News

We start with our cute face of the week. Stanley Kunda is in the class taught by Teachers Memory and Onesta here at Living Compassion. He is 4 years old and he likes school. He is the son of our very own Living Compassion security guard. Here he is playing with a toy he made himself. He was proud to show it off!

Some time back, a group of our young women got some training in local tree planting. We were hoping they were going to be part of a new government program where young people were going to be part of large-scale tree planting initiatives. Unfortunately, those programs have been put on hold. But the good news is that we still have several of the little trees, and they are growing!

Look at this beauty!

And here is a sweet, little one growing between two larger trees. We are happy to be caring for our trees while the U.S. team cares for theirs!

It’s hot now and our water company's water level is becoming low. Here, cooperative member Susan is carrying clean water from Living Compassion for consumption at her home.

And here is Mary doing the same. Mary is our very own Margaret Chisenga’s daughter and took her mother’s place in the coop when Margaret retired.

The whole Living Compassion community gathered as we buried our friend and colleague.

He was loved by so many in the community.

The cooperative members in our white shirts and matching blue chitenge gathered around the gravesite. Many in the community tell us that it is at times like this that they see what a family the Living Compassion project is.

Peter’s daughter Esther has taken her father’s place in the cooperative. She and her brother Goliath are now the heads of their household, as their mother passed away a couple of years ago. It was a poignant moment for us a week or so later when Goliath came to Living Compassion to help his sister carry the bags of mealie meal.

Mealie meal day is quite a joyous occasion every month. Each cooperative member receives two bags of mealie meal to ensure that their family has plenty to eat. Here, cooperative member Zilo (left) and her relative Queen carry the bags. Queen is from a village in Zambia's Eastern Province.

Charity says thank you for the bags of mealie meal. She says it is such a gift not to have to struggle at home.

Our cute face for this week is Justina Kangwa. Justina is 12 years old and is in Grade 5 at Twatemwa primary school. She often comes to Living Compassion to play. SO CUTE!

Here Justina is playing with the little ones. She is very good about looking after the smaller children.

Students eating together. In our culture, eating together and sharing food is a symbol of love and unity that is taught at an early age.

We were so pleased to learn of a new government program that is bringing a truck around to various community schools to teach young children about computers.

Here are some of our children who attend the local government school, getting to use the mini computer. They had so much fun. The best part for us was knowing they can relax and learn because their little bellies are full!

Plaiting hair is a business for many in the community and also a lovely way to sit and spend time together. Here Christine Kalenga is plaiting Malila’s hair.

Natasha sweeping. She is the mother of Edna, our Grade 7 graduate in our previous post. We take great pride in having our entire surroundings clean.

Rechel, one of our nursing graduates, and Chola, retired coop member Regina’s daughter, help each other carry a bucket of water. It’s all about teamwork at Living Compassion!

Blessings, member of the bakery department, gives a big smile as she fetches water.

Freshly baked scones being sold. Yum!

Memory helps out with a bakery customer.

A clean environment is very important here at Living Compassion, and everyone participates in cleaning. Here, Karen helps Onesta clean the baby class before the little ones come in for school.

We’re not the only ones who enjoy spending time at Living Compassion. Chickens from around the community come to spend some time in the wonderful shade that all our trees provide.

Edna (front) and Mercy (second from right), with some of their classmates from outside Kantolomba.

Esther with her very proud mum, Living Compassion co-op member Zilo.

Left to right: Mercy, Esther, Karen, Edna, Cynthia (from outside Kantolomba), Joyce.

Edna and Mercy with Edna’s mum, Living Compassion co-op member Natasha. We seem to have caught Mercy in a tired moment after a big day of festivities!

A group photo at the end of a very special day. We boarded the bus and all headed home together, happy and proud!

Here are Karen Banda, Mercy Bwalya, Joyce Kazembe, and Edna Phiri a couple of weeks ago, looking so tailored and smart in their uniforms after returning from school. In Zambia many schools have their graduation ceremony before the national exams take place. These girls are taking their exams this week and we wish them all the best!

Mercy Bwalya won the Most Improved Student Award. We were all SO proud of her!

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One of our cute family groups: eldest sister Marian (left), younger sister Cheri (right), and and their baby brother Chikote.

Coop member Mirriam Sibale’s sixth daughter, Esnart, doing her morning house chores. Esnart is 13 years old and is in Grade Seven at Twatemwa Primary School.

This is Solomon Banda, the uncle to Esther Banda, one of the young women in our micro business program. Solomon has been making reed mats for quite some time. He is very creative and happy about his talent. He normally goes in the field to sell his reed mats to sustain his living. He lives here in Kantolomba and is the father of four, all of whom are in the Living Compassion nutrition program.

This is Karen N’gandwe, the first-born daughter to coop member Jowan and the late Reuben, who was also a coop member. Karen is in the Girls Program and just wrote her GCE exams (post-Grade-12 examinations). Now she is waiting for her results to know the way forward. The results are likely to come out this month.

Some of the team members pose for a photo.

Here is Onesta. She’s the one whose mum died recently and left a baby brother, Comfort. She’s saying "Thank you!" for the bags of mealie meal which are going to help her and her family. Comfort spends his days at Living Companion, too, being passed to many caring arms.

A couple of very cute faces to end our post! Here are Maxwell and Stanley at their home here in Kantolomba. They are the sons of our security guard, Jackson Kunda, and siblings to Christin Kunda, who is in the Girls Program.

Perhaps you remember Onesta? Her mum died recently and she was left as the sole caregiver to her young siblings, including a baby brother. We, the Living Compassion team, stepped in to provide childcare during the day so Onesta can continue to participate in the micro business program. She also now receives extra mealie meal, like all the cooperative members, to make sure she and her siblings have enough to eat at home. Here she is smiling to say thank you so much, Team, for showing her that she is not alone in this world to take care of her family. On her back is her baby brother.

Here he is!

And speaking of cute babies, here we are on a Tuesday call with the U.S. team with a visitor--Cheri’s son came with his mum to be with us. He is a very a cute baby who takes after both his mum and his grandmother, Josephine.

Here is coop member Jacqueline caring for another member’s baby at Living Compassion. All the babies are welcome, as we have a lot of hands and hearts to take care of them!

Now it’s Docus’s turn.

The delivery of our mealie meal is always a big event.

Malila and Doris share a light moment early one morning after cleaning before classes.

Many community members come to fetch water for their households from the Living Compassion tap.

Here is Elizabeth helping care for the Living Compassion compound.

Charity is helping, too.

Auntie Jowan cleaning the surroundings. This time of year it’s windy and a lot of leaves are falling.

Benadette picking up leaves.

Sometimes it is cold in the morning and the team sits in the sun when not working. Here some of the team members warm themselves and chat.

Audria working to clear some of the land.

Rachel showing off one of our locally made brooms.

Susan and Charity picking out the larger clumps of charcoal that can be reused.

Elizabeth smiles for the camera while working.

Rachel and Natasha are good friends and enjoy working together.

Docus is a happy mother of three and a very cheerful member of the team.

Malila organizing the blankets for viewing after they arrived.

Pauline showing off some of the blankets.

Pauline chose this one for herself.

Many cooperative memebers wanted to purchase a blanket!

We were so happy with the quality of the blankets.

Dancing and ululating was the order of the day. Susan, Pauline, and Brenda were so excited about their new blankets.

Susan, wrapped in her blankets, dances as Brenda sings along.

Other community members came to see the blankets as well.

Memory making sure to record everything in the little notebook that will hold the record of people paying for their blankets over time. Each person will be able to pay at a rate that works for them.