Geoff Spiller's Fundraising Page
Geoffrey Spiller is raising money for Mission Direct
“Geoff Spiller's Fundraising Page”
on 11 May 2009
Story
Thank you for visiting my ‘Just Giving’ site, supporting the work of Mission Direct in Zambia. If you’re a UK taxpayer, Just Giving makes sure 28% in Gift Aid are added to your donation. Just Giving takes a 5% fee for processing your donation.
This year, I am spending 6 months in Zambia as part of the Mission Direct staff team, supporting the work of local partners and helping to host visiting volunteer teams. Between July and October, several teams are spending 2 weeks in Zambia, taking part in construction and other projects with local churches and Christian partners.
Over half of Zambia’s population (almost 6 million people) live in extreme poverty, and an estimated 1 in 7 adults is living with HIV. There are reckoned to be over 600,000 orphans in Zambia and several hundred children live on the streets of Lusaka, the capital city.
Education is vital for a child’s future prospects, yet many are denied access to school as their parents are unable to afford school fees, uniforms and books. As a result, many schools have been established by local churches, particularly to help meet the needs of orphans and other vulnerable children.
Kiine School (kiine means ‘truth’ in the local language) was set up by the Evangelical Church in Zambia adjacent to the Kaunda Square compound, a deprived area of Lusaka. Last year, Mission Direct teams built two new classrooms there, allowing the 150 children to move out of very cramped conditions into decent-sized accommodation. In 2009, we will build three further classrooms, as part of long-term plans to expand the school to 900 pupils, to meet demand from the local community. As in many schools, fees (up to £30 a term) are charged at Kiine to cover the cost of teachers’ salaries, but the actual fees depend on the family’s ability to pay.
The cost of the new 3-classroom block is estimated to be £45,000. It will cost a further £3,000 to provide desks.
Additionally, we will work at a second school, Kumbayah Ministries, which provides limited schooling, health care and a daily meal for 350 vulnerable children in the Chaisa district of Lusaka. The school (which doesn’t charge fees) is run in a converted tavern, with children attending in three shifts due to the very cramped conditions. There are long term plans for a new school, but in the meantime, we will re-decorate their existing building and (on several occasions) cover the cost of improved meals for the children at a total cost of about £500. We will also give donations to help with running costs and to help achieve the longer term plan to move into a purpose-built school.
We also visit:
- Centres providing a home to abandoned babies and young children, while attempts are made to place them with new families;
- Centres working with street children, to encourage them to leave the streets and attempting to re-integrate with their families;
- Vocational training centres, teaching young adults a skill which could provide a future income;
- Organisations providing home-based care to people living with HIV, TB and malaria.
Our aim is to support and encourage these groups, while providing practical help (eg food, clothing and donations) as appropriate.
Thank you for taking the time to read about Mission Direct’s work in Zambia and for your donation.