Namumu Orphanage Center

Dear Partners in Caring for Children at Namumu,
 
There are currently 44 children at Namumu, and the administration is working with Social Welfare and the district Chiefs to register another 10 to 12 younger boys and girls. The number of children at Namumu decreased this year from 53 to 44 due to a variety of reasons such as children completing school, exceeding 18 years of age, or being reunited with relatives who developed the capacity to care for them.

Here is one of the many stories of children who live at Namumu:
This particular child is a living illustration of the menace that is posed by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. He is 11 now and was born HIV positive. He lost both of his parents to AIDS as well as three siblings.

He spent his early years after the demise of his parents with his grandmother in a remote village, and life was not easy for him. His grandmother was an alcoholic and abused him. They did not have a steady source of income. On most days, they had just one meal, courtesy of a small backyard garden. In addition to these challenges, he was an extremely sickly child. The insufficient diet, the mental trauma caused by abuse, and the pain of losing his parents made him very weak. It was in this condition that the social worker who eventually recommended him to Namumu found him. He was only six years old when he got to Namumu and very sick. He was quickly given proper medical attention including a healthy diet, and his health improved steadily. He now attends regular school and is part of a gang of five 11-12 year olds who run all over the large Namumu campus. He wears a constant smile on his face, and it’s his dream to become a pilot. Your support of this ministry makes stories like this possible.

A new Board of Directors was appointed earlier this year with a strong representation from the Siavonga area, which has been very instrumental in getting more community involvement at the orphanage. Just this past week, we received an e-mail from Mr. Phanuel Simamba, Namumu’s director, in which he shared that someone in the community recently sent a substantial gift of food. Other community commitments include an offer of educational help from the Social Welfare department for 2013.

As a result of Bill Warlick and Ebralie Mwizerwa’s visit in April, The Outreach Foundation is currently working with NOC to create some skills training opportunities for the children. Locally, they are currently looking for computers, sewing machines, and welding materials for this program. Local lodges and businesses have also been approached for apprenticeships for the children.

Through gifts from supporting churches in the U.S. Namumu has a third kapenta boat and purchased an engine for its second boat. Gifts also allowed an increase in the number of chicken layers to 420, and there are plans underway to build an additional house for more chickens. These two projects have become strong income generating projects for the center. 

Bill and Nancy Warlick plan to take a group to Zambia in July 2013 and spend several days at Namumu. If you would like more information about this trip, please contact The Outreach Foundation.

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