Zambia Spring Update

Due to the coronavirus, schools in Zambia are currently closed, pending further direction from the Government. We are working with our three church partners to deliver support to the families in the form of soap and sanitation materials. We will continue to assess and respond to the needs as best we can.

Growing Education Outreach

Hope Story ended 2019 with an ambitious objective – to support 400 vulnerable children in Zambia. Much in response to the support we received at the banquet in the fall, we are pleased to report that we have begun supporting 356 children with school fees! We greatly anticipate schools reopening, once it is safe, so that these children may return to school and continue on their new journey.

We also share that some anticipated support did not materialize, and we were unable to fund some particular student needs for backpacks, textbooks, and shoes at this time. Please consider a monthly contribution to Zambia as a Community Builder. These monthly gifts do have a direct impact on children’s lives as $0.85 from every dollar is directed to Zambia.

Meet Joy, Calvary Church Outreach

Deep in the heart of Malota, a dangerous and notorious shanty compound well known for illicit activities and drugs in Livingstone, Zambia, lives this little girl by the name of Joy.

She is five years old and lives with her grandmother, older brother, and younger sister – each child two years apart in age. Their mother died when Joy was three years old.

To earn a living and feed the children, their grandmother sells fritters and soft drinks on the streets about 3.5 kilometres away from home. Most days, the children walked with their grandmother and busied themselves on the streets for the day.

Neither Joy nor her older brother, Alick, at seven years old, had been able to attend school.

Starting in 2019, however, with the financial support of Hope Story, Joy and her brother began attending school. Joy shared that she aspires to become a doctor to help her family out of poverty.

Pictured below, Joy and her grandmother are receiving bulk food from Deacon Amos of Calvary Church. “The support they are receiving is giving them hope,” he shared. While the family was living in extreme poverty, the opportunities afforded the children through school and food support has inspired the grandmother. She has worked very hard to purchase new clothing for the family, and this school uniform for Joy! Hope Story has extended this food support to the families with the greatest need.

Supporting Child Nutrition

Fifty-three children attend the pre-school at the Calvary Church. Most of these children arrive at school without a lunch. A food program now provides these students with a nutritious lunch each day. Among this group, 30 of the most vulnerable children receive food packages for their families.

Giving from the Little they Have

The LCC Church has been using church collections to support 20 vulnerable children with food. Church volunteer Mathew shared, “These children are usually identified in the community when our 5-person mission team goes out once a week throughout the city preaching the gospel. When vulnerable children are identified the team will pray for them, and provide whatever tangible help they can.”

Similarly, the Mongu Evangelical Church offers outreach to some of the most impoverished communities in Zambia. “Mongu itself is a very poor city; however, across the Zambezi River, there are remote communities with even less,” Shared pastor Alick. “This past year was especially hard for Zambia, as drought led to crop failure and impacted the fishing. Rice and fish are the two main sources of sustenance in the country, and the drought impacted both, leading to the necessity of wide-scale government relief.”

“When the Lord provides, we share what we have as a church,”

shared pastor Alick. “We ask our church members if they have some food or a piece of clothing they can spare.” A church ministry team takes the resources across the Zambezi River to share with some of the most impoverished remote villages, while also sharing the Good News of Christ.

Visiting children at home, Calvary Church Outreach

Did you know…

Volunteers at the LCC Church operate a reading program in four locations throughout the city, serving 40-50 children each week and providing one-on-one reading time to children who are behind their peers.

The Calvary church hosts a Bible Quiz for the children. It’s a big deal, with ten churches now participating. It has been quite an educational experience for the children, and at the same time, it has been an entertaining way to engage the children in the Gospel.

Prayer Requests

We praise God for the dozens and dozens of individuals that have expressed their desire to follow Jesus over the past months. The churches in Zambia continue to see increased attendance on Sundays, and the volunteer support among the congregations is meaningful. Still, our pastors ask for prayer for a hunger for Christ among the young people, and for the congregation to crave and seek spiritual growth. They also seek prayers for the growth of the ministry, as there are many children awaiting support. Sign up to receive regular prayer requests.

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