Help the Children in Zambia Get the Classrooms They Need

Happy New Year! May this year bring much needed relief from the challenges brought on by the COVID pandemic. Hopefully, the respite we all crave is within sight. On behalf of the Missionaries of Africa, I also want to take this opportunity to let you know how grateful we are for the generosity you have shown towards those in need – especially throughout the past year. Your kindness and caring are what make our work throughout Africa possible. We pray that we can continue to count on your financial support in the months to come!

I hope you know that our combined efforts (those serving in our missions supported by your financial donations) have made an incredible difference in the lives of thousands of men, women and children throughout Africa. Together, we have provided food, clean water, clothing, shelter, medical care, education, pastoral care and so much more to the poor. Working together, we have helped to save lives. What a blessing you are! Yet while providing basic living necessities is critical for those in immediate need, the most profound change occurs in people’s lives when they have hope – hope that the future will be brighter. Education gives hope.

Recently, I received a letter from Fr. Lawrence Tukamushaba, one of our Missionaries working in Zambia in southern Africa. There, Fr. Lawrence is the pastor of St. John the Baptist mission in Kasamba, nearly 100 miles from the city of Mansa.

“Kasamba is one of the most remote missions in our region,” writes Fr. Lawrence.

“The people here depend on fishing in swamps and in the surrounding rivers in order to find food for survival. There are few schools in the area. The closest secondary schools are in Kafwanka which is 25 miles away. Many of the young people are too poor to be able to afford any kind of transportation to school, so they often drop out. For those children who receive materials that allow them to study at home, their education is hindered even more due to a lack of electricity in the homes. Needless to day, the obstacles they face are overwhelming.”

“We are working to build a four-room center where we can provide job skills training for young people who have dropped out of school. Our first training will be in tailoring. In addition to skills training, other rooms will be used for instruction as well as to provide students with a place to study (with electricity).”

“The young people in the community have already begun making bricks for the new building, but we need substantial financial support for the rest of the building materials (sheet metal, windows, doors, etc.). We also need funds to hire construction workers and electricians. Is there some way you can help us?”

You and I both know how critical education is for fighting poverty. I encourage you to become involved in educational programs in your own community by volunteering to read to kindergartners or perhaps even serving on a local school board. Whatever our level of involvement, children benefit when we show them how important education is.

I also hope that you will send a donation to help the children in Fr. Lawrence’s mission in Zambia get the classrooms they need! While our hope is to raise at least $32,600 for this project and other educational programs throughout the African continent, please know that any amount you send will help provide hope to those who are living in the midst of such poverty and despair. Your kindness will let them know that they have not been forgotten. Thank you again for all that you do!

 

Your Missionary Friend,

Christopher Anderson
Director of Development

 

P.S. I’m blessed to be following Denis Pringle as Director of Development for the Missionaries of Africa. Denis retired in December after more than 20 years of service. While I am new for 2022, you have been a part of this mission for so long! Thank you for your ongoing support.