News

Ruth and Margret preparing peanut butter for Friday's lunch using a mortar and pestle. The women do it in style, singing as they do the work--very artistic!

Anne in the library getting work ready for her next class. She is a standby tutor, too. Her English is very good and she has been very helpful.

Schools will be closing soon, and end-of-year tests have begun at Twatemwa School here in Kantolomba. The students' schedule has changed, and they come to Living Compassion as early as 10:00 in the morning. We have changed our schedule in the library so that we accomodate as many students as we can.

Regina carrying a bucket of nshima to the dining hall.

Little Joe having his lunch. He is Natasha's son and is the second-born. He loves beans, and his mother tells us that it is his favourite dish.

Memory in class with her students giving a lesson on body parts. We have a big picture with parts like mouth, hand, cheek, head, elbow, toes, and fingers.

Ronika all grown up and looking cute, here with her friends after school.

Our usual cute faces of this week from Kantolomba. These little ones are in Malila's class.

Little Eneless, Florence's daughter, growing up so fast. Here she is on her brother's back just after she was fed by mum and had to go back home. Both boys and girls are taught at an early age to carry a baby strapped on their back.

The little ones sing in class along with their teacher in Beatrice's class.

There was dancing at Living Compassion on Wednesday as word went around that Mirriam and Silvia weere about to leave to go to Luanshya for school. Passersby stopped to see what was causing all the singing and ululating. Happy tears flowed on some of the team members' faces as a prayer was said for them, and hugs followed as the girls said goodbye to the team. We here at Living Compassion Kantolomba are so proud of our girls! We wish them all the best as they go to school and hope that they do their best. Theresa said, "My head was held high as I walked through Kantolomba today. People were complimenting us, saying this indeed is what an NGO should be doing, sustaining the lives of the people of the community. They said we not only feed the children, but we also send our girls to school." Thank you Living Compassion USA!

The girls take a goodbye photo with the team.

Mirriam and Silvia pose in their new coats outside their school in Luanshya. They looked so cute, and we are so proud of them!

Our little cute face of the week is little Oliver, who is in teacher Malila's class. He is four years old.

Natasha, a Grade Three student at Twatemwa Primary School, reciting a poem. She is going to present it in her class on Friday as part of the school's end-of-term celebration.

Veronica with the girls pose for a photo outside the school premises in Luanshya.

Some of the team members, very excited after saying goodbye to the girls.

The girls at the reception area of their school.

This is the school bus the students use when going for their outings.

Brenda in the kitchen area sorting eggs and making sure that they are not cracked. The eggs are boiled in a huge pot. Each child gets an egg with rice.

Our usual cute and beautiful faces of Kantolomba.

Our two girls Mirriam and Silvia helping the cooking staff give out the food to our little ones.

Meet Rapheal, a student in Veronica's class. He is one of the best in English and can read the little Jelita and Mulenga books that are in the Living Compassion library. He can also write his numbers well. He uses his left hand in writing and eating.

Silvia with some students. She plays with them, reads to them, and helps with their class work. The children love her so much.

We took a group photo before going to Luanshya. Silvia and Mirriam are going to college to pursue a nursing course, and the girls, two of their parents, and Memory and Theresa went to Luanshya to look for accomodation for the girls. The parents were so thankful to Living Compassion USA and Kantolomba for being there for the girls. It was exiciting and we had fun.

Josephine showing off the chitenge jacket she made for Theresa. She is becoming a better fashion designer each day.

Theresa carrying a bucket of nshima to the dining hall.

Little Emma enjoying his lunch. He was having rice with an egg.

Our little champion Borniface all joval and happy. He has the cutest smile and is also very funny.

Our two girls from Divine School, Loveness and Natasha. They are in Grade Nine and say that they will make it to Grade Ten. Years ago, Natasha did not like school. She would come to Living Compassion and ask for food and would be told to enroll in school first. One day she came with her mother and was enrolled in Charles's class. In Grade Six she went to Twatemwa School, wrote her Grade Seven exams, and then made it to Grade Eight. She says she loves school now and is going to work very hard. We call her our comedian because she loves joking, and at school she is in the Drama Club.

Malila and Mirriam. They are very close and are in the same class teaching the little ones. Malila says Mirriam is very good with them. After volunteering at Living Compassion, Malila is doing part-time training to become a teacher, and when she is here she shares the knowledge she is aquiring from her training.

Our team member Prisca showing off her chitenge outfit that Josephine made for her. So beautiful!

A mother from the Kantolomba community helping the health team visiting Living Compassion to give the polio vaccine to the little ones. Here she gives out vitamin tablets and deworming tablets.

Lining up for lunch, our little cute faces of Kantolomba for this week.

Theresa's namesake with her friend wait for lunch. Theresa is now in Grade Three at Twatemwa Primary School. She is the granddaughter of our team member Older Foster. Theresa is granddaughter number twelve. Our Older Foster has sixteen grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Susan and Onester. The two are best of friends. They are hanging out together while Susan waits for her friend to come out of school at Twatemwa.

Our little ones from Twatemwa School pose for a photo after lunch. They love to have their photo taken.

Younger Foster clearing cob webs. Cleaniness is a must at Living Compassion and the team makes sure that the building looks beautiful.

Jowen busy weeding. We are working on the lawn where the children play.

This was a happy day for the Mirriam and Silvia as they went for nursing interviews in Luanshya. The girls were in high spirits. This was just after the interview.

Regina and Audria carrying buckets of nshima to the dining hall.

The teachers helping out the kitchen team sort out beans. The weather is chilly and during break time they sit on the lawn to warm themselves in the sun.

Elias in the library taking charge. He loves being in the library. He takes time with his students, and the students love him so much.

Our usual cute faces of Kantolomba pose for a photo after they received their injection against polio.

This is Mirriam's mum. She was excited when she heard that Mirriam was heading out to Luanshya with Theresa to go and start the process of getting her into nursing school. She was so overjoyed that she had tears of joy as she came running to Living Compassion to wish her daughter a safe trip. She did a little dance and prayed for us as we started off. Theresa also shed a tear of joy.

See how fast they grow! This is little Eneless, Florence's baby, now seven months old. She is now able to sit on her own. She was brought to Living Compassion for a meal. So cute!

Enjoying his lunch, little Savior enjoys soya chunks with his nshima. He takes his time eating until he finishes all of it. He does not bring a lunch box with him, as he is an only child and has no sibling to share with.

Eugina and Veronica share a light moment. We are in the winter season and one has to wear warm clothing.

Silvia and Mirriam filling out some paper work at the nursing school in Luashya.

Martha Mwanza reading some of the homework that students from Twatemwa School had been given by their teachers. She helped these Grade One students with the work, and she was so excited that she is learning something by reading Grade One work.

Our usual cute and wonderful faces of Kantolomba.

Prisca pounding nuts in readiness for Friday's rice. She is using a mortar, which is common in many homes in the community. It's not only used for nuts but also for greens like cassava leaves and okra.

Rabecca, a twin. She and her sister are so identical you cannot tell the difference between them. Only their mum knows them well enough to tell them apart. Rabecca loves eating so much while her sister loves playing dressing up.

Meet the other twin, Karen. Don't they look alike? They are both in Malila's class here at Living Compassion.

Maureen and Victoria, both very familiar faces. Maureen is Brenda's daughter, and Victoria is Georgina's daughter. They are all grown and are now both in Grade Four at Twatemwa School. They like reading in the library.

Ronika with her friend after lunch.

The cold season is here and in order to keep warm, all sorts of clothing is put on to feel warm. Here, little Amos is wearing a very cute hat.

Brenda posing for a photo at the kitchen area.

Our boys from Twatemwa School ask for their photo to be taken. They have just been in the library and are now going to play football.

Here in Zambia we get a lot of exercise doing activities like cooking nshima, carrying water from one point to the other, going to the fields to cultivate crops, and walking long distances. This is our everyday life, particulary here in Kantolomba, and we are used to this because we live it from an early age. Here Zilo carries a 250-liter empty drum on her head without a problem.

This week's cute faces of Kantolomba. Lovely smiles and very healthy!

So cute, especially with the cap! With this cold weather, little Samuel's mum had to dress him so that he feels warm.

Mapalo with her freind wait for lunch patiently. They are in Grade Two at Twatemwa Primary School and are best friends.

Regina helping Euginia balance the huge pot on her head as they head to the wash area.

Meet Constance, our police constable who came out to Living Compassion on Saturday to do a career talk with our girls in the program. She is based at Twapia police station and is one of the youngest officers there. She took some time off from her busy schedule to talk to the girls upon request from Theresa. She grew up in Twapia and after finishing her course to become a police woman, she came back to serve her community.

Some of the girls pose for a photo on Saturday.

The girls with some teachers and Constance have a group photo taken after the Saturday meeting.

Elias doing some work before library time begins.

Foster cleaning one of the huge pots.

Jowen fetching water at the tap. She is a widow and mother of four. She has taken care of her children ever since her husband passed on six years ago. She is very thankful to Living Compassion for letting her continue volunteering in place of her husband. She has put all her children in school and when she got her roof loan she finished her house, which she is currently ocuppying. Her first-born daughter Karen is in Grade 9 this year in a private school that Living Compassion put her in, along with the other girls in the program. She says "THANK YOU SO MUCH TEAM" for being there for her.

The little ones in Memory's class busy writing on the floor.

A science lesson on the board in Veronica's class. This lesson is taught in Grade One, and at Living Compassion we prepare our young ones so that they are ready when they go to Grade One.

Thomas in class. His twin sister is in Grade One at Government School. He wishes to be a pilot when he grows up and his sister would love to become a doctor. The pair are very funny.

A huge pot of soya chunks cooking.

Silvia busy marking the little ones's books in Memory's class. She helps with classwork at Living Compassion.

Helping to mend the fence. Students from Charles's class, who are much older, give a hand at fence mending during their lunch break. For the boys this is like play time.

Charles and Elias mending the fence.

Regina preparing greens called Chinese cabbage. They are eaten with nshima.

Kitchen staff listening to Theresa give them a pep talk about making sure that the kitchen is one hundred percent clean every day and that the food is prepared on time and perfectly.

Remember this face? Yes, this is Joy (Dave). He is now a big boy doing Grade Six at Twatemwa Primary School here in Kantolomba. Not long ago he was a small boy, but time flies, and now he is all grown.

The little ones demonstrating as they sing "Heads and Shoulders, Knees and Toes," a very popular song in nursery schools here in Zambia. The little ones are so cute as they touch their heads and shoulders.

Monica in the kitchen preparing peanuts for Friday's lunch.

The team in red. This was a demonstration to see if the red t-shirt will look good for Friday's uniform. The t-shirts worn are white on Monday, yellow on Tuesday, green on Wednesday, blue on Thursday, and now, red on Friday.

Pauline in the kitchen stirring the thick porridge that makes nshima.

Martha and Charity sitting in the sun to warm themsleves. The weather has changed, and it is becoming chilly.

A cute face from last week that deserves a second viewing: the beautiful, healthy face of little Bornface.

Baby class in the library, singing along with the Genki songs on the computer.

Brenda fetching clean water from the Living Compassion tap for her home use. She is a mother of five and makes sure that her children drink clean water.

Silvia sitting on the veranda during break time. It was cold, and she is wrapped in a chitenge. She helps with teaching in Memory's class and also with the pods.

Audria weeding.

Our cute faces for this week from Kantolomba.