Wascaly wabbits

These little wabbits are ready for a new home. They've got their swagger on and are looking forward to going home with you.

Simple deets:
Each rabbit is $5. Give a donation of $20 or more and you get one "free". (Please let me know if you make a donation).
Colours are limited! If one grabs your heart, please let me know and I will put it aside for you.
Machine washable, delicate, cold water, fluff dry. All rabbits are prewashed.

Need more? Detailed deets:
Buying a rabbit does a good thing. Women who participated in the knitting program this year got 4 kwatcha (almost $1) per rabbit. They also got a ball of wool or more supplies for each rabbit.
hmmm...doesn't sound like much? It is! The minimum wage in Zambia is about $100. Most people don't make minimum wage especially villagers like our ladies. I would say their average income is about $50 a month.   Some of our top producing women made as many as 25-30 bunnies a month, that means about $24 month--that's an income boost of almost 50%. Awesome! Bunnies are sold in local shops to promote ongoing sales, and other bunnies get to find new homes with you.

Next steps:
I'm currently fundraising for next year. Funds go towards expanding the program and keeping it running. To be honest, the biggest cost is the program's founder--me--but also to be honest, it only runs with me there :)
I am also gathering wool, needles and knitting tools to take back to me. This year we had a real problem letting new people into the program because we just couldn't get needles--some ladies actually used bicycle spokes! Please contact me if you have items to contribute. I am limited to how much I can carry back because of luggage restrictions--you can also donate towards extra luggage to help me carry back more.

Plans for next year include expanding the knitting and literacy program. We started with 5 ladies in the knitting program in the first year. This year, we had 9 ladies attending literacy and knitting. Next year, I would like to see that number double again. Remember, supporting one woman helps her empower her whole family, helps her get her children to school and food on the table.

Bless you.

Winding Down, Windy Days, and Used Bicycle Spokes

Winding Down
 I have less than a month left now before I head home for holidays...Christmas holidays that is. I'm sure most of us are not in that mind frame yet, but, wow, this year has gone fast.

As the programs come to an end for the year, I am pondering on what the new year might look like. With the hope of having a more sustainable means of keeping myself here, I am planning to start a business in Zambia. We are just in the planning stage, but we hope to bring online education and business solutions to Zambian clients. Stay posted on more about that in the coming months.

It will provide a way that I can work for money while I'm in Zambia, and still support community projects.

Windy Days
In Mwenge B, the community centre I use to teach English and knitting was struck by a windstorm. Half of the roof has been lifted off. It's quite sad as it was a really nice little building. It used to be a community school but when the founder died (a local man), no one was left to care for it. I would love to continue to use this place and if you are interested, please consider donating to help restore it. We only have weeks before the rains starts (and I leave) and that will mean serious destruction so there is just a short time left. Click Donate. (If you want to donate specifically to this cause, please email me with a heads up. )

Used Bicycle Spokes
I'm filling my suitcases with bunnies to help raise money for Hope Ignited projects--so get ready and think of all the babies you know or kids who would love one in their Christmas stocking. The are very colourful and cute.

We've also had a real challenge getting thin needles here (for our thin wool). A few of the women have opted to use bicycle spokes as a replacement! Can you imagine that! Well, it works I guess, but I'm sure they would love your old needles. Here's a picture just so you believe me haha. Recycling in action!

So when I'm back home, I will also be collecting knitting needles, crochet needles, general knitting supplies (especially those plastic needles for closing seams) and wool to bring back to Zambia with me. Our wool choices here are very limited and of a somewhat low quality, so it's great when the ladies get some of the special stuff from Canada and can sell if for a bit more.

A little more...
Making things work in Zambia has certainly had it's challenges over the last few years, but I have been encouraged by the connections I've kept since I started here. We were laughing during out meeting today because one of the ladies, Hilda, who hardly ever speaks English (although she understands about 70%) was just chatting away. I couldn't believe it and she didn't even realize it until I pointed it out. It was awesome to see how far she had come.

Another lady, Neka, came into our meeting so sad and down. She didn't seem to want to talk about it. Randomly, today, I happened to share a small testimony about some personal struggles and what God had been teaching me. Whatever it was, it seemed to apply to her too as I watched her face lighten up and she started to smile. By the end of the meeting, she was the one who led us in a song.

Small victories in a big world--we make a difference one person, one moment, one day at a time. If we don't give up, hopefully we will see how we've helped another soul.

See you all very soon. Natasha.

Chicken, rice and chocolate chip cookies

This is a cute clip. Click the link to watch.

What is a Missionary?

Eating rice in Addis Ababa (2007)

Missionary Snapshot in CTF's Revival Magazine

Take a moment to read the article I wrote for Revival Magazine. Just click the link below.

Mission Series | Missionary Snapshot | Revival Magazine

Thanks! 

News updates

Bunnies from our knitting group

Check out the Dream Factory Newsletter and the first page article about our women's empowerment group (written by me!). Click the link below.

Dream Factory Newsletter

Below are some pictures from the Mwenge B English classes we've initiated. Attendance has improved and we now have about 11 people total. Mwenge B is next to the old village that I used to work at so some of the women from Kamafwesa are part of this new group. This program is held in a rural bush area.

Beginner English class taught by local Zambian

Advanced English (my class!)

We also host a second literacy and knitting program in town. The compound is call Nkwazi and is close to me.

English class in Nkwazi

Prayer support
Please pray for the following:
Continued good attendance and community involvement in these programs
Financial provision for a vehicle and general expenses
Financial provision and vision to extend these programs to new groups
Personal protection, safety and stability for my stay in Zambia

Thank you for all your kindness, encouraging words and support. Please feel free to drop me a line or say hi anytime.
:D

Note: You may wonder why attendance and involvement is such an issue. It seems that when people have been in poverty a long time, there is a poverty mentality and often a sense of jealousy. A poverty mentality occurs when people become more comfortable about where they are instead of what they could aspire to--something many of us have experienced--so they don't go for the opportunities in front of them. Jealousy is a bit different. Although these programs are open to everyone, those that are stuck in their poverty mentality, don't want to see others change or improve either. Therefore, they discourage other people from moving forward. As a result, the whole community stays poor--either in mind or spirit (just a little insight I thought you might be interested in). This is why I believe real change takes time and is manifested through relationship.

Crash!

These are the pics of the (super!) drunk driver that came through my garden wall.

The tree that stopped the little car. It went over a ditch outside, through my wall and knocked down the tree.

The rubble that flew at least 50m across the yard.

Miraculously, all the stone stopped right in front of my porch--all in a straight line.

April-May Updates

It's not like me to put this first, but I would like to start with a plea for your support. I desperately need to get a new (reliable!) vehicle. Please consider a donation towards the vehicle and my living costs. You can donate by clicking here. Thanks!

Otherwise...things are moving along here. Look at the bunny production! These bunnies are being made with our new knitting group in Nkwazi, Ndola. We have about 8 ladies that are part of this group. Our first bunch of bunnies will be going back to Denmark with the Dream Factory team. Later in the year, I hope to be bringing these back to Canada for Christmas (order yours now! lol)

Bunny production--also available in pink, purple and dark brown with eyes and noses :)

There are also two literacy classes in the works. The one in Nkwazi has already started and the second will start next week in Mwenge B. Mwenge B is a rural community close to the old village where I used to work. It's great because some of the adults from the old place come and see me and participate.

Nkwazi English class

We offered the knitting and literacy program to the rural village in Mwenge B and it was really interesting that about 80% of the people who came were interested in learning English above knitting (ie education over money). We know, of course, that a good education leads to prosperity... We have conducted interviews and in the process, decided on not one, but two classes. The great part is that there will be a local teacher handling the beginer class. I'm quite excited about this because it creates a local job and inspires people to build up their community from within.

Mwenge B knitting and literacy candidates (and me!)

The original knitting program will also be expanding within Mwenge B. We are excited that this program has done so well and look forward to the new chapter it is about to begin.

I continue to enjoy my time with Dream Factory. I really want to encourage you to think about coming for a visit and a "volunteer". People do all kinds of things when they come--teach swimming, first aid, arts, music, sports or join in with what we already have on the go. Feel free and be inspired by the volunteer page. We accommodate just about any idea--it's your dream! 

Mwenge B football (that's a ball made of plastic bags)

Latest News

I am in the news! Well, a newsletter anyway :) Please take a moment to visit the Dream Factory website and read our newsletter. I am in the process of shifting to this amazing team and working under their projects.

This week, I started with the Buyantanshi Women's Empowerment group. This group of women is already taking advantage of micro loans and education sessions through Dream Factory. Now, along with my colleague Esther, we are teaching them knitting and mat making. The mats are really cool--they can we personalized with your name (eg Welcome to Natasha's) or with lovely pictures.

We are starting the knitting project with simple toys for kids. Here's a sample of a bunny. The ladies are all very excited about both projects.

Before we start these skill building sessions, we have an hour of English class. Our first class focused a lot on "spiting it out". Some people are quite shy but feeling confident is what learning a language is all about. By the end of the class everyone was participating really well.

Dream Factory also hosts other programs such as Adopt-A-Club (football/soccer), computer training and a Volunteer program. It's also working with a couple of community schools to enhance their programs. So, if you've considered coming to Zambia to volunteer (and visit!), please take a moment to read more on the Dream Factory website or newsletter and then get in touch.

I am also looking forward to having our old knitting group come under Dream Factory's wing. We want to continue to see that group of women thrive after all the hard work they put in. 

These programs and others don't just help individuals but help their whole (and sometimes extended) families. Zambia is about community living, so when you help one woman, it supports her children and often children that she has adopted. It is so common to hear that someone has passed away and a sister, cousin or grandmother has taken in the orphaned or abandoned children. The impact of helping one person can be very significant.

Please consider making a donation towards these projects and my time here. While I was in Canada earlier this year, I did not do any fundraising because I was in a time of transition between organizations. Now that I've got a real plan and vision ahead of me, I hope you will consider supporting these new projects. To donate click here.

Thanks,
Natasha

Changing Seasons

I am sad to announce that my time with the Kamafwesa community has come to an end. Things ended more abruptly than I had hoped but I wish Give Hope International the best as they continue to support that community. With a change of leadership and direction, they have decided that a fresh start is the best thing for their organization.

As this season ends, I continue to keep relationship with the ladies from our knitting group, Misheck and some other members of the community. My hope is that we will at least find a way to keep our knitting group together. We can't always control the outcome of things, but my prayer is that the seeds that were planted during my time there will continue to grow.

I have been quite challenged since I got back to Zambia so I have not had a chance to connect with the village very much. Flu, malaria and a broken car have held me back. But sometimes, these things are all worked together for our good.

So where do I go from here....

Well, the good news is that I am joining a fabulous NGO called Dream Factory. Even the name is exciting! On Monday, I will attend my first staff meeting. Staff meeting!! I've never been so excited by the thought of a staff meeting. You see, I've been on my own out here since I arrived, so being part of a team and finding support through other's experiences is exactly what I need. Plus, I hear there are pancakes afterwards...just need to import some heavenly Canadian maple syrup.

As with Kamafwesa, Dream Factory has a women's empowerment group, uses sports and activities to reach out to community and believes in sharing God's love all the way through. So, I will be starting a new knitting group with the ladies and a literacy class. It's also much closer to home which will help reduce my costs.

Dream Factory is also set up to bring in teams who want to visit, so I hope that some of you, or many of you, might come and experience Zambia some time in the future (don't forget to carry some maple syrup though).

Thank you so much for your continued support. Please pray that this transition would go well, for funding, a working car and blessing upon those in the old community as well as the new one.

If you would like to learn more about Dream Factory, please click here.
If you have inquiries about the Kamafwesa community, please click here to contact Give Hope International.

One of the little munchkins from next door.

Year in Review

Wow! 7 months has just flown by. I have been in Zambia since May 2012. It has definitely been a challenging year and has taken a lot of perseverance and strength to push through it all. But it's been worth it. For the big success and the little successes--it's been worth it. Here are some of the highlights of 2012.(Click on any of the photos to see a bigger picture)

Knitting Program:
Our knitting program is an ongoing success. Along with having a good amount of sales and orders from the community, we have been able to build strong relationships within the group. We worked through the conflicts and issues that are common to this kind of small group by bringing in Jesus' truth and love to every situation. As a result, the bond is between the ladies is stronger than ever and they are learning to learn and respect one another in new ways.
I have lots of hats and knitted goods for sale this Christmas. All proceeds go directly to the ladies and to the program.

Music and Play Programs: 

Misheck has been teaching kids how to play drums and giving piano lessons. Not only do they learn a new skill, but these types of lessons are invaluable in building relationships and getting to know the children better. We also have "play time" daily. Kids have the chance to build their co-ordination skills while playing in a kid-friendly environment (ie no one is drunk around them). We encourage them to bring their friend and for the boys to "bring a sister". We like to make sure girls have a chance too.

Football:

There is nothing more exciting or important than football in Africa :) So we use it to connect with our local youth. Misheck has been coaching our local team for several months now. I don't know if they are undefeated, but I have never heard that they ever lost a game. They compete with other village teams that are generally within walking distance. These boys are building friendships and learning what it means to support one another as a team. We would love to have sponsors for this program to help buy footballs (we go through lots), uniforms (we have about half a team's worth of uniforms and no shoes--the kids share the jerseys) and other costs.

The Library/Resource Centre

Nothing gets done in Africa quite as quickly as you think it could. Time seems to need to be followed by "X2" or even "X3" to be accurate. So, the library project has taken time and extra money, but I'm happy to say it's 90% done. We only have the interior fixings left. Am also happy to say that it's looks gooood. People in the community have been coming to check it out and have expressed interest in the programs we want to run there. If you would like to contribute to the costs to finish this project, we are short about $500.


Misheck

This project has always been  about empowering people. Sometimes in teams or groups and other times one person at a time. Misheck has been my right-hand-man through this entire journey and my goal was always to train him so that his life would be changed too. He has brought God's love and truth to the kids, the football team and the community. He has learnt  leadership skills, planning skills and time management. He's also learnt computer basics and helped me with book keeping. I know he will pass on these skills wherever he goes. He also got married this year!

What's next: The good news and the bad news.
The bad news is that Zambia is an expensive country to live in. We have also had a lot of challenges because of certain people wanting to keep the community under their control and hindering growth. All this has taken a very heavy toll on Misheck and I.
The good news is that I will be returning to Zambia early in 2013, but I will pursuing Hope Ignited projects on a very limited basis. The first reason being is that I need to be able to generate "day-job" income for myself and the other being that some things need to be sorted out within the community/partnering organization.
With his new skills, Misheck will also be moving on to another job--but it's only just across the river.
So Misheck and I will be committed to keeping up the sports, music programs and knitting projects. I would also like to get the sewing program off its feet and start a literacy program for adults. Our goal will be to nurture these few things to help them grow strong. If we can raise up other local leaders, we could also get more started--but we'll see where it all ends up first.

Thank you: 
So that's the big scoop for 2012. Thank you so much for your support, prayers and love. We look forward to where God will take us in 2013.

God bless.
Natasha

Beat the Drum

Last week, Marissa, a missionary from South Africa, visited our project and shared her drumming skills with the kids. It's always fun for them to have visitors and learn something new. Marissa will come and visit us one more time this week before she heads home.

Good progress is also being made on our renovations for the container. Last week we finished the roof and framed the doors and windows. Soon we will be working on the inside finishings.

Cutting the container for the window

Door and two windows added

September News

Hello from Zambia! Lots has been going on over the last few months, so I'll give you the updates in photographic order.

We have been progressing with sports and music programs for the kids and youth. Misheck has been holding weekly piano and drum lessons for a group of kids.

We have also introduced basketball which is drawing a good crowd. It's nice to have a sport that both the boys and the girls like to participate in. Sports and music have been a great way to build relationships with the kids and also give them a chance to have healthy after-school programs.

On the playground where I spent most of my days
Chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool
And all shooting some b-ball outside of the school

We are hoping to get more organized with teams and potentially a youth day with soccer, basketball and frisbee in the next month or so.

Our library project is also going well. We are currently temporarily hosting the library in our office. Kids and adults have been visiting to check out the books. Often Misheck and I will read to the little ones or help the older youth with their comprehension--they especially seem to like the science books.

A few weeks ago, just before my dad came to visit, we started the container renovations. I am so excited at how the progress on the roof. This will be just in time for the rainy season in a few months.

The container will be the permanent home of the library and a future home for our sewing program (our sewing machines require special electrical set up so we have been waiting to get these renovations done).

Raise the roof!

The roof covers our entire foundation and gives us a sheltered space outside of the container where kids can read and hang out--safe from the hot sun or rainy downpours.

Dad arrived on August 19th. It was great to have him come visit and see the where I live. Of course, I had to put him to work! While he was there he did lots of manly jobs like cutting and welding and we finally got our swings back in motion! Way to go Dad!

After a few days in the village, Dad and I headed south for some much needed R&R. We spent several days in Livingstone and a couple over the border in Botswana. It was so great to have him here with me, to see all the sites and I finally got to see elephants! Yaay!

Thanks for all your support so far. If you would like to help us with our library project or support any of these programs, please consider visiting the "Donate" page. Also, please continue to keep this project and all of us in your prayers.

Cheers and blessings.
Natasha

Knitting Group

Our knitting group is doing really well. We've been selling lots of hats because it is winter here in Zambia. Nothing of course compared to Canadian winters, but still cold enough, especially at night! The night guards especially appreciate the warm hats. We've also had orders for baby outfits and kits. Fantastic!

Here are a few photos of our hats around town.

New Home for the Container

We finally moved the container to its new home this week. Whoo hoo! It was pretty exciting. Thanks to Lungisha Breakdown Recovery Services in Ndola, we had this beautiful crane pick up the container and move it on to the foundation. It was amazing to see how easily it just lifted the whole thing. What a relief it was for me after the chaos we had the first time round.

It was all too much for all the kids in school and everyone came out to watch--but honestly, who could blame them?? It's not everyday that they get to see this kind of spectacular machine in motion.

Where the container was originally dropped

Almost there...

Ahhhh....it's done. Look closely and you'll see the sun rays of happiness :)

A big thanks to Kevin and Paul from Lungisha for making it all possible! Next: renovating the container!

Gosh!

I'm back in Zambia! Well, actually, I've been here since the beginning of May. But what a roller-coaster I've been on. Immigration tried to send me home (work-permit refusal) and that's taken a lot of my time (sleep, energy, life lol). We have, however, managed to get a few things on the go.

Thanks to a generous helping hands, we hope to have the container moved to the foundation next week.

In the meantime, we've moved the books into our office as a temporary library. Kids and adults can come and read the books while on the premises. They can leave them bookmarked and pick up where they left off the next time they visit.

Jonathan in the office/library

We've also got a twice-a-day kids program at the school. Misheck uses the time to teach kids music or give them a chance to play. Sometimes we do sports and I've started teaching them baseball (during my demonstrations on how to hit the ball, I got a lot of my immigration frustrations out--haha).

Kids playing darts and working on eye-hand coordination.

The knitting ladies continue to do their work and we have starting the sewing program. We've decided to do quilting/patch-work type of sewing to help us tap into a different market than the usual clothing sales. It also works well because we won't have our sewing machines up and running until the container is renovated. For now, we are teaching them to sew by hand--a handy skill to have anyway.

Knitting group with their wares

That's all for now. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

News

I have been in Canada for about 2 months now. It's been great to be home with friends and family, enjoying cool weather and eating at all the favourite haunts.

While here, I've also been working and fundraising to support Hope Ignited's projects. I've spoke at three churches, sharing pictures and stories. The knitting and bicycle program stories were big hits--as well as the pictures of the caterpillars I ate. 

All of the knitting project goods were sold as of yesterday. The ladies will be really excited about this when I get back.

We also had three fundraising parties. All of which went really well. We had lots of fun doing jewellery exchanges, catwalk parties, 50/50 draws and silent auctions. Thank you to everyone who offered their space, helped organize and contributed food and prizes.

The Catwalk

I'm leaving in just a few days (May 2) until December. There is still opportunity for you to support financially and help with this year's projects. The issues of personal housing and ongoing monthly support are still needs. If you'd like to contribute, please click the "Donate" page and help me meet our goals.

Thanks!