We had quite a treat today.
One of our main goals for this trip is to document some of the amazing work that is happening in Kantolomba. We want all of you to experience it as close to first-hand as possible. We also want to acknowledge to the team in Kantolomba what a long way they have come in such a short time. So, we had arranged today to walk around the compound with the team and take individual photos of each woman and her family who received a roof loan. In the course of the tour, as you will see, we realized that these would be more appropriately called “home improvement loans” rather than roof loans. What has transpired is extraordinary.
We started with Anne's house. We were told it was the custom for us to go in each house for a brief visit. We admired the beautiful, simple doors of Anne's renovated home.
Next to Foster's house. She is the caretaker for many grandchildren and expressed her deep gratitude for being able to house them without worry of her home collapsing around them.
It was interesting to see how the houses highlight the various economic stages of each family. You can see here that Veronica's house is quite large and made from burnt brick, instead of the unfired brick used for most houses in Kantolomba. Theresa explained that Veronica has a husband who was able to contribute something, and their loan was used to expand their home as well as put on a new roof.
On the other end of the spectrum is Nellie, pictured here in front of the house she just bought. She has never owned her own home (always rented) and used her loan to buy a small home and begin improving it. Over time as she saves funds, she will put on a better roof and expand to have more rooms. It is clear that Nellie is very happy to finally have her own home. In fact, when offered the chance to move into one of the houses on the Living Compassion property (that has electricity!) as a caretaker, she turned it down saying she only just moved into her new house and would like to stay there.
Georgina already had a home, but her family had far outgrown it. They used their loan to expand it and will buy roofing sheets as they save money. Theresa said the good thing is that each woman received the same amount (2,500,000 Kwacha--about $735) and made her own decisions about how best to use that money. She says each woman is very pleased with what they now have.
Regina's house is up on the hill and has a beautiful view of the compound below. Long-time blog readers will remember Regina as the widow with nine children whom we met when she had a terribly infected wound on her leg preventing her from doing her only income-generating activity of collecting wood from the bush and making it into charcoal. As soon as we met her we arranged for her to go to the clinic in town every day for 6 months to have the wound cleaned and attended to. Theresa says Regina had just about given up on life before we came across her. That is so hard to believe now as she is a vibrant addition to the team--always a smile on her face and willing to pitch in wherever help is needed.
Regina and her two grown sons. It was a no small feat to get the men to smile, but we did it!
It was fun to see how simple, utilitarian items were used to add to the aesthetic of the interiors. Here Angela is dancing inside her home as she shows us around. Did we mention that they were singing songs of gratitude during the entire 2-hour tour?!
Each house had special touches, something distinctive the women had added. We loved the beautiful, simple, wooden-framed windows on Martha's new home. Moving day was Monday for Martha and her family (the day after the tour). Their excitement was palpable.
Beatrice was another who has a husband able to contribute something. The interior of their newly renovated home is comfortable and large. The framed photos on the wall are a clear sign of the family's relative prosperity.
And then to Pauline's who, like Nellie, has never owned her own home. Again, she has plans to improve her new house little by little as she saves funds.
Here Pauline is with her new baby--Baby Theresa--named after OUR Theresa Kapenda. How fun is that?!
As soon as we were ready to leave Pauline's house, Baby Theresa was handed off to one of Pauline's older daughters.
Eugenia's house was barely recognizable from the last time we were there. We had visited her home a year ago to see the new solar panel she and her husband had bought after saving tiny bits of their monthly salary. Here Eugenia and her husband pose in their living room.
You may also remember that Eugenia is the mother of Melody, the young girl who was so sick with abdominal tuberculosis two summers ago, one of the first Living Compassion medical program beneficiaries. She is pictured here with her parents--"very healthy," Theresa reports.
Sophiya is pictured here with her children (not all of them were there). You can imagine she is thrilled to have a clean, safe home for them.
Next to Charles's house, our first male Living Compassion employee. He is the only male roof loan recipient as he was the only man who was working with us when the loan program first started. As he posed in front of his new home, the women teased him that he has too many children.
We passed by Beauty's house, though she was not with us. She and her husband are still in Lusaka at their son's bedside after the bus accident. We went inside the house with Theresa to sit for a few minutes. When someone has died (they lost their grandson in the accident) it is customary for friends and family to come in the house and sit for a few minutes to pay their respects. Aside from the women who are living in the house on the Living Compassion property, Beauty is the only one who has electricity. This opens many business opportunities. Here is a sign that hangs on the side of their home advertising cold Coke and ice as well as a cell phone charging service. Oh the things we take for granted!
Here is Josephine, Christopher, Marian, Baby Cheri, and two of the three relatives Josephine and Christopher have taken in. We never cease to marvel at the generosity in African culture. Now that their house is secure and a bit larger, Josephine and Christopher have brought relatives in from rural areas to live with them and go to school.
And then to Violet's renovated home. Violet is famous in Living Compassion for her beautiful teeth. When we met her she had one tooth and asked for help. She now has a shiny set of dentures, and her cohorts never miss an opportunity to make her smile and show them off!
As we returned to the property, we visited each of the women who live in the houses in the Living Compassion compound. Here is Mabel inside her living room.
Brenda benefits from living in one of the larger houses as she has many children. Not one of them could be found for the photo since they had all followed us around on the tour and stopped at various friends' houses.
And last but not least, the caretaker's wife was very excited to have her photo taken outside the main building where they occupy two rooms as their living quarters.
It was a wonderful tour indeed. Imagine our delight at having it punctuated by coming across this very fun game of pool!