a New Meaning to Home School

This week I have been priveleged to be going to see the different projects that Visionledd has been overseeing in Zambia. Our travels brought us to Mukukulu, where we held a massive party for the students of a community school. A community school that started with some humble beginnings.

Theresa, a teacher at a local government school noticed all the kids around her neighbourhood unable to go to school because they had no money for school fees. It broke her heart and she decided to do something about it. Unable to quit her job she began teaching the kids in her home after school and on weekends. The kids would sit on the floor and learn.

The week Richard Brown (visionledd director) came to visit, the students were huddled on the floor of the house. It was during the rains and the floor was basically a big mud puddle, but it was the only place the kids had for school. Now I am happy to say thanks to some Canadians there is a brand new community school for kids that wouldn't be able to go otherwise.

The day we came, we were able to hand out school uniforms, and through a huge party for the 3 room school that has 350 kids (do the math). It was hot and cramped, but it was a happy day- especially for Theresa.

Training leaders to Eat- our new motto

Don is a pastor from Montreal who has recently decended on zambia and our college here in Kitwe to begin a practical leadership school in Zambia. Leadership, mentorship, management are things that we learn to get better at. No one is born a Winston Churchill, or an Abraham Lincoln, these men had years of training, years of hard knocks prior to the iconic nature we now immortalize them in.

Zambia is in the generation of hard knocks. They are growing up into leadership of churches, communities and countries having been stripped of role models because of years of colonialism, followed by the devastation of HIV where many parents simply disappeared leaving kids to grow on their own.

Todays leaders have never had mentors. Many of the countries early leaders had to learn on their own and don't have the skill to pass it on. Over a nice meal at the local lake and his wife's amazing....AMAZING lemon tarts made with fresh lemon zest, we talked about what he was thinking. Although his focus and invitation is to work with pastors he feels it isn't theological training they need, but mentorship and good management training. Pastors need to pass on their skills, share their resources. Having heard my interests in being in Zambia he says, 'Rob I think that you are here at a very good time to help us see TTC become a training centre for all of Zambia.' That made me feel good, but here is why. Don sees that a primary thrust has to be helping churches start businesses, build skills into their churches will transform communities the very thing we think needs to happen.

I'm bottom line excited because I see a whole bunch of things coming together. It is nice to know that we aren't the only one thinking that these things are important. And feeling in many ways we may be in the right place at the right time. In February we begin building a skill training centre where we will begin training pastors and community leaders in this area, giving them business skills. I am beginning a class called the 'biblical basics of business' to help get students started on their own income generating schemes.

Thinking about Barry Ilunga (see today's other post) and his 2000 hectares needing development. I am overwhelmed with the potential that is sitting out there to be pounced on. So here is a plug. If you have skills to offer and want to come. Trades (electrical, plumbing, concrete, wood work, masonary) and want to come to do some training we would pull people together here and let you loose on them. Or if you are interested in investing in our not yet created business development projects and want to start with some seed money. It would be a tremendous gift.

Lean into the things in front of you and there you will find God's Kingdom.


cheers

Eating in the Dark

As we wander the maze of unfinished buildings Kate and I remember pouring the floor of the house of the Ilunga's. Then it was only a foundation in the middle of a field. We had brought our youth group from Guelph to come help the 10 child family, build their first home. The Ilunga's are church planters of amazing caliber. Without a car, they would pile their kids on backs of trucks to head out into the bush of Zambia and beyond telling people about Jesus. A lot has happened in the 10 years we have been away. There is not just one building at their home, but many. Barry shows me the frame of a new project which is to be a missions training center. We tour another nice finished house that is housing a woman from the UK who has come to help in the clinic the Ilunga's have started in the north that services 15,000 people.

If you haven't gotten the underlying picture yet, money is no barrier to this amazing family. When money comes in it is spent, building the things that God has put in front of them to do. As we talk around the outdoor fire as our cassava leaves are being cooked I marvel that for a couple that never has cash a lot has been built including their own house. We talk about the projects he has on the go I ask well how are you supporting yourselves?

Barry tells me how they have been given 2000 hectares of land and all they need is an investor. The land is virgin forest on the edge of a river. Barry is planning on building an executive lodge to cater to a nearby mine. He tells me how the mine has agreed to buy food locally if it can be produced. All we need is some start up capital he says. If we can start out then we can build another school and a clinic. 'I want to start by putting in 20,000 pineapples,' Barry says, 'I have 200 already.' Two hundred pineapples is no where near 20,000 but for him it is a start.

When we came to Zambia I had a feeling that what we were here to do was to help people like Barry build sustainable businesses that would help put money back into the rural poor and neglected communities of Zambia. For some time I have been saying to Kate, 'All I need is some land.' Here Barry is sitting on 2000 hectares of prime agricultural and leisure land.

We left Barry and his wife Frida in the dark after a great dinner- no power to pay the hydro bills I guess. As we drove home in the setting sun, I was wondering how I could help. What potential could be tapped to create jobs for Zambia's rural poor? Little did I know that the very next day another piece of the puzzle would be put in place when I meet with a new guy in town Don Mann and he tells me why he is in Zambia.

photo of the week

here is a shot of the tree that shades our new park. great sunsets in rainy season.....when it's sunny!