Kalvin is 16 years old and is looking for a caring person who will help him with his secondary school expenses, write letters of encouragement to him and be there for him while he grows up. In return he will offer you his love and gratitude and he will write letters back to you telling you about his life. He writes in English. Kalvin holds the future in his hands as the older men in his village have nearly all died. He is the son of a single mother who tragically died of the HIV/AIDS virus, leaving Kalvin to go to live with his grandmother, Granny Isdora, who is old and sick and has no way of earning any money and, thereby, paying his fees for secondary school.

Sponsorship of a secondary school child, whose family has been decimated by the HIV/AIDS virus, can cost less than two bottles of wine or two packets of cigarettes a week, yet it can make a huge difference to a child who lives in extreme poverty. It means being able to go to secondary school,  without being hungry; it means having a school uniform, shoes and books; it means being able to face a brighter future, with the prospect of training and finding work. Secondary school is not free and the fees are far too high for the old grannies to be able to afford them.

COST: One year's sponsorship of a secondary school pupil costs £25 per month or £300 per year. If you would like to sponsor a child, please be sure to e-mail us with your full name and address, e-mail address and telephone number so that we can contact you and send you the relevant paperwork. Have a look under the tab 'Children seeking sponsors' to choose a child. You can either pay by monthly Standing Order or you can pay in one instalment by means of a cheque made out to 'Direct Link'. If you would prefer to pay in monthly instalments, we will send you a Standing Order form. If you prefer to pay by cheque, send it to us at the address shown on our Contact Us page. We will keep you informed of the progress of your donation. Please do not use this shopping cart because it is not fully operational yet.

Granny Prisca is thrilled with new water tank, paid for by caring sponsors. She demonstrates to our Direct Link Co-ordinator, how to draw water from the tank.

Purchase of a fresh water tank means that the grannies and children can drink fresh water, rather than contaminated water often out of a recycled oil drum. When a granny's house has been refurbished, we like to complete the work by installing a fresh water tank.

COST: One water tank, including installation, costs £180. You can pay by means of a cheque made out to 'Direct Link' and send it to us at the address shown on our Contact Us page. We will keep you informed of the progress of your donation. Please do not use this shopping cart because it is not fully operational yet.

Granny Kerina's house has been refurbished by a wonderful well-wisher. 

Refurbishment of a granny's house means that she and her grand-children will no longer have to go to bed with rain water dripping on to their bedding, and they will have a new-look house, with fresh plaster, a painted roof and walls painted to look like bricks.

COST: Refurbishing a house costs £800. You can pay by means of a cheque made out to 'Direct Link' and send it to us at the address shown on our Contact Us page. We will keep you informed of the progress of your donation. Please do not use this shopping cart because it is not fully operational yet.

The cows are a local breed and are, therefore, the most hardy and the least prone to disease, as well as being the easiest to care for.

Buying a cow for a family means that the children can drink milk before going to school every day. Many of the cows produce calves, thus continuing the cycle.

COST: One local cow costs £120. You can pay by means of a cheque made out to 'Direct Link' and send it to us at the address shown on our Contact Us page. We will keep you informed of the progress of your donation. Please do not use this shopping cart because it is not fully operational yet.

Buying a goat for a family means that the children can drink milk before going to school every day and not have to work on an empty stomach.

COST: One local goat costs £50. You can pay by means of a cheque made out to 'Direct Link' and send it to us at the address shown on our Contact Us page. We will keep you informed of the progress of your donation. Please do not use this shopping cart because it is not fully operational yet.

The chickens are all cared for in the community chicken project, where the grannies take turns at looking after the chickens. They are housed in beautiful nesting boxes and runs, with small cages for the chicks so that they are not eaten by predators.

Buying two chickens for a family means that the children can eat eggs before going to school every day and not have to work on an empty stomach.

COST: Two local chickens cost £10. You can pay by means of a cheque made out to 'Direct Link' and send it to us at the address shown on our Contact Us page. We will keep you informed of the progress of your donation. Please do not use this shopping cart because it is not fully operational yet.

Our latest project, the Kids' Kitchen has now been set up and is up and running in term time. Based on the wonderful idea of Mary's Meals, we are providing a lunchtime meal for the primary school children. The food is cooked by the grannies and widows, in rotation, and it is being provided on the school premises.

Providing lunchtime food not only fills the children's stomachs so that they can work more effectively during the afternoon but it also takes the pressure off the grannies to provide a full evening meal.

COST: This Gift of Hope can cost anything that you wish to donate, over £10. You can pay by means of a cheque made out to 'Direct Link' and send it to us at the address shown on our Contact Us page. We will keep you informed of the progress of your donation. Please do not use this shopping cart because it is not fully operational yet.