As volunteers see it

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Makeni Webmaster

Henri and Tieneke Zwarts are volunteers from Holland who have been working at the centre for some months now, helping the school children at MEC with their studies, assisting with educational programs, the orphanage, nursing and church activities. Here they report on some of their recent activities in Mwomboshi Settlement village:

In Mwomboshi Settlement Village we met Carolyn Phiri. Carolyn has a severe physical disability, which has meant that she has been bed-bound for around ten years now. All that time she has been in her hut.

We brought Carolyn into a specialized hospital for investigations and used donations to provide her with a special bed and a house with some special arrangements, so Carolyn is able to go outside again for the first time in 10 years! Besides that we have tried to empower her by making some small investments in knitting needles, crochet needles and wool. We also buy some of her products which we sell on a web shop in The Netherlands.

Pascal Mulenga has been suffering for ten years from a badly fractured arm, which is just hanging on a piece of skin. Pascal’s family is very poor and it is a heavy duty for him to take care of two disabled children. He has been to the hospital before, but was not able to pay for the surgery he needed to straighten his arm. This changed in April. Thanks to donations we were able to bring him to the hospital and after considering surgery, he choose to go for a specially made brace. Now, he is able to raise his arm again straight into the air!

In March 2013 we started Youth Alpha with the 16+ teenagers of the St. Nicholas Orphanage.  The Youth Alpha course is about the basics of Christianity.

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2011 Annual report

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Makeni Webmaster

40th anniversary celebration dances

Our 2011 Annual Report has been long delayed, but here it is.

When you spend time at MEC you feel there is never a dull moment, and 2011 was no different. In addition to the usual extensive array of educational and health-related projects, agricultural projects, the orphanage, secondary school expansion and other activities, we celebrated our 40th anniversary, attended by Mama Chibesa Kankasa.

The attached report details all of the major activities at the centre over the year, and includes many photos from the anniversary celebrations.

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A shipment from Holland

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Makeni Webmaster

Recently the Friends of Makeni in Holland sent a generous shipment to MEC consisting of many educational and recreational items, mostly for children at pre-school level but including items for children up to secondary school age.

For the schools we are involved with, including Mwembeshi Settlement Village’s school, there were many childrens’ books and educational toys, twenty white-boards and sports equipment.  For the labs there was science glassware, thermometers and a balance, all important items for secondary education. There were also some items for general science, such as wire and multi-meters. There was even some music equipment, including keyboards!

Day to day items were also plentiful: the centre received a good quantity of clothes and towels, shoes, soft toys, and miscellaneous other items such as bicycle pumps, camping chairs and kitchen items.

The list goes on… six desktop computers made the trip!

Below are some photos of the items received and the many happy recipients! The items were distributed by Henri and Tieneke, who also have been helping the children to learn various board games and visiting the settlement villages. They are spending nine months with MEC, assisting with our educational programs, with the orphanage, nursing and church activities.

We don’t always remember to mention the settlement villages – there are many children associated with MEC’s settlement projects in Mwembeshi, Mwomboshi and Chisamba who don’t get the same level of support as our children in Makeni and so it is good to see toys going out to them as well. This will be a rare experience for them. Anyone who had a teddy-bear as a child will know how much one can become attached to such things.

I understand that the Friends in Holland have also paid for school uniforms for the children in the orphanage and are also providing support for school fees. All their support remains hugely important to the centre, and we thank them sincerely for their continuing efforts and kindness.

You can see some more photos in this web album.

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Graduate Success – Mr Joseph Silwenga

Posted on October 6, 2012 by Makeni Webmaster
At Makeni Ecumenical Centre we not only believe in service to the community, but also in trying to develop our staff. However, we cannot take too much credit for the success of Mr Joseph Silwenga, who recently completed a Bachelor of Business  Administration degree at Copperbelt University whilst working with us.
Mr Silwenga has shown the kind of determination to succeed that is clearly needed in a competitive and developed society. After finishing secondary school Mr Silwenga had always planned on further studies, but found his options limited by funding and the difficulty of balancing study with work. Initially he had secured admission at NRDC to pursue a bachelors degree in Agricultural Sciences (a government funded programme of study), but part-time study was not possible.
In 2007, whilst working at MEC, Mr Silwenga was admitted at CBU under the then Centre for Life-Long Education (now Directorate of Distance Education) to study what he describes as his dream course, the Bachelor of Business Administration. Completing this five-year programme of study was always going to be a challenge, particularly when one is performing a demanding job at the same time, and  Makeni Ecumenical Centre therefore assisted Mr Silwenga with funding and with time off work for studies. However,  ultimately success or failure would depend on Mr Silwenga’s efforts, and we are delighted (and proud) to report that he graduated in July 2012 with a Credit.
One would think that after five years of study alongside a demanding job that Mr Silwenga would be ready for a respite, however he already has his sights set on an MBA with a focus on strategy and innovation, development, environmental management or rural innovations.
We congratulate Mr Silwenga on setting such high standards for himself!
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