Today, Ritchell digs the ground with a pebble as usual. As digging gets tedious, he moves on by spending the rest of his time rolling the tires that are abandoned at the corner of his village. The village consists of dangerous and rough unpaved roads, yet that doesn’t stop him from chasing after cars that drive by rarely.
Until recently, five year old Ritchell and his friends spent their days no different as explained above. As Ritchell’s father left his family long time ago, his responsibility became helping around the farm and household. Ritchell’s family was unable to provide a proper education for him, as well as the least amount of necessary food for the day.
POSCO Children Development Center built in Ritchell’s village
Before the POSCO Children Development Center was built, the concept of kindergarten was vaguely known to a large populous of the children and families of Zimbabwe. Now that the center has opened, children like Ritchell, along with more than eighty other friends are able to learn, write, sing, draw and play together as a whole.
Ritchell’s gloomy days have totally changed. Going to kindergarten helped Ritchell gain weight, allowing his health conditions to improve overall. His talent of drawing has exceeded as he loves to draw chickens, chicks and other various objects that surround him. Ritchell turns six next year, and assures he will most definitely continue into elementary school, in which POSCO is able to help him with donations from our employees.
This is how Ritchell’s day changed to. Let’s take a look.
At six o’clock sharp, Ritchell wakes up. In a heartbeat he runs to the POSCO Children Development Center where from 8am to 1pm are the most precious and exciting moments of his entire day. Once children arrive at the kindergarten, our partner organization, KFHI(Korea Food for the Hungry International) staffs take care of the them with much affection and care. KFHI is POSCO’s partner NGO that manages children development center and agricultural center in Seke, Zimbabwe.
What’s even more exciting is that Ritchell’s attitude has certainly changed after attending the kindergarten and so has his mother. Ever since Ritchell’s father left home a typical day for his mother would be to stay home and not go out. Today, however, she joins Ritchell by visiting the center where she helps to cook and clean. Ritchell’s mother became proud of her son, showing tears of joy as Ritchell recently learned how to spell and write his name for the first time.
POSCO, Hope for Children
Most children of Seke, Zimbabwe are AIDS-positive. During a time of necessary vital cares, these children were neglected and left to starve out of parents’ ignorance and irresponsibility, but most of all poverty. In addition, rarely are these children given a chance to learn or even have a proper meal due to poor conditions.
POSCO provided parental care to the children aged between three to five years, by building a Daycare Center at the village of Cashel. The operating expense for the center is entirely covered by the voluntary donations of POSCO employee’s. About 900 employees are sponsoring the center with their own money, preparing gifts, and sending cards for the POSCO Center children from time to time.
Both the Cashel children and many families were able to escape from a severe poverty thanks to POSCO employees and their small help.
POSCO is continuously funding places like Africa where help is desperately needed. There are countless children around the world who need such support. POSCO wishes that you may share this common goal with us. A small interest from you can change these people’s lives, more that you know it.