STRENGTHENING SCIENCE FOR WOMEN

INVESTING IN THE FUTURE

The Strengthening Sciences for Women program provides scholarships and tutorial support for promising female students interested in pursuing a medical career. For over 20 years, the Trust has supported upper-high school and university education of promising young students interested in medical careers. Many of these students have gone on to become doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other medical personnel. The Trust gives special attention to supporting the education of young women, as female education directly impacts declining birth rates and reductions in maternal/infant mortality. When the educational and economic status of women improves, so do the prospects for a prosperous family, community and country. The program, which has awarded hundreds of scholarships since 1986, provides personal and peer support, while also serving as a much-needed resource for school supplies, books and specialized equipment. The Trust continues this critical program and seeks private donors who wish to support these important medical scholarships.

DISABLED CHILDREN'S CARE

SUPPORT FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE

Through its support of the Children's Rehabilitation Unit at Harare Central Hospital, the J.F. Kapnek Trust is helping to ensure quality care for children with disabilities. The program encourages community-based rehabilitation and sponsors support groups and other activities at the community level, where peer support and practical assistance is available to both disabled children and their caregivers. The Trust's support also allows the Unit to fill key staff who are essential to assessing needs of disabled children and caregivers, and providing the necessary resources and psychosocial support to meet those needs.

More than 1,500 children with disabilities and their families receive support through our Children's Rehabilitation Unit. Although the program is based in the capital, it also provides services to children from rural areas. There has been a steady increase in the number of children using the program. A new program to assist disabled children who are orphans or whose parents are infected with HIV has been developed and is having a significant impact on their lives. In addition, a number of workshops are held at the unit to educate fathers about the causes and nature of disability, and to dispel negative traditional beliefs that often lead to a high divorce rate among parents of disabled children. Finally, we continue to work to coordinate medical care with visiting doctors. For example, in 2005, we coordinated an orthopedic surgical team visit from the Kaiser Permanente Hospital System. The team operated on 17 children with physical disabilities, allowing many of them to walk for the first time in their lives.

MEDICAL SUPPLIES

FILLING THE SHELVES

We gratefully acknowledge our partnerships with Kaiser Permanente, Direct Relief and many, many private donors who work with us to provide supplies for everything from preschools to Zimbabwe’s medical school. These materials are shipped to Zimbabwe with generous support from the Port Of Oakland.

VISITING SCHOLARS PROGRAM

This long-running program supports academicians, researchers and physicians visiting Zimbabwe in the interest of strengthening global ties between the scientific, medical and education communities. Over the years, the Trust has provided room, board and administrative support to over a hundred distinguished scholars and researchers from around the world.