Esnart Mwila was born totally blind. When her mother noticed that she was blind, she immediately denied her and wanted to throw her into the pit latrine, but the neighbors rescued her. At the age of 6 months her mother ran away and left Esnart with her grandmother who is still alive. Esnart has been staying with her grandmother, when she is in her home village, from that day to now.
Esnart started school at St Mary’s, in Kawambwa, at the age of ten. Today she is at Kasama College of Education pursuing a diploma in social studies and she is in the second year. This year from May to July she was doing her teaching practice at St James mission school in Kasama, Zambia. It is a Catholic mission school for sighted learners, according to the report received and looking at her teaching file, she did well. We are glad to inform you that she formed a school choir and it is the legacy she left. Next year 2025, she will be in her final year (third year) and in December she will be writing her final examination. As a school site we are very much proud of Esnart, stated by Sister Agnes, administrator of the Kawambwa Project.
Esnart is a very determined young lady. Although totally blind she navigates almost like a sighted person. St Mary’s school curriculum has daily living classes where blind students are taught to navigate their environment and become confident and brave enough to travel the school grounds alone and later navigate in the village where there are many vehicles on the road. They also learn how to find their way in the market and go to the shops. A white cane is a great asset, it helps visually impaired persons to find their way around the community but they are expensive and we didn’t see any in use. We did bring ten canes with us on our visit which we hope will support learning for the students.
Esnart’s family are poor farmers who could not afford the school fees for her schooling but the Sisters allowed her to learn free of charge. There are six in her family and she is the first born. Her home is made of mud brick with a thatched roof. They keep a garden and sell at the roadside market.
From the time she was born up to now, she has lived with her grandma when she was in her village. She came to St Mary’s when she was 10 and at first it was difficult for her, but as time went by, she got used to living at St Mary’s and now it is fine. St Mary’s is her home since she has spent a lot of time there. Sometimes she doesn’t go home on holidays. She prefers being at St Mary’s, where she gets a lot of jobs and she especially enjoys teaching the lower grades. For her work she is given a small stipend to purchase personal items, plus room and board.
St Mary’s School has helped her a lot both spiritually and physically. When she was at her family home she didn’t know how to how to work properly. Her people didn’t understand her talents and capabilities. The Sisters taught her a lot and for that she is very grateful. She would like to say, that she appreciates her Chalice sponsor and Inverness County Cares members, for she is benefiting from all the help given. Your support helps her to buy things that her parents cannot afford to give her. May the good Lord bless you that’s what she wants to say and thanks you.
Inverness County Cares (ICC) members first met Esnart in 2020 at the girls’ secondary school called St Mary’s, up the road behind the Kawambwa convent – where Sr. Florence was in charge. The eight blind St Mary’s girls went there after grade 9, and learned to integrate with sighted students. It is a huge, lively and totally unfamiliar territory for our St Mary’s students, full of new experiences, rather isolated dorms, and is initially very lonely and frightening for them. These blind girls were so happy to have ICC members visit and show them how they move about with sighted helpers. We walked with them to the library to see the small collection of braille books. They asked about the friends they left behind, and said it was hard to make new friends or join in games at their new school.
Esnart is quite mature and eager to talk with ICC members as new visitors to Zambia.
She is an eager learner and took full advantage of the teacher training provided by Inverness County Cares as well as music training by Betty Jane Cameron.
Esnart was very anxious to play the violin and attended as many music sessions as possible. She and her sighted companion and friend Susan learned together. The first thing they learned was the shape and function of the violin and bow, how to care for them, and how to listen for the sound. They learned quickly about holding the instrument against both shoulder and chin so as to feel and hear the tones, and then on to learning how to make beautiful sounds. They were both surprised to realize that perfect pitch notes were much easier for blind people who have highly developed listening skills. The violin is an instrument with no physical guidelines to help find notes – such as keyboard notes or guitar frets…in fact the only way for a string player is to listen carefully, bow properly and learn how to place fingers. Both girls were thrilled! The musical instruments were another tool in building their self-esteem.
Esnart is a perfect example of a person who is reaching for the stars. We celebrate her courage, fortitude and tenacity.
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.
