Friday, July 29, 2011

Malambo Grassroots (Rose Charities Canada Member Project): Update mid 2011

Zambian school children enjoy donated hoola hoops
2011 update:

An energetic last visit, from October 2010 to April 2011 is past. Working with donations from our salt-of-the-earth sympathizers, and with Stitchting Mwabuka Zambia, we focus on education, community development, and income generation. We …

… started builting two teachers' houses for our needy local school Malambu Basic, without which the Ministry will not place much-needed teachers.  We need to find additional funds to complete the second house.

...located and found funding to pay two temporary teachers to work in a school that was missing two teachers. The students had been coming to class even though there was no one to instruct.

… donated exercise and text books, pencils, chart paper and other teachers' aids to two schools. Funded a computer for a school for child-headed households.

… established the kernel of a library -- 56 new books and a bookshelf in the Malambo Women's Centre. Friends joined enthusiastically, clearing out their children's home shelves, and our local school children devoured them. Needed: a library building and more books, the demand being for science books especially.

… financed a women's workshop on openly discussing issues that are difficult to talk about, or which people feel must be kept undercover, such as orphan abuse, AIDS, spousal relationships and employer/employee  relationships. (They called the workshop "Not talking the truth".)

… expanded our chicken business project.

… started a new chicken business project in Mujika village.

… administered funding to support 44 students from Grades 8 to college.

… supported 3 adults in the completion of their education, namely teacher training and tailoring.

… built a toilet for a handicapped woman in Mujika.

...worked with our income generating groups to improve the design of their product lines.

… supported a man to legally secure a land purchase that would ensure a future for his family.

… supported the Malambo Women's Centre with building repairs and to manage large orders.

… helped various people as requested with fertilizer, leaking roofs, transporting the sick (especially children) to hospital, boarding school supplies, the unexpected birth of twins, and a derelict old beggar.

It was a brisk and spirited six months.

New goals:

Our immediate funding goals are to raise funding for...

...our library.

...teachers housing.  By 2015, the local government school is required to go up to grade 9.  In order to do this, the community, which is very poor, is required to build two houses to government standards, in order to get teacher placements.  This is beyond their ability.  If the school does not achieve this, the students in the school will be placed at the bottom of the list for available spaces for grades 8 and 9 in other schools.

... our scholarship program.

...funds to cover the cost of shipping a container of medical equipment donated to hospitals, and musical instruments donated to a school.

...a vehicle.  Our ancient bread delivery van, which we use to run our programs, is now held together by a lick and a prayer, and is in desparate need of replacement.  We thought we had resolved this when a Delica was given to us, but sadly, it seems the Delica is beyond repair.

WHO WE ARE:
Malambo Grassroots oversees a number of projects in southern Zambia, where the BaTonga people live. Our projects assist Zambians as they work toward making a better life for themselves and their families in a drought-stricken part of the country. We focus on income-generating projects, education, community programs, and emergency assistance.
We are a member-project of Rose Charities Canada. Rose Charities Canada is a registered, non-profit organization with the Canada Revenue Agency, registration number: 859442303RR0001.


[caption id="attachment_299" align="aligncenter" width="432" caption="Egg cosies made by the Lusumpuko group."][/caption]