News and Updates
November 2008
Life can be tough, but there is hope...
Innocent and Abishai, two of our Grade 8 pupils, lost their mother a few months ago. They now had no one to care for them and their landlord wanted them out of their house in two weeks. What was going to happen to them? I sat with their family relatives as they discussed who would look after the two boys - how sad it was for them. Haggai, their eldest brother agreed to travel over 200 km to Ndola to care for them, there was no hesitation in his voice as he offered, he and his wife, two year old son and baby only two weeks old, would move home. Yet there was no job on offer, no house for them, but they were willing to come. Meanwhile the boys stayed temporarily at our Centre. As they walked through the gates with all their possessions in one small plastic bag, tears were in my eyes. I thought of all the things we have here back in UK, clothes surplus to our needs, furniture and ornaments surplus to our needs.. Yet these boys had nothing apart from the clothes they were wearing and a few extra in a small bag. They had no bed mattress, no bed sheets, pillows etc. It was heartbreaking to see.
We bought a bed mattress, some bedsheets and a blanket for them and over the next few weeks, they settled very well with us. Our headteacher, Chance showed love to them as his own children, Chileshe our new caretaker became their new friend, Veronica, our Cook/Cleaner who lives in our Caretaker's accommodation, let them sleep in her living room.
We decided to build a house so that Haggai can live there with his family who now include Innocent and Abishai. Haggai went to stay with his sister whilst we put plans into action. But sadly his sister turned him away after two weeks, saying "he was in the way". How tough life is sometimes .. And so Haggai came to stay at our Centre, sleeping on the floor. We bought a bed mattress for him too.
Innocent and Abishai are starting to smile again, and it is a smile from their hearts, a joy to see and a joy to know them. They are two very special boys to us now, and Haggai is working as a Handyman at our Centre
The Kitchen is finished!.....
Five Volunteers from UK, Vicky, Laura, Ed, Zanda and Roger came as part of our first sponsored challenge to paint one of the classrooms and the kitchen. We were quite anxious that the building work would not be completed in time, due to many delays - but they finally finished the day before our Volunteers arrived! Their comments say it all:,
"It was a privilege to be invited to visit the school and share a few days working and playing games with the incredibly enthusiastic children. I was very moved to witness so much happiness among those living in such abject poverty. The whole trip proved to be a very humbling but thoroughly rewarding experience. I can't wait to go again!"
"Going to Zambia and working at the school certainly was a challenge, but a thoroughly enjoyable one. I would recommend an experience like this to anyone who wants to learn about other cultures, learn about themselves and give something back to a community which needs support."
" The experience was absolutely amazing, to see the smiles on the children's faces and the dedication of the staff. and the safari afterwards was incredible!"
The painting may have been hard, especially to complete in three days, but it was worth it, and then the added pleasure of playing football or frisbee with the children afterwards. They then traveled down to the Lower Zambezi for two days relaxation before returning to UK.
Would you like to come to Zambia and make a difference?
This was our first sponsored challenge and a huge success. We are planning to repeat the same challenge in September next year - if you are interested or know of anyone who would like to come next year, please let me know. It was not just painting the classrooms that has helped, the money the group raised as part of their sponsorship has enabled us to pay for some of the kitchen building costs, but it was also the impact on the group member's lives and they brought joy to the children and clothes which we distributed to those destitute.
Take up this challenge and you can make a difference to their lives as well as a life changing experience for yourself!
Photos of their lives ..
One of the Volunteers asked some of the pupils in Grade 7 to take photos - the theme was "their life". These children had never used a camera in their life, did not know about the rules of photography, yet the results were amazing. These photos are to be displayed in Rochester Cathedral from Monday 20 to 31 October 2008 - do take an opportunity to go and see them.
We are also looking for sponsorship fees for our pupils to go on to Government school - it costs approx £100 per child. We already have 40 pupils with a further 20 expected from our Grade 7 pupils who are taking their government exam in November. Please help them.
Thank you
June 2008
Life is so short...What is it all about?
A question we often ask when things are difficult for us. Ruth, mother of two of our pupils, fell very sick some weeks ago. She became so weak that she had difficulty sitting, no appetite and not even drinking enough water. As I sat in her house, I wondered if she would survive more than a few days. She cried on my shoulder, "I am worried about my boys, who will look after them when I am gone" It was heartbreaking to see.
Her boys, Innocent and Abishai are now in Grade 8 at Government school, sponsored by Hands of Compassion. They work hard and have already attained good marks in the first tests this year at school. But I could see the anguish in their faces, worried about their mother. They return home from school, but there is no food ready for them. They go into the field and manage to find some pumpkin leaves to bring back and cook. Life is tough - they have to survive.
We managed to get Ruth to the Clinic and after seeing the doctor, she is now on ART medication. I bought some milk for her and encouraged her to eat a little vegetables. Gradually she has responded to the medication and is now getting stronger.
After note: Ruth sadly became very ill again. She died in July.
Sad News - loss of our caretaker, Luka
Sadly, Luka suddenly collapsed early one morning. We rushed him to hospital but he later died from a massive stroke the same day. It was a great shock to us all, Luka had seemed fine the day before, laughing and joking as he went about his work. The pupils were equally upset, Luka was a great friend to us all. He and his wife Veronica lived on our premises.
As part of the Zambian tradition, friends came to see the widow and pay their respects. As I sat in the room, sharing in people's grief, I heard in the distance, the sound of beautiful singing. About twenty five of our pupils came towards the house, singing Christian songs. They had walked round the community with a large bowl, asking for contributions of mealy meal which they now carried to give to Veronica and family as an offering. Tears were in my eyes as I watched, I was so proud of them, because they had done this on their own, without being instructed in any way. Two days later, we had a service in the Anglican church in Chipulukusu, attended by hundreds of people and later we moved on to the cemetery for the burial.
I had known Luka for nearly four years when he first came to work at the Centre. He was always hard working and a joy to have on the staff. We will miss him. Veronica, his wife works with us as Assistant Caretaker.
The School
The pupils returned from Easter break, excited and eager to come to school. We welcomed a new teacher, Paul Kambole, who is currently doing teachers training course by distance learning and will qualify in December. Paul had spent a few years teaching at another community school and has already demonstrated good teaching skills. Because of the large numbers of children, we have had to divide grade 4 into two streams, thus creating a need for more text books. At present we only have 1 pupil book per class throughout the whole school. It means the teacher has to write everything from the pupil book onto the blackboard.
We need to buy 10 pupil books per subject, per grade, ie 350 books at a cost of approximately £5 per book. If this was possible, then only 4 children would share one book. Please can you help by giving a donation to buy some pupil books?
At last, the Kitchen is becoming real !
As soon as the rains had gone away, work began on digging the foundation for building the kitchen. Unfortunately cement was in such short supply and being sold at very high prices. However after much persuasion and numerous trips to the cement factory, we were successful and started - the kitchen is now taking shape and nearly complete!
February 2008
There was a mighty crash of thunder and lightening followed by heavy lashing of rain, as many children ran to the gate of Hands of Compassion to come into school. The road was just a mud slide, water was not draining away easily, They had already got wet from overnight where the roofs of their houses leaked. The small bowls did not always catch the water dripping through. Their clothes were not only torn, but wet through and yet they laughed and shouted in excitement as Delicious opened the gate and welcomed them into school.
I was sheltering on the school verandah at the time, watching as they ran in, wondering how can they survive? We complain here in England if it rains too much, yet we have the comfort of shelter in our homes, raincoats, umbrellas, etc for our protection.
Torrents of water later cascaded down the road, it looked like the Zambezi river, dragging with it litter and garbage that had been just left around. The ducks were happy, merrily quacking, hens scruttled across to gather their brood of chickens together. Many hundreds of homes have collapsed as a result of the heavy rains this season, with people left to stay with their neighbour for temporary shelter. The charcoal sellers plodded on, pushing their bicycles already over laden with bags of charcoal - they still have to walk back to their homes in the bush which could be as much as 20 kilometres away.
And so, the children settled at their desks, eager for another day to learn and forget the rain heavily pounding on the roof.
We were delighted to learn that 24 of our Grade 7 pupils passed the Government examination and therefore we will sponsor them onto Grades 8 - 12 at Government school. 3 of them gained such high marks that they will transfer immediately to High school, rather than initially attending Basic school.
Precious was one of those who will be going to High School. Yet the day before she sat the examination, her mother died in hospital. Now she, at the age of 15 years, is being looked after by her sister who already has 5 other children to care for. Life is tough for her, she sleeps on a mattress on the floor with the other children, they share a bed sheet. We hope that Precious will succeed
Carpentry
Our Carpentry workshop was completed in December and now our older boy pupils are being taught carpentry as part of their school programme. This will help them gain a skill, enabling them to become self sufficient after leaving our school
Hands of Compassion in UK
Hands of Compassion Charitable Foundation is to be officially launched on 18 June 2008 with a service of thanksgiving, attended by our Patron, The Right Rev. Dr Brian Castle, Bishop of Tonbridge.
Making a difference to their lives ......
With your help, we can continue to provide education and support to these children who otherwise would be facing a life of destitution. You would be part of giving them renewed hope and a chance to improve the quality of their lives.
How you can help, for example..
- £20 per month will provide lunch for 5 pupils
- £35 per month will pay one teacher's salary
- £100 will sponsor a child onto Grade 8 to 12 at Government school.
Please help - even a small amount can make a difference to their lives... Thank you.
Wendy Ely
Director
