Food relief for our youngest students in Zambia.

This fall we faced a crisis in our Faithworks primary schools. Since the spring, schools across Zambia have been closed due to the COVID-19 crisis—cutting off access to daily lunch, the only reliable meal of the day for thousands of children. Additionally, a two-month delay in our food aid shipment threatened students with a critical food shortage in October and November. Thankfully, you stepped up to help and gave $20,350 during our Books and Bread campaign in September! Your gifts are funding locally-sourced food relief to protect our students from hunger through the fall. Below, you’ll meet two students whose lives are protected, thanks to your generosity.

In this issue:

· Leah’s story

· Thomas’s story

Leah’s story.

Leah is one of the 1,923 young students you protected from hunger this fall.

In 2016, Leah lost her father to an illness and was left in the house he built for their family with her mother and her four siblings. Leah’s mother earns a small income selling vegetables at the market near their home. In Leah’s young life, she has experienced much emotional turmoil but recognizes the importance of her education.

As a fifth grader at FaithWorks primary school in the N’gombe compound of Lusaka, Leah’s favorite subject is math, and she is striving to become an accountant when she grows up. Leah’s teacher is named Mr. Zimba. He loves to sing and compose songs that help Leah and her classmates to learn and enjoy music. Mr. Zimba works every day to relate to students like Leah who come from vulnerable households and broken homes. For many of Leah’s classmates, material poverty threatens their success in school.

Families need every member to help earn enough income for food, which often leaves little time for children to attend class or participate in their studies. These are life-and-death choices for students who show up to school hungry when their families cannot provide them with a meal. While Leah and her classmates wait to return to class later this month, your giving makes sure she has the food she needs every day.

Your gifts protected Leah from hunger this fall.

Thomas’s story.

Eight-year-old Thomas is the firstborn child and lives with his siblings and grandparents. As a third grader, Thomas loves to read and recently told us, “knowledge is in books.” Thomas’ first language is Nyanja, one of seventy-two languages spoken in Zambia. Learning English has been difficult but reading books have helped him to improve over time.

At such a young and vibrant age, Thomas is passionate about people. He dreams of becoming a medical doctor so that he can help his neighbors when they become sick. Due to limited textbooks, Thomas sometimes must share with other classmates which disrupts his focus. Many of his classmates show up to school hungry, which weakens their motivation to learn. Thankfully, the food you provided in and out of school give Thomas and his classmates the energy they need to stay focused and committed to their studies. 

Thomas loves his teacher, Mr. Sichinga, who is always willing to help Thomas when he needs assistance in class. Mr. Sichinga loves teaching children from diverse backgrounds and helping them overcome their academic, physical, and emotional challenges—especially through athletics!

Your generosity has protected Thomas and his classmates from hunger until they can return to class. Thank you for your big hearts.

An excerpt from a blog post for Alliance for Children Everywhere, Seattle