A report from Rita Prins, WOW Executive Director.

Bwacha is a poor community within Kabwe, Zambia. Many people are struggling. Since the mines have closed in this town, employment has decreased to incredibly low levels. The cost of living has remained the same in the whole of Zambia and so people are finding themselves in desperate situations. There is little food for families, children are unable to attend school because of the required school fees and uniforms and even clothing is not being replaced. It has come to the point where people have moved into survival mode and are no longer planning for the future but only thinking of meeting their immediate needs. Children are hungry now, relatives are in need of medical care now, clean water needs to be obtained now. Bwacha is a town where people are living in continuous emergency situations and its people cannot begin to plan and invest for tomorrow.

Susan Reynolds and I visited Shekinah Glory School on Tuesday April 13th. The school was closed for holidays but the Director Teresa Ng'oma and Headmaster Alice Kunda travelled to the school just to greet us. They also brought with them three older children who have been attending the school for the past while.Teresa shared with us how the school has grown from one room in her house to a now strong, vibrant three room school. It is equipped with school supplies, desks and blackboards. There are also pit latrines for proper sanitation and a borehole for fresh water. It seemed like there was an air of hope emitting from the school walls themselves.It was a stark contrast to the homes and small businesses in the surrounding community.

Because of the support from King Street Pentecostal Church, 126 children are now receiving a quality education. 22 students will be writing their grade 7 exams this year and each year the class sizes have grown. We talked with each of the students and discovered that their home lives were very difficult. Most students are eating only one meal per day, sleeping on feed bags and sharing a single blanket. One of the children walks 5 km each day to attend school. Their headmaster explained that if these students were not in school the boys may very well end up wandering the streets, looking for something to occupy their time and the girls would be forced into early marriage in hopes of bringing more food and income into the family, or else turn in desperation to prostitution. We could see in their eyes their desire to learn and we could see that they were already thinking ahead. The two boys wanted to be teachers and the young girl wished to be a nurse.

When we talked with Alice the school headmaster, a mother of 4 children herself, she explained to us that her education was not free. It came at a cost and yet she has been working as a volunteer for 5 years. She shared that even though the hearts of the teachers have kept them at Shekinah Glory School and their desire to serve the Lord is strong, they are also desperate for some incentives. The need for an income generating activity to support the school is obvious and the drive for this school to continue to thrive and grow is strong. Much has been done so far, many children’s lives have been changed for the long term but to continue what was started we must also look to the future and consider investing in a project where the school can profit enough to pay the teachers and even allow more students to attend.

God is at work in the lives of children in Bwacha. Shekinah Glory School most certainly shines as a light of hope and love, investing in Zambia’s most precious resource, their children.

The Vision

In July, 1995 God gave me a burden for prayer and fasting.  It was during this period that I received a vision from God of a complex housing a school (preschool up to college level), an orphanage, church, youth centre and Bible school.  In 1998, during a time of prayer, the Lord promised me the school was going to be the best in the land.  I also had a dream where I saw a young girl dressed in tatters, without shoes, muddy feet, uncombed hair, crying with outstretched hands trying to reach where I was standing within the school.  Torn books were falling from her lap.  I heard a voice saying she needed help from me.  I sat down crying and praying helplessly.

Beginnings

I started the Shekinah Glory School with seven pupils in 1995, but had to discontinue for a brief time following the death of my husband.  My firstborn son, Pastor Lester Ng'oma encouraged me to restart the school and stated that the Lord gave him Matthew 6:25-33 as His word for me.  "...Who of you by worry can add a single hour to his life...But seek first His kingdom & His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Most of the children in our school are orphans or vulnerable children whose parents are unable to find work and cannot manage to adequately feed their families.  Presently we have 165 pupils and eight volunteer teachers.  In the past, the teachers were feeding the pupils from their little contributions.  In 2005 Visionledd began its sponsorship of our school.  In February 2008, by divine providence, Pastor Joel and his team from King St. Pentecostal Church in Canada adopted our school.  As a result we have built three classrooms, an office, pit latrines and a well to provide clean and safe water for the students. 

Desks, uniforms and school supplies have been provided.  The next steps are to build another classroom, bring power to the school and a regular feeding program for the students and staff.  Thank you, Pastor Joel & King Street Pentecostal Church!

Please read two brief profiles from children attending Shekinah Glory School.

Euphrasia

Euphrasia is a 13 year old girl in grade 5.  She enrolled at our school when we started in 2004.  She walks 8 km total each day from Kaputula to Bwacha where the school is.  Euphrasia's father was laid off in the 90's and since then has not found formal employment making it impossible for him to afford regular meals for Euphrasia and five other children.  Life has been very difficult for the family to focus on education.  When she started she was crying because the school did not have desks to sit on.  Thank God for His provision of desks.

Joseph

Joseph is 15 and he is a grade seven student.  He is a double orphan.  We had a challenge to enroll him in school as his guardian was not keen on the idea.  The boy is kept by his old grandmother who is unable to give proper care like food, clothes and educational support.  Joseph is one of the best pupils in Shekinah Glory School and very capable of achieving a higher education.  He is also an active part of the youth group at our church.  It is because of you, King Street Pentecostal Church, that Joseph has a chance to rise up out of the poverty of his circumstances.

Today I visited I visited Shekinah Glory Community School & the coordinator of the school Teresa Ng'oma. I probed her a little more than the last few times I visited and found that she was the impetus for the school. The first time I met her she was running the school in a rundown 2 room house with a lot of water around it.

Now she has a beautiful building with 2 classrooms and an office in a new area. Teresa lost her husband 4 years ago. He was an elder in the church and a school teacher as well. She has 5 children. The second oldest is married to Pastor Otis Mende.

Teresa has a full time government school job as a senior teacher responsible for 15 teachers. In her spare time she coordinates the 4 volunteer teachers at Shekinah Glory, buys supplies for the school & pays, out of her own pocket,  for the guard who watches over the school.

She has 2 formally trained teachers & the 2 others assist teaching the 75 students in grades 1-7. To get into grade 8 the students must pass a proficiency test. All of her students passed this year.

Teresa has a passion for Jesus and integrates biblical teaching throughout her curriculae. She is also passionate about excellence in education she is the finest coordinator of all the community schools I know.

A year ago they didn't have a roof on their new school. We put one on, but during a heavy rainstorm the roof was blown off while still under construction. Teresa cried!

We were able to restore the roof, but then there were threats by the city that the school must close because there were no latrines and no water. The latrines are now in and the borehole pumps out fresh clean water that will also serve the community & the vegetable gardens they will soon put in.

Teresa related that people in the community are saying, "What God are you worshiping! Each time there are new things."

She gives the glory to God and is grateful for all those that have come alongside to help.

This Sunday she speaks in the church, which runs out of the school, as an interim pastor.

Shekinah Glory Community School is praising God for His goodness.Over the past several months volunteers have been working hard to complete the school building with finished brickwork, a poured cement floor, a metal roof, a double pit latrine for boys and girls and a borehole to provide fresh water for the school and surrounding community.

Many people have been hard at work and renovations were going smoothly until an extreme wind storm in November took the roof off the school completely.This set back has not diminished the hopes of the children at Shekinah Glory Community School.Praise God the roof is now being salvaged and reconstructed and there are immediate plans for the well to be dug close by.

Each year WOW hosts a Christmas party for the school where children and teachers receive a hot meal, a handmade school uniform and school supplies to help them through the year.The birth of Jesus is celebrated through stories and games and the sharing of the Christmas story.Vismo, a sixteen year old girl, who was previously unable to go to school, says “Shekinah School has made me have hope for a better future.We had a Christmas party at Shekinah which made me feel cared for.The food we ate was very good.May the good Lord bless those who gave to help sponsor this party.”Plans are underway now for raising funds for this year’s party and we are very excited about meeting the needs of the Shekinah school in this way.

Please watch for updates and photos of the finished school in the New Year.

In 2003 several church women from the Bwacha Community were moved by needs of so many orphaned and vulnerable children in their village.  Many children were unable to attend the overcrowded government school due to lack of school fees and uniforms and/or the long distance they had to travel to attend school.  Together, with the approval of the village chief and community leaders, they decided to begin their own school called Shekinah Glory Community School.  They started this school with just 20 children and now have an enrollment of 277 children.  Of the 277 students, there are 100 single orphans, 103 double orphans and 74 vulnerable children.

Here you can see the present condition of this school.  Unbelievably children have been attending this school with no protection from the sun and the rain.  In fact the school would need to close often during the rainy season because of lack of shelter.  Despite the conditions, children and teachers alike understood the power of education and it's need in their community and continued to meet for 5 years.  Recently Pastor Joel from King Street Church visited this school with Richard Brown of Visionledd.  Pastor Joel was deeply touched by the needs that he saw and shared the plight of the children of Bwacha with the King Street Church staff and congregation.  God has touched their hearts and they have committed to raising a new school for the children of Shekinah Glory Community School!  In addition to this the church has also taken in part in WOW Children's Christmas and raised funds to help provide school uniforms and school supplies for the school.  What a treat it was for the children and teachers to receive a hot meal of chicken, vegetables and rice.  Thank you King Street Church!

Please read the following letter received from Pastro Otis Menda of Bwacha, Zambia

Hi Pastor Joel,
I hope you are fine. Since you left the local government asked us to stop meeting at the school because the environment is not conducive for the children. The government said that we cannot subject children to sun shine every day and the school has no toilets. So because of the uncompleted building and no toilets we were told to close the school.
My great concern is the grade 7 children who are writing the examination this year. I am not very sure now if the grade 7 will write the examination.
We were told by Lawrence about the funds that were raised. This will help us finish the floor and roofing of two classroom block.
Then we will remain with fixing doors and toilets.
Lastly I would like to say thank you to both of you Joe and Richard for your support towards the orphans and vulnerable children. I am pretty sure the good LORD will richly bless you.
 
Thanks a lot,
 
Pastor Otis Menda
Shekinah Glory School

Please pray for the children and teachers of Shekinah Glory School as they seek the Lord's will for their lives:

Mrs Theresa N'goma - School Head Teacher

Alice Kunda - Grade 7 Teacher

Rowena Musunga - Grade 5 & 6 Teacher

Annie Mulenga - Grade 3 & 4 Teacher

Biance N'goma - Grade 1 & 2 Teacher

Silvia Sakala - Preschool Teacher