Recently I paid a visit to the Village of Hope in Kitwe, Zambia. It had been nearly two years since my last visit and I was so happy with what I saw, so I took lots of pictures and kept some mental notes so I could share my experience with you guys!
VOH-Kitwe opened in July 1999 (I was only 10 years old!) and clearly a lot has changed since then. The first time I set foot on the VOH-Kitwe site there wasn’t much more besides a couple of buildings, some very large anthills, and a dream. Now, thirteen years later, the school runs from Preschool to grade 12; there are 13 childrens’ homes; 8 youth homes, and over 160 children living on site with over 1,000 children receiving free education from the school.
How things have changed!
As we drove down the road towards the Village, passing through Race Course Compound (one of the largest in the city), the first thing that caught my attention was the apparent change in the children living there. When we first moved to Kitwe, driving through Race Course we could see that obvious signs of poverty as children with expanded bellies from lack of nutrition would stare, point, or smile and wave at us as we drove by – the more outgoing shouting ‘BUBBLE!’ as we passed (hoping we would stop to give them some candy or gum). This time, however, the children were there, the smiles and waves were there, but one thing was missing: the expanded tummys.
Where thirteen years ago the majority of the children showed this obvious sign of malnutrition, now the majority do not. And I can’t help but think this can be attributed, in part, to the Feeding Programme at VOH. Each day, the students of the VOH-Kitwe community school are given HEPS formula (High Energy Protein Supplement) as part of our Feeding Programme – every cup ensuring that each child receives the nutrition he/she needs for the day.
It may be a coincidence – either way, it was encouraging to see the apparent improvement of health among the children of the local community!
As we approached Village of Hope, Whiteson (the security guard) opened the gate and we drove in. It was so great to see Whiteson again along with other members of the staff: George Zyambo, Fridah Chibuye, Aunty Everlyn Chitente, all the house mothers (some old, some new), and my old friend James (the driver) who I used to see every day when he would stop by our house. I also got to see some of the ‘kids’ (who are no longer kids) that I remember from the early days of VOH who have now grown-up and are part of the Youth Programme or are now working at VOH themselves!
One of the highlights, however, was meeting my parents’ Sponsor Child, Martin! Martin is from the local community and lives with his grandmother, and attends the VOH school. I hadn’t met him before, so it was great to get to know him. We were both a little shy of getting our picture taken – but I’m glad we braved through it!
I also got a chance to visit the preschool, check out the Library, and visit some of the childrens’ homes.
Walking around the VOH site, it was so encouraging to see so many children running
around playing sports, swinging, climbing monkey bars, and going to school. It was also nice to see all the staff interacting with the children and the children interacting with each other. There was a true sense of love and joy.
But my favourite part: looking out the window of the office and seeing a bunch of girls in a circle holding hands and playing “Patty Cake, Patty Cake”.
Here are some more pictures from my visit:
(click to view larger image)
Thank you for having all this info on the computer. It was nice to see where the little one we sponsor is getting schooling etc. How many hours flying and then driving to get there?
Thanks for sponsoring a VOH child! And indeed it is a long journey!