Author: Inverness County Cares Page 6 of 28

Inverness County Cares (ICC) is an Inverness County Charity established in 2012 to help some of the world’s most needy. We partner with Chalice.ca who provide assistance with accounting, transfer of funds, auditing and general support. Our initial commitment was with a school in Nairobi, Kenya. When this Kenyan project was completed in 2019, ICC under the guidance of Chalice, chose a family of two schools in the north of Zambia.  The St Mary’s School in Kawambwa and the St Odilia School in Mporokoso provide an education and a refuge for some of the most vulnerable children. Many of the students attending these schools are blind or have visual impairments brought on by Albinism, a genetic condition. Individuals with albinism (albino) have an absence of melanin in their skin and their vision deteriorates as they mature. Melanin protects our bodies from the damaging effects of ultra violet rays of the sun and without it, albino persons are in great danger of skin cancer. Many of the pictures of our young students already show the beginning of cancerous lesions on their skin. Sunscreen for the almost 500 students  at both schools is a tremendous cost as well as protective clothing, hats and sun glasses.

In addition to this great burden of little or diminished sight the students are in a very dangerous situation. Zambia and surrounding countries especially, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique, still believe that the bodies and body parts of albino people possess great magical powers when included in black magic potions. They are never safe and must always be accompanied by trusted companions when out in the community for there is a very real possibility they may be kidnapped or attacked and have fingers, arms or other body parts hacked off. There is a documented event at the St Odilia where a child was abducted at night from the dormitory, but rescued due to the quick action of a community member. In addition to all this, when a child is born with albinism it causes great anxiety in the family. The genetic causes are not totally understood and mothers of this seemingly white child are often accused of being unfaithful to their husbands and families break up. In other cases, because of superstitions and the fear that albinism is infectious these children are hidden, neglected or in extreme cases murdered.

Since ICC’s involvement with the Kawambwa family of schools we have provided additional assistance to the programs provided by Chalice. Each year ICC pledges $30,000 to the schools and any additional funds raised above that amount are used to contribute to additional projects. In the past few years ICC was able to provide an additional $30,000 to contribute to additional projects identified by the school’s administration and staff.

Contributions:

-The schools were very vulnerable to theft and abduction of the students because of the of absence or inadequate exterior wall fences. At night the students were in terror of intruders and during the day theft of their meagre possessions… even the mattresses were stolen from some of their beds. In cooperation with Chalice, both schools now sleep in peace because they are now surrounded by a secure wall fence.

-The students live in remote locations and transporting them safely to and from school during school breaks has been made much safer and more efficient by the purchase of a Mitsubishi Rosa bus with 28 seat capacity. ICC and Chalice partnered to cover the cost.

-Climate change is evident in Zambia as well. On two occasions in the fall of 2022, the dining hall and the grade 8 & 9 classroom building had their roofs blown off, causing wind and water damage to school supplies and the school structures as well. In both instances no one was hurt despite the children were present for both events. After a detailed plan for repair with several cost estimates, ICC and Chalice partnered to replace the classroom roofs with a much stronger and durable structure, that will withstand the more severe weather experienced in the area. The very leaky roof of the convent of the Sisters of the Child Jesus, who administer the school, was also replaced.

-The school has been provided with Brailon paper which is needed to construct Braille books and for the students to take notes in Braille. ICC has also provided beds, bedding, a large screen TV, tiled floors in washrooms and dorms as well as painting and renovating the dining room.

In January 2024, six members of Inverness County Cares will travel to Zambia to meet and become familiar with the staff and students at the two schools. Betty Jane Cameron, John MacInnis, John Gillies, Winnie Rankin, Charlotte Rankin and Colleen MacLeod, will spend two weeks at each school, volunteering services. We will work on many tasks assigned by Sister Agnes Bwalya the school site manager and administrator. Gardening, painting, repairing, teaching music, teaching and more will keep us busy. Each volunteer will cover all their travel, food and accommodation costs personally.

Chalice has a sponsor site in these communities and many of the children attending our school (but not all) have sponsors through Chalice’s sponsor program. If you are interested in sponsoring a child at one of our Zambian schools contact at ICC member at [email protected] or call 902 227 5425.

All the good things happening at the schools have occurred because of the generous support of our sponsors. Thank you to those have contributed directly, or who have supported out fundraisers especially our very successful collection of refundable containers and bottles. Thank you to our members who manage the refundable container collection in Mabou and in Port Hood, Ted Van Zutphen, Stanley Beaton, Raymond DeBont, Michael MacDonald and to Wayne and Karen Beaton and Ted and Hermina Van Zutphen who provide collection sites.

 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   http://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.

I am Albert Muma age 11 and my sister is Charity Muma age 7. We are from Nchiengi district in the Northern part of Zambia at the boarder of Zambia and the Republic of Congo. Most of our relatives live in Congo and my parents usually go to Congo for visiting and trading. Most of our relatives from my mother’s side are Albinos and they are not educated.

When I was born my mother hid me in the house since she never wanted people to know I was born. For almost one year and four months I was a secret with no vaccinations, very little care and no birth certificate.

Due to extreme neglect, I developed sores all over my body and I started crying because of the pain. That was the time our neighbors discovered that there was a baby in my home. My mother was taken to the police station and I was taken to a mission hospital where I stayed for almost six months under intensive care. I was taken care of by my grandmother. I love my grandmother so much. When I was better, I went back home with my grandmother, while my mother was in jail for five years and two months and my father was living at my step mother’s place in Congo.

One Sunday my grandmother went to the wedding ceremony of my uncle in Mansa and it was the first white wedding in the family.  My cousins also went and my grandmother took me. It was during that wedding that my grandmother learned about St Mary’s Special School in Kawambwa. We were lucky for most of the people gathered knew about the school. At that time, I was four years old. My uncle phoned the headteacher and lucky enough, Sr Bwalya Agnes was also in Mansa for her own business. After a long discussion, my family decided that I remain in Mansa staying with my cousin. While I was in Mansa, I learned that my mother was in Mansa prison and she was about to end her prison term.  One day my family members went there to see my mother, I was among the team. My mother cried bitterly upon seeing me.

Two months later, she was released from jail. After three months, she asked to go home and I remained with my cousin who took care of me very well until such a time when I was taken to school. God is good, my mother conceived and my sister Charity was born, also an Albino. My mother accepted her and she was brought up just like any other child in the family. I am with her at St Mary’s Special School in Kawambwa.

It is because of my experience, that my cousin Ester, who is also an Albino, was able to be in school, as well as our neighbor Micah who was born blind. Let me say this, rejection from your own parent is painful and it causes harm to one’s personality. I do not love my mother much, only my grandmother, she is so precious to me. The community has welcomed me because of my grandmother, who accepted me.

My home village is very close to the Republic of Congo where ritual killers of albinos are very common. Because of this I am not allowed to mingle freely with the community children, fearing attacks or kidnaping by the ritual killers. I must always be under the watch of a relative when I am out of the house or playing with others.

I always appreciate the importance of St Mary’s School in Kawambwa and I am looking nice because of what the school is doing for me. When I went back to my home village in Chiengi, everyone was surprised by my abilities. I was able to sweep, help my grandmother with house chores, even go to church and pray before and after meals. My people in my village now understand the importance of education and that is why Ester, Micah and my young sister Charity have also started school.

We are very grateful to the Canadians who give us so much help. God bless you all. Thank you.

 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   http://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.

By: Sr Agnes Bwalya, school administrator

The two severe weather events which happened at St Mary’s Special School have left a great impact on me, (Sr Agnes) the administrator, my staff and the blind children who study and live at our school. I can’t understand how God saved the lives of all our children and staff, for me it is a miracle.

The first time It was around 12:15 hrs on the 24th of September 2022, on Saturday, when strong winds came and blew off the roof. Four pupils were in the dining room arranging plates for lunch. In no time the girls’ dining roof was blown off. Pupils screamed and one male cook ran to rescue them. He then heard another big sound, which meant the boy’s dining hall roof had blown off. Mr. Leonard the cook was confused, but he managed to run with the pupils.

Hooo! Hooo! I saw the roof had blown off!

The second disaster happened on the 18th of November 2022, when we experienced heavy rains with huge hailstones falling and very strong winds. Grade nine pupils were in class studying and myself and three teachers we were busy writing reports. The rains were so heavy that no one could run through it. A strong gust of wind was heard and in a short time light was seen through the office roof. I immediately realized that pupils are studying for their final examinations in the next room. I rushed and others rushed and the pupils were rescued. We were all soaked like anything.

After a good two hours, the rains stopped and we experienced some sunshine. School books and supplies were picked up and put in the library and other classrooms that were not affected. The last room I entered was the grade nine class. I looked in horror and disbelief at their subject notes on special Brailon papers. They were soaked! These notes are written on Brailon or Braille papers which are a bit thick, but when in contact with water or moisture, the embossed dots become flat and cannot be felt using fingers.

Now trouble came, the exams were on the 24th of November. The question was, “How can we replace the reading materials?” The staff and pupils actually cried many tears!!!!  Pupils were disturbed, everyone was speechless. What next?  Teachers organized themselves and made a new time table to coach the pupils. Teachers were working up to 18 hrs a day including Saturdays and Sundays until the end of the examinations. To me it was a clear sign of unconditional Love.

Pupils now are in the different world with the following challenges:

1. Distance– it is now a challenge for the cooks to carry food from the kitchen and distribute it to children. This means our timetable had to change to accommodate the location of the cafeteria space. Blind children sometimes have their precious food fall off their plate as they walk because they hit into another person. Every meal is confusion with children crying for their fallen food.

2.Sun sensitivity: since the dining hall is unsafe the children must now eat outside in the bright sun. Albino children are sun sensitive as it hurts their eyes and burns their skin because of their lack of melanin.

3.Wind: the wind also affects the children and causes their eyes to cry because of the sun and dust blowing in the courtyard. Their tears fall uncontrollably, which was very painful, unhygienic and very disturbing… these poor innocent souls.

4.Mobility issues: Children with additional disabilities suffer much because they require more assistance. The working staff rota had to be changed because more help was needed to assist those with additional mobility needs.

5.  Rains- The rains which started in the month of October make the whole situation much more serious. If someone is near, looking at this situation their tears will be flowing as they see blind children looking for a place to put her/his plate full of food, or witnessing the falling of the food off the plate!

A Student by the name of Gershom Mwansa, a grade nine pupil was saved as an iron sheet flew through the air. He fell down and the iron sheet flew over him. He could not sleep well for weeks because of nightmares. We ended up asking for one teacher to keep him at her home for some days until he felt more secure and confident.

All of us are grateful that no life was lost. As administration, we even asked for a blessing from our priest. Really it has been days of mediation. All staff and children praise the greatness of God’s love and mercy for sparing the children from death or injury.

The situation where the students must eat outside is a huge challenge. Our solution is to increase the number of staff on duty and to extend the working hours even on weekends. Caregivers or house parents are working day and night and teachers on duty for many extra hours. The situation is not ok.

[Note: It is important to remember these events happened at a school for the blind, where storms of this magnitude would be especially terrifying.]

Today the class has no braille text books for pupils or teachers. How will learning and teaching take place in 2023? Our situation is very grave.

Asking and begging for people with good will to come to our aid.

Come and be my security in this difficult moment, I am looking for a solution so that the situation can come back to normal. God bless our supporters at Chalice and Inverness County Cares. We appreciate everything you do for us.

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 us 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   http://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.