On a recent visit to Zambia, we were introduced to a beautiful, young family.  Muma Bwato is a 35 year old mother of five children living in the slum called Makululu.  Muma’s husband past away three years ago and she was much too young to face the life time of difficulties laid out before her.  Two of her youngest children are showing symptoms of ring worm and since she does not have the funds to cover even small medical fees, these children will continue to suffer.

Muma’s living conditions are not adequate for her and her children.  The thatch on her roof does not protect the family from the rains, causing them to huddle in one corner when the rains are hard. Their little home consists of one blanket and a sleeping mat.  There is no furniture and only a few cups and bowls to use for eating.

Of the three children which are school aged, only one is attending school; the older two are needed to sell ground nuts at the market to help buy enough food for the family’s meal.  Thankfully, all five children are eligible to receive a nutritious daily meal at our Makululu Life Centre which is nearby.  At least in this way Muma can know that her children are eating at least once per day.

When asked how WOW can help, she requested some initial seed funding to help buy Kapenta (small fish) to sell at the market.  Kapenta is a favorite dish among Zambians and also provides much needed protein.  We were only able to leave Muma with a food pack containing two bags of maize meal, salt, oil, sugar and matches.

As WOW continues to grow our donor base we will be able to reach out and help so many more women like Muma; women who are desperate to regain their dignity and to be empowered to look after their own families.  Please help.

The churches in Makululu have come together to reach out to orphaned and vulnerable children as well as the widows. It is through the churches that volunteers are found. These volunteers are truly the heroes of Africa. Many of them give freely of themselves, allowing their hearts to be broken daily. As they learn the reality of the lives of the children and patients they serve, they take their burdens upon themselves and then bring them to the Lord. These volunteers are willing to lay down their lives for those they serve, emulating Jesus in their lives.

Monika MuBanga is a beautiful example of one of these volunteers working to help feed the most vulnerable of children at the Makululu feeding centre. Here is a glimpse of her day.

Monika Mubanga is 35 years of age.  She has four children (ages 18, 16, 12 and 6) and she was widowed in 2005.  Monika begins her work day at 6:30 am, walks for 30 minutes to the OVC coordinators house, picks up 15 kg of rice as well as beans or vegetables or kapenta (small fish) and then carries it all another 15 minutes to the feeding centre.  Once there she meets 2 - 3 other widows who walk to the well and draw up 6 large buckets of water and carry them back to the centre.  Next they begin making the fire which is a bucket of coals where they cook one thing at a time, amazingly the food was piping hot when we arrived just before 11 am when the feeding began.  The kids come to eat anywhere from 11 am to 2 pm depending on when their class ends for the day - because the children go to school in shifts due to the size of the school, they all start and finish at different times.  On an average day they feed 167 children, with each child having their named called out, lining up in such an orderly fashion.  No fighting or pushing - just so sweet. As each group arrives, hourly, the volunteers first sing three songs with them, talk with the children and give encouragement and finally teach them to pray on their own.  Lunch begins - and it's huge! 

 

Monika and the other women then wash dishes and sweep the floors until about 3pm when they go home for the day and begin their own household chores - like gathering firewood, get water, wash clothes, make supper if they had food to prepare, etc.  Monika does all this for $100,000 Zambian Kwatcha a month - approximately $22.50 CAD/month or $0.75/day. 

Pastor Willie, the head of Makululu Home Based Care (the CBO, community based organization, we were visiting that day) discoverd Monika in his church.  She indicated to him her desire to serve the Lord in this way and that's how she began working with the children.  There are so many women and men like Monika who are such beautiful people, loving the children.

It is your support that enables Monika to share the love of God through her life and service to the most vulnerable in Makululu. Thank you for your partnership. Please do not cease praying for the orphans and widows of Makululu.

The Widow's Group in Makululu has been busy with it's tailoring projects, a small income generating business for the group that began two years ago.  First there was intensive training where everyone was eager to learn.  The tailor began with teaching how to use the peddles on the treadle sewing machines in order to steadily pump the needle and it wasn't long before the widows were sewing entire garments.  Today the women are sewing uniforms for WOW supported schools such as Bwanfane School in Makululu.  These uniforms are purchased by WOW donors through WOW Children's Christmas which provides each child with an amazing party with songs, games, a hot meal, school supplies, and a handmade school uniform.  It has been an incredible blessing to both the children and the widows as they are employed each year to make these special uniforms for their children.

The women are also taught how to manage funds and save to reinvest in their business.  This can often be a very difficult task when hunger is so prevalent.  One woman writes these words about her experience:

My name is Joyce Lubinda of Makululu Project in Kabwe.  I am a widow with 5 children, two are at school, one is in grade 10 and teh other on is in grade 8.

Being a widow of Makululu Project and with 5 children, I used to face a lot of problems especially in sending my children to school. I thank God that through the WOW program I am able to send my children to school because through the knowledge I have gained from tailoring, I am always attached to an activity of making uniforms.

I am currently offered a work of sewing uniforms for community schools sponsored by WOW and of which at the end of the day I shall be given something that would help my family and especially my school children.

Thank you WOW.

 

Because of donors like you, lives are being forever changed.  Widows have hope and children are gaining an education that can never be taken away from them.  Dignity comes with the ability to support yourself and your family and through you, dignity is being regained in Makululu where it has been lost for generations.  Thank you!

Makululu is the largest slum in Zambia with a population of 60,000 people.You can imagine then how many orphaned and suffering children there are in this community.Since Visionledd and WOW have invested in building the new Bwafwano Community School in Makululu hundreds of orphaned and vulnerable children have joined the school.Hundreds of children who otherwise would have been wondering the streets, looking for food.WOW monthly donors have helped to provide a nutritious meal for all 724 of these children right at the school.Now the children can learn on a full stomach significantly enhancing their learning and retention capabilities.Currently we are only able to support meals for one week per month and are praying that God will enable us to meet the needs of the children every week.Future plans will include a community garden which will help to supplement these costs and eventually support the program entirely.

Each year WOW also runs a program called WOW Children's Christmas which for $20 enables a child in Bwafano School (and others) to receive a handmade school uniform, school supplies and a hot meal all at a party celebrating the birth of Jesus.Thank you so much to everyone supporting this community. Much more is happening and because of you we will continue to invest in the lives of so many desperate for help.

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Below is a short note of thanks from the Head Teacher in Bwafwano Community School:

We greet you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.On behalf of teachers of Bwafwano Community School, I wold like to thank you for both your prayers and support that you render to us.The feeding program at our school has been of great help to both teachers and pupils.The food has very much assisted children in their state of orphaned and vulnerability.The feeding program has reduced absenteeism.We are kindly appealing to you to continue the feeding program because it has prvoed to be a motivational factor to the children.We appreciate you so much.May the good Lord continue blessing you in everything you are doing.

Charity Mwendabai

Headteacher

When Visionledd's International Director for HIV/AIDS, Richard Brown, first visited the community of Makululu, Zambia in July 2004 he was introduced to a wonderful woman named Midia Mulenga.  Midia talked with Richard and shared with him her heart for the children of those suffering from HIV/AIDS.  Midia had the deepest concern for these children and especially for their future.  She had seen from experience that when people in Makululu passed away from AIDS, it was the children who were left behind with nothing.  If there was to be any hope for them at all, she knew that the children needed to continue in their education, but without finances the children could not afford the school fees and uniforms required to attend school.  Midia's fear hit close to home as she too was HIV positive and she too would one day be leaving her children behind.

Midia shared with Richard that she got together many women infected with HIV and began to talk with them about beginning their own school which did not require fees, or uniforms.  A school that would enable each of their children to continue in their education after they were gone.  30 women joined together to create a new school board, acquired a building for their children and began a school with 300 children.  The building was dark, with a leaky thatched roof.  There were not desks or books or pencils or pens.  The children sat on broken pieces of brick to keep them off of the dirt floor and away from the ants....and yet they all attended each day, eager to learn.

Richard Brown went away with a hope to appeal to Visionledd donors to construct a new bright, safe school for these very special children.  About one year later, a church team from West Side Kings Church in Calgary was in Zambia ready to help build such a school.  It wasn't long before attendance in this school began to grow and soon, more than 450 children attended this one room school house.  Of course they needed to hold classes in shifts in order to enable everyone to attend.  Half of the children would get up very early to go to school while others would stay very late.

Visionledd then received the funds to build another classroom with a kitchen this time which is used to run a feeding program for the children.  Now more than 750 children attend Bwafano School all because Midia Mulenga had a dream and did something about it.

WOW has been able to assist these children through our WOW Children's Christmas Program for the past two years.  Each year the children celebrate the birth of Jesus with a huge party filled with games, songs, poems and dancing.  They each receive a brand new uniform, hand made by the women in the community, as well as books, pencils, rulers and eraser and much more.

Midia Mulenga has now passed away but praise God she went with the assurance that her prayer for a free community school has been answered.  Thank you to all of you for bringing hope to the children of Makululu!