Last Day to Order Livestock For the Year!

These are just 5 of the children that received livestock earlier this month. Now that we are getting close to the end of the year and the beginning of the rainy season is fast approaching, the last chance to order chickens for $7 each, goats for $25 each, or cattle for $150 each is today! As you can see by the pictures above, the animals are a huge hit with the children, and their parents appreciate the extra food it brings to the household. If you would like to order one of these animals to be delivered in November, send an e-mail to macandmic@gmail.com

Letters to their Potential Sponsors

Annety Chipuya #526 above and Purity Hasende #419 below

Both Annety and Purity were dressed to impress on picture day. Unfortunately, it is probably NOT because they were wearing their favorite dresses but that they were wearing their ONLY dresses. Like many children living on the bare minimum in Zambia, the clothes they receive are not new but rather tossed out clothes that have been salvaged and shipped in bulk to Africa. That is where a lot of used clothing goes. While here in the states, you can purchase used clothing, even then, there are many clothes that Goodwill and places such as that can not sell. In order to bring money in, they sell it in bulk and ship it out by the crates full to places like Zambia. In Zambia, one would purchase this clothing from someone local that goes door to door selling the clothes they have purchased in a bundle. It is a tricky business because a lot of times you can not tell what is wrapped up in the bundle to know if you will be able to make money by reselling the clothes. You take a chance, buy a bundle, and then, you get your items sold and hope to sell enough to make a living.

These beautiful girls both wrote letters to their potential sponsors. I want to share their letters with you because they took the time to fill out the long template and colored the picture on the side. They both express wanting to get letters from their sponsors.

For Annety, she writes that her favorite subject is English and her best friend is Josephine Chipuya. She wants to be a nun when she grows up. She says that she wants to learn a lot from her sponsor and hopes that they will keep communicating. She asks God to bless her sponsor.

For Purity, her favorite subject is math. Her best friend is Callen Chipuya. She wants to be a nurse so that she can help her mom and dad. She is an only child, and would like to hear from her sponsor.

If you would like to sponsor one of these girls, send an e-mail to macandmic@gmail.com

Did You Celebrate?

Did you celebrate Independence Day yesterday? We did!! Check out our Nshima and beef stew. Jaden and Morgan gave it two thumbs up! Nshima doesn't have much flavor, but when you dunk it into the juicy stew sauce and grab a chunk of meat- delectable!!

Happy Independence Day!!

Above is the CHZ US treasurer Sara with CHZ US president's daughter Jaden at the state fair in Dallas, TX

Above and below CHZ US president Heather and daughters Jaden and Morgan at a pumpkin patch and on a hay ride.

Here in the US, October means the beginning of Autumn and all of the festivals that go along with it. In Texas, we have the state fair full of rides, games, and anything else you could want to do. This year, the treasurer and president of our US group united in Dallas, TX to enjoy the entertainment that was as big as Texas! Of course, there are always pumpkin patches and fall festivals to go to in October as well. That is how many of us in the US celebrate October/the beginning of Autumn.

In Zambia, however, they celebrate something much bigger in October! On October 24th, 1964, Zambia became an independent nation. Therefore, this year, they will be celebrating 46 years of independence! It is amazing to think that they have only been a sovereign nation for 46 years!

What to celebrate Zambia's Independence Day? Why not fix a traditional Zambian meal of nshima and beef stew? Then, gather several of your friends and family members together to share a plate with you. You can not eat this meal alone nor can you have only one person to a plate. In order to celebrate it correctly and eat Zambian style, make sure you keep your silverware in your kitchen drawers. Wash your hands and gather in a circle (to make story telling and talking easier). Then, with your dominant hand (whichever hand you usually write with), grab a ball of hot nshima, dip it in the stew, and savor the delicious meal that will leave your tummy full for hours afterward.

To make Nshima, all you need is water, corn meal and a heat source (open fire or stove). Heat 4 cups of water until it is lukewarm (not boiling). Then, slowly stir in 1 cup of regular corn meal. Keep stirring so that it doesn't burn. Once it starts to boil, turn the heat down slightly. Cover the pan and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Remove the lid and add another 1 cup of corn meal. Stir the corn meal until you see it become smooth and thick. Then, turn off the heat, cover and let sit for about 5 minutes. Serve hot and fresh, as leftovers will not taste the same. This serves 4 people, so if you have more people planning to eat, double or triple the recipe accordingly.

Enjoy! If you decide to try this meal in celebration of Independence Day, send me your photos and thoughts on the meal to macandmic@gmail.com !

September 2010 Distribution Part 13- Secondary Children

Emmanuel above and Chamanga below

These two handsome young men missed my postings from a couple weeks ago, so I decided to give them the spotlight. With the fully sponsored secondary students in 9th grade really don't need a uniform at this point- Let's face it, they only have 3 more months of school, so it would seem like a waste to spend so much money on something like that. For that reason, those 9th grade students were given goats instead. I just love the brownish red one (such cute little horns)!

Meet Fanwell Kalinda

Chim wrote me about a child in dire need of help. His e-mail said: This video touches my heart. When we were getting to the community. While still in the car, I looked out the window and I could tell that the child was sick just by looking at him. I think this child needs immediate attention. His health is not looking good. When he saw us in the car, he came up to the car and followed us. I could see that the child needed help and was pleading with us non-verbally. We got out of the car to speak with him and get his video. and I really felt for the little boy. He is terminally ill and he needs support like yesterday!
The translation from Chim is as below:

I asked the lady in the video what her name was. She told me she was Patricia Moonde. The child in the video is the son to her cousin. I asked the child and he told me he was Fanwell Kalinda from Simwaba. The lady in the video is appealing for education support of the child including health. She told me that the child is in grade 2 at Simwaba basic school. The child has always had body pains and other complications. The boy explained about his health as the lady in the video did.

After hearing all of this from Chim, I knew I had to help Fanwell. I contacted my friend Mack and asked if she would be interested in sponsoring Fanwell with me. She jumped at the opportunity. Knowing that he is so sick, we have go to find a way to get him help immediately! While Fanwell is sponsored, we still have several children who are terminally ill and need a sponsor ASAP. Please look over the sponsorship pages and see if there is a child you can help. Then, send me an e-mail to macandmic@gmail.com to make sure the child is still available. Thanks!

Meet the Joseph Hakapwaya Family

Translation from Chim:
I asked the man what is his name was and he told me that he was Joseph Hakapwaya. I asked him if the children were in school and he told me that they were at CHILDHOPE established ECCDE centre. He is appealing for educational support for the children in terms of books, uniforms and shoes. Asked him the names of the children. He introduced them Janet Choongo and John Choongo. He told me that one of the little girl`s eye is small.

Letter Writing Experts

Hastone Mwiinga #106 above is the 1st born of 4 children. He wants to be a policeman when he grows up. He says he likes to play football with Webstar, and he is intelligent in class. He is hoping for a sponsor that can buy his school uniform (he does not have one), a bag, shoes and other "things you can feel".

Trywell Hamweemba #529 above writes that he lives with his grandfather. Because he does not have parents, there are not sufficient clothes for him and his 2 brothers and 3 sisters. He says that his grandfather does not know how to help him because he does not have parents to provide for them.

There is one new child that was recently featured in a video. I do not yet have his sponsorship photo, but you can see him on his video here:

http://childhopezambia.blogspot.com/2010/10/muntanga-family.html His name is Muntanga Munachoongo #1111. He wrote that he lives with his mom. His dad has passed away. There are 9 people in his family. He likes English, SDS, and Tonga.

These children above are children who have written letters to their potential sponsors. Their letters stood out to me because they took extra care to write a lot and color a picture. All of these children are looking for a sponsor that loves to write letters.

Great Letter Writers!!

Ackim Mwiinga below is still in preschool, but he is not too young to color and dictate what he wants to tell his sponsor. He has had adults write his letters on his behalf, and has written 3 letters so far! Ackim lives with his grandmother (according to his latest letter).

Joice Muloba above is still in preschool. She has colored a baboon on her latest letter. She has an adult that has helped her write 2 letters so far. She is NOW SPONSORED!!

These children are some of the letter-writing superstars!! As you can see, they have all written at least 2 letters each. All of the letters will be mailed to the sponsor as soon as they have one.

I have some children who have written one letter to their potential sponsors, but they have very moving letters and write a lot on the page. I will be posting about those children next. =)

2nd Letter Writing Session

The 2nd letter writing session is complete! These letters are better than the intro letters because the children have figured out what it means to be sponsored, and they have received gifts and letters from their sponsors. I noticed that if the sponsor sent the child stickers, some of the children used them to decorate their letters. I sent some coloring pages to some of my kids, and they returned them colored =) One sponsor requested that her sponsor child trace her foot and send it back, and that child did. This will help in the purchase of shoes. For those who are part of a group sponsorship, I am making copies of the letters. One sponsor will get the original and the other 1 or 2 sponsors will get copies.

I will be sorting through them and mailing them out starting tonight. You will start seeing letters in your mailboxes next week! Watch for messages from the yahoo group, and you will know exactly when your child's letter gets mailed.

Chimaama Family

Translation from Chim
I asked the lady in the video who the children she was with were. She told me that they were her children. The names of the children are Simon Kalinda (in yellow shirt), Natasha Matembo Hamzazila (pink shirt), Patrick Kalinda (blue shirt), Gerard Choongo (smallest baby in the arms of the girl with the striped shirt) She said she would appreciate to find someone who could help her children. She told me that the children needed education support such as shoes, books, paying for school fees and uniforms. These children are all sick, with the worst off being Natasha. Is you would like to sponsor one of these children, send an e-mail to macandmic@gmail.com

Muntanga Family

Translation by Chim
I asked the lady in the video who the children were. The names are Muntanga Munachonga, Joe Hamanjanja, Sunford Kanyama,and George Syabula The lady told me that of the four, two are her children while the other two remaining of her brother. Muntanga and Joe are her children. I asked the children what helped they needed in school and they told me that they needed school uniforms, books, shoes and paying for school fees. They introduced there names as did the mother. You can find all 4 boys in the primary boys page as Muntanga #1111, Joe #1112, Sunford #1113, and George 1114. If you would like to sponsor one of these boys who are all very sick, send an e-mail to macandmic@gmail.com

Meet Daglous Natala

Translation from Chim:
I asked the man what t is name was and he told me that he was Peter Natala from Naleza. He told me that the child goes to Naleza ECCDE center. Due to being unhealthy, the child rarely goes to school. He told me that the child in the video is his. He said the child coughs and fails to breath due to the cough he has. The father says he is appealing for support of this child in order to have good health and get the education required. He said he would appreciate someone who would also support the education of the child. If you would like to sponsor Daglous, send an e-mail to macandmic@gmail.com

Medical Exams 2010- Fall 2010 Part 5

This is a group picture of the children seen during the Fall 2010 Medical Exam Assembly. This is only 2/3 of the children, and even then, some of the children are hidden. I count 41 children in these pictures, but a total of 62 children were seen. You can see several of them holding their sodas- That goes along great with a medical assembly right? LOL! I know they enjoyed the sugary drinks, though!

Medical Exams 2010- Fall 2010 Part 4

Tebby sits with his mother as they speak with the person helping take the health records of the children.

Can you see the shade from the tree below? Everyone packed in close to share the shade and pass the time. This is like the waiting room at the doctor's office. =)

You can see by the picture right above that the children took their turns with the technician who was running the tests. They were, also, individually seen by the nurse, and that was a private session away from the crowd- because of the sensitivity of it. I am so happy that 62 children were seen! That means that 62 children are on their way to a healthier future!! Our next medical exam assembly can take place after we have sponsors commited to paying for at least 50 children. We currently have 196 children sponsored, so it shouldn't take long to reach the 50 child mark (since 134 of the children have not yet received an exam). It only costs $10 to provide the child with a medical exam!! If you would like to your sponsored child to be on the list for a medical exam, send an e-mail to macandmic@gmail.com Payment for the winter medical exams will be due by 11/10/10 (November 10th).

Medical Exams- Fall 2010 Part 3

These are the pictures of the lab technician conducting the testing for Malaria, HIV, and a urialysis. They are using the forms provided by Cindy! The results will be sent to the sponsors and will help with the children's treatment. It was great news to hear that all of the children were free of malaria!! Now, if we can keep them under their mosquito nets at night fo only $6 a net, they should stay that way! Thanks for helping these wonderful children!!

Medical Exams- Fall 2010 Part 2

This is the male nurse that did the medical exams of the children. You should be able to tell what he is saying, here is a summary:
The first day, they examined 36 children, and the additional 26 children were examined the next day. For those children needing drugs, prescriptions were written and the children will be able to go to the health centers to pick up the medicine they need.
This is helping the community to detect these health problems in the children as many tests were done including a urinalysis, malaria test, and HIV test. None of the children were found to be malaria positive,but quite a few with urinary tract infections. For those with the urinary tract infections, they will collect prescriptions for the treatment of the infections from the health center.
The actual health reports will be sent to the sponsors as they are received.
One last note on this is that for some reason many of the children came without their parents. Because of this, their reports are not as complete as they could be as the children did not know the answers to all of the health questions. For sure, the communities will be advised that the parent or guardian needs to accompany the child to these medical exam assemblies. This will allow us to have a more thorough report. Thank you, sponsors for your continued support of these children!!! You have made a BIG difference in their lives in such a short time!

Medical Exams- Fall 2010 Part 1

There were a total of 62 children seen for our first ever medical exam assembly last week. It took two days for all of the exams to be completed and these were the children that were checked:

10 Ashes Munyumbwe
54 Prity Mulinga
55 Salafina Madybi
58 Chilala Hichoonga
62 Virginia Milambo
66 Thandiwe Chiwena
70 Matron Moonga
77 Frank Njovu
83 Mike Chilala
91 Astridah Cheelo
92 Chinyama Hamooya
93 Naomi Mweemba
103 Felistus Sichibbka
142 Beene Hamooya
143 Jean Kadyalisi
144 Alex Mapulanga
150 Emeldah Moonga
159 Dabson Kapoba
160 Tebby Muloba
162 Kenneth Moonga
163 Muntinta Hakalima
164 Suzan Hakalima
202 Charles Kalalu
247 Lotia Sichaaya
259 Verian Moonga
273 Floriana Lwiinda
299 Davy Shadiya
302 Hanatonga Malambo
315 Grace Banda
381 Jordan Mwiinga
401 Purity Nyaanwa
449 Chipo Nzala
453 Kelvin Meja
462 Melody Habasimbi
523 Gladness Chipuya
527 Bisiku Mizinga
574 Francis Kasongo
635 Inonge Simmenda
657 Leonard Hachoilala
661 Dorcas Mwiinga
760 Elizabeth Buumba
826 Peggy Himunzya
859 Stella Mupapula
902 Beene Halubobya Ukeria
904 Safe Choongo
922 Oliver Munangandu
943 Dailes Mupapula
1019 Lucia Moonga
1029 Tubi Cheelo
1049 Mutinta Halubala
1050 Onest Mazuba
1056 Nachiyoba Hakasenge
1059 Private Mambo
1063 Cathreen Mweemba
1065 Muchale Mulube
1068 Harviness Moonga
1070 Loveness Mweemba Cheelo
1071 Loveness Mwiinga
1074 Joe Madyabi
1075 Matinda Ngoma
1076 Jesper Moonga
1081 Janet Choongo

Not in attendance: 315 Grace Banda, 1069 Clever Mweemba, 1073 Chishia Mwiinga

Chim and the rest of the Zambia team purchased drinks and biscuits for the children to eat while they went through the whole process. These pictures above are the children eating their snacks. More medical exam news coming up soon!!

Private receiving his goat

In this video,the mother to Private Mambo was thanking the CHILDHOPE and the sponsors for the donation of the goat and bringing development in the community. She thanked the CHILDHOPE sponsors for helping the children in communities.

*Watch the goat, he really wants to get away and roam around!

Astridah and her grandmother

Translation from Chim:
Astridah is saying she is praying that someone will help her build a more stable house. The rainy season is around the corner. The grandmother in the video is emphasizing that the house Astridah lives in needs brick and iron sheets. The grandmother fears that when the heavy rains begin the house the girl sleeps in may descend on her.
The grandmother was pointing at the structure. She that she hopes that the sponsor will continue helping this girl since she has no mother and father to help her. As much as Astridah's grandmother wants to help her, she is too old to do much. The grandmother says may God bless the people that are helping Astridah and other children in communities. She says she has grown old and she has no means of helping her grandchildren, so she is extremely grateful for the help.
Special extra note from Chim:
The grandmother is thankful for the support given to Astridah including health support. She says,there is great improvement in Astridah`s health from the time she started being sponsored. You have put a smile on Astridah`s face. For the first time, I could hear Astridah`s voice on the video. (when she wasn't able to hear, she was not talking)

Food at Distribution September 2010 Part 5

Food at Distribution September 2010 Part 4

Food at Distribution September 2010 Part 3

Food at Distribution September 2010 Part 2

Food at Distribution September 2010 Part 1

Thank you for helping us!

September 2010 Distribution Part 12- Group Photos

These are the group photos of all of the sponsored children together that were at September distribution. Imagine how many people must have been there when you include the family members that came with each child!

Mrs. Mweemba's bike Part 3

Mrs. Mweemba is dancing and singing saying that we have given her legs. She says she will be able to go to church, attend meetings etc. She also wishes us, the American/International team and the sponsors/donors more of God`s blessings. She says when she dies, she would like to be buried with the bicycle wheel.

Mrs. Mweemba's bike Part 2

Translation from Chim
She says she is so grateful for the donation. She says tell Meghan that she is so grateful for the donation. She says she has been unable to walk. Meghan, who has purchased the bicycle for her has given her legs. She says she will be able to do a lot of things using the bicycle. She says she is very grateful. CHILDHOPE has brought a lot of development in communities. She said that Heather should shake hands on behalf of Mrs.Mweemba with Meghan and tell them how grateful she is for the bike. She appealed to CHILDHOPE and the sponsors/donors to continue with its good works.

Mrs. Mweemba's bike Part 1

We received a generous donation from Meghan who wanted to provide a bike for Mrs. Mweemba. Mrs. Mweemba did not know the bike was coming. When Chim and team took the bicycle to Mrs. Mweemba, it was a very big surprise. When they told her that somebody purchased a bicycle for her in line with the first video of appeal. She really thanked God for the donation. She could not believe that the bicycle was her. She started rolling on the ground as a sign of appreciation. Thanks to the sponsors for touching lives!!

September 2010 Distribution Part 11- Food

We actually did not raise enough money to feed everyone at distribution. There were so many children and their families. We sent a total of $105.75. To compare, the distribution before that, we sent $235. The amount was quite small, as you can see, and we had more than double the amount of children. We did not have enough money- not even close. However, the CHILDHOPE staff put in their money to make sure that everyone would get a bite to eat. I really hope we will have enough funds at this next distribution because it there will be around 100 sponsored children there plus their families!

September 2010 Distribution Part 10- Extras

Elizabeth above and Margret below

Pretty above and Salafina below

Chilala above and Astridah below

Felistus above and Mainza below

Purity above and Ivin below

Jannet above and Kelvin Mejia below

Richard above and Vivian below

Leonard above and Kasamba below (Kasamba's uniform fits this time)

Mediness above and Mutinta below

Chinyama below