December 2023
Schools…
The school year is nearly over and we await ECZ exam results for Grades 7 and 9 within a few weeks. Our teachers have worked with enthusiasm and commitment, and although exams are not everything, at very least they will indicate how effective our teachers have been. Head Teachers Martha Mbewe and Frankie Mumba continue to provide good leadership.
Because of significant increases in the cost of living here in Zambia, we need to increase all salaries. We are raising our fee sponsorship monthly amounts for all new sponsorships, and we are grateful to those existing sponsors who are also willing to increase their giving in order to help us with increased costs.
Work has at last started on our Lower Primary Centre building project at Limapela Cedric’s. The building will include 3 classrooms, storage, toilets and a large covered veranda. The fundraising target has not quite been reached, so if you would like to donate, please contact us.
The Kafakumba Singers…
Christmas will soon be upon us, so the choir is preparing music for several Christmas events, including two at the Garden Court Hotel in Kitwe, one of them on Christmas Day. The Garden Court is a very smart new hotel owned by the South African chain Southern Sun, and this will be a new venue for the choir, so they are understandably quite excited.
Travel…
Alison and I are booked to arrive in New Zealand on 24 January, and expect to be home for two months. Volunteer Kirsty Lickfold will also be in NZ over the Christmas break.
Warm Christmas greetings…
and thanks to you all for your interest, support and prayers.
— Matthew and Alison Raymond
Sponsor Gift Kunda (12) for NZ$ 35 (US$ 30 or £18) per month. More details
The Limapela Running Club
The Limapela Running Club started late one afternoon in July when three young lads from the Kafakumba Singers dropped in to say hello. I was about to set off for my daily run, so I invited them to join me. To my surprise, they agreed and ran the full 3.5 km without stopping and without complaint. The following afternoon, they brought several friends from the compound, and before long we had as many as 20 boys and girls in the group, although the number varies from day to day.
We run on Mondays and Fridays, and after running we sit and chat over cold drinks and snacks. The boys tell me that girls are not serious about running, and that we should have the occasional day without snacks, only water, so that we can see who really is serious. We have done that, but the numbers did not diminish significantly!
A few compete to be first, but Gift (12), whose English is quite good, usually hangs back so that he can talk to me while we run. He is in Grade 6 at the Baluba Combined School but has not been going recently because his uniform has worn out. He is the youngest in the family, and has three sisters and two brothers. In January his mother was incapacitated by a stroke. His mother had taught him to cook before the stroke, which he says is good, because now he can take his turn with his sisters in preparing meals. His father is a retired soldier. I am thankful at least to hear that his father is present. As we interact I can see that, like many Zambian children, he is glad of the attention and needs to be affirmed.