The visit was a successful one although I went when the schools were in their exam period which meant that I had no opportunity to meet all the students in all the schools that are supported by Bright Hope World. In addition, Martin, the tour guide and only person available in the team to help translate, was only available for one full day because of his work; he was busy as an invigilator for the Grade 9 exams.
Currently 56 children are being supported, 12 of which have just completed their High School in 2021.
The schools where the children come from are: Jiwundu, Luavundu, Chisasa, Musele, Chitungu, Kachiwezhi, Kaboumbu, and Yiputa.
I had the privilege of visiting Luavundu Secondary School where I spent time with some of the supported pupils. My time with them was awesome as they not only spent time appreciating the help, but they gave challenging thoughts. One of the biggest questions that came from a young girl I spoke to was: What happens when they finish High School? Is there any financial help that can be given to them for their tertiary, college or University?
I met the Head Teacher at Luavundu and we had a good time together. The school appreciated what BHW is doing in that area to support the children. The need for financial support was expressed, particularly as many of the people in Lumwana area are quite poor.
I had the privilege of meeting with the team in Chisasa. We discussed a few things concerning the project:
1) The need for the team to start thinking about an Income Generating Activity that can meet the needs of the children
2) For them to think about the possibility of projects that can empower parents and guardians of the children that they support to enable these families to become self-sustaining. This will eventually mean that the budget for supporting the same children reduces as other needs can be met by their parents or guardians through their IGA.
One of the things that the Head Teacher, Mr Martin, and the pupils asked about was if Bright Hope World could consider helping these beneficiaries with solar lamps and studying materials (that is books) for their personal studies, especially those that are in their final exams. Children find it difficult to study at home at night because many of them cannot afford to buy paraffin for studying longer hours, and even if they were to study, it is just going through what the teachers teach which is not really sufficient, hence the need to help provide study materials (text books) or a viable library.