Chitsime Association, St Lawrence, Home of Hope, Lusaka – Project Update
The Home of Hope, alongside St Lawrence Church, Misisi, provides accommodation, teaching and emotional support to boys who are rescued from living on the streets. The project is run by Brother Jacek Rakowski, and he goes to great lengths to find the families of these boys and to help them reunite and reintegrate. In his latest report written in late 2022 to us Brother Jacek writes:
“It has been another intensive year here at the Home of Hope. The need for our service is still ongoing. There are always new children in desperate need of help. There are still families who need an external agency to help them with the not easy task of bringing up their children in an environment which is constantly working against them. High unemployment rates, the uncertainty of tomorrow, struggle with substance abuse, high crime rates, depression, and wounds of their own trauma.
The Covid pandemic has subsided, and finally, this year, we have welcomed some of our old friends who could visit us again. With their help, we could make some long-needed renovations and improvements to our home. We have managed to repaint all of the dormitories and replace old and damaged lockers with new shelves. We have also put up five new solar geysers for the kids to bathe in hot water (important, especially during the cold season) and renovated toilets and showers for the staff.
Since the beginning of this year to date, we have welcomed into our home 92 new children. We will close the year with a few above 100, which is the highest ever number of new children received in one year. At the same time, we have reintegrated with their families a total of 68 children. It took much work to have such an impact.
Our investment in education is also paying off in an enjoyable way. Many of the boys we support for education keep coming up with excellent results, frequently on top of their classes. Like Joseph, now a 15-year-old, who came to the Home of Hope towards the end of 2018. At the time, he was enrolled to Grade 4; within one year made it straight to Grade 7 and obtained the highest in the Central Province and the third highest in the country marks for his final exam. He was selected to the prestigious Hillcrest Technical Secondary School in Livingstone and this year has won the First Prize in the National Junior Secondary Mathematics Olympiad! Now that’s an undisputable achievement! Two weeks from now, Joseph will write his Grade 9 exams, and we are sure we will have yet another opportunity to be proud.
Another of our beneficiaries, Ackim, after four years of studies at Copperbelt University, has obtained his Diploma. Ackim writes in his letter to us: “Thanks to your support, I have received a BSc in Bioenergy with an emphasis on Renewable energy... I conceptualized, initiated, and managed projects on renewable energy. The sponsorship allowed me to focus on my studies and enjoy my time at the university. You have been an immense source of strength and courage for me during this phase. I cannot thank you enough for ensuring I finish my education without any hurdles. Your generosity has inspired me to help others and give back to the community. I hope one day I can help students achieve their goals just as you have helped me”.
We have four young men who will sit this year for their Grade 12 exam. Judging by their results so far, we are expecting they will qualify to continue their education in college or university. A great joy for us, but at the same time, a worry: will we be able to find sponsorship for them?
From September this year, two new vital persons joined our team at Home of Hope: Fr. Toon van Kessel, who was appointed the Financial Director and Br. Bara Suman, who joined the team of caregivers. Both are Missionaries of Africa, and we are delighted to have them with us. We are looking forward to our fruitful work together.
All our work here at Home of Hope is possible only with the many contributions we receive, including support from you – the Zambia Society Trust. The other day I had some boys playing board games in my office. In the evening, as I was getting ready to go for our “street outreach”, some of them asked where I was going this late. After my explanation, they said: “You are going to see Zombies” (a nickname that kids created for those still living on the streets). “Yes”, I said, “We are going to bring them back to life the way we gave you back your lives some time ago”. That night we brought back with us six very young boys.
Thank you for your friendship, trust, and continued support.”