Ukusenaminwa Child Foundation Annual Report 2018 

From the Director - Sarah

We as Ukusenaminwa Child Foundation, UCF, believe every child, regardless of their background and physical ability, deserves the right to shape their own future through quality education and providence of life’s basic necessities. It is because of this belief that we provide a helping hand to the differently abled as well as the vulnerable children and youths in our communities. UCF aims to break into the silent world of the deaf and vulnerable children and youths by giving them a voice through education, building solid Biblical teachings and leading them down the path of becoming responsible, self-reliant individuals who will contribute positively to society.  

Society today is neglecting the vulnerable children, but we feel it is our duty and role to stand for the neglected in society. The number of street kids is on a rampant increase and we feel we can do something to help in the reduction of these numbers. We offer educational support to the less privileged and differently abled from primary all the way to tertiary where they acquire different skills to enable them to be self-reliant. Apart from the educational support, we also provide them with access to life’s necessities such as shelter, food and clothing.  Our arms of support stretch from the most rural townships of Kangomba in Kabwe to the urban cities of Solwezi in the northwestern province. To put it simply, we are offering support throughout the country.

I believe our full potential is yet to be exploited as there is still more that we can do to uplift the lives of the vulnerable children in our society. This potential can only be realized with more financial support from well-wishers. As an organization alone, we can only go so far, but with support from the donor community we will be able to make the world a better place with less vulnerable people. As Ukusenaminwa Child Foundation we will always appreciate the support we receive, and we will continually appreciate the belief that you have in our vision. 

Program Growth

Since it's inception in 2009 when the first child was helped, the number of children on full UCF sponsorship has continued to increase such that 47 children are currently being assisted with full sponsorship which includes education, health and all other welfare needs.

UCF also has a total number of 19 deaf and 65 hearing children and youths who are not on full sponsorship but are helped whenever God enables UCF to do so. Most of these kids benefit greatly from our youth programs such as education, sports ministry, our Girls Corner program as well as other community sensitization programs.

Including both current and alumni there are:
20 children in primary school - 16 hearing and 4 deaf
22 children in secondary school - 10 hearing and 12 deaf
13 deaf young people in College/Trade School - 2 at College of Education, 7 doing Skills Training and 4 at Trade School

College/Trade School Graduates include:
2 deaf – College of Education
2 deaf – Agriculture Trades Institute 

Projects

Girls Corner : This program is focused on promoting education among young girls, staying pure for Christ and ending early childhood marriages. 

Sports Ministry : Our coach empowers boys with Christ through mentorship and leadership. The program aims to shape them into responsible and productive young men. 

Education : Every child has the right to an education.  Unfortunately, education comes with a price tag and not all are capable. UCF makes this opportunity possible. 

Empowerment Partnerships : A partnership with a local hospitality training ministry has given 8 of our educated deaf full-time employment from the local service industry. 

Community Transformation : Working alongside the community, we aim to change certain mindsets and traditions, therefore, decreasing the levels of poverty and saving lives.  

Safe Haven : Every child has the right to protection from factors detrimental to their physical and mental health. UCF provides a safe and loving Christ-centered home.

Personal Stories

Martin

Martin was a deaf youth when we started working with him in 2010. He is a double orphan who had no home when we first met him. He was a very strange little guy who never wanted to be controlled, he lived his life the way he saw fit and lived it the way he liked and no one was allowed to tell him otherwise. In fact, he was one of the most naughty and difficult of our group. He didn’t like boundaries set for him and never liked laws. He thought of himself as a very notorious gang leader. 

When Martin was first introduced to the Bible studies he thought it was the worst time! He did not want to be apart of it, but God had other plans for him. God slowly began to work on his little heart and it slowly and surely started growing bigger with the word of God. Jesus repositioned his focus and before we all knew it, Martin became the most dependable child in our group! He was thriving at school, his grades were amazing, but most importantly, he was a completely transformed young man. God’s grace changed his life for the best and there was no stopping Martin. He became one of the leaders in deaf cell groups and went ahead to complete his secondary education in 2014 with amazing marks. He was accepted into college in 2015 and he went on to finish his teaching diploma with flying colors. He was recently awarded best student and for being the first deaf student in the history of the school to get distinctions. Isn’t God amazing! Now he is teaching at a community deaf school as he waits for the government to appoint him a permanent position as a special education teacher. Martin is the perfect example of how God can transform a life with patience, resources and love.

Hope

God brought Hope into our lives when she was about 11 months old. The social welfare office contacted us and explained she had been picked up near a rubbish dump covered in filth and the only food she knew was the local brew (alcohol) along with the food picked from the rubbish by her mentally ill drunk mother.

A Good Samaritan feared for the safety of the baby and reported it to the authorities. The baby was then placed in an orphanage where they, after a few weeks, said they could not accommodate her anymore because she was showing high sign of mental illness and was a danger to the other kids. 

Upon hearing this story about this baby, God put it on our hearts to open our home to this little girl. God’s plan was confirmed when we visited her at the orphanage. We all struggled with the adjust to our home environment. With our local church praying, close friends also praying, we knew God would show us the way. She was only attached to the director, Sarah, and would not want anyone else to touch her or play with her. She was very aggressive and sad, always kicking and screaming. But the more we showed her how much she was loved, the more she starting trusting and allowing people to help her. The first day she smiled and laughed so loudly, the whole house came to a stand still! We all ran and watched in awe as she stood up laughing, jumping and dancing. She was finally able to play with other kids and do normal kid stuff. Today Hope is a 10 year old little girl doing so well in school and wears the most beautiful smile. She is not the same angry and aggressive girl, she is loving and patient.

This is another testimony of God’s grace working to transform lives. 

Plans for the Future

UCF is now in two Zambian provinces!

Solwezi is in the northwestern part of Zambia. It is 612km from the capital city of Zambia, Lusaka, and 473km from Kabwe. We have identified it as high priority because the place is under developed and many people have no access to education due to the poor conditions, limited mind sets of the people and ways in which they have learned to live.

Kabwe is in the central province Of Zambia, about 140km from Lusaka. Kabwe is critical in the sense that we already have a group of vulnerable and hearing impaired children and youths that are under the organization’s care for shelter, education and their overall wellbeing. Kabwe is where the heart and hub of UCF is and first began.

The organization plans to impact in the next 3-5 years 150-200 vulnerable children and youth.

Comments

Lives have been transformed through biblical teachings and discipleship, good leadership morals and self-discipline as well as people coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. There is a slow reduction in poverty within our community and we are gradually seeing transformation in the lives within the community through our target groups. 

We would like to see more deaf and vulnerable children trained in various skills offered through partnering with other organizations. Sensitizing the communities on the importance of deaf and vulnerable children through empowerment and support is something we are working toward.

Thank you! This is God’s grace working in the lives here in Zambia and only possible as a result of your faithfulness, love and support which enables UCF to share the love of Christ and bring transformation were it is most needed.