Recently Pastor Eric Mwambelo, director of Kabwe Home Base Care, a WOW strategic partner in Zambia, sent us this update for the community of Shamabanse.

Finally the long awaited construction of the third classroom at Shamabanse Community School began today.  When the truck carrying building materials rolled in, there was excitement and jubilation from the kids and teachers alike.  The kids stormed the truck and began to help off load building materials in keeping with community participation.

On behalf of the Shamabanse/Nakoli community I would like to say thank you to all the donors for the help you continue to render to the underprivileged in this part of the world.  Whatever you have done to the least of these you have done it unto the Lord.

The new classroom and the office should be completed in the next four weeks and this will give more learning space to the kids and the teachers will also work in a conducive atmosphere. 

Praise the Lord for all that He is doing in Shamabanse.

It is clear that God is active in the lives of the Shamabanse widows.30 women gather together 3 times a week from 8 am to 5 pm to encourage each other, study the bible and also work through their co-operative business of sewing, knitting and gardening. More than all this, the women gather to praise Jesus and celebrate what He is doing in their lives and of those orphaned and vulnerable children who surround them.

Recently WOW visited with these widows and together they shared these words spoken by Lina Kuyeli.

Shamabanse Widows, April 11, 2010.

We’re pleased and grateful to welcome our WOW visitors once more in our community. We wish to express your thanks for the knitting machine recently purchased through your donor funding. This machine is now in full operation, of which the women are now able to make both school and individual sweaters. We’ll also be making some baby wear such as small blankets, baby coats, head socks (caps) and scarves. 

There is yet another project taking place which involves the making of baby duvets, but we still need to continue making the same for adults. This can help us as we receive incentives from sewing these quilts and giving them to the orphaned and vulnerable children in our community. We are also grateful for all the good things done for us by your mission, Visionledd and WOW through Pastor Eric Mwembelo at Kabwe Home Based Care. As earlier mentioned, including the sewing machines and the school, Shamabanse Community School. Things were going to be impossible, as you’ve seen that your mission had really helped the widows to acquire knowledge and yet are using the same to transform their lives and the community at large.

The widows are humbly asking Visionledd and WOW to assist us to have our own shelter for meeting and working. As previously the group was sharing some classrooms with the pupils of which was becoming too much of an inconvenience for our school children, as the enrollment of pupils was increasing day by day. Due to lack of space the women have also experienced the long distance of walking from Shamabanse to Christian Care Centre (Pastor Eric’s church) where all these activities are being done.

The women have already looked for another land which is available just opposite the Shamabanse Community School. This place has an old church building, which would need to be torn down, but we have been given permission to build a new building on this property for our own use. A new building can be used for all of our existing activities but also can be used as a skills center for both carpentry and welding. The widows themselves can have enough time doing their projects because we would no longer be restricted with time. Also our friends, the Home Based Care volunteers can have a place to meet, since we all fall under the mother body Kabwe Home Based Care. If Visionledd and WOW can assist us with our shelter, the HBC can also benefit from the same.

The women are also in need of uniforms in order for us to look smart. This will give easy identification of our group in the community. It also carries information to the community on what is taking place around them and for us volunteers, ourselves, it shows love and unity that we’re one. 

We once more thank and praise you for the assistance given to us widows. May the good Lord bless you abundantly so that you continue helping the needy in society. 

This story says it all. Because of you, the love of God is apparent in the lives of these widows. Students are able to go to school with dignity as they wear the uniforms. They will be kept warm by the quilts made from patches donated by you (through WOW Patch Parties), they will be visited in their homes and watched over through Home Based Care volunteers and best of all they will experience God’s love in full. Because of you, partnership is at work and those in desperate need know they are not alone.

An update from Richard Brown directly from the field in Shamabanse, Zambia:

Yesterday I met with the WOW widows' group in Shamabanse. There was the usual beautiful singing of praises to God. They all had new shirts and stunning yellow & black chitenges. Their were testimonies of thanksgiving & then petitions for assistance to help make them self-sustaining. All flowed as it had several times before, then someone reminded us that their group of 30 widows had been reduced to 29 because of the death of one of their members. Many are HIV+.

Then Ruth Kamukwamba stood up & read the following scripture from Isaiah 54:4-7 "Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your Maker is your husband - the Lord Almighty is his name - the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. The Lord will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit - a wife who married young, only to be rejected," says your God. "For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back."

Ruth sat down, closed her Bible & began to weep, sobbing into her hands. Ruth was not only widowed but had lost her only child.

Unfortunately feelings of shame are often the experience of particularly the young widows. The prevalence & fearof AIDS further reduces futureprospects.

I reached down and gave Ruth a fatherly kiss on her forehead and prayed for hope & the fulfillment of God's promise in the scripture she had just read.

In May a team of 8 women from Canada visited the widows group in Shamabanse, near Kabwe, Zambia.  What a rich time of fellowship it was.  As is custom everywhere in Zambia, we the visitors were greeted with a very warm welcome of singing and dancing as the widows led us to their meeting place, the newly built Jasmine Basic School in the heart of Shamabanse.  Once inside we met each widow and also introduced ourselves.  One appointed widow has produced a hand written speech in which the group thanked WOW and it's donors for all it has done for them and the children of Shamabanse.  We were shown the sewing machines that had been purchased by WOW for the women and we even met the tailor that has been their teacher for the last year.  Finished school uniforms and other garments were hung on the wall for us to see.  As a treat each team member was paired up with a widow and together we worked on their current sewing project.  It was with some difficulty that we learnt how to keep the treadle sewing machines going at a constant speed.

The WOW team shared their personal testimonies about their walk with the Lord and then some of the widows also shared their stories.  Please read Ruth's story below:

My name is Ruth and I am 32 years old.  A few years ago my husband died and not long after that one of my children also passed away.  When my husband was alive we were fortunate enough to own a small house.  Life seemed to be going well until my husband fell ill.  It got so bad that I had to take him to the hospital.  I called my relatives asking for help but nothing happened, no one was willing to help with the hospital fees, or even for food for my children.  Then my husband died and as happens so often in Zambia, my husbands relatives all arrived and began going through our home dividing amongst themselves anything of value.  They even took my only means to secure an income, my sewing machine, and also my home.  My children and I were left with nothing.

 After that I cried out to God "You have taken my husband and my child.  It is too much!"  I was very distressed and became mentally ill.  I wandered the streets crying and talking to myself.  I was admitted to hospital for 3 months and I thought that my life was finished. Then I began to think that "Its not over until God says its over."  I thought of  the verse in Ecclesiastes that talks about everything having its own season. 

As I recovered I realized that I am now a Christian with a testimony.  I can testify of God's faithfulness to me when it seemed like the world had turned against me.  Now I am a part of this widows support group.  We meet for bible study and to encourage each other in our daily lives.  I also can sew again and with the group, make some money to help pay for food and school fees.  Thank you WOW for encouraging me and what you have provided for us.  Some people used to point fingers at us but not now!  May God bless you.

The team learnt a great deal about what it is like to live life as an African woman.  Near the end of our trip the widows spent the day teaching the WOW team how to make several authentic African dishes.  Vegetables were cleaned, peeled and chopped and each dish was cooked over it's own small fire.  Later everyone ate each of the dishes and a bond was established between the WOW team and the widows of Shamabanse.

Thank you to all the WOW donors who have helped to support these precious women as well as the children in Shamabanse.

Richard Brown, COO and International Director HIV/AIDS for Visionledd is currently in Kabwe, Zambia.  Today he visited the Shamabanse Community and writes the following update:

I met with Bertha Mulombwa who is a Shamabanse widow with 4 children aged 9-18. She lost her husband four years ago. She is the obvious leader of the 30 Shamabanse widows group who meet regulary for bible study and peer support and have for the past year been involved in a sewing income generating program. She was quite proud of the skirt she had made & was wearing. She went through the tailoring program that we sponsored all the widows to go through. Her group begins on Monday to make the next batch of school uniforms as an income generating  project from which they will make a small income from each uniform.

Today she buys & sells tomatoes to provide for her family.

When speaking on behalf of the group she said: "You have given us this beautiful school; you have given us the toilets we needed; you have given us fresh water for our homes & gardens and seeds to begin our crops. You have provided us with sewing machines and training and we are all very grateful to God and to you for your help. We would ask you for one more thing. Could you help us to get 3-4 knitting machines?  If you do this we will be self-sufficient and you can focus you help in other areas!"

They are quite excited about the WOW team visiting in May and are planning to teach them how to make several different African dishes including pumpkin leaves & caterpillars. They asked me if the women from the WOW team would like caterpillars. My first response was sure! Then I figured I shouldn't risk the ire of the WOW ladies and said maybe only a few would like to taste them. They are having a special meeting tomorrow to discuss menu items!

Great things are happening in the Shamabanse Community and so many are praising the Lord for His blessings.  Thank you for being a part of these blessings in Shamabanse.

The Shamabanse Community School will soon be completed!  All of the major jobs have been finished and while the school is breaking for the Christmas holidays volunteers and workers will be adding the finishing touches.  Please look for stories and pictures of the children enjoying their new school posted in January.

Lots has happened in the community of Shamabanse since June.  While the foundation was being dug for the Shamabanse Community School a borehole was being dug just several feet away.  This borehole will be used by the local villages surrounding the school and by the school children themselves.  The clean fresh water will save the children and villagers from many water borne diseases as well as reducing the amount of time women and children typically spend getting water.  The borehole will also be used to irrigate a community garden which will be located near the school and is essential for helping to mix the mortar and cement for the school.  The drilling of the well was an exciting time for the entire community and many people were there to see the fresh water gush up from underground.

The first classroom was built quickly with the help of many volunteers.  Below you can see the women carrying freshmade bricks to the foundation.  Funds for the second classroom have only arrived about a month ago and yet you can see that it is almost built up to the roof level.  It will be such a blessing to see the children in a school that has many bright windows and a solid roof that will not leak during the rainy season.

Pastor Eric Mwambelo oversees the building of Shamabanse Community School and sends this latest update:

The work at Shamabanse Community School is progressing well as can be seen in the photos despite the heavy down pours of the rains. The bricks to finish off the second classroom have already been moulded and construction has reached the ring beam stage. By now we should have completed if it was not for work stoppages due to the rains. Attendance at this school has improved and at moment the school has 150 kids and it is hoped that once the school re-opens in January 2009 the attendance will improve greatly due to the completion of the second classroom. In order to raise the standard at the school we are in the process of requesting the Government through Ministry of Education to second qualified teachers who will work alongside untrained volunteer teachers. When this is approved, it will create confidence in the parents and on the other hand it will be a motivation for all to bring their children to this school.

The widows supported by WOW in tailoring will also share the second classroom and it is hoped that once  funding is made available for school uniforms they will be made at Shamabanse Schools by the same widows. The income raised by these widows will go to support their families, the school and a certain amount will be kept for the purpose of maintaining the sewing machines. Through your funding we have managed to buy more sewing machines and as result we intend to enroll more widows bringing the number to about 60.

Thank you to the God Rocks community and Forest Grove Community Church for your prayers and partnership in this incredible project!

HIV/AIDS is a major national problem. According to the National AIDS Counsel, in 2004 figures showed that by the following year, 773,539 of Zambians will be reported with HIV/AIDS or TB, and this figure just keeps growing. The number infected probably does not depict the actual situation as these figures reflect only the record keeping that is taking place in health centres.

As a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic most of the children have been orphaned and made to be vulnerable after the death of their parents or guardians. For instance in Shamabanse, Nakoli and Mwalala, the estimated population is 17,000 and out of this 7,000 are estimated to be OVCs (orphaned and vulnerable children). In these three communities, there is no government school and the nearest government school is about 2 km away.

Most of the people here are very poor and earn less than a dollar per day. They depend on trading and piece work (hired labour) and as a result children are either forced into child labour, early marriage, prostitution or left to go into the streets to beg.

In order to arrest the situation it is important to build a school which is centrally and strategically located to service the three communities mentioned above. 

Praise God, earlier this year "God's Rocks" and Forest Grove Community Church have committed to building a new school in Shambanse and they have already begun to break ground!

Below is the latest update from Zambia:

“Th­e construction of the school in Shamabanse has commenced and work is progressing well as can be seen in the photos attached. All the building materials have been procured, the moulding of bricks is underway and the foundation box has reached an advanced stage. Community participation is excellent and there is a sense of ownership on the part of the community as they are participating in every decision we are making.” Pastor Eric Mwambelo, Kabwe Home Based Care

Last year WOW provided funds to begin a Poultry Project within the Shamabanse Community.  Home Based Care workers with Kabwe Home Based Care, a WOW partner in Kabwe, Zambia, appealed to WOW to help them begin an income generating activity that would help raise the funds needed to transport critically ill patience to hospital.  They had found a suitable building for raising chickens and immediately began to prayed about this new endeavour.  An appeal to our WOW donors quickly brought enough funds to help purchase 250 chickens as well as feed and feeding materials.  Home based care volunteers soon began selling the eggs to the people in the Shamabanse community as they made their daily walk out to their appointed home based care patients.  It wasn't long before the demand for eggs was greater then the output from their chickens!!

The Poultry Project also commits to giving one unit of eggs, (10 eggs) each month to orphaned and vulnerable children in their community.  One of these children is named Patience.  Her story has been recorded below by a home based care worker.  Please pray for Patience as she is quite ill with HIV/AIDS.  The addition of eggs to her diet is a great help to her since the medication that is used to treat HIV/AIDS patients requires a regular, healthy food intake for it to be effective.

Patience

My name is Patience.  I am 7 years old.  My father passed away when I was three years old, two years later my mother died also.  I was left with my grandmother who is also a widow with no means of generating income because of her old age.  I am one of the beneficiaries of Mapalo Home Based Care, (a WOW partner in Zambia).  I started grade 1 at a government school and as a time went by I stopped going to school because my grandmother could not afford to buy me a  uniform and books because she is looking after other orphans as well.  Since my parents died I have had no proper clothing and shoes.  When I am going to church I have to borrow shoes and a nice looking dress.  I feel bad for having lost my parents.  I cry day and night when I am sick because there is no one to take me to the clinic.  Each time I see my friends with parents and how they are dressed and what they are eating I remember mum and Dad in tears.  Thanks to Mapalo Home Based Care volunteers who identified me as an orphan in need.  When I grow up I want to be a Social Worker.  I am appealing for help to enable me to get back in school.

Patience is receiving some food supplements including eggs from a poultry farm that was started by volunteers within the community.

On February 14, 2008 Richard Brown, International Director for Visionledd, visited the WOW community of Shamabanse.  While there the widows group made a presentation to Richard Brown and his team, thanking them for the work that Visionledd and WOW are doing in their community. This group receives food supplements, phsyco-social support and income generating training in tailoring. Their speech reads as follows:

A speech from widows to our guests of honor:

This group of widows come from different churches.  I am standing on behalf of my fellow widows and would like to thank Visionledd and WOW for the tremendous help you have rendered to us as widows.  As widows it was not easy.  We had nothing to rely on.  We used to send our children for some piece work and selling of rape.  We thank Visionledd and WOW, who through Kabwe Home-based Care, sent us for training in psycho-social support.  We confess to our living God who has seen how we used to abuse our children (OVC's).  We thank God that we now know our rights and our children's rights. 

We thank Visionledd and WOW and know that you will sustain our families.  Our group consists of 30 widows.  We have 1 sewing machine serving 3 widows, again there is another group pending due to unlimited number of sewing machines.  We hope this will be taken into consideration by Visionledd and WOW.

As you have heard the group of widows comes from different churches, Roman Catholic, United Church of Zambia, United Gospel, Fine Baptist, and Pentecostal.  For support we ask you to give us more support, expecially in accomodation.  We wish you more blessing. 

Thank you,

Prepared by RDC Secretary, Bertha Mulombwa, in the widow's committee.