Namumu Orphanage Center

Dear Partners and Friends of Namumu Children,

Greetings from Siavonga. At the end of January, there were 41 children at Namumu Orphanage Center (NOC). Director Simamba reports that the selection of new children, in collaboration with Social Welfare, chiefs, and heads of schools, is now completed. This is so exciting! We cannot wait to share pictures and celebrate the new arrivals at Namumu with you.

Director Simamba says, “We are bringing in about 20 new children. Of these children, the majority will be girls because there are currently a high number of boys enrolled.” Nine of the new children arrived at Namumu in early February. The rest of the newly selected and younger children will arrive by the second week in February.

The Namumu Orphanage Center’s emphasis on education has resulted in some visible results. Of the six children who took seventh grade examinations, four were promoted to eighth grade. The hope is that those who failed the exam will be given a chance to repeat seventh grade if the Zambian government school policy does not change.

The Namumu Community School was turned over to the community last year to obtain more support and government- assigned, qualified teachers. The government could not assign teachers to the school before because it was viewed as a privately owned school entirely funded by the Namumu orphanage. Namumu will continue its support through the funding of two teachers’ positions for three years until the government replaces them. Namumu Community School has grades one through seven with 300 children from the Siavonga community. Namumu children attending grades eight and nine and the high school (grades 10-12) travel about 45 minutes to the Siavonga where those grades are located. Sadly, 11 Namumu children failed the government exams. We expect most of the new children to attend the community school on campus with an emphasis on tutoring them for success.

Skills Training
Namumu is also seeking to improve the children’s skills in order to prepare them for their lives in the future outside Namumu. During the evaluation process in the spring of last year, recommendations were made to improve skills training and community involvement which would allow the children to learn and then practice the skills they had learned. The children who failed exams would be allowed to stay on campus and take the training. They want to start a sewing class immediately, followed by a computer center and welding class.

The main drawback for these projects is lack of funding for both equipment and teachers. Namumu hopes that one of the boys or girls from each class could be hired the next year to teach. Some children are already receiving farming, fishing, and poultry skills. Fishing and poultry are becoming important sources of increased revenue and sustainability for the orphanage.
 
Namumu Board and Community Involvement
Under the leadership of Director Simamba and the newly appointed board, there has been an increased involvement of the community in the life of Namumu. Individuals, rotary clubs, and other businesses around Siavonga contribute food, supplies, and various services. Everyone sees and knows Namumu as a ministry that rescues boys and girls from difficult and sometimes desperate situations. God’s love for these children is the foundation of NOC. 

Thanks for your support of this ministry. We look forward to our continued partnership.

Rev. Bill Warlick, Southern Africa Coordinator
Ebralie Mwizerwa, TOF Projects Coordinator