Zamcog Newsletter Winter 09

Zamcog Newsletter Winter 2009 Seven years ago Shitima School was a hope and a dream that began with eight street boys and four girls from the impoverished compounds of Makalulu in Kabwe, Zambia. Today the school is comprised of two hundred and forty boys and girls, the majority being orphans from the streets and children from desitute families. Our children’s tenacity, perseverance and hope never cease to amaze me. These children have taken the opportunity that they have been given and embraced it wholeheartedly. In short they have been given a future. Without Shitima School this would never have happened. To arrive at Shitima and to see their laughter, the excitement, and the trust that pervades in each child makes me feel so grateful to the people that have helped to provide this incredible gift. A mere “thank you” to all these people seems like such empty words in comparison to the contribution that has been given to change so many lives, and to ensure so many futures, but thank you, from not only myself and the incredible team of volunteers who are Zamcog, but from the children whose lives you have altered. Julie Anne Uggla Founder Zamcog

Vanessa

Jackson

Meet Vanessa, one of our newest additions to the Shitima

By the end of this year, we will have our first Grade 12

family. When you hear her story, you know that all

graduate!

the time and money spent at Shitima School is so well worth it. Vanessa had been living with her parents and

Jackson was one of our very first Shitima students, back

going to school. While she was poor, her family was not

before we had even one classroom and were trying to

destitute – there was food on the table and money for

educate a dozen children in a garage. When he reached

school fees, etc.

high school, Zamcog provided funding for Jackson’s school fees at Kabwe High School as Shitima was still only a primary school at the time.

Unfortunately, her parents both died in the past year, leaving her an orphan. She went

His high school marks have been excellent and we are confident that he will be going

to live with an aunt and that was when the trouble began. As happens all too often

to university in a year where he wishes to study engineering. He wants to earn enough

to orphans taken in by a relative, the aunt expected her to earn her keep. Usually this

money to help the underprivileged in Makululu, to buy a house and a car and to visit his

means dropping out of school to care for younger cousins or being hired out as a cleaner.

sponsor family in England. Jackson maintains close ties with Shitima and can often be

But in Vanessa’s case, as a beautiful 16 year old, what her aunt had in mind was much

found there in the evenings and on weekends. He is a great role model for the younger

worse. She expected Vanessa to prostitute herself. Rather than degrade herself in that

students.

way, Vanessa ran away. Our social worker, Mercy Mwanachingwala, found her living in a phone booth and brought her to Shitima where she is now happily ensconced in Grade 8

A recent highlight for Jackson was a trip to Lusaka to buy eyeglasses. His eyesight was

and living in the Girls’ House.

tested a few months ago and he knew he needed glasses, but there is no optometrist in Kabwe so he had to wait for the trip to Lusaka to be fitted for his glasses. He is so happy

Since Vanessa came to school with only the clothes on her back, the other girls had been

now that he can see the blackboard at school with ease!

lending her things until the seamstress could at least make her a school uniform. When Zamcog members arrived in Kabwe with bags of used clothing and Vanessa was able to

We are so proud of Jackson and are looking forward to more of our students going on to

pick out two shirts, a pair of slacks, a light jacket and some flip flops, the smile on her face

university over the next few years. School fees for university are approximately $2,000/

said it all.

year, plus we will need to provide a stipend for living expenses. We will be looking for sponsors for each of these students, so please be generous!

Vanessa and others like her are the hope for Zambia’s future! These children don’t want to live on the streets and beg – they are often escaping situations that, believe it or not, are far worse alternatives.

Parent Teacher Association One of the exciting new things at Shitima School is the revitalization of the Parent Teacher Association, which should probably be called the GPTA – Grand Parent Teacher Association. As you know, many of our students have been orphaned and some live with other relatives. We have had a group of mostly grandparents and a few parents, who have helped out at the school on projects from time to time. This has been formalized into a PTA, with several committees formed, including Kitchen, Security, Building, and Hygiene. These committees are becoming actively involved in the management of the school. For example, the Kitchen Committee has recently met with the cooks to revise the menu, making the food more nutritious and pleasing to the children. They have provided Zamcog with a new monthly budget for food and have taken the initiative to go out and negotiate contracts with suppliers of our staples – like rice, beans, maize meal, etc. They have also worked with the students and gardeners to expand the gardens significantly. As a result, we have not had to buy vegetables in 2 months – we are providing our own needs! The Security Committee is working on getting a quote to build a small guard hut by our main gate so that we can station a guard there 24 hours a day. Most likely, we will buy the materials and the PTA will find volunteers to actually build it. It is exciting to see the grandparents and parents get involved in the school and make it their own.

Maize meal is cooked into nshima, the stiff porridge that is Zambia’s staple food. The PTA Kitchen Committee oversees the management of Shitima’s dining hall.

Mrs Agnella Kabinda came to Shitima School in February 2009 as head matron of the newly opened girls’ residence.

A Home of Their Own With the opening of a new residence for girls, 2009 has seen a major expansion in Shitima School’s provision for vulnerable children. Constructed through the generosity of Zamcog donors, the girls’ hall includes a spacious dormitory for up to thirty girls, a recreation room equipped with TV and DVD player, and ample washroom facilities. Two matrons’ flats adjoin the dormitory so that adult supervision is ensured around the clock. Twenty-eight young women now live in the residence. Most are single or double orphans. Before coming to Shitima, all of these girls lacked a safe and secure home environment to shield them from abuse, exploitation or neglect. The residence operates under the capable supervision of Mrs Agnella Kabinda, a retired schoolteacher and widow. Mrs Kabinda brings to her role as head matron the understanding heart of a grandmother and the disciplined focus of an experienced teacher. She ensures that each resident with a significant health problem is maintained on a special nutritional regimen. Under her supervision, the girls’ residence and garden are kept spotlessly clean and beautified with flowers and plants. The girls’ residence has quickly become what it was meant to be: not short-term accommodation for boarding students, but a safe and happy home for young women at risk.

Shitima’s New Leadership Mrs Violet Nyirenda has been named Head Teacher of Shitima School by Kabwe’s District Education Board Secretary. Mrs Nyirenda previously served as Headmistress of a primary school in Makalulu compound, one of Zambia’s largest slums. She brings to Shitima School long experience working with orphans and children from very poor families. An active member of Sacred Heart Church in Kabwe, she is committed to an educational ethos of compassion for young people and faith in their capacity to learn and grow. As Head Teacher, Mrs Nyirenda serves as the educational leader of the school community. She works in partnership with Brother George Poirier, a Brother of the Sacred Heart who was recently appointed as Shitima’s estate manager. A native of the United States, Br George has lived his entire adult life in Zambia as a teacher and manager of agricultural development projects. Coinciding with the appointments of Mrs Nyirenda and Br George was the announcement by the District Education Board that Shitima School has been named a grant-aided school. As a result, Shitima will have teachers on state salary assigned directly to it. Although the government will provide no funding for the school’s dining hall or the care of the resident orphans, gaining recognition as a “gazetted school” is a step forward in Shitima’s progression as a recognised school of excellence for vulnerable children.

Zamcog Enduro Africa Enduro Africa is one of the world’s most sought after and successful motorcycle events and it is a massive fundraiser for various good causes operating across the continent.

The event happens between 27th August – 5th September 2010 and involves 5 days of tough off road riding in one of the continents most incredible and challenging landscapes, the Wild Coast of South Africa, the event costs £4,995 and is fully supported by a world class team.

The aim of Zamcog’s Enduro Africa is to raise at least £100,000 for the valuable work that the charity are doing in Zambia. By joining us on the event you will be helping to save the

If you like making a difference to the lives of others, meeting like minded people

lives of some of Africa’s most vulnerable children.

and challenging yourself, visit www.zamcog.org.uk/enduroafrica