Current news from Winn i e: “ Yesterday was again an exciting and j oyous day at the Vima Lupwa home. Rita was there last week and she showed them how to make a simple dress out of the unbleached calico they had tie dyed on her instructi ons. They were thrilled with their achievement and so was I not only surprised but very excited.Mwape loves her dress and was dancing around in it. Mwaba was also thrilled with her dress and her tie dye. What I love about these children, they are not afraid to experiment with the ir newly gained knowledge. Mwaba tried two colours and hers turned out really lovely. I would not have thought of redying the material and getting another pattern. I hope the photos are going to come out because the camera s howed that the batteries were flat. To think the y produced a dress out of a metr e and a half of material that cost K7000 ( less than 2 $ US ) is amazing .

Umutende ube naimwe ... (Bemba for: Peace be with you ) Current news from Winn i e: “ Yesterday was again an exciting and j oyous day at the Vima Lupwa home. Rita was there last week and she showed them how to make a simple dress out of the unbleached calico they had tie dyed on her instructi ons. They were thrilled with their achievement and so was I not only surprised but very excited. Mwape loves her dress and was dancing around in it. Mwaba was also thrilled with her dress and her tie dye. What I love about these children, they are not afraid to experiment with the ir newly gained knowledge. Mwaba tried two colours and hers turned out really lovely. I would not have thought of redying the material and getting another pattern. I hope the photos are going to come out because the camera s howed that the batteries were flat. To think the y produced a dress out of a metr e and a half of material that cost K7000 ( less than 2 $ US ) is amazing . ” Zambia moved from being a major copper producer and potentially one of the continent's riche st countries at independence in 1964 to one of the world’s poorest. Millions of Zambians live on under $1 a day, and the life expectancy is an average of only 45 years. The BBC recently reported almost 1.2 million Zambians are in need of food assistance. B ased on a country that faces extreme economic problems, the Vima Lupwa Home works to teach and empower our children to learn skills that will ensure they will be able always be able to bring food to the table. Currently, the Vima Lupwa Home’s garden is in full bloom . Zambia is just coming out of the rainy season, so the land is lush and vegetables are thriving.

Zambia moved from being a major copper producer and potentially one of the continent's riche st countries at independence in 1964 to one of the world’s poorest. Millions of Zambians live on under $1 a day, and the life expectancy is an average of only 45 years. The BBC recently reported almost 1.2 million Zambians are in need of food assistance. B ased on a country that faces extreme economic problems, the Vima Lupwa Home works to teach and empower our children to learn skills that will ensure they will be able always be able to bring food to the table. Currently, the Vima Lupwa Home’s garden is in full bloom . Zambia is just coming out of the rainy season, so the land is lush and vegetables are thriving

This month we are celebrating Alick entering into the first grade. Si nce schools are closed until next month for holiday, the kids have some time to get extra tutoring at home and continue to help move the home towards being more sustaina ble. Alick has struggled quit e a bit in school this last year as academics is something new to him. Coming out of such an abusive environment it has taken him some time to learn to trust people around him. Although Alick has s p ent most of his life on the str eets so far, he is now learning what it’s like to have a childhood. He is consistently making his brothers and sisters laugh with his jokes. Please sponsor a child in the Vima Lupwa Home like Alick and create a personal relationship with a child as they make their way through school and grow into contributing Zambian citizen s .

Steve Douglas – Vima Lupwa Home Bend Vice President explains our latest initia tive: Vima Lupwa Home has just sent out a shipment of bicycle supplies, musical instrument and more. We are thankful to Kevin for offering us an opportunity to ship bulk items to our home in Luanshya, Zambia. Normally it’s very difficult if not impossible to send heavy and bulky goods to Zambia. We are still looking for donations for our next shipment of various items to support our mission there.First we are looking for men’s, women’s and children’s underwear to support an enterprise project run by two handicapped women. This is known as our ongoing “Undie Campaign.” We are also looking for art supplies. Art heals, and the opportunity to engage in creative projects has been tremendously valuable in helping our kids grow beyond their circumstances.

Our other enterprise project is our bike shop. We helped Malama start his repair shop and in return he gives a percentage of his profits back to the home. With the global economic downturn it has become difficult and more expensive to get some of the supplies he needs to keep the shop running. So we are looking for new and used bicycle parts and supplies. We wish we could send w hole bikes but space is limited so we are looking mostly for consumable and accessories of all types.

Specialty bike tools would be especially appreciated as well as general mechanical tools. Donations can be dropped off at Douglas Fine Jewelry on Minneso ta Street in downtown Bend. Call 541.389.2901 if you have questions or need directions. As always , anything you are able to give is deeply appreciated, and it will make a huge difference in the life of our kids.