Partners in Development

Author: Inverness County Cares Page 1 of 24

In Zambia

This month six of Inverness County Cares members are ‘living the dream’. We left for Zambia January 22nd and are presently busy working with the Sisters of the Child Jesus in Kawambwa, in the Luapula province of Northern Zambia. The Sisters are a remarkable order and have succeeded in providing a bright future for many blind or disabled students and orphans. The sisters have four projects they administer in Kawambwa, the St Mary’s Special School, the Skills Training Centre, the St Mary’s Secondary School for Girls, and the Kachema (Good Shepard) Orphanage with 48 orphans, from ages 2-18.

Inverness County Cares works with Chalice to provide for just the two schools, the St Mary’s Special School in Kawambwa and the St Odilia School in Mporokosa. 

The country of Zambia is experiencing an outbreak of cholera which is more evident in the South. All ICC member have taken the oral Cholera vaccine Dukoral and all our meals are made in the convent following the rules, peel it, wash it or cook it. We are working in a very safe environment and are thankful for our drivers who are very cautious. 

Because of cholera the schools are closed until February 12th but despite the lack of students we are not idle. This morning John Gillies and John MacInnis started the process of replacing all the broken windows in the school buildings, a huge task especially removing the putty, which is like cement. Winnie Rankin is working on food preparation education in Home Economics, making chicken pot pie and mustard pickles. Betty Jane is busy with her music program and imparting medical advice. Charlotte is tutoring students who live close by and Colleen is running teacher workshops and gathering stories for the newspapers. 

Many of the young teachers we are working with have overcome unbelievable obstacles. Joyce has only partial vision in one eye but has managed to get a Home Economics degree. She is a bright eager teacher full of questions and plans for the future, when she finds permanent work. Esnart is totally blind, but navigates across the uneven ground of the school yard like a sighted person. She is also a teacher.  Rodgers and Godfridea are siblings and both albinos. They are so bright and inquisitive and so eager to learn. However, their skin with its absence of melanin is red and irritated from the sun for without the expensive sunscreen they are at the mercy of the sun’s rays.

Thank you to all our readers and supporters for the kind messages of encouragement. We are just the messengersbringing your love and assistance to the sisters and the children. You are playing a huge part; your donations and support are what makes this project so successful. We cannot describe the poverty.

Your assistance has brought remarkable changes to the schools. We may be worlds and cultures apart but everyone, no matter where they are, wants the best for their children. The gratitude of the parents is evident every time we speak to them.

Follow our blog at   icczambia.blogspot.com

Inverness County Cares (ICC) is a local charitable organization, founded in 2012 and based in Inverness County, NS, Canada. ICC works in partnership with Chalice.ca, a Canadian charity, based in Bedford, Nova Scotia. Chalice provides guidance and assistance to help ICC provide a better life for the children at the Kawambwa schools. The Kawambwa Project involves supporting two schools for albino and visually impaired students, in Northern Zambia. Inverness County Cares always welcomes new members. Individuals who wish to donate, can use the donate button on our website   https://invernesscountycares.com When using E-transfer, please include your mailing address for CRA tax receipts and a thank you message.   E-transfer address:  [email protected] or send a cheque to Inverness County Cares, 5414 Route 19, Judique, NS, Canada, B0E1P0. Taxation receipts provided for USA and Canada.

Child at Good Shepherd Orphanage 

Conjoined twins after separation at Good Shepherd Orphanage.

John and John at work.

Zambia Visit

icczambia.blogspot.com

Check out our blog for in-depth information on our visit. 

We (Inverness County Cares (ICC) members) are in our 4th week of our visit to Zambia. Our skills are being fully utilized by the administration of the two schools. Betty Jane is working with the music classes and imparting some medical advice. Charlotte is in the 3-4 classroom assisting the teacher and tutoring students and Winnie is attracting students to her Home Economics classes through the inviting cooking aromas drifting from her classroom. Colleen is assisting in the class of 5-year-olds and providing workshops for teachers after class. John and John are doing inventory of work which needs to be done and making good progress seeing to repairs and renovations.

The children have returned after the postponement of classes due to the cholera outbreak. It is a pleasure to get to know them and see in real time the atmosphere of the school. The sisters maintain a climate as close to family life as possible. It is remarkable to see how the children have such a close relationship with each other. They share without prompting and keep a close eye on each other.

The sisters of the Child Jesus are excellent guardians of the children. They know each child and know their story.

We are so happy to be a part of their story.

Map of St Odilia school in Mporokoso.

 

https://icczambia.blogspot.com

Inverness County Cares members are all packed and ready to go. Flight leaves at 11:00 PM Monday night.

Follow our adventures on our blog

Inverness County Cares Travels to Zambia

On January 22nd, 2024, six Inverness County Cares (ICC) members, Betty Jane Cameron, John Gillies, John MacInnis, Charlotte Rankin, Winnie Rankin and Colleen MacLeod will begin their journey to Zambia. Each member will personally pay for their transportation, accommodations and meals. 

The purpose of the trip will be to visit the two Kawambwa Project Schools located in the North of Zambia, close to the Tanzanian and Democratic Republic of Congo borders.  We will get to know the people we have worked so closely with for 4 years. The generosity of our supporters from far and near, has transformed the school environments tremendously. We will meet our Zambian friends in person, learn about the working of both schools and contribute our skills in any way that will be helpful.

Chalice (chalice.ca), a charity based in Bedford, NS, partners with ICC to provide an education, shelter and food for children attending the Kawambwa Schools, who are blind or have limited vision. Many of these children have albinism, an inherited disease which is characterized by a lack of melanin. This causes their skin and hair to have no colour and also causes deteriorating vision and blindness. The lack of melanin leaves them at risk for skin cancer and their eyes are very sensitive to light. ICC members are collecting gently used sunglasses and hats which will offer protection from the sun’s damaging rays. 

The Kawambwa Project consists of two schools, St Mary and St Odilia both in Northern Zambia. They are administered by the sisters of the Child Jesus, a local Zambian order of sisters who are doing a remarkable job. 

The ICC travelers will leave Halifax January 22nd and will arrive three days later in Kawambwa, the site of the first school. After two weeks ICC members will move on to St Odilia School in Mporokoso, 125 km to the North to spend two weeks there.

A blog of our daily experiences will be posted, if the internet available is powerful enough to allow our posts. 

The blog address is:   https://icczambia.blogspot.com   

Gently used hats and sunglasses will be gratefully accepted. Please text or call 902 227 5425 or [email protected]

 

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