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.
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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.
