Report from BHW Zambia Partnership Facilitator Following Visit in June

Key person:   Roy and Sarah Mwansa

Recent Events

Children

Roy and Sarah continue to see the need in the community for caring for the deaf and vulnerable children. We visited them again in the house rented in Kabwe to find that they have started to help another 10 children, meaning the total number being helped in the partnership has risen to 41 children and youth.

They have a greater vision to start to train and teach communities about the care of deaf children, to try and stop the practice of dumping these kids because parents think that they are cursed. This is a long road but they see that what they are doing currently is never going to stop the issue for good.

The preschool teacher, Dora, who was volunteering has now left which has meant there is no preschool for the smaller children. They are trying to see if they can find someone from the local church who could volunteer but so far have not been able to find anyone. 

Biet Care Hospital Visit

Sarah took some of the deaf children to the mission hospital in Lusaka to see if there was any chance they could be helped by doctors to hear. Seven of the children now have hearing aids which help them to hear a little bit. They are very thankful for God's provision for this “miracle”. 

Boarding Schools

The youth at the boarding schools in Solwezi and Lusaka are doing well and are due to come back to Kabwe for holidays in one week. There are three more youth that Roy and Sarah would like to send to school in 2016. Sarah says ”you can’t do anything with the deaf children unless they have an education, because with no education you cannot communicate well with them”.

Farm and House

The house has now reached the roof stage and they have a tank set up for water but there is no bore hole. There is still a significant cost to get this finished.

They have employed Akim Simpopo who was trained in Foundations for Farming to help with the gardens and cropping this year. He will work with two of the deaf youth who are currently living at the farm, Ken and Mobeta. They have dug two more wells to help with the watering of the gardens, and have planted tomatoes, carrots, rape, onions and cabbage.

The gardens are looking great and there are many compost piles being created. The main problem they have is goats and other neighbour’s animals who are coming to eat the vegetables so they are looking at the possibility of making a fence.

Block Making Business

Roy is keen to start a business for the deaf youth by purchasing a block making machine and teaching them how to make blocks. They have already been learning using a single mould at the farm (as shown in photo with Mobeta and Ken) and have made some good quality blocks that have been used in the farm house building. They would look to rent a plot of land close to town where there are many customers, as Kabwe is continually being developed.

Personal Stories

Hope

Hope came to live at the house when she was 11 months old. They found Hope at the government office when they were going to sign some papers. She had been abused and would not let anyone go near her at all without crying.

They don’t know when her birthday is but have now given her the day when she arrived. You can tell from her smile and how she acts that she sees Roy and Sarah as parents.

Naomi and Mutelya Mubi

Naomi and Mutelya used to live in a shanty town near Kabwe with their parents who are deaf. Naomi herself is not deaf. Because the parents were deaf they could not get any work so Naomi always had to go to her uncle's place and the street to beg for food when she was 7 years old.

People in the community used to laugh at their parents and call them crazy. The father was born deaf and the mother became deaf after a bad bout of malaria. They also have another brother. The mother had heard about the deaf house and communicated with Roy and Sarah to see if they could start to look after the children. 

Naomi is now in grade 7 and wants to be a doctor. She likes school a lot. She wants to be able to help her parents and to be able to help street kids in the future because she knows what it is like to beg on the streets.

She likes living with Roy and Sarah but goes to see her parents in the weekends and on holidays. She attends Grace Church and does the signing of the songs and sermons.

Current Issues and Challenges

• The fencing of the garden to stop the animals
• Finishing of the house
• Having no preschool teacher for the smaller children

Prayer and Praise Points

• For the hearing aids from the hospital
• For the clothes donated by GLO Alive (ZAM19c)