News

The team weeding. The rains are almost gone and winter is kicking in.

Students from Veronica's class reading. Reading has become the most liked subject here since the library was stocked with new books.

Susan and Mary enjoying sugar cane, which is in season now.

The iPad is the latest learning tool here and Ann is one of the Teachers that has been trained to use it. Here she is with Patrick, a Grade 1 student learning the alphabet.

Charles in the library preparing work for extra lessons.

Students from Susan and Joy's class line up for lunch in the new dining hall.

Here they are--the cute and healthy faces of Kantolomba!

It's lunch time and little Rebbecca enjoys her meal.

Baby class listening to the Genki lesson in Joy and Susan's class.

Little Samson Phiri smiles.

Monica and Bennadete pose for a photo after extra lessons.

Christin sorting the beans.

Mary waiting for her friends in class.

Growing up! Some students from Veronica's class.

Reading in the library.

Writing in Malila's class.

Little Rhoyda carries her leftover food on her head.

Students listening to Ann as she explains.

Pauline sorting the eggs.

Martha enjoying avocado which is in season at the property.

Some of our cute faces of Kantolomba.

Some students from Teacher Beatrice's class in the library to do Genki lessons on the computer. As they wait, they look at the picture books.

The girls reading with Memory. The pods have started working and we are enjoying every minute of it.

The word of the day has been assigned to Josephine. She writes it on the blackboard each day and goes around asking the staff members and the students.

Little Innocent, so proud of himself, just wrote the number 3 on the board in Ethel's class.

Monica reading with Memory before going to school.

Margret and Angela, our two aging mothers, proudly have their photo taken. They are saying that they are ready to retire in June this year. The staff members are planning a little surprise party for them.

Grade One students in the library listening to a Genki lesson on the computer.

A concerned parent who has a son in Veronica's class came to the property for the parents meeting and was told that her son was not very good in numbers. She sat down in class to the amusement of the other students and helped her son.

Another of the many cute and healthy faces of Kantolomba.

Peter says he has learned a lot from being here at Living Compassion. He can do simple repairs around the property.

Josephine in class with some students using the Magic Pen and Book as students call it.

Time to eat. The children know that they have to line up and wash their hands.

Grade Eight and Nine students do their homework at the property. They are helped by the teachers.

Posing for a photo. Abraham wants to become a pilot when he grows up. He is in Grade One.

Reading in the library.

Christin, who is in Ethel's class, has started learning how to write the numbers 1 and 2. She would rather sit on the floor than on her desk, as she says that way she is able to write properly. Hmmm.

Shoes, shoes. The little ones take off their shoes when going into the computer room because they have to sit on the carpet in order to participate in Genki lessons.

The baby class is fun to be with. It reminds me of when I was young, though in those days things where different. Here they listen to Teacher Joy, who is operating the computer and explaining a Genki lesson.

Marian with her little baby brother Peace going home after having lunch. Marian had nshima, while Peace had milk.

Baby Peace growing so fast and cute.

Bright poses for a photo. He is so naughty and always asks for a photo when he sees you.

Little Sydney was a student in Ethel's class last year. This year he is a Grade 1 student at Government School. He is one of the youngest picked from the many students taking the qualifying test conducted at Government School.

Grade 7 students who are in the Girls Program pose for a photo outside the library.

In Veronica's class busy writing, little Christabel could not go Government School because her grandma could not afford the school fees. She is back at Living Compassion and in class.

Remember Jane? She is now all grown up and in Grade Four at Government School. She was one of the first students that started with Sister Phil's Genki program that is still in place at Living Compassion.

Josephine in the library going through a maths book. She is back after going on maternity leave.

Thomas smiles for the camera. So cute!

The twins Rhoda and Charles enjoy playing around the property. Their parents are both HIV positive and follow the proper medical process. These two are both negative and they get all the care and love from other family members because their parents shared the news with the family. This is not very common in Zambia. The community applauded them for the bold step they took.

Little Nora, who is in Teacher Ethel's class, just learned how to hold a pencil. Here she is trying to write the number 3.

The girls in the program this Saturday had a wonderful time with Aunty Martha. The girls, especially the ones in Grade 9 to Grade 12, asked a lot of questions on careers. Martha promised to come with her two daughters, Kambole and Jesse, when they are off work. Kambole is now a lawyer and Jesse is a banker.

Chilambwe and her friend pose for a photo after reading in the library.

A cute face of Kantolomba looking healthy and clean. This is one of the very many children in the program here at Living Compassion.

Martha addressing the girls in the program.

Joy using the puppets in telling a story to the little ones. This is one of the methods of teaching that is used here at Living Compassion.

Making sure that the beans are cleaned properly. The women take time sorting in readiness for the next day's relish, which is prepared with nshima.

Play and dancing time. The boys doing a dance called Ichikokoshi. Very funny indeed!

Little Mailes fetching clean water from the Living Compassion tap at the property. This rainy season, people have been asked to boil their drinking water that the local company is providing, as the water is not safe. The folks of Kantolomba are lucky to be able to get clean water at Living Compassion.

Eugenia, who has been feeling sick for some time, is now back at the property and doing well. Here she is smiling as she does the dishes.

Elias clearing the lawn.

Beatrice busy marking her students' work.

A wire car is a precious toy to a boy in Kantolomba. It does not matter the model as long as it has four wheels made from bottle tops and some wires. One is able to drive it around the compound like little Moses, who is envied by his friends.

Blessing Kabwe, one of the girls in the program who is now going to Grade Eight at Lubuto Basic school. She came over to the property wearing her uniform to show us that her parents have bought her everything. The only thing remaining are the school fees. Out of the Grade Seven students in the program that sat for exams, she scored the highest. We say congratulations, little Blessing!

Learning in Veronica's class. Little Pascal uses the big blackboard ruler to point at what he is reading to his friends.

Government schools have opened and as usual the teachers are not ready to teach yet. The students in the program are coming in to Living Compassion and sitting with the teachers to read in the library according to grade. Here some students are reading.

Margret busy with stirring the nshima. Very good exercise for the ladies!

Final touches to the newly renovated building. We added a coat of washable paint, which has made the property look more elegant. TEAMWORK YEAH!

Little Samuel showing off his lost tooth. Here in Zambia, when one loses a baby tooth, they are asked to find a piece of charcoal, put it together with the tooth, and throw it where the sun rises for good luck.

It's time to go home. The little ones with their leftover lunch packs ready to say bye. But before they go they ask for their photo to be taken.

Veronica, a proud teacher, poses for a photo with her 2016 students who have gone to Grade One this year at Government School. We only pray that they continue and keep up being good students as they were here at Living Compassion. We will continue to give them extra lessons so that they do not forget the Genki English.

A cute face of Living Compassion Kantolomba.

Susan, one the twins and now a Grade Nine student at Twatemwa School in Kantolomba, helping her mother Martha Mwanza with the veggies for supper. Susan was saying that in Grade Nine she is finding the subjects hard, especially English. We assured her that she will get all the help she needs with her classwork from the teachers or me. We are glad that she opened up to us this way, as we can help her now that we know where to start.

The teachers help in clearing the surroundings when they are not in class. The spirit of working together.

Our very own students who were in Veronica's class are going to Grade One at Government School this year. Here Patrick and Esnart looking so cute in their new uniforms.

Braving the cold rainy weather, the little ones come to the property for classes.

Pauline making sure that the eggs bought are not cracked before they are put away for storage.

Karen is going to Grade 8 at Twatemwa Basic School. She is so happy that she made it to the next level. Congratulations!

Proudly telling me that he is now going into Grade 4, little Matthew is very happy going into a new grade. He came out number two in last term's test at school.

Anna and Brenda looking at old photos of the Team during cleaning day.

Little Ronica poses for a photo.

Ann, Bernadette's sister, is very appreciative of what Living Compassion has done for her family this past year. She talked about her sister, who has been sick for some time now and is still in the village. She has been able to take care of her sister's children and has experienced the family love here at Living Compassion. She says thank you so much to all.

Veronica, our accountant, busy counting the Kwacha.

We had a meeting to discuss what we had done the past year. Here Martha contributes her observations.

Peter pointing out one major issue on the carpentry side which will be worked on this January, filling in the top part of the walls.

Month-end stipend time. Peter and Charles wait patiently for their turn.

Micheal, Joan's son, trying to fly a kite in the rain. Still a baby!

Washing up--the ladies doing the dishes.

Some of the Girls Team saying "Happy New Year" to all.

The Team in a end of year meeting after which we had an end of year lunch. We had fun.

As usual, cute faces of Kantolomba.

Lameck, a Grade 6 student at Government School and in the Living Compassion family, picks some guava fruit that is in season.

Younger Foster saying "Happy New Year" to all the Living Compassion team members in the USA.

Little Eva, Veronica's grandchild, plays Ichiyenga. Children of all ages like to hang around the property and play.

On Christmas Day the students at Living Compassion had rice and egg for lunch. It was a treat for them and many of them wanted their photo taken. Boniface and sister Mary show off their lunch boxes as if saying "thank you Aunt T."

The Team doing some cleaning. They say cleanliness is next to Godliness. The rains are here and some parts of the country are experiencing outbreaks of cholera.

A parent, Joyce Banda, came out to the property to volunteer her time. After work she posed for a photo with her son Lameck. She is living with HIV. Luckily, Lameck is negative.

"Happy New Year" says little Tandie and Ester, cute faces of Kantolomba.

Cute little David, a student in Ethel's class, is a shy boy in class as well as at home.

Little Bwalya looking so beautiful as she always does at home and in class.

Our very own Blessing, who is in the Girls Program, came running to the property when she got her Grade 7 results. She made it to Grade 8! We all congratulated her.