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Zamcog Newsletter Winter 2009

Seven years ago Shitima School was a hope and a dream that began with eight
street boys and four girls from the impoverished compounds of Makalulu in
Kabwe, Zambia.

Today the school is comprised of two hundred and forty boys and girls, the
majority being orphans from the streets and children from desitute families.
Our children’s tenacity, perseverance and hope never cease to amaze me. These
children have taken the opportunity that they have been given and embraced it
wholeheartedly. In short they have been given a future. Without Shitima School
this would never have happened.

To arrive at Shitima and to see their laughter, the excitement, and the trust that
pervades in each child makes me feel so grateful to the people that have helped to
provide this incredible gift. A mere “thank you” to all these people seems like such
empty words in comparison to the contribution that has been given to change so
many lives, and to ensure so many futures, but thank you, from not only myself
and the incredible team of volunteers who are Zamcog, but from the children
whose lives you have altered.

Julie Anne Uggla


Founder
Zamcog
Vanessa Jackson

Meet Vanessa, one of our newest additions to the Shitima By the end of this year, we will have our first Grade 12
family. When you hear her story, you know that all graduate!
the time and money spent at Shitima School is so well
worth it. Vanessa had been living with her parents and Jackson was one of our very first Shitima students, back
going to school. While she was poor, her family was not before we had even one classroom and were trying to
destitute – there was food on the table and money for educate a dozen children in a garage. When he reached
school fees, etc. high school, Zamcog provided funding for Jackson’s
school fees at Kabwe High School as Shitima was still only a primary school at the time.
Unfortunately, her parents both died in the past year, leaving her an orphan. She went His high school marks have been excellent and we are confident that he will be going
to live with an aunt and that was when the trouble began. As happens all too often to university in a year where he wishes to study engineering. He wants to earn enough
to orphans taken in by a relative, the aunt expected her to earn her keep. Usually this money to help the underprivileged in Makululu, to buy a house and a car and to visit his
means dropping out of school to care for younger cousins or being hired out as a cleaner. sponsor family in England. Jackson maintains close ties with Shitima and can often be
But in Vanessa’s case, as a beautiful 16 year old, what her aunt had in mind was much found there in the evenings and on weekends. He is a great role model for the younger
worse. She expected Vanessa to prostitute herself. Rather than degrade herself in that students.
way, Vanessa ran away. Our social worker, Mercy Mwanachingwala, found her living in a
phone booth and brought her to Shitima where she is now happily ensconced in Grade 8 A recent highlight for Jackson was a trip to Lusaka to buy eyeglasses. His eyesight was
and living in the Girls’ House. tested a few months ago and he knew he needed glasses, but there is no optometrist in
Kabwe so he had to wait for the trip to Lusaka to be fitted for his glasses. He is so happy
Since Vanessa came to school with only the clothes on her back, the other girls had been now that he can see the blackboard at school with ease!
lending her things until the seamstress could at least make her a school uniform. When
Zamcog members arrived in Kabwe with bags of used clothing and Vanessa was able to We are so proud of Jackson and are looking forward to more of our students going on to
pick out two shirts, a pair of slacks, a light jacket and some flip flops, the smile on her face university over the next few years. School fees for university are approximately $2,000/
said it all. year, plus we will need to provide a stipend for living expenses. We will be looking for
sponsors for each of these students, so please be generous!
Vanessa and others like her are the hope for Zambia’s future! These children don’t want to
live on the streets and beg – they are often escaping situations that, believe it or not, are
far worse alternatives.
Parent Teacher Association

One of the exciting new things at Shitima School is the revitalization of the Parent
Teacher Association, which should probably be called the GPTA – Grand Parent Teacher
Association. As you know, many of our students have been orphaned and some live with
other relatives. We have had a group of mostly grandparents and a few parents, who
have helped out at the school on projects from time to time. This has been formalized
into a PTA, with several committees formed, including Kitchen, Security, Building, and
Hygiene.

These committees are becoming actively involved in the management of the school. For
example, the Kitchen Committee has recently met with the cooks to revise the menu,
making the food more nutritious and pleasing to the children. They have provided
Zamcog with a new monthly budget for food and have taken the initiative to go out and
negotiate contracts with suppliers of our staples – like rice, beans, maize meal, etc. They
have also worked with the students and gardeners to expand the gardens significantly.
As a result, we have not had to buy vegetables in 2 months – we are providing our own
needs!

The Security Committee is working on getting a quote to build a small guard hut by our
main gate so that we can station a guard there 24 hours a day. Most likely, we will buy
the materials and the PTA will find volunteers to actually build it. It is exciting to see the
grandparents and parents get involved in the school and make it their own.

Maize meal is cooked into nshima, the stiff


porridge that is Zambia’s staple food. The PTA
Kitchen Committee oversees the management
of Shitima’s dining hall.
Mrs Agnella Kabinda
came to Shitima School
in February 2009 as head A Home of Their Own
matron of the newly
opened girls’ residence.
With the opening of a new residence for girls, 2009 has seen a major expansion in
Shitima School’s provision for vulnerable children. Constructed through the generosity
of Zamcog donors, the girls’ hall includes a spacious dormitory for up to thirty girls, a
recreation room equipped with TV and DVD player, and ample washroom facilities. Two
matrons’ flats adjoin the dormitory so that adult supervision is ensured around the clock.

Twenty-eight young women now live in the residence. Most are single or double orphans.
Before coming to Shitima, all of these girls lacked a safe and secure home environment to
shield them from abuse, exploitation or neglect.

The residence operates under the capable supervision of Mrs Agnella Kabinda, a retired
schoolteacher and widow. Mrs Kabinda brings to her role as head matron the under-
standing heart of a grandmother and the disciplined focus of an experienced teacher. She
ensures that each resident with a significant health problem is maintained on a special
nutritional regimen. Under her supervision, the girls’ residence and garden are kept
spotlessly clean and beautified with flowers and plants. The girls’ residence has quickly
become what it was meant to be: not short-term accommodation for boarding students,
but a safe and happy home for young women at risk.
Shitima’s New Leadership

Mrs Violet Nyirenda has been named Head Teacher of Shitima


School by Kabwe’s District Education Board Secretary. Mrs
Nyirenda previously served as Headmistress of a primary school
in Makalulu compound, one of Zambia’s largest slums. She
brings to Shitima School long experience working with orphans
and children from very poor families. An active member
of Sacred Heart Church in Kabwe, she is committed to an
educational ethos of compassion for young people and faith in
their capacity to learn and grow.

As Head Teacher, Mrs Nyirenda serves as the educational leader


of the school community. She works in partnership with Brother
George Poirier, a Brother of the Sacred Heart who was recently
appointed as Shitima’s estate manager. A native of the United
States, Br George has lived his entire adult life in Zambia as a
teacher and manager of agricultural development projects.

Coinciding with the appointments of Mrs Nyirenda and Br George was the announce-
ment by the District Education Board that Shitima School has been named a grant-aided
school. As a result, Shitima will have teachers on state salary assigned directly to it.
Although the government will provide no funding for the school’s dining hall or the care
of the resident orphans, gaining recognition as a “gazetted school” is a step forward in
Shitima’s progression as a recognised school of excellence for vulnerable children.
Zamcog Enduro Africa

Enduro Africa is one of the world’s most sought after and successful The event happens between 27th August – 5th September 2010 and involves 5 days

motorcycle events and it is a massive fundraiser for various good causes of tough off road riding in one of the continents most incredible and challenging

operating across the continent. landscapes, the Wild Coast of South Africa, the event costs £4,995 and is fully
supported by a world class team.

The aim of Zamcog’s Enduro Africa is to raise at least £100,000 for the valuable work that
the charity are doing in Zambia. By joining us on the event you will be helping to save the If you like making a difference to the lives of others, meeting like minded people

lives of some of Africa’s most vulnerable children. and challenging yourself, visit www.zamcog.org.uk/enduroafrica

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