It’s always nice to know where the children of VOH came from – each of these children has an amazing story behind how he or she ended up at Village of Hope. But, though knowing where these young people are coming from is inspiring, what’s even more inspiring is to here where they are going.
Sam, Serah, and Happy are all former residents of the Village of Hope in Kitwe (Zambia). Now that they are ‘all grown up’ and have graduated high school, we decided to catch up with them to see what they are up to…
Samuel Mamatu
After his parents passed away, the family home where he had been living was sold and Sam was left with nowhere to go. A neighbor took him in but she was elderly and couldn’t afford to take care of him. In 1999, when he was 12 years old, Sam’s teacher found out what had happened to him and contacted a local pastor, who got in touch with VOH to see if there was room for him. There was room, and Sam moved into one of the residential homes.
In 2010, after graduating high school at the VOH Community School, Sam attended a local College in Kitwe. After graduating from Business College, Sam moved to Chongwe where he took on the role of Assistant Administrator at the Village of Hope there. Sam was one of the first children to move in to a VOH resident home, and we are excited to still have him as part of the Village of Hope family.
Serah Nalwimba
When her parents passed away, Serah had to stop attending school because her grandmother couldn’t afford the school fees. Serah recalls watching her friends go to school each day and wondering if she would ever be able to go back again. In 2003, a friend introduced her to the Community School at VOH-Kitwe, and she enrolled immediately. Then, in 2004, when she was 14, Serah moved into one of the VOH resident homes.
After high school, Serah attended ZIBSIP (a local college in Kitwe) where she studied tourism. In 2010, Serah moved out of VOH and got a job as a receptionist at Chimfule Safari Lodge in South Luangwa National Park located in the north-eastern part of Zambia. Based on her skills, Serah is now highly coveted amongst the various lodges in the area, and we are so proud of her.
Happy Mwale
Both Happy’s parents passed away when he was young, and he and his sister were split up as they were passed on from relative to relative – having nowhere permanent to live. In 2000, when Happy was nine years old, one of his family members found out about VOH and asked if there would be room for Happy and his sister to both move in so that they could finally be reunited and get the chance to grow up together. There was room and both Happy and his sister moved into one of the resident homes.
In 2010, after Happy had graduated from the Village of Hope School, he moved to Chongwe and now works as the Construction and Maintenance Foreman at the Chongwe Village of Hope, where he is doing a wonderful job.
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We are so proud of each of these amazing young adults who have gone forward and built a lives for themselves and have become, as our Mission states, “Contributing members of society.”
More “Where are They Now?” stories coming soon…
Really encouraging. Helps us at VOH Mongu see into the future. Thank you!
Thanks for the comment! We can't wait to see the VOH-Mongu kids 'all grown up'!
How wonderful to find out where these beautiful graduates have gone, and to red of their success!
Thank you for sharing with us.
Thanks, Luce!