Chibanga is truly a transformed community. Just a few years ago this was a community with little hope but God has awakened the hearts of many people in Chibanga and now the orphans and widows are experiencing the love of God through them. Widows are being empowered through income generating activities such as sewing, gardening and goat rearing. Children who once attended a community school made of a mud walls and a leaking thatched roof are now learning in a strong brick two roomed school with a steel roof.Children have received a school uniform made by the widows of Chibanga, books and materials to study as well as desks and chairs. Teachers are receiving small incentives and the children are receiving one meal each school day which enables them to retain more of what they are being taught.

WOW recently visited Chibanga and what a joy it was to pray with the entire community and celebrate what God has done. During our visit we were greeted by the school headmaster and he shared these words of thanks.

Welcome Visionledd and WOW, village headwoman, village productivity committee, PTA committee, ladies and gentlemen. Today marks yet another important day in the life of Chibanga Community. We are graced with the presence of our great founding fathers and mothers from Kabwe Home Based Care and Elder Canada (Visionledd/WOW). In all truth I can clearly see how far our school is heading because previously we only had a vision.

What we once imagined has become a reality. Elder Canada (Visionledd/WOW) has further boasted the progress of our school by providing educational books, desks and chalkboards. This indicates the true spirit with which Kabwe Home Based Care and Visionledd/WOW is working. All in all, I can only pray that our great Lord, the Father of all, continue blessing us in the like manner. With these few words I sincerely thank God for the big transformation and progress going on here. Thank you.

Later we visited the goat rearing project and inspected the goat shelter as well as the caretaker’s new house. Chief Eleness Chilupula, explained how all 15 goats would remain together in the shelter until baby goats arrive – it is possible for goats to conceive twice in a year. After some time a goat will be given to a widow and her children when the family will decide what to do with the goat. They will either wait for another goat to help multiply this project or sell the goat for meat and funds. Some goats will always be kept in the main shelter so that the entire goat project will continue. Occasionally a goat will be sold from the group to help pay for medicines and any needed transport. We were pleased to see how healthy these goats were.

WOW also had the opportunity to address the Chief and the entire community of Chibanga to discuss what they would like to invest in for the next quarter of the year. Needs are always identified by the community and programs which help meet these needs are discussed between the community, our strategic partners like Kabwe Home Based Care and WOW. Together funds are prayerfully directed to be used in the most efficient and effective way which will meet the needs of orphans and widows in Chibanga. You, the donor, are a very important part of this partnership. It is your prayers and donations which help communities like Chibanga undergo transformation.

Other communities are seeing what is happening in Chibanga. They see what God has done by lifting up the orphan and widows and these communities are beginning to do the same with the little they have. They are experiencing the truth that loving one another through Christ is at the heart of transformation.

In May of 2009 a WOW team spent two weeks ministering with the people of Chibanga.  This community is brimming with excitement because for the first time in many years they have hope.  The widows have emerged from mourning are praising God in their songs and dance.  After a warm welcome from the women in the community the team was brought to greet the children of Chibanga Community School.  The children who normally attend school in shifts were all crammed into the one room classroom eager to meet the representatives from Canada who have helped to build their school.  We greeted them with our own songs (sung in Bemba) and announced that we were also there to help build a second classroom to their school.  How sweet these children were as they helped us carry bricks, and then sat to watch as our team began to build.

­

Later we met with the widows group.  There are 62 members in all and they are a fantastic group.  They meet regularly for bible study and sewing lessons.  WOW has provided the group with 10 sewing machines which all 62 women share.  The WOW team was very excited to announce that we would be having a special party for the widows with gifts of T-shirts, chitengas (wrap/skirt), umbrellas and soaps.  We would also host a special meal for everyone in the village in celebration of God's goodness.

We then set out to visit selected widows homes, gathering information for memory books, filled with family pictures and names and birth dates, which were later given as gifts.  The widows walked us throughout their

village showing us their gardens which they tend as a group with the harvest going to help themselves as well as the orphaned and vulnerable children in the community.  Because of the generosity of WOW donors even the youth have begun their own income generating activity.  They have built a piggery with their own materials (small tree trunks fastened together to make a frame) and have begun raising pigs.  Pig rearing in Zambia has had great success so we anticipate good returns for this investment.  The widows will soon begin their own income generating activity of goat rearing.  Our goal is that each widow will have their own goat in which to provide milk and eventually meat.

So much has happened in this community over the past two years.  In the next update I will share with you the story of the woman who first discovered the state of need that Chibanga was in, and about her cry to the Lord for help.

Thank you to all of the donors who have given so generously to help this beautiful little community.  Please continue to pray for them and their leader, Chief Eleness Chilupula.

Many blessings have been showered on the small village of Chibanga this year.

Finally the school in Chibanga has been completed and this is the day everybody was waiting for. The happiness due to the completion of the school did not only affect the kids but even adults, simply because their children will now learn in a conducive place. To express their happiness, kids participated in construction by ferrying bricks on their heads to the construction site. Other kids were busy drawing the pump on the well which was drilled recently beside the school.  Now children will have fresh water to drink and only need to step outside their classroom to receive it.

To appreciate what Visionledd has done through the WOW program, the Chibanga community through their head-woman have decided to change the name of the school from Muluduma Community School to Little Canada Community School. The Chibanga Communty wishes to convey their thanks to the special donors for the funds they released for the construction of this school.

Thank you on behalf of the Chibanga Community and WOW.

 .

Chibanga now has fresh water for the first time in their history! 

A WOW supporter named Grace has generously donated the funds for this well and shares that all who drink from this well do so "by the grace of God".  Pastor Eric Mwambelo, who heads up Kabwe Home Based Care a WOW/Visionledd strategic partner, is dedicated to ministering to orphans and widows and has overseen the installation of this well over the past few months.  Below he has shared some moving stories about the impact that fresh water has on a community.

AFRICAN WOMEN WILL NOT TELL YOU EVERYTHING

When you first meet African women they will not tell you everything they have passed through, instead they will sing songs of jubilation and wear big smiles, proudly welcoming you to their village and homes. Their hands will brush off the dust on their seats as they excitedly invite you to sit and stay. You do not immediately see the difficulties they have suffered over the years due to lack of clean drinking water in their villages. That is why it is the women who are more grateful than the men because they clearly understand the importance of the well in their village.

Enelesi is a village headwoman and she was born and raised in Chilabula village. This is want she had to say, "It is the first time ever since our ancestors settled here to have a borehole. As a village headwoman and indeed on behalf of my subjects I would like to thank the family who donated funds to sink this borehole in our village through WOW/Visionledd although we do not know them. There are so many villages in Zambia indire need of clean water but for some reason not known to us our village was chosen, we can say we see the hand of God in all this. Women in my village used to suffer a lot but with the drilling of this borehole, our burden will be eased. Again, the women suffer a lot when children get sick with diarrhea after drinking contaminated water from the streams or shallow wells. They have to walk 10 to 15 kilometers with their sick children on the backs to the nearest health centre. With this borehole water borne diseases will reduce drastically and this will give women more time to work in their fields.

We have a group of women doing agriculture and now with this borehole they will grow vegetables to feed their families. At the moment we have gardens along the streams and vegetables get submerged in the rainy season but now we can grow these vegetables all year round.

The village of Chibanga is praising God for fresh water.  On May 17, 2008 a deep borehole was dug and fresh water was reached for the first time.  Below is a quick report from the drilling company on the borehole's specifics.  The hand pump is being constructed now and a full report will follow in the next few weeks.  We are excited to soon show you the first person to take a drink from this wonderful gift of life saving water.  Thank you to the dear family who has contributed funding for this dream to come true in Chibanga! 

Each December WOW runs a Christmas Campaign, called WOW Children's Christmas, within North American churches to raise funds in order to provide orphaned and vulnerable children within WOW communities with school supplies, a hot meal and a handmade school uniform.  A wonderful party takes place where the story of Christ's birth is told and about His love for each and every child and adult.  Many games and songs and poems are prepared for this big celebration in each community.  Below is a report from the Chibanga community:

CHIBANGA COMMUNITY SCHOOL CHRISTMAS PARTY

It all started with a story about the Christmas party. The parents, guardians and children thought it was not going to take place because so many donors have come and given them promissory notes that never materialized. Fortunately, on the agreed date, the children and the parents in one of the villages called Chibanga Village saw the vehicles approaching their village. Some of the villagers (children and parents) were still in their fields working, because they had doubts and did not believe that the party was going to take place. After one hour, they heard of the news and they came running to the party. The place was filled with joy because apart from the poems and other activities prepared by the children. Parents also did prepare something for the visitors. The Youths from the nearby villages also came to compete in football with the Chibanga lads. The most exciting part was when the duna (Headwoman) for the village was in action playing netball with the other youths and women. At the end of the day, the meeting was attended by over 300 people, which included OVC (orphaned and vulnerable children) from the community school, parents, women in the agricultural group, and residents of the villagers.

POEMS

It was an exciting day and kids gave poems. The first one to give was Sylvester 11 years old.

TITLE: WE ARE CRYING-Sylvester

We are crying, we are your children. Look at us, we need your help. Some of our parents are gone because of AIDS. Our guardians and our brothers and sisters are gone because of AIDS. Look at us for education. Some are gone because of AIDS.

TITLE: EDUCATION -Taonga

Education, education. Father, mother, do not let me start selling vegetables. Take me to school. I need to be educated and I want to be educated. Don’t you know that am the future leader of Zambia?   I will become the President of Zambia and you will be calling me Mr President. Elders, elders, mother Zambia educate me. I need your support, protect my right. Thank you.

TITLE: HUNGER- Annet

Hunger, hunger, go and sell groundnuts. If you don’t sell groundnuts we shall have no food in this house. I asked my uncle, is it because I am an orphan? I was refused for my education. My uncle never understood me and I went hungry for days. Hunger drove me on the street. I stopped school because of hunger; I was beaten on the street because of hunger. I started begging on the street because of hunger. Parents died poor.  Poverty you are a root cause of hunger. My parents were retrenched without any benefits. Hunger, hunger, hunger you are born out of poverty, hunger.

God has laid it upon the hearts of one dear Canadian family to bring fresh water to a rural village through WOW. After much prayer, the village of Chibanga was selected and a survey has already been completed. Below is the latest message from the drillers in Kabwe, Zambia.

We wish to apologize for the delay in drilling the borehole in time due to unforeseen circumstances. The major constraint has been accessibility to the site. The soil on the road was too soft for the heavy trucks and we we

re afraid of being stuck. However, since the rains are now over, we wish to commit ourselves to drilling the borehole within seven days.The geophysical survey (Siting) was conducted and the results were very positive for groundwater. A full report on the geophysical report will be sent to you by next week after drilling.

Praise God, the women and children in Chibanga will be relieved of hours of walking to the stream to fetch water. This stream which is shared with cattle and other animals often dries up in the dry season and for the first time in their lives; the people of this village will have clean fresh water to drink throughout the entire year. The village will be relieved of water borne diseases such as, dysentery, cholera, and bilharzias.

Below is the picture of the school house built by the people of Chibanga because the nearest government school is 5 to 6 kms away; too far for the younger children to walk not to mention the danger for young girls to travel alone, away from the village. Now 95 orphaned and vulnerable children attend this school that has just received a new roof by the villagers.It is our prayer to one day build a larger, safer school for these children and supply a trained school teacher.The new well will be situated near the school.