FSC

This is Dominic Sahuku

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Dominic is 16 years old and studying Grade 11 at Mindolo Secondary School. Since his mother suffers from poor mental health and has been unable to take care of him Dominic has been moved from one relative to another. From the house of his last host, he was walking over five miles a day just get to and from school. He often returned late and tired, which led to arguments with his aunt. He was denied food for many days. His mother’s relatives treated him so badly that he ran away to take his chances on the street. At night he slept in a abandoned building until he was taken in by Friends of Street Children (FSC), who lodge him, feed him, and pay for his secondary school fees, books and uniform.

Dominic has always loved school and believes that education is the key to his future. His ambition is to become an accountant, but before he can, he must pass the exams and find the fees to enter university.

To come from such an unstable family background, to go from homeless to model pupil shows great character. We hope that his determination and hard work will be rewarded.

If you would like to help Dominic please donate through our Just Giving page here.

https://checkout.justgiving.com/c/3333173

And better this II …

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Mrs Vimbi Chingaleeshi, the cook at the boys shelter Kawama, prepares the nshima with Jack. They are cooking on scavenged bits of wood because the supply of charcoal has run out.

Than this…

Street children in the gutter. They look dirty. Their clothes are filthy and they are infested with parasites. The boy to the left is holding a bottle containing glue which he sniffs. It helps to blot out pain, physical and mental, but damages the brain. These children are at risk of every kind of abuse and worse. Some will disappear. FSC, which Romilly’s generous donors have been supporting since 2005 provides a lifeline and a refuge for children like this. Thanks to the generosity of its supporters Romilly’s charity sends £1200 a month to pay for the salaries of the staff like Mrs Chingaleesi, who provide care for the children who choose to leave the life on the streets. Please help us to continue to do this by making a small monthly donation at https://checkout.justgiving.com/c/3333173

From Street Child to Science Teacher Draft

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Kunda Benson teaching at the Friends of Street Children (FSC) shelter for boys at Kawama

We have written about Kunda before. He came to the FSC as a street child.

For many street children getting back into mainstream education after months, or years of living rough is very difficult. To find the grit to catch up, slog through year after year of exams, moving up through the school system, and into higher education requires imagination and determination. Kunda did not find it easy, but succeeded and qualified as a teacher. Throughout this long progress, he had always said that he wanted to help other homeless children. While waiting for a post in the Zambian national education system, he is teaching at FSC. As an ex street child he is an inspiration.

Zambia has many dialects, including 7 major languages. Kunda writes on the black board in English, but the class is taught in Bemba, which all the boys understand, even if their mother tongue is different: quite a challenge though.

The aim is to get the street children in the class up to a level at which they can rejoin mainstream education. Should they achieve this, the cost of sending a child to school is 2000 kwatcha a year ( £65 at the time of writing), and half this for a child attending primary school. A uniform costing £12 will also have to be found for each child. Uniforms are passed down, but eventually they wear out.

Depending on the exchange rate, Kunda’s 3 year teacher training course cost about £370 a year. This was paid thanks to the generosity of Romilly’s supporters and donors. There are currently a number of children at the shelter who have the ability and determination to enter higher academic or vocational education, but cannot do so for lack of funds. Most courses could be paid for with a donation of £30 pounds a month. These children have had a very rough start and helping Kunda has been very rewarding.

You can donate at:

https://www.givey.com/donations/new?charity_id=11250

Romilly helps street children to help themselves

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Following the success of the first fish pond at the Naivasha Children’s Shelter (see February 19th’s post) Romilly is sending 4625 euros  to pay for a second fish pond and two green houses.

The charity is also paying for the repair of the borehole and the replacement of the pump at the Kawama shelter in Kitwe. Once the borehole is working order, Romilly, will contribute £5000 to the £12000 cost of a consultancy study by the group ‘Teach a Man to Fish’.

The Kitwe project needs to be more sustainable in order to be able to continue its excellent work, that is to say that it needs to grow more food, provide more of it’s own income, and raise more money locally. The aim of the study by ‘Teach a Man to Fish’ is to identify ways of doing this and to help FSC of Kitwe write a business plan.  £12000 does not sound a great deal for this kind of a study, but ‘Teach a Man to Fish’ is a charitable group.