CHIPAWO administers a number of different projects on arts education, early education, gender, child rights, HIV/AIDS, poverty reduction, the deaf, the mentally and physically disabled, rural children, the girl child and orphans.

These projects include:

Arts Education for Development and Employment: This is CHIPAWO’s founding and central activity which is offered on contract to schools or through the bursary scheme and other projects. The arts education for development and employment programme involves weekly workshops in music, dance, drama and media in over 72 centres including pre-schools, primary schools, secondary schools, as well as centres in schools that deal with disabled children.

Bringing CHIPAWO to More Children: This programme aims to give disadvanted children access to CHIPAWO’s Arts Education for Development and Employment activities. These include the urban and rural poor, who are supported by the bursary scheme, the deaf and dumb, the mentally and physically handicapped, children living with HIV/AIDS and orphans. The bursary scheme, funded by SIDA, supports children at seven urban and 21 rural centres.

Mwana Anokosha (The Child is Precious): This programme was established in recognition of the fact that the child-as-child or the child outside CHIPAWO sessions is important. In the spirit of this recognition, CHIPAWO initiated a number of projects relating to the welfare, rights, education, health and development of children, in particular the girl child. These are the Fund of the Trustees, which assists children in need, the Children’s Council and Awareness-Raising workshops, camps, performances and festivals.

The Challenged: This programme is headed by a deaf person, who co-ordinates various arts advocacy projects in the deaf community as well as opening further arts education centres for the deaf. Support from UNESCO, the German Government and MS Zimbabwe has led to the expansion of this project to include other handicapped children, with an emphasis on the girl child. The project also includes, a Handicap and the Girl Child Advocacy Arts Festival, entitled “Give Us a Chance” and television programmes on the deaf by the deaf.

In addition to the above, the CHIPAWO Trust Deed makes provision for the establishment of “Companies of the Trust”, the profit of which goes to sustain the Trust. They are:

Theatre Production s: This is the business side of CHIPAWO and its purpose is to market CHIPAWO and raise income through sales. It includes: a musical instrument manufacturing project, wardrobe and props, wedding services, T-shirts, video hire, contract performances and three special performance groups, the Harare Junior Theatre and the Harare Youth Theatre.

Training: This division is responsible for all training in CHIPAWO, internal or external. It has established as its main instrument the Zimbabwe Academy of Arts Education for Development , which offers a diploma in performing arts, a diploma in media arts and certificates in music, dance, theatre arts and musical instrument manufacturing. The Academy’s diplomas and certificates are accredited by the Midlands State University. The Academy also runs a variety of special and vocational courses and offers training, consultancy, supervision and monitoring to other organisations wishing to develop arts education for development and employment or vocational training programmes of their own. The Academy has established a Library and Documentation Resources Centre.

Media: The Media programme is responsible for developing video, television and radio for children. CHIPAWO has established the CHIPAWO Media Centre (digital and linear video, sound and studio facilities) which offers video and sound services, training, children’s television and radio programmes and exchanges.

Children.

The organisation aims to:

• be a child-driven, child-centred, democratic model of arts education for development and employment;
• foster an environment in which there is sharing, caring, constructive criticism and gender equaliity arts activities open to all children;
• develop excellence, talent, originality, knowledge and enjoyment in the learning, creating and practice of the arts and culture of Zimbabwe;
• further the capacity, welfare, social status and human centrality of the child in zimbabwe and in the world;
• empower and equip children with self-identity, self-belief and life skills for negotiating local and global challenges;
• exercise social responsibility and participate in and contribute to efforts to make a world fit for children and
• engage in income-generating activities to complement the fundraising efforts of the trust

CHIPAWO was founded in 1989 by Stephen Chifunyise, a playwright and civil servant, Farai Gezi, a music educationist and musician, Julie Frederikse, an author and Robert McLaren, an academic, writer and theatre practitioner.