with an intellectual disability and therefore has first-hand knowledge of the difficulties and barriers existing in Zambia for persons with intellectual disability. Through her work in the private and development sectors, she also has strong experience in donor compliance, partnership brokering, grants and financial management as well as policy influencing. In order to keep our overhead costs at a minimum, we are building a strong network of volunteerism

and community support as this will also help with our overall goal of social acceptance and inclusion

of persons with IDs. This strategy also allows us to focus on obtaining resources that will directly aid

members and their families to participate fully in the project. Within the implementation team is a

strong and committed group of paid staff and volunteers with a varied set of skills, including: adult

education, special education, marketing, performance and visual arts, fundraising, monitoring and

evaluation, political science, media relations and financial management. Below is our current

organisation chart:

1 Mr Mwale vacated his position on the board at the end of 2014. However, the first AGM has not yet taken place and therefore the position of board

treasurer is currently vacant

Section 1 An Overview of Sani Foundation


Board of Directors

Executive Director

Project Manager

Education Coordinator

Teachers

Volunteers (Full and part time)

Production’s Coordinator

Volunteers

Crafter (Part time)

Admin Coordinator

Finance and Admin Assistant

Support staff

Social Worker

Volunteers


SECTION 2: NARRATIVE REPORT

Sunshine Zambia Project The Sani Foundation is currently piloting the Sunshine Zambia Project which provides holistic, relevant and inclusive education and training to prepare adolescents and young adults with IDs for employment and independence within their community (Facebook page: Sunshine Zambia Project). The Sunshine Zambia Project uses evidence-based approaches, adapted to the local setting to establish a nurturing environment, in which persons with IDs (members) receive training that will prepare them for employment on the open job market. The project also endeavours to profile each member’s needs, identify their aspirations, talents and skills, and beyond the training, find short term internship experience for members to have a real feel of the employment world before accessing a permanent job or setting up a business. Within the Sunshine Zambia Project, each member undergoes an assessment that involves the participation of parents, caregivers and other people in the member’s immediate support network. This assessment sets specific and measurable goals in members’ academic, adaptive, social, communication and vocational skills resulting in each member having an Individualised Support Plan (ISP). Each member’s ISP maps out their bio data, including family & social life, short and long term goals, expected outcomes, strategies to meet goals, paid and/or natural supports needed to help meet goals, means of evaluating progress and the responsibilities of the member, the family and the Sani Foundation. This assessment is constantly monitored through members’ daily records and a thorough an annual progress meeting with everyone who participated in the development of the ISP.

Our current training for persons with IDs covers vocational, life, adaptive and social skills and includes lessons in gardening, cooking, crafting, home management, art, drama, physical exercise and life coaching. At present, the life coaching class has begun to address the topic of sexuality, rights and abuse. However, there is a huge need of training for staff members in order for them to adequately support our members and bring about tangible results.

Our members

CALEB CECILIA CHINTU DIANA

FRED LEVY MICHAEL NIKIWE

Section 2 Narrative Report

_______________________________________________________________________ Sani Foundation – 2015 Annual Report 8

PUTA ROBERT

2015 Activities and Results 2015 was focused on training our members in vocational, social and life skills in preparation for employment on the job market and we are glad to say that, to date, 7 of our members (50%) are ready to start transitioning to work and exploring career options. At present, the Sani Foundation is exploring partnerships with companies or individuals that are able to host our members for career exploration field trips, short internships and employment. This will give our members an opportunity to see and understand different jobs and have a real feel of employment (see section 3 for further details). Furthermore, In July 2015, three of our members participated in a film making training that resulted in the production of a short film on intellectual disability that was filmed as part of an annual Arts Festival in August 2015.

2015 also saw the launch of a parent support group which provides a platform for our members’ parents to share successes, challenges and lessons in a safe space. Through this established community, the Sani Foundation will begin to identify advocates for intellectual disabilities who have real understanding of the challenges and exclusion faced by persons with IDs on a daily basis. These advocates and champions will also serve to begin to bring out children with IDs who have previously been hidden away from society by supporting and guiding other parents.

Lastly, we have has some considerable individual successes to date, including toilet training an 18 years old girl with Down syndrome and teaching a 22years old boy with Cerebral Palsy on how to use public transportation independently – something that has not been done before in Zambia!

Challenges

Funding Sani Foundation and the Sunshine Zambia Project have grown considerably in 2015 and the successes of this growth has necessitated additional projects and programmes such as curriculum development, data collection and documentation, supported employment and awareness raising. However, the Foundation’s income has not increased to meet these needs. The Sunshine Zambia Project itself is not fully funded and a lot of costs were subsidised by the Executive Director. This is our main challenge as a Foundation and has effects on other areas below. Staff retention Due to funding challenges, the Sani Foundation operates largely on voluntary human resources. Even the paid staff are not paid in accordance with industry standards and therefore maintaining staff motivation is a great challenge for the Foundation, especially due to the fact that the Foundation’s methodology is intensive and rigorous on staff and project members. Of the 16 staff recruited within 2015, only 4 are currently still with the organisation. Part of this huge turnover is also linked to stigma against persons with intellectual disabilities. We have had volunteers who resigned after 1 week and some after 1 day.



The costs and time of constantly recruiting, inducting and training staff is currently very burdensome on management.

Organisation Development There was a wealth of systems development and capacity building that took place throughout 2015 in order to quip the staff and the organisation as a whole to better execute its mission. This development includes: Occupational Therapy training – this training was conducted by Dr Julie Schurgers, an occupational therapist who has worked for over 20 years in Sub-Saharan Africa. Her training covered how to conduct Self Sufficiency Assessment for our members in order to develop individualised support plans. The learning from the training has been used to develop a tailored assessment tool that focuses on members’ holistic development. Applied Behaviour Analysis – This training was conducted by Ms. Rachel Redmond, the only board certified behaviour analyst. This training focused on how to tackle challenging behaviours and reinforce positive behaviours in children with intellectual disabilities. It also has a strong focus on communication support for children that are non-verbal. This training has been very useful in analysis and managing specific members’ behaviour and every member now has a behaviour goal attached to their ISP goals. Resource Mobilisation – this training was conducted by Mrs Chimuka for all staff of develop their proposal writing skills as well as general fundraising. The learning from this training has since been used to write a project proposal in support on the Sunshine Zambia Project. Feedback on this proposal is still being awaited. Craft Production – this training was conducted by Mr Booker Sipeyiye, the Art teacher from Sunshine Zimbabwe Project. Staff were trained on how to make quality crafts from recycled materials in order for them to adequately support our members on their skills training. Since receiving the training, staff and member have been producing many quality crafts which have generated income for the organisation.

Networking and Learning During 2015, the Sani Foundation has formed and formalised the following partnerships with both local and international organisations:

Special Hope Network (SHN) is a Zambian NGO whose mission is to care for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. With a Special Education Therapist and an Applied Behaviour Analyst on their staff, SHN provides regular staff development training to Sani Foundation teachers on assessing and supporting members. Barefeet Theatre is a local NGO that works to empower vulnerable and at risk youth through performance arts. The organisation has a strong background of advocating for change in social norms through the use of theatre performances. Currently we are working with Barefeet on creating ID awareness leading towards attitudinal and behaviour change.

The Zambia Association of Parents of Children with Disabilities (ZAPCD) provides rights-based training to parents of children with disabilities in Lusaka, Southern and Western Provinces. The Sani Foundation has formed a parent support group supported by ZAPCD. This partnership will play a fundamental role in influencing change for persons with intellectual disabilities as advocates who understand the day to challenges of our primary beneficiaries will begin to be identified.

Sunshine Zimbabwe Project: the Sunshine project - that the Sani Foundation is currently piloting - has been successfully implemented in Zimbabwe as an arm of the Silver Linings Trust for over 6 years and therefore the Sani foundation has inherited the experience and lessons of the Sunshine Zimbabwe Project. The Sani Foundation is currently working with the Sunshine Zimbabwe Project in sharing strategies, challenges and lessons learnt.

Living Life Opportunities is a non-profit foundation addressing better participation, integration and social inclusion of vulnerable persons with disability in society. The Foundation is currently supporting Sani Foundation with trainings of relevant project staff in the field of occupational therapy, anthroposophy and project management.



Media Recognition In July 2015, the Sunshine Zambia Project was visited by a journalist from the Times of Zambia Newspaper (one of the 3 largest papers in the country). This visit was prompted by the Journalist, Mr Stanslous Ngosa, hearing about the work of the Foundation through his colleagues. During his visit, he proceeded to interview Sani Foundation staff about our work, resulting in the following Newspaper article:


SECTION 3: LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Institutional Strengthening Strategic Planning In November 2015, the Sani Foundation embarked on developing the first strategic plan covering 2016 – 2019. This process has been very participatory with inputs coming from staff members, board members, disability stakeholders and government ministries. During this process, the Sani Foundation identified the following critical issues that it will focus on in the 3 years period based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities:

- Pilot holistic training in social, adaptive and vocational sills

- Design and pilot supported employment project (including identification and documentation of

various specialised personnel required to support young adults with IDs)

- Sensitisation on persons with ID’s rights, needs, capabilities and potential

- Document and share project processes and outcomes

- Generate evidence to influence government policy on inclusion of persons with IDs

- Recruit specialised staff for our beneficiaries and provide adequate CPD

The Foundation is also in the process of developing an accompanying 3 years communication strategy that will guide is advocacy work with the aim of challenging and improving perceptions of persons with intellectual disabilities. Manuals and Policies In order to strengthen internal policies, procedures and practices, the Foundation has developed a number of policies and procedures to guide its day to day operations. The following documents are currently in draft form:

i. Supporting persons with intellectual disabilities manual; ii. Child Protection Policy and Protocol;

iii. Member Sponsorship Policy; iv. Human Resources Manual; v. Finance and Administration Policies and Procedures;

vi. Code of Conduct; and vii. Charter of Board Governance

The adoption and implementation of these policies will allow the Foundation to more accountable to itself and its stakeholders while serving persons with intellectual disabilities in the most effective means.

Programmatic focus The successes of the Sunshine Zambia Project have necessitated the launch of a supported employment project to ensure the successful transition of persons with intellectual disabilities to paid work. Supported

employment is a model used to assist people with disabilities to find, secure and maintain jobs in the open labour market. It is based on international protocols and local legislation that give everyone the right to work. This supported employment initiative is the first of its kind in Zambia; and goes simply beyond piloting a model but will also seek to form linkages with policy and lawmakers to start to create change at an institutional level. Supported Employment has become the preferred option internationally, as it embraces the core values of the UN Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, and the more recent UNCRPD, which advocates employment options in inclusive work settings for all people with disabilities.

To support the existing Sunshine Zambia Project and the impending Supported Employment Project, there is an identified need to strengthen Sani Foundation’s documentation and evidence based advocacy skills.

_________________________________________________________________________________ Sani Foundation – 2015 Annual Report 12

SECTION 4: OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Acknowledgments & Thank You The year 2015 has been a period of tremendous growth, learning and reflection for the Sani Foundation and our work and successes would not be possible without the following organisations and individuals:

Grants and funding Abilis Foundation – supporting towards the Sunshine Zambia Project Change Foundation – support towards teaching tools and fundraising for our most vulnerable members Irish Society of Lusaka – support towards staff capacity building Awesome Foundation – support towards the purchase of teaching tools

Corporate & community partners Mojo New Media – provision of media and communication services and development of communication tools Taf and Keda – provision of graphic design services Big Pic Production – provision of large format printing services Individual Donors Jo Pope – sponsoring one of our most vulnerable members Daphne Chimuka - support towards the purchase of a bus to transport members to and fro the Sunshine Zambia Centre as well as supporting the organisation’s overall work Abigail Chimuka – supporting the organisation’s overall work Chilufya Chileshe – supporting the organisation’s overall work Rina Makumba – supporting the organisation’s overall work Caroline Bernecker – supporting the organisation’s overall work Alexandra Hoehne – supporting the organisation’s overall work

We are also eternally grateful to our endless list of volunteers and champions who believe in our members’ potential to participate fully in society and have contributed time, money and tremendous encouragement towards the Sani Foundation’s goal and most of all, we are grateful to our wonderful members without whom our lives would have a little less purpose.

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