A Visit to the Village

A Visit to the Village

On Saturday, November 12, Henry, Rachel and I travelled to the Villages of
Hope in Zambia (http://www.akcli.org). We arrived in Lusaka at 9pm and were
met by Benedict Schwartz and his neighbor Richard Nyrienda. It was a two
hour drive up the Great North road to the Villages which are about half way
between Lusaka and Kabwe. We stayed in the Schwartz'home and the next
morning attended worship with them at the community center which is on
the Village's property. There we first met the 42 orphans who are currently
living in the village. After church we visited each of five houses where
8-9 children live with their house mother. The children showed us their
bedrooms (4 or 5 to a room) and we saw how their meals were prepared in the
Zambian way over a charcoal fire. Henry received lessons from one of the
house mothers on how to carry a five gallon bucket of water (half-full) on
his head, He needs a lot more practice. The next morning we
visited the school and the children sang us their welcome song as well as
the Zambian national anthem (in three languages). We sat in on their
morning bible study which was on a passage from James, and the children took
part in answering questions and talking about how the verses are applied to
life. Before we left to go back to the airport we visited the truck stop
and market that the Villages runs. We bought some beautiful tote bags that
the Chimwemwe Ladies club make from recycled plastic grocery bags. Our stay
was not long but we came away with so much appreciation for how God works
through the people He calls to take care of the widows and orphans. There
are funds for two more houses in the village, but until the ongoing expenses
of running those houses can be met, serving moreorphans has to wait.

There are many orphanages and wonderful missions to support. What is so
unique about Villages of Hope is that they are striving to be
self-sufficient. The Schwartzes are very entrepreneurial and have a number
of components that helps to support the houses, including a small truck
stop, a chicken farm, produce and the tote bags. To get to the fully
self-sufficient stage requires a lot of oversight and initial capital, and
more importantly, operating funding to bridge from start-up to
self-sufficiency. Many other missions are carefully watching and learning
from Villages of Hope. If it is successful, it will have an impact far
beyond the immediate children it serves.
Blessings,
Ann