Report from BHW Zambia Partnership Facilitators

Key Person: Doris Nkasu

Recent Events

Discipleship Programme

20 ladies are meeting regularly at Doris' place to work through the book called “Knowing and Doing”. 

A lady, Peggy, comments to Doris that she is so thankful for this programme as it has meant she can now make more sense of life as she reads the bible. She used to think that it was just another book but now after learning about it being God's word, she can understand God's ways and improve her life. She can now start to teach others in her family. She mentions Psalm 119:15 “I will meditate on your precepts and think about your ways”. 

Farming Programme

Last August Doris and a lady Jennifer went to Mukushi Zambia for a refresher in Foundation for Farming. They met up with several other Bright Hope World partners who also attended the training. Some new techniques and discussion around composting were the highlights for Doris on this trip.

She ran another training for 15 people in February, a time when people are able to see the fields growing well. She also keeps in touch with other previously trained people, like Juliet Kunda whose story is attached. A total of US$465 was sent to run this training programme.

Harvest will happen in June and Doris will send through those results, but she says the season is looking very promising for people. 

Cassava

Some better seed sticks were sourced from Peter Bobo in Chaba two years ago, ones that mature in just one year instead of three years, meaning a much better source of food. Cassava is not something that is used much in the area where Patience Child Care is but given its resistance to drought Doris is keen to try and teach people to help with food security issues.

So far, they have just been using the sticks they got as a nursery and are hoping to have enough for next season to add this programme to the farming trainings and give seed sticks from the nursery to the farmers.

Loan Programme

The loan programme for small businesses has been going very well, and from the original programme in 2023 16 have fully repaid, and the funds collected have now been loaned out to another 20 beneficiaries.

Doris keeps in contact with the four who have defaulted and is hopeful at some stage they will repay.  

Personal

Doris (photo right) is doing very well, she has recently become a grandmother as her son Chiseng, and his wife Pamela have had a baby girl called Myla.

The shops that the family are building on their property next to the newly refurbished road are still in the building phase. 

Personal Stories

Farming Programme Beneficiaries

Mwewa Chilimo
He is so thankful to BHW for sponsoring this programme of God's way of farming. He didn’t know how and when to plant the maize and how many times to weed. So, when he was taught about how many times to weed and the time of preparing fields and the time of planting, he said when he started using those methods his mind changed completely and the way he was harvesting before the programme was totally different. From a lima he was harvesting three bags but now he harvests 25 bags in a lima. He is happy and so thankful because poverty has ended in his family.

Juliet Kunda (photo right)
She is so thankful to BHW for sponsoring this programme of God's way of farming. She used to live in poverty whereby she could not even feed her children as a single mother. She thought fertilizer was the only way to go to use for putting in maize fields so when she was taught how to make compost, she was so amazed that she learned how to make compost from that time her mindset changed. She started making compost and applying to her maize field and the poverty she faced has finished. She is happy.

Discipleship Programme Beneficiaries

Idah Mutali
Mrs Idah Mutali said that she is so thankful to BHW for sponsoring this programme. She did not know how to handle her own family. She did not know her duty as a wife in her marriage. She did not know her duty as the mother to her children.

When they taught about family and God’s plan for marriage, the duty of the wife, parents and children and the mother’s duty to her children, she said it has really helped her to change her home. She is now submitting to her husband according to the word of God, Ephesians 5:22–25 is her memory verse.

She has learned that what God first gave to every child is the mother. “The mother is a child’s first teacher.” Proverbs 22:6 — “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it” — has also really helped her to teach her children. She said that her family is now united and this subject has brought happiness and joy to her home and marriage.

She has learned to love her children, and she is ready to teach other women who have complications in their homes and marriages, to encourage them how they should live based on God’s foundation of marriage.

Ruth Mambwe
She said she is so thankful to BHW to sponsor this programme which has helped her life to change in knowing God and prayer. She said when they were teaching about knowing God and prayer she did not understand at first because she used to stay alone with her own worry. She thought it was a waste of time to believe in God because she was facing a lot of challenges in her life.

They taught about:
Knowing God — John 17:3 states that: “And this is eternal life, that they know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” The scripture has made her to understand there is only one true God.

Philippians 4:6–7 — This is one of the most comforting verses about prayer. It reminds us to replace worry with prayer, presenting our requests to God with gratitude to experience His peace.

So, these teachings about prayer have helped so much that when she is facing hardships she can take it to God in prayer. She is so thankful that she has learned to pray and trust in God’s love for her.

Comments

Doris is in very good heart and making some great impact with people and businesses. She wants to keep the discipleship programme going, and will no doubt prepare a budget for farming trainings in early 2027.