We are about to launch the next Bridge Walk campaign and thought it would be appropriate to reflect on the transformation that has happened in Kantolomba since its inception.
The first trip to Kantolomba took place in July 2005. The team wrote a daily blog, documenting what was happening on the ground. The post July 24 began with this statement:
“This is the day we asked Theresa how we could make a difference.”
Here is a brief excerpt from that post:
After lunch at the house, we took all the kids and picked up Brother John’s sister Theresa. We were headed to visit the area where the Kapendas grew up, Kantolomba, one of the poorest communities in Ndola. It was truly sobering to see firsthand the conditions of dire poverty there—no running water or electricity, pigs rooting through garbage heaps and open sewers.
At one point we turned to Theresa and asked her if she could do one thing to make a difference in this community what would she do. She responded without hesitation that she would begin a program to provide meals for the children in the neighborhood.
Eighteen years later, this is the difference:
The Living Compassion property in Kantolomba provides a safe, beautiful space for the children and the community to come to daily, including a kitchen, dining room, schoolroom, library, and a clean-water well.
A thousand children are fed daily on the property – a dream launched with meals for 25 children from Theresa’s home.
The Living Compassion cooperative now comprises more than 35 women and men local to Kantolomba who maintain the property, prepare the daily meals, manage the finances, and support each other and the community.
A preschool program has been started for the youngest children, providing them a foundation to succeed in their education and begin to speak English, which is critical to their future.
Our girls program has funded the education of the most vulnerable children, girls, whose futures previously were limited to teenage marriage and pregnancy and whose education ended often by Grade 7 or earlier. Over half of our girls have passed Grade 7, with several reaching Grade 12 and six advancing to college.
A roof loan program allows the community to weather the rains, and a business loan program helps participants create healthy and sustainable sources of income.
A pilot employment program provides training and education for our girls in building their own small businesses to achieve financial independence.
We look forward to sharing more as we come together for our first Bridge Walk season in several years. Stay tuned – you don’t want to miss it!
Gasshō,
Sreedevi