Meet Ashes

You may be wondering what is going on- not the same number of blog posts as before, and not much communication coming from my end. Well, I'm going to tell you... I FINALLY found a job. It is only a temporary job, but it will bring in income for the next few weeks (maybe longer- it just depends on how many people they have to lay off in the next week). The job is selling flowers for Mother's Day. Right now, I am putting in 11 hour days, so there is not much time for blogging.

Of course, I have not forgotten about any of my responsibilities, I just need to take advantage of the job while I have it. Once Mother's Day is over, my hours will be cut somewhat, and then, they may be cut completely. For now, I am going to put in my hours and get the income while I can. To celebrate, I have added one child that I will easily be able to pay sponsorship for. I chose child #10 from Child Hope Zambia because he wants to be a pastor when he grows up. He just turned 13 and is in the 6th grade. (he won't be my only Child Hope child, but he is my only one right now).

Are These Not the Sweetest Little Ones You Have Ever Seen?

When I got these pictures of the early childhood education children, I had to laugh. They are so sweet, and so confused about what is going on. One of them has so many tears coming down you would think she was being tortured (not getting her picture taken), and the last one is funny too- Because it looks like he is praying, "Dear God, please get these scary people that are trying to take my picture out of my face." Or maybe his prayer is, "Dear God, please help them to find some candy so my friend will stop crying." Too funny!

I think the volunteers are going to have to bring some suckers with them next time. Stay tuned. These little guys aren't on the blog yet because we don't have the budget up. The photo shoot was set up for the primary and secondary students. However, when the volunteers arrived, they saw the mothers with their little ones. Everyone was trying to get in the program, and they couldn't turn them away (no in good conscience). So, they took the preschool tots photos, and we will get them set up soon. There are still plenty of children to choose from on the blog (just a little under 200): http://childhopezambia.blogspot.com/ The children go back to school on Monday, so we plan to announce the sponsorships that same week. The children who have sponsors at that time will write their first letter to their sponsor!

A Child Hope Education

Can you imagine how much fun they would have with colored chalk!?

Do you remember what your preschool looked like? Your elementary school? I wonder if any of you would say that your school looked like the one does above.

I remember when I took a semester of college work in Mexico. The room was similar to the one you see above- there was no air conditioning, no text books, and you may be surprised to know that no toilet paper or soap was provided for the "out-house" type toilet facilities! I was shocked! I paid good money, and I expected to be able to use toilet paper!!

I remedied the toilet situation by carrying my own soap and toilet paper around in my back pack, but some of the other items were not so easy to come by. For example, my tourism teacher would pick a random subject and then ask us to write a paper on it. My thought was, I don't mind writing a paper, but where is my textbook to study the subject? Where do I get the information I need to write a paper that I know will be on topic and pertain to our class?

This brings me back to Zambia where I wonder how difficult it must be for the teacher to teach without a text!? I can do it, and do it all the time with my girls, but I have access to the Internet where every subject a person could want (and even ones you don't want) are there with a click of a key. How do the children remember everything without workbooks to fill in, textbooks to study at home, paper and pencil?

You may be amazed to learn that while these children do not have the luxuries that US schools have (a desk to themselves, oodles of school supplies, textbooks, a nice playground, and so on), they are still eager to learn! Imagine how happy they would be for a box of crayons and paper of their own!! Or a workbook and pencil! These children appreciate everything, and take NOTHING for granted!

CHILDHOPE believes that education is crucial for development and one of the most powerful tools in breaking the poverty cycle.
CHILDHOPE puts in more in education than any other program area and works to ensure that children, young people and adults get the knowledge and life skills they need to realize their full potential. The school improvement program, which is part of our formal education work, delivers:
• Support to every aspect of a school essential in creating the best learning environment for children thereby providing adequate and appropriate teaching and learning materials for basic school children.
• Supporting education through the provision of school furniture.
• Child representation on every school committee and training of school management committees which are tailored towards making schools more transparent. As parents and children realize that they are key stakeholders in the running of schools, they will begin to take decision-making seriously and begin to demand explanations on the way their schools are run.

The sponsorship program will provide the child with school supplies, school fees, and many other essentials needed for a proper education. To sponsor a child, please visit out blog at: http://childhopezambia.blogspot.com/

Also, a question was asked about sponsorship payments. You do not have to use the "subscribe" link to sponsor a child. You can make the monthly payments on your terms every month by sending a paypal payment to macandmic@gmail.com We do have a spreadsheet that keeps track of donations, so we will know how much you have paid. Make sure to mark your payment as a "gift", so that paypal does not take out fees.

Another question I received is whether Child Hope Zambia will be filing for a 501c3 status. We do plan to do that. For anyone who has done this for their own organization, you know how costly it is. I am currently looking into how much money we will need to come up with to get this done. So far, I have come up with $150 for a company to prepare out LLC docs for us, $300 in state filing fees, and $200 to apply for the 501c3 status with the federal government. The total is $650, but I am not sure if I am missing anything.

The good news is that the IRS allows a non-profit 27 months to get the 501c3 status, and all of the donations up to that point would be tax deductible (as long as the status is approved). Very good news!

Sponsors Needed Part 6

Victor Mooye- 12 years old Child #51
*NOT SPONSORED*
DOB: July 16, 1997 Sex: Male
He is in the 7th grade and speaks English and Tonga.
He lives with his parents, 3 brothers, and 1 sister in Mbozi.
Favorite Subject: Math
Future Career: Teacher
Favorite Color: White
Favorite Pastime: Soccer
Chores: Cleaning House
Health: Good

Joseph Nyeleti- 14 years old Child #11
*NOT SPONSORED*
DOB: December 1, 1995 Sex: Male
He is in the 6th grade and speaks English and Tonga.
He lives with his grandfather, 2 brothers and 1 sister in Kabanje B.
Favorite Subject: English
Future Career: Policeman
Favorite Pastime: Soccer
Favorite Color: White
Chores: House cleaning
Health: Fair

Milimo Hamanenga- 15 years old Child #16
* NOT SPONSORED*
DOB: December 24,1994 Sex: Male
He is in the 7th Grade and speaks English and Tonga
He lives with his uncle, 3 brothers, and 6 sisters in Mweene.
Favorite Subject: Mathematics
Future Career: Teacher
Favorite Color: Red
Favorite pastime: Soccer
Chores:Weeding
Health: Coughing

Glady Moomba- 12years old Child #33
*NOT SPONSORED*
DOB: June 1, 1997 Sex: Male
He is in the 6th grade and speaks Tonga.
He lives with his father, 4 brothers, and 2 sisters in Moonga.
Favorite Subject: English
Future Career: Teacher
Favorite Color: White
Favorite Pastime: Soccer
Chores: Herding cattle
Health: Fair

Bodwin Chaanga- 16 years old Child #44
*NOT SPONSORED*
DOB: January 20, 1994 Sex: Male
He is in the 7th grade and speaks English and Tonga.
He lives with his father, 4 brothers, and 4 sisters in Kapani.
Favorite Subject: Math
Future Career: Policeman
Favorite Color: White
Favorite Pastime: Soccer
Chores: Doing laundry
Health: Fair

Malambo Hanzenkule- 13 years old Child #74
*NOT SPONSORED*
DOB: January 4, 1997 Sex: Male
He is in the 3rd grade and speaks Tonga.
He lives with his father, 2 brothers and 2 sisters in Moonga.
Favorite Subject: English
Future Career: Teacher
Favorite Color: Red
Favorite Pastime: Soccer
Chores: Cleaning house
Health: Fair

Frank Njovu- 14 years old Child #77
*NOT SPONSORED*
DOB: January 1, 1996 Sex: Male
He is in the 7th grade and speaks English and Tonga.
He lives with his grandfather 3 brothers, and 2 sisters in Mweene.
Favorite Subject: English
Future Career: Teacher
Favorite Color: Orange
Favorite Pastime: Reading
Chores: Watering the Garden
Health: Good

Part 6:

The 7 precious boys are in need of a sponsor. They are part of a brand new sponsorship program that has partnered with the MAC Group! To see a more detailed post about the sponsorship program, visit the Child Hope Zambia Blog.

There are currently 75 children in need of sponsors- with an additional 3,520 waiting to be signed up for the program! There are 3 different types of sponsorship based on the grade level of the child. These girls are part of the primary program that only costs $9 a month for sponsorship. Sponsorship provides them with health benefits, hygiene kits, school supplies, school uniforms, school shoes, clothes, school fees, and more!

Child Hope Zambia has been helping children in the southern Zambian province for over 10 years! They provide children with 2 meals a day, HIV/AIDS awareness, health support, Income Generating Projects, communal gardens and a lot more! They have never had a sponsorship program until now. This sponsorship program will provide the children not only with the above physical items that I listed, but, it will, also, give the children a mentor and hope for the future!

There are another 68 children besides these 7 that need sponsors as well. They can all be found on the Child Hope Zambia blog on the upper left hand side of the page. You will see tabs that say "Sponsor a Girl", "Sponsor a Boy", and so on.

The great thing about having Child Hope Zambia as a Make a Change partner is that we can mold the program to what we would like to see. For example, do any of you have ideas on letter prompts that can be put on the primary child's letters to their sponsor? Something that will get the child to open up about himself and share his talents and ideas? I would love to hear it! We will have some letter writing templates in place by the middle of May so that these children can start writing their sponsors! Sara is currently working on templates for each age group and each season (since they will write 4 letters a year).

Sponsors Needed Part 5

Mwaka Milambo- 14 years old Child #35
*NOT SPONSORED*
DOB: July 1, 1995 Sex: Female
She is in the 6th grade and speaks Tonga.
She lives with her grandmother and 1 sister in Moonga.
Favorite Subject: Science
Future Career: Nurse
Favorite Color: Black
Favorite Pastime: Netball
Chores: Cleaning clothes
Health: Fair

Prisca Milimo- 9 years old Child #75
*NOT SPONSORED*
DOB: July 19, 2000 Sex: Female
She is in the 4th grade and speaks Tonga.
She lives with her mother 1 brother, and 2 sisters in Mbozi.
Favorite Subject: Math
Future Career: Nurse
Favorite Color: Black
Favorite Pastime: Studying
Chores: Washing dishes
Health: Fair

Miyoba Madyabi- 13 years old Child #17
*NOT SPONSORED*
DOB: April 1, 1997 Sex: Female
She is in the 7th grade and speaks English and Tonga
She lives with both parents and 5 brothers in Mboozi
Favorite Subject: Math
Future Career: Teacher
Favorite pastime: Soccer
Favorite color: Green
Chores: Weeding
Health: Good

Juma Mweeba- 11 years old Child #4
\*NOT SPONSORED*
DOB: January 4, 1999 Sex: Female
She is in the 5th grade and speaks English and Tonga.
She lives with her mother and 3 sisters in Moonga.
Favorite Subject: Math
Future Career: Teacher
Favorite Color: Orange
Favorite Pastime: Netball
Chores: Washing dishes
Health: Fair

Emelda Mwaka- 12 years old Child #38
*NOT SPONSORED*
DOB: May 5, 1997 Sex: Female
She is in the 5th grade and speaks Tonga.
She lives with her parents, 1 brother and 3 sisters in Moonga.
Favorite Subject: English
Future Career: Teacher
Favorite Color: Orange
Favorite Pastime: Netball
Chores: CLeaning house
Health: Fair

Forstina Munyumbwe- 14 years old Child #41
*NOT SPONSORED*
DOB: January 1, 1996 Sex: Female
She is in the 7th grade and speaks English and Tonga.
She lives with her uncle, 2 brothers and 4 sisters in Mbozi.
Favorite Subject: English
Future Career: Teacher
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Pastime: Reading
Chores: Washing clothes
Health: Good

Muntinta Hanyindi- 13 years old Child #43
*NOT SPONSORED*
DOB: January 1, 1997 Sex: Female
She is in the 7th grade and speaks Tonga.
She lives with her parents, 4 brothers and 3 sisters in Mweene.
Favorite Subject: Math
Future Career: Nurse
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Pastime: Reading
Chores: Washing Dishes
Health: Good

Matron Moonga- 10 years old Child #70
*NOT SPONSORED*
DOB: January 9, 2000 Sex: Female
She is in the 3rd grade and speaks Tonga.
She lives with her grandmother, 1 brothers and 5 sisters in Moonga.
Favorite Subject: English
Future Career: Teacher
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Pastime: Netball
Chores: Cleaning house
Health: Fair

The 8 sweet girls are in need of a sponsor. They are part of a brand new sponsorship program that has partnered with the MAC Group! To see a more detailed post about the sponsorship program, visit the Child Hope Zambia Blog.

There are currently 75 children in need of sponsors- with an additional 3,520 waiting to be signed up for the program! There are 3 different types of sponsorship based on the grade level of the child. These girls are part of the primary program that only costs $9 a month for sponsorship. Sponsorship provides them with health benefits, hygiene kits, school supplies, school uniforms, school shoes, clothes, school fees, and more!

Child Hope Zambia has been helping children in the southern Zambian province for over 10 years! They provide children with 2 meals a day, HIV/AIDS awareness, health support, Income Generating Projects, communal gardens and a lot more! They have never had a sponsorship program until now. This sponsorship program will provide the children not only with the above physical items that I listed, but, it will, also, give the children a mentor and hope for the future!

There are another 67 children besides these 8 that need sponsors as well. They can all be found on the Child Hope Zambia blog on the upper left hand side of the page. You will see tabs that say "Sponsor a Girl", "Sponsor a Boy", and so on.

The great thing about having Child Hope Zambia as a Make a Change partner is that we can mold the program to what we would like to see. For example, do any of you have ideas on letter prompts that can be put on the primary child's letters to their sponsor? Something that will get the child to open up about himself and share his talents and ideas? I would love to hear it! We will have some letter writing templates in place by the middle of May so that these children can start writing their sponsors! Sara is currently working on templates for each age group and each season (since they will write 4 letters a year).

Frequently Asked Questions- Child Hope Zambia

I have gotten a few questions, so I wanted to give this to all who might be asking these same questions:

1. How often can we write to the child? You can write as often as you wish. You will mail the letters directly to Lusaka, Zambia:
THE NATIONAL CO-ORDINATOR
CHILDHOPE-ZAMBIA
P.O.BOX 39481
LUSAKA, ZAMBIA
Please include your sponsor child's full name and ID number.

2. How often do they write back? 4 times a year. We are currently making letter writing prompt sheets to get the kids to open up, share their ideas and be creative. The idea is that they will write a letter every season (rainy season, dry cold season, hot season, and Christmas season). As soon as I have the letter templates, I will post them.

3. Will we get the responses by email or regular mail? You will get letters in the mail. To save cost on the Zambian side, they will mail the letters in bulk to the US. I will mail them to the sponsors via regular mail. However, you will receive all pictures and updates via e-mail. This allows you to get them quicker, and print and post all of the pictures that you want to.

4. Can we send special monetary donation as well? Yes you may. If you have something specific that you would like the money be spent on, please specify. Some of the best donations are things that will help the family live better (i.e. chickens, other animals, food items such as Kapenta, etc). There is, also, a food program that benefits all of the children. It always needs donations. Special donations to this program can provide the children with extras like fish and meat to go with the beans and porridge.

5. Do we get the photos & bio in the post or via email? e-mail because of the reasons stated above.

6. What happens, if I need to discontinue with the sponsorship? You just let me know, and the child will be posted on the blog again to find a sponsor- no big deal. There are many reasons people choose to not continue with sponsorship, and you do not need to give a reason. You can even say that you would like to sponsor a different child. All of it is perfectly acceptable. There are enough children for everyone!

7. What happens when my primary child gets to secondary school? There are several children currently in the 7th grade, so you will just pay sponsorship from May through December $9 each month. After December, you can choose to sponsor that same child in their secondary education for $15 a month, or you can stop sponsoring them (but maintain contact with them through letters), and begin sponsoring another primary student in January 2011 for $9 a month.

8. Can I visit my child? Absolutely! You can even volunteer, if you wish. This is a hands-on sponsorship program. The children love visitors, and you will no-doubt have all of the children in the town watching you and following you with excitement.

I am sure there are many more questions, and I will include the questions with answers as I receive them from everyone. Make sure to read through the Child Hope Zambia blog because it may answer many of the questions you have.