Zambia

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• August 24, 2009

Chisasa Orphans

Orphans & Vulnerable Children,
Training / Education,
Evangelism / Church Planting

Partnership Overview

Gathering at Chisasa

History Of Partnership

At the end of 2005 BHW received an emergency call from one of our partners, Andy Patching from Isubilo in Zambia. He knew a person in Solwezi, Zambia who was caring for 60 orphans and vulnerable children. Joseph Kampelembi and his wife had been sending them to school but could not afford it for 2006. We therefore gave them the funds to get them going and asked them to make an application for the following year.

They did that and on the basis of the application and a further recommendation from Andy Patching we continued support into 2007 and 2008. In early 2008 the BHW Field Director visited the partnership, met the leadership team and heard the story. They also met many of the beneficiaries.

The current support is for the children going to school and there will be many more opportunities in the future.

Beneficiaries

The immediate beneficiaries are the 66 children who are enabled to go to school. Indirectly their guardians are benefiting also.

What We Like About The Partnership

There are a number of aspects we love about this:
- the passionate team of leaders
- the holistic nature of their understanding of ministry
- the integrated process they are developing
- the focus on wanting to develop a sustainable financial basis for their ministry

Relationship To Other Partnerships

Indirect to Isubilo (ZAM06) through the leader, Andy Patching

Key People

Leadership Profile

Mr and Mrs Kampelembi

The leader, Joseph Kampelembi, was born in 1953. When he was young he stayed with his aunt and went to the D R Congo (Zaire). He had an extremely violent upbringing, there was always fighting at home. For seven years at home he suffered abuse, neglect, lack of food and clothes. No one was taking care of him. He remembers being chased out into the street at times.

His uncle, who had a similar upbringing, took him on for a short time, but he started fighting like his parents. His aunty then took him back but it got to a point where they threatened to cut his fingers off to “take his power“.  When the other children were being fed, he could be sent away to do jobs, washing nappies etc, and by the time he got back all the food was gone and he would go hungry. When he was given clothes, he would be threatened not to damage them because he would get no more. When his clothes needed mending, he would try to fix them with wire.

Then he moved to Zambia, where he met a woman. They fell in love. He got married unusually, when he was poor. “I didn’t know why she married me, but she loved me.” They were married in 1970. They had their first born in 1971, but their first born died in 1978. Their first four children died. They were in ministry then. He lost both his parents, who were suffering together and he learnt all of those who loose parents or who divorce, all of them suffer.

He and his wife together saw a number of orphans. They bought shorts and dresses and gave them to the orphans. They came across one small child during a visit and then they went to collect the child. The parents said if this child died they would eat it because of malnutrition. They took the child to hospital for four days. God heard their prayers and the child survived. He is now completing grade 12, and they praise God for that. 

Now they have started with ministry they share all they have, they give their own children’s clothes to the ones in need. Gradually, they want to see these children on their own and coping well.

The church they were leading started caring for children and then it started spreading to other areas. We started visiting children. One day, they met Andy and Eira Patching. When he asked about our orphans work, I explained to him about it. He said we would work hand in hand and see what we can do. From then, Mr and Mrs patching were helping. They would give Christmas gifts and clothes. Because of the work we needed a school for children who wanted to learn, but there was little support. I talked to Patching, who gave some support and things started changing for the children.

The leadership team with Andy Patching

Other People Involved

There is a team of 11 people from various local churches on the committee, including the chairman and his wife, all who are part of the leadership team. We met the team and heard a little about each of them. The key people are Chairman: Joseph Kampelambi; Vice chairman: Jonathan Ikonu; Secretary: Elizabeth Makeche; Treasurer: Mary Wuyala.

Vision And Annual Strategy

There are a number of components to this partnership. The major part of the current partnership is the payment of school fees for 66 children. There are more than 100 children registered so the current budget is at the bottom end of the actual requirements.

They have about 24 hectares of fertile land to develop. On this they want to develop a nursery for preschool children, some income generation opportunities to support the discipleship training, continue the current training programme for 21 male students learning carpentry and to establish a training facility for girls and women and develop a boarding hostel for the children who come to school from a long distance. They already have a banana plantation and are developing gardens for growing vegetables.

The priority is to set up the income generation capacity with a grinding mill.

The local committee is made up of people from various churches. The children being supported are from about 15 churches from seven different denominations. They are from a wide catchment area, more than 70 kms apart.

Annual Budget

$US4,400 is the basic amount but in 2009 this needs to increase to $US6,600 as there are now 116 children needing to be cared for.  Currently this project is being financially supported from Canada.

Further components of income generation will be developed and new projects developed (ZAM26a, b and c). 
 

Personal Testimony 

This is a story about the recent situation, rather than that of a person. This gives an insight into the type of issues one faces in Africa when trying to establish ministry. This is written as a transcript of Kampelembi’s story told to us:

“About a year ago a well known Christian NGO (XY) found us and asked how we were managing. They asked about our vision, which is looking after children after school. They asked about our capacity to help with skills for sustainable living. So that’s how we started this vision we are carrying out. We wanted a banana plantation to sustain payment of fees, feeding the students, and pay instructors for the carpentry course. They provided one grinding mill, 12 pigs, some roofing sheets for a pig house, a fishing pond and fish.

Bananas for income generation

Then the devil came to destroy the good work. It was reported to the local chief that these things had been given to us and jealous people made mischief. Because protocol was not followed we were taken to court, where everything was taken from us. The chief took the pigs, the grinding mill and the roofing iron. It was very difficult for us (tearful pause). Our vision was shattered because what we had in mind was almost a reality, but the devil came and took it. According to what we had in mind, these things would have gone a long way.

But we are not tired; we raise our hands and are praying to God. We told Patching and he said, let’s pray. All that remains now are the fish ponds because they could not remove them."