Twice Blessed

We have several sets of twins in our sponsorship program.  Here are 4 of the sets =)  Hamoonga twins above and Hakalima twins below.  The Hakalima twins are unsponsored.

Nyanwa twins above and Ngoma twins below

There is a new book that just came out.  I have not read it yet, but I will have to pick it up.  It's called "Twins in African and Diaspora Cultures: Double Trouble, Twice Blessed".  It is a look into how twins are regarded in several African communities.  If you read the book before me, let me know what you think...

Chores in Zambia- Doing Laundry

The girls in the family are the ones responsible for getting the clothes clean, too.  No washing machines here, unless you are speaking of the HUMAN washing machine.  If you have never washed clothes by hand, give it a try!  I lived in Mexico for a few months, and I was able to experience this first hand.  You need a wash board or other hard surface to scrub against.  If you decide to try it out, make sure you get all of the clothes that you usually wash and try to clean them all in a day.  Don't forget to hang them on the clothesline afterwards.  This will give you a whole new appreciation for your sponsor child and just how much they do for their families (in addition to going to school)!!  Incredible children!

Dancers

Here are the dancers and drummers together.  This is the Ayubu Kamau Kings & Queens African Dance.

African Drummers

I love this drumming/dancing group.  They always put on a good show.  My daughters and I saw them on Monday.  It makes me want to get on the stage and dance- Except, I am not that brave!  LOL!!

In Need of Product Donations

Here are some items that are needed on a regular basis that you can help with.  Ink is number one on the greatly needed wishlist.  The printer takes HP920 in black and the HP920 3pack color.  This ink is used to print the certificates that the children get showing that their school fees have been paid, to print their sponsorship ID cards, and to print the letter templates.  The letter templates are being printed here in the USA now.  This will help us make sure that there are many templates for the children to choose from and that they are always available to them to use.  The sponsorship IDs and certificates have always been printed here in the USA, so this is nothing new... However, we are in great need of ink.  If anyone would like to help fulfill this need, the ink can be purchased at many online retailers and shipped directly to us. 

Paper is, also, needed.  Heavy cardstock paper for the ID cards and certificates and regular paper for the letter templates.  These things can be bought at Sams Club online and usually ship for free.

Stamps- wow!  Always need stamps.  If you want to help with those, you can purchase them directly from usps.com and have them shipped here for only $1 for shipping. 

These are our regular- always needed supplies.  If you have extra supplies around the home or office that you do not need and were getting rid of, please consider checking if it is something we may need before trashing it.  Office supplies are needed here and in Zambia, and they are always appreciated.  Some office supplies that could be put to good use:

filing cabinet/ box filing system

mail sorter

staplers

staples

binder clips

paper clips

folders

envelopes

glue

tape

pencils

pens

colored pencils

Those are just a few of the things I can think of off of the top of my head.  Any supplies you would like to provide should be shipped to:

Mwana Hope Zambia

P O Box 847

Anna, TX 75409

USA

Thank you for all you do!!

Mutale Family Introduction

A post from Nicole N: I thought that I would share some things from Josephine Mutale's letter.  She is a bright and sweet young lady. I want to preface this letter by saying that I asked her to list 3 things that she really wanted or she really needed. I told her that I could not promise her that I could get them for her, but I would rather try to get her something that she needs or wants rather than just get stuff.. so her request is a specific response to my letter. This child has never asked me for anything. She has been very sweet and her letters are exceptional.. She may not have had a template to use to write, but I got a great letter. She tore a piece of paper from one of her notebooks.
It used to bother me that all of the sponsored children still called me "Sponsor", until a sponsor that sponsors a lot of kids and travels to see them regularly addressed this issue.  When someone stated that they had concerns about this, the other sponsor cleared this up by saying that the kids equate "sponsor" as a name of honor and distinction.. that it is a wonderful thing.. not an insult (not because they can not remember your name).. so keep that in mind as you read the letter.

"Dear Sponsor,

Greetings from all of us in the family. I was so happy when I received the letters you sent to me. We are all fine and in good health. I hope that you are fine together with Sarah.

In my area, most people are peasant farmers, they grow crops such as ground nuts, cassava, sorghum, maize. All these crops have been harvested. Sugar cane is grown in large scale by the Zambia Sugar Company along the Kafue River.  Maize is the staple food in my country.

I am very happy that you are concerned with my school ing.  I am in a primary school located far away from town and on a normal school day we start by sweeping the classroom and then the school surroundings. We go in our various classes after a Bible sharing at 0730 hrs.

I walk a distance of 3KM to get to school. We are many in my village who go to the same school.  On the way, we see fields, some goats, as well as fishermen.

In my school we learn the following subjects: maths, English, science, music, social studies, literacy, and religious studies. After class we do have sports and homework. Sometimes we are given story books to read at home, but there are not enough for every child in class" 

I would really love to have a bicycle and other school logistics(?)to help me in my school work. A ball would also be a good gift as we have started playing netball.

In my family we are five: my father is David, my mother is Cecilia and I have one elder brother, Mutale #1196 (photo not yet available) and my elder sister is Christine #465 (photo above).

 

Mutale is in form 4 at the boys school and Christine is in form 1 at the girls school May God always bless you. Josephine"

Happiness

“Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind rather than on outward circumstances.”

Benjamin Franklin

Animals of Zambia

Most people, when they think of Zambia, think of safari animals.  These are not the animals that you would see on a typical day in Zambia, unless, of course, you decide to be a tourist and go on a safari through the jungles of Africa.  The animals that the children of Mazabuka are used to seeing are the ones that are pictured above.  These animals are the ones you would see on a normal day- when not on safari.  All of these animals serve a purpose for the family (well, except for the turtle who is just fun to look at):

Goats, chickens, pigs, and cattle are very important to a family because they guarantee a family's wealth.  They can be used for bride wealth (dowry), can be sold for income, or can be slaughtered to feed the family if needed.

Cattle, also, help plow the fields.  Without them, it would take many long weeks of labor, and would probably mean that the children would need to stay home from school to help plow the fields.

Donkeys and Cattle help haul things- especially those things too heavy to haul in a wheelbarrow.

Dogs are there for protection.  It is there job to protect all of the living things on the compound and warn them of danger.

Chores in Zambia- Fetching Water

Fetching water is a typical chore for the young girls in the southern province.  It can take any where from a few minutes to over an hour- depending on how far away the water pump is from their home, and how much water they need to retrieve. 

Chores in Zambia- Food Preparation and Clean Up

Pounding the corn to make nshima

Cutting the food up

Cooking the food over an open fire

 

Washing the plates after dinner

These young ladies help their mothers, aunties, or caregivers prepare the meals for their families. 

By the way, did you know that is only costs $27 to provide your sponsor child's family with a Prima stove? We have had a few children get injured in the open fire that they currently cook on (Humphrey lost his hand and part of his arm, and could easily have lost his life if his mother hadn't found him in time- when he had a seizure and fell into the flames), so a small stove is very valuable to the families!

Feeding the Family

I just love these photos that the children have taken,  Don't you?!  In Mazabuka, most families cook on an open fire.  You can see Jordan in the top two photos getting the fire going for the meal.  I love the faces he is making in these photos.  What a character!! 

Meal time is a communal and social event.  If you look at the photo at the bottom, you will see a typical family sharing a meal together.  They are eating in the same hut they did the cooking in, and are sharing a plate of nshima.  These are the kinds of meals American families should be having together!  Most American families do not sit down to eat together but pick up a meal on the go- constantly running from place to place.  Imagine all that could be said and shared if we all sat down to share a meal together in a one room hut.  Love- all love =)

Preschool in Chalimbana

Chalimbana is home to many young children.  You will find several preschool children here.  These children are hungry for knowledge!!  A preschool was set up there to assist these children in getting an early start on education.  This is a dedicated bunch of children, as you can see by the picture above.  The one thing they lack that other preschools have is a school building.  When it rains, there are less children in class because the weather doesn't go well with an outdoor classroom.  They do have a temporary building, but the building is used for meetings and such as well.  If there is something else going on in the building, the children find a tree to sit under and then listen closely as the teacher teaches them the alphabet, numbers, etc.

Football in Zambia

Above, Evans and one of his friends kick the ball made of plastic and trash back and forth.  Below, Cacious kicks around a "hacky sack" sized football I sent him.

Football aka Soccer is the most popular sport for boys in Zambia.  You don't need much to have a soccer match- something round that you can kick and enough space to play... That is all that is necessary.  Bring it on!

The Elderly and Their Role

The elderly in Zambia are different from the elderly in the USA.  They do not have a monetary retirement plan, and do not look forward to a magical age when they will be able to stop working.  For the elderly in the southern province of Zambia, the work does not end!  Most of these families have been deeply impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.  The grandparents are left to raise their children's children.  They must cook, work in the fields, bathe and care for the children 24/7, and do not have a moment when there is nothing for them to do. 

Imagine doing all you are doing now when you are 70 years old.  I have aches and pains now at the age of  37, so I can not imagine what my body will feel like at 70.  Talk about strong women!!   You can help these women by becoming their friend and penpal.  We have a penpal program set up just to pamper these wonderful women!!  If you are interested in helping one or more of them, visit our yahoo group and look at the photo album for women.  We still have 20+ women waiting for a penpal.

A Place to Rest

This is a typical hut and bed for a child in the villages of Mazabuka.  The children have their own hut usually (kind of like having your own room) and they have a blanket on the floor.  Many sponsored children now have a cozy pillow to lay their head on thanks to their sponsors, and warm blankets to keep the cold air off of them- especially now while it is so cold in Zambia, this is extremely important!

Playground Games

Children the world over have always enjoyed "hide and seek".  Check out these cute preschool girls in Chalimbana hiding.  Dainess Mundia #862 is hiding with Ronah during recess at school.  Dainess does not have a sponsor, so if you would like to sponsor Dainess, visit our web-site and do a search by her ID number and click on "Sponsor Me!"  She could use a medical exam as she has a persistant cough.  www.mwanahopezambia.com

Need Windows on your House?

No sweat!  Just draw them on!  (see background)

Who Needs An Electric Company?

Wonder how the radios will get used when the families do not have access to traditional electricity?  Little did you know- WE (in the USA) are the ones behind the times!  Check out these solar panels!  These are readily available in Zambia. I am not sure how much each panel costs, but I am in awe of the ingenuity- I just had to share!  I need to see how I can get my hands on some panels myself and ditch my electric company!!  Imagine the savings!