Our Children at Vima Lupwa Homes
The major adjustments for the children have been assuring them that they are in a safe home, with a bed of their own including sheets, blankets, a pillow and a mosquito net, two sets of clothes, with parents Violet and Mwala who love them, where they will have plenty of meals [3 per day] and go to school until they have finished their education and are ready to be on their own. All are slowly becoming reassured that they are in a permanent home now where there is no need to steal, sneak or beg for food ever again.
One child at a time – we are helping make a difference.
One child at a time who will in turn help make a difference for other Zambian children.
Meet the children in their new home.
MELODY BANDA: It is just a little over 8 months ago that the first child arrived in Vima Lupwa Home - little Melody, the inspiration child who started the whole effort in Bend of building a home for orphaned and/or vulnerable children in Zambia. Weighing barely 45 pounds on a tiny mal- and undernourished 12-year-old body, her story is not an uncommon one. [more...]
JOSEPH CHIYUBE: From a very early age he worked in the fields and sold goods at market being the main provider for the entire household. Now 13, he was living with two grandmothers and 12 others in one room, with no running water and no electricity; blind in one eye he was teased and abused for his handicap. [more...]
MWALA MWALA: He is the 13-year-old biological son of house-parents Violet and Mr. Mwala. An excellent artist and student in grade 8, he is delighted to have extended his family with the children now living in the home. He is an exemplary friend, brother and tutor to the boys and girls, with the patience of a saint. [more...]
MWAPE P. MALUBENI: This little 11-year-old girl arrived to Vima Lupwa home extremely malnourished and neglected. She came to us through the social-welfare office after it was discovered by a local clinic that she was being sexually abused by her father. When she just 3 months old she was diagnosed with cerebral malaria which caused a slight mental handicap. [more...]
SHADRICK MUSONDA: Until this month, little Shadreck, age 6, was the youngest and had arrived extremely malnourished. Standing about mid thigh to an average adult, he looks as though he is only about three. When he first arrived his belly was so large that he could barely hold himself upright. [more...]
BUPE KUNDA: At 12 years of age, this youngster is our beauty queen. She is constantly redoing her hair, painting her nails with the pastel paints intended for the art projects and eating! Her stomach is still very swollen, so she will be put on worm pills … again. After years of fighting for food, she still shovels down her meals as if someone will take it from her. [more...]
PERFIOUS KUNDA: This 12-year-old boy was living with his very ill parents suffering from TB in a shanty. Due to their severe illness they were unable to care for him. From a very early age he has been the main provider and caretaker for his parents. In order to bring food home, he had been begging in the streets and was often beaten by bullies. [more...]
LIMBIKANI MEMBE: Now 9 years old he was living with his dying mother and five siblings in a one-room shack. If lucky, they had one meal a day which extended family members tried to provide. Prior to arriving at our home, he had never slept on a bed, but rather on the floor, huddling with his brothers and sisters to stay warm. [more...]
NALUCA MWALA: At 16, she is the oldest youngster living in the home. As such, she takes on a parenting role getting up early every morning before the rest of the family wakes up. After washing herself and straightening her bed area, she sweeps the home and readies the day for the younger siblings. [more...]
ALICK CHILEKWA: He is one of the three latest additions to our family who arrived in October 2007. Having just barely turned 6 years old, this youngster is now the baby of Vima Lupwa Home. He was found squatting at the side of a street with his severely mentally ill mother begging for food – basically he was a street child, as they had nowhere to go. [more...]
LOVENESS KANONGESHA: This 10-year-old girl, whose father suffered from AIDS and died of tuberculosis, has also just arrived in our home. Before her father died, he had built a house where she lived with her parents and a brother. Together with his wife they sold goods in a small shop at City Market in Isoka. After his death, however, his relatives grabbed all his properties. [more...]
ELIZEBETH KABWE: On the second of October 2007, a social welfare officer brought this 14-year-old young lady to our home for her safety. She had run away from her uncle’s home, as he wanted her to prostitute herself instead of going to school. She had made him believe that she was trying to do as he said, but would sneak to school instead. [more...]