This is Christopher Makwangula in grade one. He is an orphan and stays with his aunt. Christopher walks five kilometers each way to and from school.
Malambo Grassroots has been working with the St Vincent de Paul School in Monze. In 2011 we raised funds to cover the school’s “wish list” of needs:
* a desktop computer
*a pardin pot (for cooking school lunches)
*a printer
*chitenge material for income-generating crafts ( the children and Sister Lontia make shopping bags which they sell)
*wool for a school craft program
* book shelves for their new library.
Many of the students come from child-headed households, often because their parents have died of AIDS. Other students come from families that cannot afford to pay for basics.
The head of St Vincent De Paul is the very motivated and inspiring Sr. Lontia. She recently sent us some photos of a few students, which we’ve posted here.
Our long term goal is to raise funds for scholarships for these children who are highly motivated to go as far as they can educationally. The further we can assist them in this dream, the more they will be able to build their futures.
This is Maureen and Teresa. Maureen is in the red skirt and Teresa is in the blue skirt. Maureen is from a poor family whereas Teresa is an orphan. Teresa is epileptic and constantly gets attacks. She tries to take care of herself by taking the medicine at the right time. Teresa is in grade 4 and Maureen is in Grade 6.
This is Rachael Muleya. She is in Grade 6. She loves school so much that she cycles 40km every day, carrying her young sister on the bicycle. The parents are not in favor of their schooling, but the girls have just stuck to what they believe and have continued coming to school.
Children enjoying lunch after school