CAM Newsletter, June/July 2021

CHRISTIAN AID MINISTRIES – CAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AFLA

We are glad to inform you our dear esteemed sponsors and partners that our organization Christian Aid Ministries – CAM is in partnership with the Association for the Life of Africa- AFLA, Heartbeat International and Life International and we are now providing free Pregnancy crisis, counseling and Testing and free ultrasound scanning services to our vulnerable TB/HIV/AIDS clients who are expecting at our center. Our clients come from our catchment areas of Buchi, St. Anthony, Kamakonde, Mugala, Kamatipa, Kapoto and Chantete communities. We have started witnessing an influx of our clients turning up forfree Pregnancy crisis, counseling and Testing and free ultrasound scanning services at our center in good numbers and partnership with AFLA, Heartbeat International and Life International has started bearing fruit bit by bit.

Charity Muyomba and her two children Monica and Remy Muyomba

On Friday 11th June 2021, we had an opportunity to identify one client by the name of Charity Muyomba. Charity stays in Buchi community and is 21 years old with 4 children. Charity is both on TB treatment that she started taking in May 2021 four months ago now and she is also on antiretroviral drugs that she started taking since January 2020 last year. Charity and her husband are not working. Every morning charity has to go from one house to another washing people’s clothes where she earns some little income of less than $1.00 per day to buy food to feed herself, her husband and her 4 children just for her family to survive for a day. She has been struggling really hard to feed her family and taking them to school due to financial constraints. Last month, her youngest two children Monica and Remy were found to have malasmas at the hospital and almost died because of malnutrition and lack of food at their home.

This is brother Stanley Mulenga having a light moment with Monica and Remy at Christian Aid Ministries – CAM offices at Buchi TB clinic in Buchi On the 11th June 2021 two months ago, before their mother charity could collect 2 tablets of hygienix bath soap, 1 packet of boom washing paste and a 5kg packet of soya flour to take home for her youngest children Monica and Remy. We love sharing with the kids!!!

Now thanks be to God Almighty for His abundant grace – Monica and Remy are on Christian Aid Ministries – CAM Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays soya porridge and Nshima feeding support program every morning at our center at Buchi TB clinic and their health has really improved so drastically. At the end of this newsletter, you will be able to find malnourished children feeding from Buchi community and you will be delighted to find their names, address and contact information there. Monica and Remy are one of the 100 malnourished children in Buchi community who are on CAM soya porridge and nshima feeding support program and their mother Charity keeps bringing them on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays every morning and their health has started to improve drastically as you can see in this picture and we are so grateful for your support brethren. Please continue with this same spirit, the Lord is watching and He will continue to answer your payers!!! You are such a BIG BLESSING to CAM and to our family, and we love you so very much!!! 

The Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays soya porridge and nshima feeding program to malnourished TB/HIV-AIDS children at our center and the monthly food distribution program to our TB/HIVAIDS clients in the community

In order to have healthy lives and growth, one has to be exercising, have good eating habits, and continue to have a balanced diet, among other things. A balanced diet comprises of energy-giving food substances such carbohydrates namely rice, mealie meal, sorghum, sugar, sweet potatoes, etc. There should also be proteins such as soya beans, fish, chicken, milk, meat etc for cell replacement and growth and availability of fruits, vegetables, and other vitamins like iron, calcium, potassium for body protection from other diseases and ailments. Good nutrition brings about good health both among children and adults. Children with poor nutrition often become malnourished and underweight and often experience diseases such as malasmas, kwarshock, TB in people living with HIV with compromised immune systems as a result of poor diet and stunted growth and other complications in children. 

In adults diseases such as HIV/AIDS and TB compounded by malnutrition as a result of poverty and unemployment the consequences on the family particularly women and children are often lethal and devastating. Some women and men in communities where we serve with high TB and HIV/AIDS disease burdens and unemployment such as Buchi, St. Anthony, Kamakonde, Mugala, Kamatipa, Kapoto, and Chantete, end up in prostitution, abortion, drunkenness, and other illicit and atrocious activities such as burglaries while their children end up becoming street children as a result of unemployment and poverty.

Our organization Christian Aid Ministries - CAM has continued trailing the path of reducing the TB and HIV/AIDS burdens in Kitwe district on the Copperbelt province of Zambia by conducting community visitations counseling and screening TB suspects for signs and symptoms of TB and encourage TB suspects to submit their sputum to Buchi Main clinic for TB diagnosis and treatment at the TB/chest clinic where our office is based. 

 We have also continued providing free transportation to the most vulnerable TB/HIV/AIDS clients to enable them to access TB/HIV/AIDS treatment care and support services that they need as well as providing free education and sensitization on TB and HIV/AIDS treatment, care and support in the community and ensure that TB/HIV/AIDS clients adhere to treatment without defaulting.  

 We have also continued to provide free monthly and weekly nutritional support services to the most vulnerable TB and HIV/AIDS clients in the community and at the center respectively to encourage them to stick to treatment without defaulting.

 We provide nutritional support and foods to adults such as mealie meal, rice, beans, cooking oil, kapenta, sugar, and soya mill at the center and in all the 7 communities where we operate mentioned above.

 We have also started to provide nutritional support to 100 malnourished children in Buchi community who are either born from our clients who have TB and HIV/AIDS or orphaned and vulnerable children due to TB/AIDS in Buchi community who come at our center at the Chest/TB Clinic on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays every week. As intervals, we also provide nutritional support such as milk, soya, fruits, and vegetables such as bananas, oranges, etc to malnourished children at Kitwe Teaching Hospital Malnourished Children’s ward and their heath has continued to improve.

We are so delighted to inform you that ever since this nutrition support project for malnourished children in Buchi community and Malnourished Children’s Ward at Kitwe Teaching Hospital started, most children’s health has rapidly continued to improve, and taking their TB and/or TB medication is no longer a problem, they take it consistently without any problems of stopping on the way.

OUR CLIENTS CALL CHART

We do not visit our clients as regularly as we used to because of covid-19, we have selected Tuesdays and Thursdays on which we call our clients in the community using what we call our Clients Call Chart, where we have written all their contact phone numbers and addresses at our center and call them one by one on phone to find out how they are faring with their health with regards to TB and antiretroviral treatment that they are taking and they inform us that they are doing very fine. On Tuesdays, we make a total of 50 Phone calls and on Thursday, we manage to make a total of 100 calls to our clients in a week. This helps us to keep in touch with our clients on a daily basis in a week and it is very very helpful. Thank you so much for your support my dear brothers and sisters, partners and sponsors, May things continue to go well with you and prosper in every aspect of your life, we are so grateful for your support! We LOVE YOU and we are praying for you!!! THANK YOU and may our God Almighty continue to bless you!!! 

Providing sugar, soap and washing pastes to our vulnerable TB and HIV/AIDS clients at the center and in the community

This is one of the bells of small 500 gram packets of sugar, dozens of hygienix bath soap and cases of boom detergent washing pastes that we carry along with us each time we are going in the field to visit our clients in in Buchi, St. Anthony, Kamakonde, Mugala, Kamatipa, Kapoto, and Chantete communities on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays every week. From our field work experince, we have learned that sometimes our clients may lack small things like sugar just to make a plate of porridge and eat or a tablet of soap to bath and feel better or even the smallest packet of boom washing paste to wash their clothes and look clean and feel the essence of life, but you find that even these smallest but important things may be lacking in their homes and make their lives seem miserable and unbearable during their illness. This is the main reason why we have started providing some of these smallest things to them now. We make sure we do not visit our clients empty-handed; we have to at least carry them something to motivate and make them feel loved, they really appreciate this very much!!!

These are other 16 bags of mealie meal and maize sample that we bought from Mpngwe Mealing Company on 23,24 and 25th of June 2021 in readiness for distribution in in Buchi, St. Anthony. Kamakonde, Mugala, Kamatipa, Kapoto and chantete communities.

We also bought 2 (50kg) bags Nakonde Rice, powdered milk, 4 kg of sugar that we bought to mix to the soya meal that we give to our clients at the center and in the community . We would love to convey our sincere GRATETUDE to you our PARTNERS, FOR YOUR SUPPORT, WE ARE very very GRATEFUL. Please continue with this same Spirit, THANK YOU!!

Identification of malnourished orphans and vulnerable children in dire need of nutritional support in Buchi community

Early this year 2021, Kitwe Teaching hospital and other clinics started recording an increased number of child morbidity and mortality rates due to malnutrition from Buchi community and other surrounding areas in Kitwe district. For this reason, our organization Christian Aid Ministries – CAM decided to identify a total of 100 malnourished children and orphans and vulnerable children in Buchi community and other surrounding areas who are in dire need of nutritional support between the ages of 0-12 years old with the support of Mrs. Tina Mumba and Maureen Mbao who are one of our staff members in collaboration with our community volunteers such as Mrs. Musandile, and others who conduct weekly community visitations to our clients in Buchi, St. Anthony, Kamakonde, Mugala, Kamatipa, Kapoto and Chantete communities with a high burden of TB, HIV/AIDS and adult and child malnutrition.

We have compiled a list of all the identified malnourished and orphan children in our folders and every week we call their guardians on phones or visit them to bring their children to our center at the chest clinic for soya porridge nutritional support program. We mix soya meal with sugar, powdered milk, maize roller meal and add a bit of salt to come up with a very rich blend and make porridge that we provide to some of these critically ill malnourished TB/HIV/AIDS patients and malnourished and orphan children at our center at Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical center at the TB clinic in Buchi. We do not always give them soya porridge, sometimes we feed them with Nshima and Kapenta or beans with vegetables according to what is on that days menu in a week and you will be pleased to see how the health of some of those children such as Favour Kachinga and many others have improved so drastically in the following pictures, you cannot even tell that at one point they were even very very sick because of malnutrition.

THE SUFFERING OF FAVOR KACHINGA AND HER GRANDMOTHER MATHER

Favor Kachinga is 5 years old. Favour is a double orphan. Both her father and mother died when she was barely 7 months old as a result of TB and HIV/AIDS in 2017. Ever since that time, she has just been looked after by her 81 year- old grandmother Mather in Buchi community. Mather has been struggling to survive up to now. Favour was born with HIV/AIDS from her mother and she is on ART that her grandmother comes to collect at Buchi TB clinic every after 6 months. In 2020 last year, Favour was caught with malnutrition and she was later admitted to Kitwe Teaching Hospital Malnourished children’s ward where she stayed for 6 months. Her grandmother is still struggling to make loose ends meet as she only sells charcoal to fend for herself and her granddaughter to survive. Mather brings her to Buchi TB clinic for antiretroviral therapy treatment every after 6 months. When we saw her health condition and the way her grandmother was struggling to fend for her, we decided to adopt and commenced her on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on Christian Aid Ministries – CAM Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays soya porridge and Nshima feeding support program every morning at our center at Buchi TB/Chest clinic and their health has really improved now as you can see. She is happy and smiling!!! Thank you for your support our dear sponsors, thank you!!! May God richly bless you!!!

MALNOURISHED CHILDREN FEEDING FORM ON MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS AT OUR CENTER AT BUCHI TB CLINIC IN BUCHI COMMUNITY

This is bana Mwelwa who is one f our community volunteers in Buchi community preparing soya porridge for malnourished and orphaned and vulnulrable children  at the center on Friday on the 9th of July 2021. 

To make this porridge more nutritious, we mix soya flour with powdered milk, maize meal and some small amount of salt. Sometimes we asl buy fruits such as bananas, oranges and apples tahat they eat after the soya porridge. We do not always feed them with soya porridge alone, we sometimes alternate it with rice mixed with powdered cremora milk, small portions of soya flour and salt on Modays. On Wednesyays, we feed them on nnshima that we prepare at the center that they eat with small fried fich such as kapenta, beans and vegetables.  And at the end of the meal we give them atleast one banana or apple or orange depending on what fruits are available on that day. Most of thse children are HIV+  who were born from our clients and are on ARVs. Some of them are former TB patients who have successfully completed their TB treatment and are cured. 

Maureen Mbao serving poridge to the chidren

Maureen works at our center as one of our counselors. She also accompanies our community volunteers to visit our clients in various communities who need to be encouraged to continue taking their medication and to educate them on the side effects of the medication. During their visitation, they are also able to idenify those clients who need to be taken for treatment and bring to us that report.  This is the work that shehas been doing at our center and in the community. We are so happy to inform you our dear partners brother Mark that this program is doing very well as we have started seeing so many of the children recovering easily from TB and HIV/AIDS and malnoutrition. Thank you so much for your support my brother and may God almighty continue to bless you and your family. We love you and we are praying for you. THANK YOU SO VERY VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT. PLEASE CONTINUE WITH THIS SAME SPIRIT, THANK YOU!!!

Children sitting waiting to be served porridge at the center

Maureen serving Margerate Mwamba rice at the center on Moday 5th July 2021

On Modays, Wednesdays and Fridays Margaeret Mwaba brings her two children to the poridge or nshima feeding program at our center and we are happy to report to you that their health has improved so dratically and there is great improvement in their growth every day. This is a great achievement to us and we are happy about it!

Children enjoying their porridge meal at the center on Friday 9th July 2021

Maureen serving Mwape some rice at the center on Wednesday June 23rd 2021

Mwape stays alone at her house in Buchi community as her husband has decided to abandon her after discoverung that she had HIV/AIDS and TB. We are so grateful to report to you that her health has also started improving after putting her on TB treatment and weekly and monthly nutritional support program at our center on Modays. We are so grateful for your support!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH AND MAY GOD ALMIGHTY RICHLY BLESS YOU FOR THIS GREAT GESTURE!!!!!!

This is Amos. Amos Nkandu is 10 years old. Amos is paralized as a result of prolonged illness a a result of cerebral meningitis that he developed as a result of HIV/AIDS in 2017. He cannot walk, speak but he can hear perfectly well. Amos is still on ARVs and he is feeling bette now. Amos is in grade 5 at Kitwe Central hospital private special children’s school where he has been perfoming so well in his academics. His uncle who is looking after him in Buchi is so delighted with our organisation Christian Aid Ministries – CAM  to  consider Amos for support. And we are grateful to you for your support brother Mark. May God continue to bl;ess you and  your entire family, THANK YOU SO SO MUCH!!!

This is Justine Mutambo collecting rice at our center on Monday 8th June 2021

Justine Mutambo receiving TB medication from Stanley Mulenga on Monday 22nd June 2021

Justine Mutambo was on TB treatment in the year 2012 and he successfully completed taking this medication in the same year under our supervision and got cured. However he continued taking the ARVs until June this year 2021. Now Justine moved out of Kitwe and our supervision and went to some other place where he was staying and got married from there. He started smoking cigarettes and drinking beer and temporally stopped taking his ARVs for a long period of time until again he started coughing, sneezing, chest pains, sweating in the night and many other symptoms of TB and HIV/AIDS. This is when he came back to us at our center in June 2021 2 months ago and we started him with the process of TB diagnosis where we screened him for TB and allowed him to submit his sputum to the lab at Kitwe central hospital for diagnosis. And later, we discovered that the sputum came out TB positive and he was immediately commenced on TB treatment that he has started taking. Justine was diagnosed to have the kind of TB called pulmonary TB that is highly infectious. Now that he has been taking TB medication for more than 3 weeks now, he is no longer as infectious as he was before starting this medication Justine is under our care and he will be very fine soon. Thank you for your support!!!!

Sister Maureen, one of our Staff members at the center serving soya porridge to the children at the center on Friday 20th August 2021

Memory Chama and other children enjoying their soya poidge at our cente on Friday 20th August 2021

(L-R) Brother Higgins and brother Gravender from the church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints who came to see how we are working at our center on the 20th August 2021 last month

This is a list of names of some of the vulnerable children that we are feeding in Buchi community and other surrounding areas on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at our center

Thank you so much for supporting Christian Aid Ministries – CAM to accomplish all these goals. So many HIV/AIDS clients and those that have TB and malnourished children in Buchi community and other surrounding areas have benefited from the Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays feeding program and the monthly food distribution to them in all the 7 communities where we operate from!!! THANK YOU SO SO MUCH my brother for your support!!! Please continue with this wonderful Spirit!!! May God Almighty continue to bless you and your family in everything that you are doing!!! You are such a HUGE BLESSING TO US!!!.

Happy Easter and WORLD TB DAY!

Calvary greetings and a very blissful and restful Easter Holiday to you all. The fisrt quarter of the year was full of activities both at our center and in the community. We hope and pray everyone is very fine, safe, and sound these Easter Holidays!

It is worrying to see how people are dying in great numbers in the community and in hospitals here with the Covid 19 virus. We have so many patients who are on oxygen who are striving to survive while so many others are dying. We also don’t have medicines in the hospitals so those who are rushing there are dying. According to a national daily Covid report, we are recording a total number of not less than 500 Covid and Covid related deaths while the daily infection rates are standing at 1,500 and above per day. The most affected are elderlies aging from 60 years and above and those of us with a history of communicable and/or non-communicable diseases such as Tuberculosis, asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure or heart diseases. The only hope for us is Covid vaccines that are not even expected to come to any time soon and this is very very worrying to us!

 We are so worried at the swing at which people are dying of this virus here because our country is small with a small national population of about 17 million people. We are just praying that Covax, Astrazeneca, or Pfizer vaccines come soon so that we can safeguard our lives from this vicious pandemic. We do not know what will become of our country if this pandemic continues. Stigma and discrimination is also so high. You cannot sneeze or cough without people passing a comment or complaining; even if you have a mask in the bus, people can manhandle you and chuck you out of it.  So when you develop a common cold it is better to stay home otherwise you will not like what people will do to you. 

People are not working here and there is no money in circulation because of Covid and we are suffering a lot here.  Many companies have closed and investors have gone back to their countries leaving people jobless.   

Let us continue to pray and commit our lives and our wonderful families in the safety hands of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is all-powerful.  He is more than able to avert this COVID pestilence that has befallen us. Our God is all-knowing and is in control. Let us just continue to exalt Him in prayer and supplication. COVID will pass away very soon, only if we can pray and ask Him for forgiveness. The book of 2 Chronicles 7:14 in the Bible says that if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, and turn away from their wicked ways then, I the Lord will hear them in heaven, forgive their sins and heal their land. It is in critical moments like this one that we all have to turn to God wholeheartedly for our forgiveness and our healing and healing will come. Unless that is done, we are likely to stay in this situation with so many people dying from TB, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, high blood pressure, and now Covid 19 virus.      

WORLD TB DAY PREPARATION AND COMMEMORATION

We are so delighted to inform you that we were able to take part in this year’s World TB Day commemoration on 24th March 2021 at Kaunda Square in Kitwe Town Centre!

This year’s World TB Day commemoration was well-organized and all the preparatory meetings were being convened at KDHO from the first meeting that we held on Monday 8th March, up to the last meeting on Monday 22nd March 2021.

We discussed and resolved that each individual organization was supposed to buy and print their own T/shits, a TB Banner showing the name and details of a participating organization, the Theme for this year’s World TB Day Commemoration which was coined by UNAIDS and World Health Organisation - WHO as “The Clock is Ticking”. We were also told to come with our own brochures which we were distributing to the people at the commemoration.  

World TB Day Commemoration Regalia

However, instead of buying and printing 20 T/shirts for our participating staff members and volunteers in our organisation CAM this year, we decided to do something different. We came up with the idea of regalia to wear during the commemoration that would be affordable but beautiful and unique at the same time. . My wife Bernadotte came up with the idea and we went to one of the shops in town where we bought a 40 meter sheet of plain white cloth, and she sewed a total of 20 plain white shirts with her sewing machine and later put CAM badges and the theme and other details for the World TB Day commemoration and they looked fantabulous!

We later advised her to use part of the remaining material to make a banner which she successfully did and sewed 40 face masks that we wore at the commemoration. By using this formula, we were incredibly able to cut down the cost on regalia by 50 per cent, spectacular! Bernadette is now a very experienced tailor who is sewing most of our clothes at home including our children’s school uniforms. Her skill will help us in our organisation.   

Transport

Transport was provided to us by Copperbelt Health Education Project – CHEP. CHEP hired a bus that carried all of us together with other organizations such as Bwafwano Care to the venue at Kaunda square and back to our various organizations, we never spent any money on transport on this program this year Praise God.

Hand Sanitizers

The Ministry of Health of Zambia under Kitwe District Health Office donated and distributed hand Sanitizers to all the organizations that came to this commemoration, no organisation spent any money on hand sanitizers for this program this year.

Delegates

The officials, who were there, were officials from the newly appointed Minister of Health from Lusaka Dr. Jonas Chanda, the Kitwe District Director of Health Doctor Mukupa, and many other officials from KDHO and local organizations from Kitwe district. 

In his speech, the representative from the Minister of Health assured us that at national level, Zambia has made great strides in line of  our theme for this year but he, however, said that our achievements are now being relegated and overshadowed by the novel coronavirus pandemic where much of our  attention and resources have been diverted. He said that the Coronavirus has brought a lot of negative impact on TB and HIV/AIDS programming and mitigation. And for this reason let us all work together to disseminate timely information and messages on Covid 19 prevention among TB and HIV/AIDS patients in the communities where we operate from. Let us all endeavor to continue to do all the necessary works that we have been doing in the area of TB prevention, treatment, care and support.  Let us continue to conduct intensified TB case findings, TB defaulter and contact tracing and many other good works that we do in this fight that we have launched against TB to manage to eliminate it by the year 2030. He said unlike other diseases, TB is cured, therefore let us do what we can do  as much as possible to ensure that patient are commenced on treatment and complete their full 6 months course in order to be cured. He also said that Multi-drug resistance and extensively drug resistance tuberculosis is also on the increase in the community and let us all guard against it.

On the coronavirus he said that let us all continue to mask up, observe social distances and avoid nonessential travels and overcrowded places as much as possible as there is also another wave of the coronavirus in Zambia and the vaccines are not expected to come any time soon. But as a government, we will continue to commit ourselves and our resources towards the elimination of the coronavirus in our nation.

It was such a rejuvenating and a reuniting moment as TB/HIV/AIDS civil society organizations in Kitwe and we were so encouraged. 

MEETING WITH THE KITWE DISTRICT HEALTH OFFICE TO OPEN A MINI TB LABOLATORY AT OUR CENTER

Great news! We now have a WiFi at our center and we have an unlimited access to the internet! We would like to inform you that CAM and the ministry of Health - KDHO are working together to open a simple mini-TB Laboratory at our center Doctor Elizabeth Rini Medical Center at Buchi TB/Chest clinic in Buchi!

On Monday 15th March last month, DHO invited us to attend a meeting to deliberate how this project will be done. The District Director of Health, the Deputy Director of Health, the Kitwe District TB Coordinator, the lab technicians and many other officials were also in attendance.  The district Director of health Dr. Mukupa   said that the Ministry of Health and the government of Zambia under the able leadership of His Excellency President Edgar Chagwa Lungu have the mandate to provide quality health care services to as many people as possible without leaving anyone behind even in very difficult times like this Covid 19 era that we are going through as a country, we cannot relent in providing quality health care services to our citizenries.

The Director said the ministry will really appreciate if we can work together to open this lab at the Chest Clinic. He said that there is a sudden surge of TB cases and associated deaths in Kitwe district now and that this lab once opened would benefit and save so many lives of TB patients in our district.  He said that patients have started finding it very difficult and cumbersome to be notified at the TB clinic and later referred to another health facility such as Buchi clinic and Kitwe central hospital instead of doing notification, diagnosis, and treatment at the same place at Buchi TB clinic. He said that they lose a lot of TB cases through this process as a district and they would like this problem to come to an end. He said the Ministry of Health is ready to work with us in this area because CAM has an already built structure at the chest clinic that can be used for a laboratory there.

He said that in this collaboration, the Ministry of Health will be able to provide human resource personnel who are trained as Laboratory Technicians that the ministry will attach to this Laboratory who will be able to do laboratory tests and supervisory work at this lab.  Therefore, the Ministry has requested us to source and restock this laboratory with:

(i)           A Microscope

(ii)          Test Tubes

(iii)       Chemicals and TB reagents

(iv)        1 Small Refrigerator – where certain reagents and testing chemicals will be kept

(v)          Laboratory coats, gowns, Plastic aprons coveralls for a Lab Technician

(vi)        Goggles to wear by a Lab Technician during testing 

(vii)      5 wooden Tables on which to conduct experiments

(viii)     Storage shelves

(ix)        10 Clamp stands

(x)         2 Air conditioners to recondition the laboratory

(xi)        A Ceiling Board.

(xii)      Footwear

(xiii)    Face shields

(xiv)     Respirators and

(xv)       Gloves

These are the items and devices that we need to restock this mini-Laboratory at the center. It is such a very wonderful idea to set this mini-laboratory at our medical center. It is relevant and vital at the Chest clinic and to all the clients who come there for all TB screening and notifications in Kitwe district! We are working well with the nurses at the clinic who are also accompanying us in the community during visitations.

This time we are strategically working so very hard to ensure that CAM is up and running and begin to respond to some of the salient needs of the people. The District Director Dr. Mukupa is so delighted with our work and is lobbying for us to politicians like our Area Councilor and our area Member of Parliament who also acts as a Minister of Finance to also come to our aid to ensure that we receive support to have this lab established at our center and many other activities that CAM does to help TB and HIV/AIDS clients at the center and all the 7 communities where we operate from.

By God’s grace, we have also partnered with Doctor Mary Banda who works as a gynecologist at Kitwe Central Hospital! She is now a volunteer with us, and we are so grateful to her and the AFLA network!!! Thanks to her we now have an ultrasound machine for pregnancy scanning in our center. We are of the view that we will be charging a minimum amount of money for pregnancy tests and pregnancy scanning with our Ultrasound machine like what Mrs. Mwansa and AFLA do at their center Silent Voices. We will also consider to charge a minimum amount of money for TB Laboratory TB tests and this will be able to help us raise income to maintain the Laboratory and meet some of the administrative expenses of our Pregnancy recourse center. This income will also be able to help us buy and distribute other food items such as mealie meal, kapenta, beans and cooking oil to our TB clients in the community. We foresee this to be a great innovation that will also begin to help us raise income to sustain our organization on a monthly basis!

Happy 2021!

Holiday Celebrations on Christmas Eve

We are also delighted to inform you that Kitwe District Health Office managed to fulfill its pledge and distributed a total of 40 face masks and 40 hand sanitizers to our organization as a contribution to this gathering on Christmas Day. We are now enjoying a cordial working relationship with them. And they have also pledged to continue to work with us in combating TB, HIV/AIDS, and COVID 19 virus in the community especially among our vulnerable TB/HIV/AIDS clients this year 2021. Christian Aid Ministries – CAM is one of the organizations in Kitwe that has had a longstanding working relationship with KDHO and we really thank God Almighty for this privilege.

 We had a wonderful time as an organization on Thursday 24th December 2020. We were able to meet together with our 30 TB/HIV/AIDS patients and shared a meal together with them at our home in Riverside. Our clients were so grateful to us and to you our dear sponsors for supporting this wonderful program. It was such a long time since we last shared a meal together with our clients on Christmas Day.  We last had such a special day at the center on 24th of December 2011, almost 10 years ago, with the first group of our TB/HIV/AIDS clients that we were supporting and have now been cured of TB and it has always been a memorable day to us as an organization and to our beloved clients in the community!  

KDHO has reaffirmed its commitment to continue to collaborate with us to continue to combat TB, HIV/AIDS, and COVID 19 among our clients this year 2021, joining a wonderful collaboration with organizations like CHEP, AFLA, Heartbeat International, Life International,  ARASA,  PEPFAR, and many others! So many patients are visited by CAM and are taken to the hospitals for TB and HIV/AIDS treatment and are shown love and are provided with nutritional support like on Christmas day. 

Distribution to our 50 TB/HIV/AIDS clients

December was full of activities and joyous at the same time. On Monday 28th December 2020 barely 4 days after the Christmas celebration with our clients, we were distributing face masks, hand sanitizers, and washing pastes to all our 50 TB/HIV/AIDS clients in the community. These face masks, hand sanitizers, and washing pastes were graciously donated to us by Kitwe District Health Office to donate to our 50 clients in all the 7 communities where we operate from such as Buchi, St. Anthony, Kamakonde, Mugala, Kamatipa, Kapoto and Chantete communities and our clients were so overjoyed to receive these donations from CAM that were donated to us by KDHO.  We are so grateful to report to you that so far no one of our beloved clients have caught the coronavirus in the community. Thanks be to Kitwe District Health Office that has been so committed in combating the spread of the coronavirus among TB /HIV/AIDS in Kitwe by the help of face mask, hand sanitizer, and washing paste distributions to organizations like-minded organizations like CAM in Kitwe that provides care and support to people suffering from TB and HIV/AIDS in Kitwe. And our overjoyed clients could not hesitate to utter their sentiments to appreciate both CAM and Kitwe district for their unwavering care and support to prevent them from COVID 19.

On Wednesday 30th and Thursday 31th December 2020, we were in all our 7 communities distributing food such as 10 Kg bags of mealie meal, beans, kapenta, and cooking oil. Before we could start giving them this food, we were able to start sharing them with the:

(i)       HIV/AIDS and TB treatment and prevention message

(ii)       COVID 19 protection and prevention messages

(iii)     Distribution of the COVID 19 brochures to our TB and HIV/AIDS clients that were donated to CAM by Kitwe District Ministry of health.

(iv)     Distribution of the COVID 19 Hand sanitizers such as JIK and tablet soaps to our TB and HIV/AIDS clients that were donated to CAM by Kitwe District Ministry of health.

(v)   Distribution of the COVID 19 Face masks to our TB and HIV/AIDS clients that were donated to us by the Kitwe District Ministry of Health that our TB and HIV/AIDS clients should be able to wear to protect themselves and others from catching the coronavirus in the community

(vi)   Distribution of food such as mealie meal, beans, kapenta, and cooking oil to all our TB and HIV/AIDS clients that you were able to support us buy for them during this COVID 19 period in the community.    

Our clients were so grateful to CAM and to KDHO for all the wonderful gifts of food such as soya, mealie meal, beans, kapenta and cooking oil, COVID 19 Hand sanitizers like  Jik and tablet soaps, Face masks, and brochures with bulk information on TB, HIV/AIDS and COVID 19 prevention and protection in the community.  It was such a wonderful time for us and for our clients in the community. COVID 19 is spreading like bush fire in Zambia now and it is killing a lot of people. So food, protection, and prevention is vitally important in the life of our clients whose immune systems and health conditions are already compromised.   

Food distribution for the month of January 2021

On Monday 25th and Tuesday 26th January 2021, we were busy in Chisokone Market in town buying different kinds of food for all our 50 TB/HIV/AIDS clients in all the 7 communities in readiness for distribution on Wednesday 27, Thursday 28th, and Friday 29th January 2021, we bought 50 (10kg bags) of mealie meal, 25 kg bag of beans, 10 liters of cooking oil and 25 kg bag of Kapenta (small fish).

 Previously we used to distribute food to all the 50 TB/HIV/AIDS clients in all the 7 communities in one or two days. However, in order to reduce fatigue and great body and mental tiredness during this period, we have stopped. We are now doing food distribution to our clients in 3 days instead of 1 or 2 days. 

 On Wednesday 27 January 2021 we managed to give part of the mealie meal, beans, cooking oil, and Kapenta (small fish) to a total of 15 households of our TB clients in 2 communities only namely Buchi and St. Anthony.

 On Thursday 28th January 2021, we managed to give food supplies to other 15 households of our TB clients in 2 communities only namely Kamakonde and Mugala communities.

 On Friday 29th of January 2021, we managed to give the remaining 20 vulnerable households of our TB clients in 3 communities namely Kapoto, Kamatipa, and Chantete communities and all the patients were so so happy to receive the food supplies from our team.

Food distribution for the month of February 2021

On Monday 22nd and Tuesday 23rd February 2021, we were busy in Chisokone Market in town buying different kinds of food for all our 50 TB/HIV/AIDS clients in all the 7 communities in readiness for distribution on Wednesday 24th, Thursday 25th, and Friday 26th February 2021. We bought 50 (10kg bags) of mealie meal, 25 kg bag of beans, 10 liters of cooking oil, and 25 kg bag of Kapenta (small fish).

On Wednesday 24th February 2021 we managed to give part of the mealie meal, beans, cooking oil, and Kapenta (small fish) to a total of 15 households of our TB clients in 2 communities only namely Buchi and St. Anthony.

 On Thursday  25th February 2021, we managed to give food supplies to other 15 households of our TB clients in 2 communities only namely Kamakonde and Mugala communities.

 On Friday 26th of February 2021, we managed to give the remaining 20 vulnerable households of our TB clients in 3 communities namely Kapoto, Kamatipa, and Chantete communities and all the patients were so so happy to receive the food supplies from our team.

The Sanctity of Human Life Sunday! January

We are also glad to inform you that we are working well with the Mwansa family and their organization Association for the Life of Africa - AFLA.

Pastor Edward Mwansa and his wife Madam Barbra Mwansa through their organization AFLA wrote a letter to invite us to attend a program called The Sanctity of Human Life Sunday at their church, Church on the Rock in Nkana East on Sunday 31st January 2021 that we gladly attended.  The Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is a very important program that is commemorated every year by organizations such as AFLA, Heartbeat International, Life International, ABANON/SAVANON, and many other international  Life Affirming and pro-life organizations and foundations globally every 31st January of the year.

We were delighted to meet Pastor Edward Mwansa and his wife Mrs. Babra Mwansa and their AFLA organization working team such as Niza, Joseph Sinyangwe, and other officials from Advocates for Life International and many other Pro-Life organizations in Kitwe district. Mrs. Mwansa gave a passionate keynote address on the sanctity of human life and said that Life is sacred and it is a gift from God. She said that God knew us before we were conceived in our mother’s womb and set us apart.  He has good plans for us, plans not to harm us, but to give us hope and a good future. She said life begins at conception and regardless of the circumstances in which we are conceived or born we are still loved and cherished by God and abortion is an abominable sin in the sight of God. Then Pastor B.A. Mulenga who is the Director and Founder of Advocates for Life International gave a speech and brought a young man who was born in very difficult circumstances from a mother who wanted to abort because of the ectopic pregnancy that threatened her life before he could be born in 2001, 20 years ago. The boy is very talented at singing and he is a graduate from the University of Zambia in the school of Law. After he sang and spoke about what he has done in life, we were all amazed. The boy is a gifted singer and an intelligent Lawyer that the world would have lost to the enemy (the devil) in 2001 due to abortion! Abortion is an abominable and detestable sin that has robbed the world of gallant, talented, and intelligent people who would have become pilots, doctors, Lawyers etc to serve this world like this young man. He therefore reiterated Mrs. Mwansa's sentiments that no matter what circumstances in which we are conceived no one not even the mother or the father or the doctor has a right to terminate the life of an unborn baby through abortion, it is a sin!

After this program, Pastor Mwansa shared with us about their vision as AFLA and how they have partnered with many organizations locally and internationally in promoting the sanctity of human life. Mrs. Mwansa also shared briefly with us how their partnership works and the befits that are there for affiliated organizations.

She also stressed that it is vitally important for affiliate organizations like CAM and many others to open Pregnancy Resource Centers at our organizations besides the work that we do, and start offering pregnancy counseling and testing and ultrasound services to pregnant women and girls in need in the community. She said AFLA and its network organizations are ready to provide CAM and other affiliate organizations with:

-      Free capacity-building training to aid new organizations that intend to open pregnancy resource centers in their organizations.

-      Free pregnancy test kits every month.

-      Free Ultrasound Machines for scanning of pregnant women and girls in their centers.

-      Free resource mobilization linkages to like-minded pro-life supporting organizations and networks globally

-      Free registration and Accommodation for international training globally.

-      Free return air tickets to affiliate organizations to attend international conferences and training in the network.

Mrs. Mwansa shared with us how other Organizations like Advocates for Life International, Khumi, Seed of Change, Bwafwano Care, and many others in Zambia and in other African countries have benefited from the support of this international pro-life network and we were so encouraged.

We would like to raise this money and pay to this network and begin to receive the kind of support that they offer to affiliate organizations above. we will be so delighted.  This will really help us as CAM in critical times such as this one.  We really need many partners to support us technically, materially, financially and otherwise for us to grow into an organization that we have to be and begin to support as many clients as possible.

World AIDS Day 2020!

First of all, we as a family and as an organization, Christian Aid Ministries-CAM, our TB and HIV / AIDS clients in the community together with our collaborating partners Kitwe District Health Office KDHO under the Ministry of Health of Zambia would like to appreciate everyone for their unflinching support and encouragement for our organization CAM to press on with our ministry work even in the most difficult circumstances that we were able to go through in our ministry work in this year 2020, we are so grateful!

We were so amazed to hear the Minister of Health mentioning our organization CAM in his Keynote Address to the nation on the eve of the World AIDS Day commemoration on Monday 30th November 2020 on Zambia national television, as one of the civil society Organizations in Kitwe, working to provide care and support to TB and HIV / AIDS patients in the community. We were so revived and encouraged to hear this from the Minister of Health. Even if we have done much this year because of financial constraints but in a small way just to keep our organization alive, we have been:

(I) visiting our vulnerable TB and HIV / AIDS clients and encouraging them to stick to TB and HIV treatment until they complete their course without defaulting.

(ii) Transporting and ferrying some of the most vulnerable TB / HIV / AIDS patients to the health centers for TB and HIV / AIDS counseling and testing.

(iii) Processing and provision of Soya meal and Soya porridge to some of the most vulnerable TB and HIV / AIDS patients and malnourished HIV + babies who can not breastfeed from their HIV + mothers at our home on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. We started doing this program in November last month.

THE WORLD AIDS DAY COMMEMORATION ON TUESDAY 1 ST DECEMBER 2020 !!!

Unlike other years when we were regrouping as NGOs and civil society organizations in Kitwe during the World AIDS Day commemoration, this year because of the COVID 19 and for fear of overclouding, the District Health Office, decided that each organization should be able to commemorate and observe this day alone.

(i) So we decided that as Christian Aid Ministries - CAM organization, we are going to hold the World AIDS Day commemoration at our center in Buchi with myself and 4 of our staff members such as Davison Mwale, Cynthia Phiri, Doreen Mwamfulilwa and Kasonde Jones. We also invited our 7 community volunteers such as Maureen Zulu (or Banakulu Kebba) from Buchi community, Catherine from St. Anthony community, Jennifer from Kamakonde community, Bana Mugala from Mugala community, Katukula Forward from Kamatipa community, Magret from Kapoto community and Martha Gondwe from Chantete community.

We also invited 5 former TB patients from each community who totaled up to 35. We were so delighted to see some of our very old former TB patients that we first started within our organization in 2005 and 2006 such as Jenifer Kambeu, from Kamakonde community, Alex Sakala from Buchi community, Zulu Isaac from Buchi community, Mwaba Musanya from St. Anthony, Bupe Kachombo from Mugala community, Kalalwe Mildred from Kamatipa community, Moses Bwalya from Kapoto community and Monica Bwalya from Chantete communities and many others to mention but a few, to come and attend this year's World AIDS Day Commemoration. We were 46 in total and the theme of this year's World AIDS Day Commemoration was: ' Communities Make a Difference '

We observed a moment of silence and remembered all our clients' friends and relatives who died of HIV / AIDS such as Manbwe, Kelvin, Mr. Zulu, etc in prayer and it was such a somber mood and before we knew it we were all weeping and crying for all our dear departed brethren, praying and offering thanksgiving for what the Lord has done by sustaining our lives up to this far. Surely He is Jehovah God Ebenezer who has brought us this far while some of our brothers and sisters and friends have died, so we had to give Him thanks for showing us His Grace by sustaining our lives up to this far!

We as Christian Aid Ministries - CAM, how are we aligning ourselves to this year's theme and make sure that we make this required difference so that AIDS can end by 2030? We are doing this by our continuous perseverance in making sure that vulnerable TB and HIV / AIDS patients in the community are provided with TB / HIV / AIDS care and support through nutritional, medical, and spiritual provision to them, on a daily basis. We also ensure that 90% of people are tested for HIV / AIDS and ensure that 90% of those who are HIV positive are commenced on antiretroviral therapy treatment and that 90% of the patients, who are on antiretroviral therapy, continue taking their medication without defaulting and have their viral load suppressed to end AIDS by 2030.

(ii) We conducted a face mask, hand sanitizers, and washing paste distribution exercise to all our 50 TB / HIV / AIDS clients in the community.

On Monday 16th November up to and Friday 20th of November, 2020 the following week, we managed to distribute a total of 50 face masks and 50 bottles of alcohol-based hand sanitizers to all our 50 clients in all the 7 communities as we were guided and directed by Mr. Sebastian Mtonga during the last training at the center. And all our TB clients were so grateful to us and to Kitwe District Management Board for the gesture to have face masks to protect them from catching Corona infection, they were very grateful!

(iii) Processing of Soya beans into soya meal for vulnerable TB / HIV / AIDS patients and malnourished HIV + babies who cannot breastfeed from their HIV + Mothers.

On Monday 23 rd November 2020 last month, we are delighted to report that we invited two volunteers who are good at preparing soya flour on Saturday such as sister Fides and Jenifer who worked with my wife Bernadette, our first-born daughter Christine and I in taking 1 (50kg) bag of soya and 1 (One) 50 kg bag of Maize grains to the grinding machine in Kapoto community nearby and both soya beans and maize grains were grounded into soya meal/flour. Afterward, we booked a van that carried us and our bags of soy and maize flour to our home where we started mixing them (both soy and maize meal) together in required ratios.

To make the soya meal and the maize meal mixture taste more nutritious and make a balanced diet for our clients, we mixed them with powdered Cremora milk, sugar, and fine salt and finally came up with 3 bags of soya that is enriched with maize meal, milk, sugar and salt that we gave to the patients in the community during our food distribution program on Friday 27th November 2020 last month.

We have also remained with 1 (one) more 50kg bag of Soya mixture to give to our clients in the community and on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at our home.

(iv) Purchasing of Soya Beans and Maize in Mpongwe Farming Block

We went to Mponwe Farming block in Luanshya to buy 1 (50kg) bag of soya beans and 1 (50 kg) bag of maize. Mpongwe farming block is in Luanshua 50 Kilometers from Kitwe district where soya beans, maize, rice, oranges, and other farm produce are grown in large quantities and they are cheaper.

These are the 2 bags of food that we took to the grinding machine in Kapoto that we have mixed with powdered milk, sugar, and salt, to make the soy flour richer and tastier for our TB / HIV / AIDS that they use to make porridge to regain good health.

Soya porridge is so good to our TB / HIV / AIDS clients as it helps to nourish and boost the health system of our TB / HIV / AIDS faster while they are on TB treatment or antiretroviral therapy.

(v) Distribution to all 50 Vulnerable TB / HIV / AIDS Clients in 7 Communities

On Monday 30th November 2020, we managed to give part of the Soya meal to a total of 15 households of our TB clients in Buchi and St. Anthony communities and our clients were so grateful to us for our gesture.

On World Aids Day on Tuesday 1st December 2020 last week after the commemoration at Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical Center, we managed to give soya meal to other 15 households in Kamakonde and Mugala communities.

On Wednesday 2nd December 2020 last week,, we managed to give soya meal to the remaining 20 vulnerable households of our TB clients in 3 communities namely Kapoto, Kamatipa, and Chantete communities and all the patients were so happy to receive this food supplement from our organization.

However, we still have soya meal that has remained from the previous food distribution program that we are giving to some of the most vulnerable and malnourished TB / HIV / AIDS patients and HIV + babies who cannot breastfeed from their HIV positive mothers, who come to our center and to my home on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays every week. This program is very helpful in improving the well-being of our clients and children in the community.

CELEBRATING THE CHRISTMAS WITH SOME OF OUR TB / HIV / AIDS CLIENTS ON 25TH DECEMBER 2020 AT OUR HOME

We are also planning to celebrate this year's Christmas with 30 TB / HIV / AIDS patients at our home in Riverside. It will be such a wonderful time to share a meal with some of our clients on Christmas Day at our home !!! We would like our clients to be ☺ happy and feel loved with us!!!

Thank you all so much for all your support to my family and our organization CAM. Thank you for encouraging us to continue with our work of providing nutritional support, medical support, TB and HIV / AIDS prevention treatment care, and support to our clients in various communities in Kitwe district.

YOU ARE ALWAYS IN OUR MINDS !!!

WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A SAFE AND PRODUCTIVE NEW YEAR 2021 !!!

Christian Aid Ministries partnering with AFLA!

We’re so delighted to announce that for easier collaboration and networking, we have affiliated Christian Aid Ministries to a network organization known as Life Affirming Pregnancy Help Centers in Africa – AFLA based here in Kitwe at Silent Voices. The founder of this organization is Barbra N. Mwansa the wife to Pastor Edward Mwansa. This organization works with pregnancy help centers in Africa that offer services such as Pregnancy crisis counseling, Pregnancy Testing, Post Abortion Stress Syndrome healing counseling and Ultra-sound scanning and other general scanning services. You can find out more about this organization on their website: www.afla.in.

We have decided to do this because some of our TB and HIV/AIDS clients have been asking for some of these pregnancy services. We have also been seeing how they suffer physically, emotionally, and spiritually when they are told by their doctors to terminate their pregnancies through abortion as a result of their low levels of immune system during TB and HIV/AIDS treatment. The main objective of affiliating CAM to this network organization is to begin to provide some of the above mentioned pregnancy services at our Centre in Buchi at the TB clinic such as Pregnancy crisis counseling, Pregnancy Testing and Post Abortion Stress Syndrome (PASS) healing counseling along with the TB and HIV/AIDS services that we provide to our TB/HIV/AIDS clients to avoid abortion and the traumas that come with abortion such as post abortion stress syndrome that worsens their already compromised health system and lead to death.

We will soon begin to provide these services and Silent Voices will be able to donate some materials such as Pregnancy Test Kits, baby nappies and other services to our organization on a monthly basis.

AFLA is affiliated to Life International which is a member of Heartbeat International, a global organization that promotes the sanctity of human life.

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: Post Abortion and sexual abuse counseling and healing

So far on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays we have been meeting 3 groups of post abortive women and men TB/HIV/AIDS clients who have had abortion and young girls who have been sexually abused for post abortive counseling and healing at our Centre with the help of 2 facilitators who come from AFLA on these days.

Post Abortive and sexually Abused Stress Syndrome (PASS) counseling session at CAM’s Elizabeth Rini Medical Centre in Buchi.

Tuesdays and Thursdays: TB tracking

On Tuesdays and Thursdays we have been going in the field visiting our TB and HIV/AIDS clients in Buchi, St. Anthony, Kamakonde, Mugala, Kawama and Kapoto and Luangwa communities as usual sensitizing.

We also work with Buchi TB clinic to conduct TB defaulter tracking in these communities. We go through the patient books and take the addresses of those TB clients who have stopped taking the TB medication and follow them up in the community. This sometimes becomes very difficult to trace them as some of them relocate to other places while others cheat their addresses so that we can fail to monitor them if they are taking their TB medication consistently and correctly up to full 6 months TB treatment term. This usually happens to TB patients who are in denial when TB counseling was not done correctly from the onset of treatment by the counselors who initiated the patient on TB treatment. But after tracking, them, we take them through TB treatment counseling and care afresh and they adhere to treatment instructions and complete their treatment successfully and get cured of TB and get well again. From May 2019 this year when we seriously started working which TB clinic on this program, we have so far helped 40 TB defaulters who have been cured successfully and are well again. The only challenge they complain about that they say leads them to stopping TB treatment is lack of food to eat while they are taking these drugs. They say the TB drugs are very strong and cannot be taking under an empty stomach. It is our prayer that we resume giving them food like what we used to do on a monthly basis when you were supporting us so that we do not encounter such TB treatment challenges that lead to highly infectious multi-drug resistant TB which is very difficult to cure.

Contact tracking is another activity that we are conducting in the community in collaboration with Buchi TB clinic we visit the TB clients who are on TB treatment and conduct TB screening in TB contacts who may be the TB patients close friend, relative or neighbor who is mostly found with the TB patient. We screen and check for signs and symptoms on these TB contacts. Once we suspect certain signs such as enlarged lymph nodes, coughing for more than 3 weeks, loss of appetite, loss of weight, in some cases coughing up of blood and general tiredness, we recommend them or personally take them to the laboratory at the clinic to be diagnosed of TB by submitting their sputum to the laboratory for TB test that they have to come and collect their results the following day. Once we discover that truly they have TB, the doctor commences them on TB treatment immediately.

Trainers of the Year!

First of all it felt so blissfully awesome to win the 2014 Training of Trainers (ToT) Trainer of the Year Award at the Aviator Hotel in Johannesburg South Africa on that momentous day of Friday evening of the 14th November 2014 last week! It felt as if I was just dreaming receiving this beautiful medal from the elated hands of Lawrence and Jacob amid ululations and applause from my fellow loving and dedicated trainers who also received their certificates of participation and achievements and other important prizes prior to this!  Believe me I couldn’t hold myself but to kneel down to express my innermost heart-felt gratitude to the ARASA ToT main organizers and facilitators Jacob and Lawrence, who handed me this prestigious medal, in addition to my certificate of achievement that was given to me earlier at the graduation ceremony. I LOVE you Jacob and Lawrence and ARASA for your hardworking and your great dedication for enabling me and several others to actualize our dreams in such a clourful manner, please continue with this spirit!

Stanley Mulenga, winner of the ARASA 2014 Trainers Trainer of the year and the Director of Christian Aid Ministries Kitwe - Zambia

My Tribute to my Fellow Participants at the ToT

I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to my fellow participants at the last ToT such as Diana, Gift, Teddy, Junior, Pesh, Mwale Steph, Jimmy, Barbra, Ibrahim, Santos, Ramiro, Clarissa, JayJay, Justine, John, Martin, Caroline, Aaron, Felistus, Sara and several other finest brains who were in the last ToT who also inspired and supported me.  We really made a wonderful family together and learned a lot from each other. It is my prayer that we continue to be in touch and strong ambassadors in our countries in the fight against human rights violations and injustices that impedes our hard-earned efforts in the fight against HIV in our region.   HIV is a human rights issue and as such, we need to prioritize our efforts that are aimed at embracing human rights-based response to HIV. Not until then, our HIV fighting efforts will continue to be futile.

Let us work as a team! Let us begin to engage each other in this mammoth task. Let us feed each other with up-to-date information pertaining to human rights, HIV, TB and other public health hazards to make our advocacy efforts in our countries and the region as a whole fruitful.  We cannot fight this battle alone; we need each other’s contribution for HIV dead-end, and together this is achievable.

To the Invited Modulators

I also want to express my gratitude to all of you who came from ARASA Alumni who were once students like ourselves in the previous ToTs, ARASA Partner organizations and learning institutions that also made our learning throughout the year interesting, richer and resourceful. We loved your wonderful presentations and vast experience in the implementation of a feasible and result-oriented ARASA human rights based approach to HIV and TB! You really inspired us guys and we will be following your footsteps.

Our Appreciation to ARASA Management for the ToT

I also want to pay tribute to all the ARASA technical and management team in general who also played a pivotal role in the background in the orchestration and success of the just ended ToT who worked tirelessly all year round to ensure that the 2014 ARASA Regional Annual Training of Trainers turned out to be such a huge success! Never at any time of our training were we inconvenienced. For instance; postponement or sudden change of the training schedule, for lack of resources by ARASA. Our Air tickets were always right on time, giving us ample time to plan. Our lodging and meals was also another source of joy for us!  Congratulations ARASA!  You have done it again, this time around even more successfully!!!

The Impact of this Training and what it Means to Our Organization

As Christian Aid Ministries organization, this achievement means a lot to us and we have so much work to do to ensure that:

(i) we have to continue to conduct-in-house-capacity building training in human rights, treatment literacy, intellectual property in and all the four modules that we covered in the ARASA tot so that our workers are knowledgeable on these issues in order to continue to advocate for policy change and access to treatment by the LGBTI and other key population in the community.

(ii) Conduct health Staff capacity building training on human rights so health care providers can begin to take a human rights based response to HIV/AIDS among key populations.  This will reduce stigma and discrimination associated by the key population at the health centers to increase access to HIV treatment and care and other health care services to reduce their vulnerability.

(iii) Train the community leaders and pastors and other clergymen to reduce stigma and discrimination for LGBTI at community level.   

(iv) There is also an urgent need to engage the media and train them in human rights and sexual rights and other courses so that they can be objective in their reporting and become supportive to our advocacy cause.  

(v) Train Law enforcers in our community such as the police on fundamental human rights violations and other social injustices perpetrated by the police in the course of enforcing their laws in the community can be minimized.

(vi) ARASA to collaborate with our organization and engage us at international and country levels so that we can get exposed and gain even more experience in facilitation skills and capacity building training organization. 

(vii) ARASA to link us to more human rights supporting organizations in order to embark upon an aggressive campaign for the Law review reforms in Zambia.

This is what it means for me and my organization Christian Aid Ministries to win the ARASA 2014 Trainers Trainer of the year. It means working hard and spreading the good news of human rights in the fight against HIV and TB in Zambia, building capacity of like-minded organizations and institutions to have a common understanding about human rights and health issues to come up with a strong advocacy network in the country, that will be effectively and adequately responding to some of our human rights and health crises in the country.  We have to work tirelessly to achieve this goal. We need ARASA’s support. We need everyone so that this vision can be actualized.  

Thank you Jacob and Lawrence and everyone for your support and may our Almighty God bless you!!!

Stanley Mulenga, Director, CAM

News and Updates - We Have a New Website!

Updates - Training

Christian Aid Ministries this year has succeeded in training two of its staff under the Stakeholders Capacity Building trainings at CHEP. Training of staff members is one of the most important aspect in the organization, for it helps the organization grow in the smooth, effective and efficient running of the organizational project programs.

CAM has trained Davison Mwale in governance and financial management. This training aims at training key players in the smooth running of organizations, to ensure effectiveness and efficiency running of the organizations programs. They also learn how to use the funds of the organization in an effective and efficient way. In this regard the Centre manager Davison Mwale was sent by the director Mr. Stanley Mulenga to undergo the 7 day course. The training was a success and the certificate was awarded to Davison Mwale.

 On the 20th to 26th CHEP called for another training in project design. For this training course the director Mr. Stanley Mulenga sent Davison Mwale and Cynthia Phiri. It was a one week course and the two staff members have been trained and acquired the knowledge and skills in project design.

Cynthia from the CAM staff doing a presentation during the project design training

New Office Equipment for Program Implementation and Documentation

All along Christian Aid Ministries has been relying on two computers: one desktop and a small laptop. But on the 15th of March, 2014, Mr. Stanley Mulenga purchased 3 desktop computers and one big laptop. The organization now has 5 computers and 2 laptops. These computers have made administrative work easy because each office and department has their own computer for documentations.

It used to be difficult to write report because departments used to share computers and so work used to move at a slow rate. But now with this equipment, work has been made easy and the report and documentations of our work and other administrative works are being implemented as planned. The staff members have thanked our sponsors for the work of Christian aid ministries. God bless you very much and protect you for the wonderful job you are doing.

Newly bought laptop in the director's office

The Centre manager's newly bought computer in his office

The newly bought computer at the reception desk of the Dr Elizabeth Rini Medical Centre

Nutrition Support Program

On the food or nutrition support program, on the seventh (7th April, 2014) Mr. Stanley Mulenga bought eight 78kg bags of soya beans and were brought at Dr Elizabeth Rini Medical Health Centre. The 8 bags of soya were offloaded  and stack in the stores room at Dr Elizabeth Rini Medical Health Centre. 

Soya beans in the stores and some of the utensils to be used during the processing of the soya

On the 11th of April the community volunteers came to sought out the soya beans by removing those bad soya beans from the good ones in readiness for frying. The people who were doing this work were Christian Aid Ministries staff members and volunteers. The names are Doreen Mwanfulilwa, Fides Mwila, Cathrine Chungu, Mulenga Chongo, Cythia Phiri and Davison Mwale. On the 14th April, 2014 community volunteers and CAM staff started frying soya in readiness for the feeding program.

On the 28th April, Mr. Stanley Mulenga the Director and 2 CAM staff went to the hammer meal for soya grinding and came back around 16:30 hours with soya meal for the nutrition support to TB and HIV/AIDS clients at the Centre.

Chongo Mulenga from St Antony preparing soya for frying at Dr Elizabeth Rini Medical Health Centre

Cynthia the receptionist and community volunteers frying soya

Updates to the Elizabeth Rini Medical Centre

This is the entrance to Dr Elizabeth Rini Medical Health Centre. Tiles have been fixed in the whole building, and it's looking amazing

This is the reception of the Dr Elizabeth Rini Medical Health Centre

Kitchen Ware Shop

The kitchen ware shop is doing fine and Beneditte is doing her level best to run the business. The shop is situation in Chisokone market in the town Centre. Previously the business had gone down because of competitiveness of the business. But we thank God that it is doing fine now.

Mr. Stanley Mulenga and his wife Bernadette at the shop selling the kitchen ware merchandise

New Website (christianaidministrieszambia.org)

We thank our wonderful sponsors for providing us this webpage and training to manage our newsletters in a blog.  This capability will bring great opportunities and connect us with our network of friends and sponsors. Thank you thank you!

Merry Christmas and Thank you for the New Vehicle!

This is a Toyota Hilux Surf that we have bought from NOOR MOTORS Company LTD here in Kitwe from the funds that Brother Dan sent us recently. It is a very powerful machine that will work for CAM in providing transportation to chronically and vulnerable TB/HIV patients who cannot afford to provide transportation support to the health centers for themselves so that they can be diagnosed for TB and HIV/AIDS and commenced on TB and HIV treatment early enough. It will go a long way in providing transportation support to the poorest TB and HIV patients in 7 poorest distant communities where Christian Aid Ministries operate from in Kitwe in Zambia so that they too can access Antiretroviral and TB treatment from the various health centers where they are attached to free of charge for them to recover from their devastating illnesses. We are telling you Brother Dan and all our wonderful dear sponsors that what you have done for is so great that we would not even know how we can profoundly appreciate you!!! Because it is a 4WD with a high profile, even the places that we used to fear to reach to visit and distribute our food supplies because of bad terrain such as Luangwa and Mugala, we will be able to reach with less difficulties. It has enough space, and need arises we will be able to fold the 3 seats at the back to create more space where we will be able to pack food supplies such as Mealie meal, Kapenta, beans, cooking oil and vegetables for our needy TB/HIV/AIDS clients during monthly community food distributions in all the 7 communities where we operate from, without spending colossal amounts of money on transportation for booking minibuses and taxis for a 1 or 2-day food distribution program.

​This Toyota Surf is a 3 L diesel engine and it is convenient for community programs. Here diesel is cheaper that petrol and petrol is more volatile than diesel. I have now personally driven this vehicle from the time we bought it and it has very vey low fuel consumption. It will cut the monthly organizational transportation expenditure in half. We are SO SO GRATEFUL FOR THIS GESTURE!!!! MAY OUR GOOD LORD BLESS YOU and replenish where this money has come from. We are celebrating Christmas with great JOY!!!

​Stanley Mulenga driving the brand new Toyota Surf on the 14th of December 2012. I’m saying Thank you Dan and all the sponsors for this wonderful blessing that has come at the right time so that we can wave goodbye to the lofty expenses on transportation and save many lives in need in the community. We have, without hesitation bought a 4WD Toyota Hilux Surf, Automatic transmission from NOOR MOTORS Japan where the services are much better. From the price, NOOR MOTORS has: 1. Registered the vehicle with Road Transport and Safety Agency (RATSA) and put the Number plates for us. 2. Paid for Road Tax for 6 months from December 2012 – May 2013. 3. Paid for Comprehensive Insurance for One year from December 2012 – December 2013.  4. Serviced the vehicle and do the wheel Alignment and balancing and give us a brand new spare wheel and its cover from the same money that we have paid them. We will be able to do the second service ourselves in May 2013 to cover the remaining 6 months in 2013. In each year, we will only be allowed to do 2 maintenance visits per year for this vehicle. 5. Put full Tank diesel into our vehicle on Monday 17th December 2012. Frankly speaking this was the most blissful birthday that I have ever had in my life and everything seemed to me as if I was just dreaming. Believe me, it was on my very birthday on Monday 17th of December when I finally picked the vehicle from NOOR MOTORS after it was fully registered with the Road Tax, Comprehensive Insurance and Fitness certificate were finally stuck on the vehicle screen and I drove it off back home!!!

​Thank you Dan! Thank you my dear sponsors, you have rekindled my spirit and you have enlivened the hardworking spirit of CAM and wipe away all our tears that we were shading as a result of the loss on the previous vehicles. Thank you for this wonderful asset!!! Please! Please! Please, brother Dan, help me to sincerely thank all our beloved and most treasured sponsors for Christian Aid Ministries! Tell them that Stan is saying THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your support!!! Tell them that I love them so much!!! I’m greatly humbled at your great love and generosity that you have bestowed upon CAM and my family. I, together with my family and all the Volunteers and all the working staff of Christian Aid Ministries are saying thank you for showing us love and great great kindness. We LOVE you SO MUCH and we cannot afford to lose you. We are constantly and consistently remembering you in prayers. We wish you a MERRY Christmas and a more productive New Year 2013!!! We LOVE YOU!!!

May the Almighty God Bless all the works of your hands my dear brothers and sisters for all your prayers and financial donations that you have made for us here. May God extend all your financial boundaries in the year 2013 and meet you at your very point of need in your caries, business, and school (for those that are in school and those that intend to start school in any field next year 2013) May you enjoy all the fruits of your labor and may God who answers prayer open many doors of blessings for you. Truly, I sincerely say thank you to you my dear brothers and sisters who have supported CAM through prayers and words of encouragement so that we can keep doing this wonderful work of helping the poor. We cannot forget to appreciate our dear beloved brother, brother Daniel Montes and Dr. and sister Elizabeth Rini who first saw us and believed in what we are doing and who have up to now continued supporting us!

They have over the years continued to sacrifice a great deal of their precious to Christian Aid Ministries so that we can continue to buy food for the patients in the community and at the Chest Clinic, pay our staff members in the administration and community volunteers in all the 7 communities, ferry patients to the health centers and have them diagnosed and commenced on TB treatment and get cured and treated from their illness.

We greatly thank you my dear brother and sister for enabling us to have our own office with the office equipment such as computers, office desk, filling Cabinets, Flip Chart stand plastic chairs and plastic tables for outreach TB/HIV Counseling and testing. We really Appreciate your great gesture which up to now they are still there and we are still using them in the community.

We are also grateful to Dan and Liz and all of you our sponsors that we have not mentioned who contributed so spiritually, financially and materially to the construction of the medical center that we have managed to finish at the TB Clinic in Buchi in Kitwe- Zambia. After commissioning it on the 25th January 2012, our offices will move from Kwacha East to this place. In this place, we will be able to buy and store food here in this center and it is at this center that we will be able to distribute it to the patients. We will also be using this facility to distribute antiretroviral drugs to the TB patients who are on both treatment instead of them to travel long distances to collect ARVs from other heath centers as it is currently due to lack of an ART center at the Chest Clinic. We are so glad that once this centre is opened on the 25th of January, this problem that our TB/HIV patients will be a thing of the past.

​We have chosen a committee that is looking into the issue of the center commissioning. They have already written invitation letters to the Minister of Health, Copperbelt Medical officer, Kitwe District Health Management Team, Copperbelt Health Education Project, Stanbic Bank Manager, and numerous other politicians and business houses including NOOR MOTORS where we bought the vehicle for the organization for them to come and witness this breathtaking event. Early January, the committee will be going round to confirm the invited guests who are coming so that we can plan and budget effectively. Therefore, we will once again request you to support us in any way you feel you can so that this facility begins to work immediately to help the poor TB/HIV patients to access both TB drugs and ART, nutritional support and other services from the TB clinic and CAM at one point.

​This is the side view of the medical center. We have successfully completed painting its front. We have used silver paint to pant the 2 big window frames in front and 2 side and 2 back window frames and they are looking beautiful. We have not yet painted the inside of the center. We are waiting for the plaster to dry up. We intend to use cream white to give the medical center that desired exquisite look inside.

​These are the 2 Mukwa panel doors that we have fixed on the front of the medical center. Mukwa is stronger than pine wood and is not often eaten by the termites. We decided to fix them with plastic covers after buying them from one of the shops in town to prevent them from bending because of the rains. We will be able to remove them on towards the day of commissioning that falls on the 25th of January 2013 next year.. We have an assurance that these doors will be long-lasting. As the time was drawing closer to the due date of commissioning, we just decided to buy the rest of the doors from town instead of cliff making them because the process would have taken longer. The planks that we bought for making doors inside will go towards making the ceiling board and cliff will do that without paying him.

(L – R) Stanley and Cliff sizing the door in its frame and padlocks for the grill doors to ensure proper security

This is also one of the 5 doors for the 5 offices and departments inside the medical centre. They are not yet fixed. Cliff will be fixing them very soon before the day of commissioning. We have bought all the locks and hinges and the screws in order for them to be fixed. We have bought very strong motice locks.  We have taken pains in building this medical center ensuring that the right material is used so that this facility goes a long way in providing the necessary medical and nutritional and administrative support to the TB and HIV/AIDS patients and Christian Aid Ministries. We are so grateful to you our dear sponsors that now, we have finally finished the medical center construction and we will be able to commission it and our work and even our address as Christian Aid Ministries will be known and we will attract more support from other funders. Thank you Dan, Thank you Liz and Thank you Keisha. We would like to say thank you SO MUCH for your support because without you, we would not have managed to finish it. God bless you SO SO MUCH!!!!

These are the louvers that we have made so that there is proper ventilation inside the medical centre. Tuberculosis or TB (short for tubercles bacillus) is an infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria; most often Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB is spread when people with active TB disease cough, sneeze, speak or spit droplets that contain the mycobacteria, which are then inhaled by surrounding people. Less than ten droplets may cause infection, but a single sneeze can release up to 40,000 droplets. The only way you can prevent TB is to ensure that there is proper ventilation in the room or in the building to avoid catching the disease from infections patients who have not been on TB treatment for not less than 2 weeks. According to the World Health Organization, all TB treatment facilities with congregate settings should.

Taking TB treatment rapidly removes a person’s ability to spread TB, but someone with active TB, if untreated, can infect 10-15 other people per year. So it is very very important that a TB care and treatment facility has enough ventilation to allow the free flow of air to avoid TB infection like what we have done. Where need be even ceiling fans and air conditioners should be in place and should be kept rung and that is what we will do in the future after commissioning the medical center. We would like to follow all the fundamental guidelines of TB infection control that have been recommended by World Health Organization in order to effectively prevent even the care-givers and counselors and whoever nurse or doctor who will be attached to this project t from the ministry of Health under Kitwe District Health Management Team.

Stanley at the medical center checking the performance of the fluorescent tubes

All the five departments in this center have been electrified. We have also managed to electrify the medical centre as you can see by these lit fluorescent tubes here in front and along the corridor of the medical center. We have also put 2 others on both sides and at the back of the center to ensure proper security.

Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year 2013 to you all our sponsors! We love you so so much and we are praying for you. Thank you so so much my brother and sisters for this powerful machine!!! You made made my Christmas this year and our new year 2013 a Blissful one!! Thank you!!!

May 2012 Rini Medical Center Progress

Dedication day is soon!

​This is the front view of the Medical center. We have fixed all the windows and door frames that we have procured, 6 burglar bars for all the windows, a big double door French frame which are waiting to be fixed this month of May so that we can remain with fixing of the doors and painting the whole center. We suggested that we will use cream white to paint the outside wall and use light yellow to paint the inside wall for it to have that exquisite and beautiful appearance! We have done a lot of good and beautiful work on the center and I’m sure you will be happy to see how it has turned out to be from the time we sent you the previous pictures in the newsletter. What are remaining are little final touches of perfection and we will be done with this project.

(L-R) Stanley Mulenga CAM director with one of the inspectors from the ministry of health in Kitwe

​We have fixed 2 big window frames with two big burglar bars in front of the center. We have also fixed a French double door frame with two burglar bars and two grill doors at the entrance of the medical center as you can see on the picture above. According to TB infection control guidelines, a TB disease treatment center should have adequate air ventilation to avoid TB infection and re-infection. The medical center looks extremely beautiful with this well thought-out design. We are so glad that the ministry of health has recommended us so greatly for this milestone achievement in TB and HIV/AIDS treatment in Kitwe District in Zambia

The welder welding four window frames. We are fixing two window frames with two burglar bars on two sides of the center and two with two burglar bars at the back of the center on Friday 15th June this week.

​These are the four window frames that the welder has made with the iron bars that we bought, for the back and the sides of the center. We will only pay the welder for his labor and it is a bit cheap that way. We want to ensure that this place is safe from any form of burglary and theft.

​These are the four remaining window spaces where we will be fixing the burglar bars and the window frames on Friday this week. We have plastered both the inside and the outside of the center. After fixing the window frames, we will then paint the entire building. We will first paint it with water paint which is the undercoat and thereafter paint the external wall with cream white and the internal with light yellow to give it an exquisite appearance!

​We have also bought 4 IT6 iron sheets. We want to fill the spaces on the sides of the roof of the building. We would have used planks but they would have been so expensive to finish covering both spaces. We will drill these triangular sides( iron sheets) for the provision of air ventilation.

We have also purchased cement blocks for the partitioning of the departments /rooms inside the center and the bricklayers Uncle Sam and Isaac and other helpers are at the center building and demarcating the center inside with these blocks. The Center will have 7 departments/rooms. We will have the Reception room/lounge, the ART screening and counseling room, the ART dispensary, a food store, the Accounts room and the Administration room. The center will also have the veranda/corridor outside where patients will be waiting to be attended to as an OPD1.

What we are remaining with to do are:

1. Putting the glass panes in the window frames

2. Purchasing the five door frames for the department rooms

3. Purchasing planks for making 7 doors. Cliff our carpenter will make them for us free of Charge

4. Purchase paint and paint the whole center

5. Purchase particle boards and fix the ceiling board

January 2012... Progress!

The Construction Works on Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical center are progressing well and have reached an advanced stage. They say where there is a will, there is a way. And for sure we can now believe in this rich saying!

Very soon we will move into the Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical Center building and begin to operate from there. Food distribution to vulnerable TB/HIV clients will continue, we will be able to do HIV counseling and testing and administration of antiretroviral drug to patients suffering from HIV/AIDS there. This will be done with the help of our trained volunteers and social workers that we will engage and the volunteer ART doctor from Kitwe District Health Management Team or Kitwe Central hospital under the ministry of health. There will be so many activities that will be done there including the sporadic training of community volunteers on some of the key issues affecting our organization and our clients to make our organization efficacious in all its duties and responsibilities. The administrative activities will also be done there with effect from May 2012 this year. Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical Centre is scheduled to be officially commissioned on June 29th 2012 this year.

This is what we have done so far: 

• We have constructed walls around the center with some molded concrete blocks

• We have erased the front pillars and put Iron rods and concrete into the pillars to make them strong and fixed them back in the front corridor

• Cliff, Isaac, Stanley senior (Stanley’s father) and Uncle Sam have successfully completed building a shield of 70 centimeters high around the front corridor from one pillar to the other using donated pan bricks (red bricks) leaving space only for the entrance

• Cliff, Isaac and I Stanley, have successfully finished roofing the front corridor of our center and it is looking so magnificent!

This is the former front view of Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical Center before roofing the front Corridor. From (L –R) was Stanley Mpuku (in blue), Uncle Sam (in yellow,) Cliff (in red) and on the far corner of the corridor was Isaac building a shield of 70 centimeters high around the front corridor from one pillar to the other using donated pan bricks (red bricks) leaving space for the entrance

Stanley senior (Stanley’s father) and Cliff building and decorating the skirting on the corridor and redesigning the columns

This is the new side view of Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical Center with a roof on top of the front corridor. We glorify God for this blessing. It’s really a HUGE blessing and we thank you so much for sponsoring CAM in this HUGE way! Thank you!!!

We are so happy that we have been able to put the roof in front of our center. This is a good step in the right direction and the center looks magnificent! We are remaining with few final touches towards completion. 

The District Director of health Dr. Banda at the District Health office was telling on the phone that he was so fascinated with the report that he received from a team of inspectors from DHMT who were going round the health centers in Kitwe District to inspect the state of the centers and all their operations. He said that he was told that our Center Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical Center is looking outstandingly beautiful among all the buildings at the chest clinic. ‘How much more beautiful then will it be looking once it is fully completed?’ very very beautiful indeed!’ 

He also told me on phone that there are ongoing discussions at his office (DHMT) that this year’s World TB Day may be hosted at the chest clinic and Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical center would be of a great use. However, this subject to change depending on the general consensus of the meeting considering the fact that the Chest Clinic is not located in the center of Kitwe town. In 2011 last year, we commemorated the World TB Day at Kaunda Square right in town. We do not exactly know as for this year. But I’m sure we will discuss that further with all the stakeholders in Kitwe when we begin our stakeholders meetings early March this year at DHMT offices.

(L-R) Mwiche C. Bwalya CAM Community Programs Administrator, DHMT TB Corner Nurse Mrs. Esther Lupanda and Stanley posing for a photo at Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical Center

​Hosting of the World TB commemoration at the Chest Clinic and at our center would be a plus on our side! It is as good as selling what CAM is doing to other NGOs and the government. This simply shows the credibility that the government of Zambia and the Ministry of Health has in CAM and its operations. They have begun to recognize our support in the fight against TB and HIV/AIDS in Zambia in through various interventions to those in need.

This is the new front view of Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical Center with Isaac painting the facial board that Cliff has newly fixed. We will now install Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical Center Sign in front of our center here

​The construction of Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical Center at the Chest clinic in Buchi Township in Kitwe Zambia, among other projects, that have been made possible under your auspices is a great achievement in the fight against TB and HIV/AIDS in our country Zambia and we are very very grateful to you our dear sponsors for your great generosity for us to have all these wonderful visible achievements which we would not have achieved had it not been for your support! 

Please continue with this same spirit! You have helped so many people who could have died of TB and HIV/AIDS by now in our nation Zambia through the monetary and spiritual support that you have been rendering to CAM on a monthly basis. Just look at how so many souls are being helped from your timely support that you send to CAM in order for us to undertake various aggressive community interventions in the fight against TB and HIV/AIDS in Kitwe, it is so awesome! 

Christian Aid Ministries will continue to use the financial resources that you our sponsors are sending to good use and ensure that they reach its intended beneficiaries ; people suffering from TB and HIV/AIDS in various communities in Kitwe through various support systems and interventions in the fight against these pandemics such as infrastructure development, transportation, medical support, spiritual and nutritional support to its vulnerable TB/HIV/AIDS patients in various communities in Kitwe district and beyond. 

Stanley in a brown T/shirt on the right and the volunteers giving food to TB/HIV/AIDS patients in Mugala community

We love you so much!!! We will continue to offer our heartfelt lifelong prayers and supplication to our living God for the spirit of goodwill and love that you have explicitly displayed to us! We feel so much beholden to you my dear brethren and we will never forget about you! May God bless you in all your endeavors!

Since timber is scarce and very expensive, we have decided to give an order to Mr. Mulenga, a childhood family friend to make six metal window frames and one door frame for Dr. Elizabeth Medical Center. We have realized that buying six metal window frames and one big door frame is cheaper and almost half the amount we would have spent on the same number of wooden window frames and a door frame in front of the center. The other advantage of metal window and door frames is that they are stronger and will last longer than the wooden frames that may get rotten in due course or eaten by the termites and ants. Mr. Mulenga has even started making the metal window frames and a door frame and they will be ready soon.

The work that we are now remaining with to be done in March next month 2012 is: 

1. Put Dr. Liz Sign (which we have already acquired) in front of the centre

2. Fix 6 Window frames in the window spaces and weld the burglar bars to each one of them that we have already bought

3. Fix a big door frame for 2 doors

4. Fix the 2 grill doors to the door frame – we have already bought 2 grill doors for this

5. Buy 10 pockets of cement and sand and plaster the center. Cliff has volunteered to do this but Isaac and Uncle Sam will ask for a small payment for their families

The works that we will remain with to be done in April is:

1. Fix the louvers and glasses in the window frames

2. Buy and fix 2 doors in the metal door frame with lock at the entrance

3. Simple electrification of the center tapping from the nearby shelter

4. Putting of the ceiling board and Cliff has volunteered to do this work without any payments at all

5. Painting of the center

In May we will do:

1. Simple petitioning inside the center for four departments such as the reception, the administrative office, the food store and the counseling and testing room

2. Friday June 29th 2012 the commissioning of Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical Center

The Commissioning of Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical Center

In the meeting we agreed that Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical Center will be commissioned on Friday June 29th 2012 after it is fully completed!

We are so shrewd that this year we have decided to start making preparations for the commissioning of Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical Center early enough. 

We have written and sent invitation letters to so many stakeholders. We have invited the newly elected Minister of Health Dr. Joseph Kasonde, Nkana Constituency Area Member of Parliament Mr. Kazabu, Copperbelt Province Medical Advisor Dr. Ng’ambi Kitwe District Director of Health Dr. Banda, Kitwe Central Hospital Dr. Billion, Kitwe District Commissioner, Copperbelt Health Education Project (CHEP) Executive Director Mr. Roy Mwilu, Stanbic Bank branch manager for Kitwe Mr. Richard Kotati, Community Based TB Action Group (COBTAG) Executive Director Rev. Webby Mwape, Churches Health Association of Zambia (CHAZ) TB Coordinator Mr. Ngalande, Sararose Executive Directors Pastor and Barbra Mwansa. We will also send one letter to Nehemiah Boys Ranch HOB Country representative Bob Walker and Candace and TK to make 15 important invited guests. 

This year we want to shine! We want our good work to be seen by the public. We want to show them that we can also do it. We want to use this occasion as a forum for financial solicitation from some of the organizations these important invited guests will represent. We are so optimistic that if this commissioning turns out successfully, we will be rest assured of support from them. We want to find quality time to discuss our current financial situation and how they can also help us or link us to other funding agencies. What matters is how successfully we are going to handle this commissioning and the evident ardent efforts we are making to mitigate TB and HIV/AIDS in our country. We are strategizing all this so that donors can necessitate the importance of supporting Christian Aid Ministries through our good work that we have displayed at the Chest clinic and in various communities in Kitwe. We want to ensure total excellence in all its sense in this undertaking in order lure local donor support! And we have started our preparations earlier to realize this accomplishment. We want everything to be in place so support us in this adventure.

Some of the expenditure will go towards paying for the advertisements on the National media a week before during and after the commissioning, brochure printing, printer Ink cartridges, Hired transport, printing of the Banner, (T/shirts we have the ones that brother Dan brought) Hiring of the Ubale Umodzi TB/HIV Drama Group to make the occasion live, Hiring 2 Media representatives from Zambia National Broad casting Corporation to do the video shooting of this occasion as they are always cheaper, food and transport reimbursements to some invited guests coming from Lusaka and other towns. 

The person responsible for this activity is Mwiche C. Bwalya – CAM Community Programs Administrator

Fundraising Campaigns

We discussed and resolved in the previous AGM that we held that this year 2012 we will embark on massive and aggressive fundraising activities. 

In August, we will have a Fundraising walk. In October we plan to have a Brail where we will invite dignitaries and other public figures from the government, NGOs and other business enterprises to come and participate in this fundraising Brail. We intend to hold this brail at Sherbourney Guest house which is one of the choicest guest houses in town. We expect to raise a lot of money for the ministry through this fundraising venture. We want to do it the way other NGOs such as Beautiful Gate do. 

In the previous successful stakeholders meeting that we held on Christmas at our home, the Stanbic manager Mr. Richard Kotati hinted to us that once a while, he will be using his discretion to award us tenders to clean Stanbic bank and the bank will be able to pay our organization. 

Richard said that in November the bank is terminating the cleaning contract with a certain company which cleans the bank. He said that one of the reasons why the bank is terminating the contract is that the company charges the bank so exorbitantly for its cleaning services and as such the bank may engage CAM to be doing this work at intervals and will be able to pay it as long as we can prove to be cheaper and competent in the execution of our duties. All he is requesting us to do is to acquire cleaning equipment such as a vacuum pump, a shiner, and other special disinfectants the job will be ours! We are sure this could be a good source of small revenue for CAM.

Mr. Mumba Isaac who also attended this meeting said that CHEP would like to work with CAM in the fight against TB especially that their supporting organization The Norwegian Heart and Lung has seen what CAM is doing at the Chest Clinic . But there is need for CHEP to write a strategic Plan and a profile for CAM and tailor them into a donor language. Thereafter, they will come and train all the CAM staff members in what he termed as donor orientation skill and link us to other funders. Now for CHEP to do this and link us to other donors, they charge a minimum fee for secretarial and other logistical expenses. So once this is done, we will begin to wait for the response from those organizations. 

We are in a desperate moment searching; consulting and doing everything we can to find more sponsors for CAM. We are doing everything we can to ensure that we broaden the financial base of the organization. We implore you to also continue to lobby for more sponsorship for CAM as the organization is developing rapidly.

Coming back to my family, we really appreciate you for the monthly financial support to my personal account to meet other vital basic needs of my family! May God bless you a hundredfold more times for this goodwill and the truelove of Christ that you have explicitly showed us as a family!

Christine is very very intelligent in school and I’ m proud to inform you that even this term she got the fist position in class where she together with the rest of her classmates sat for her end of year exams last year with grade Twos when she was in grade One. She managed to beat the entire grade twos (who are now in grade three) and the rest of her classmates and came First in two classes combined! I’m very grateful to God for giving me such an intelligent child so grateful! This time she is able to speak English so fluently that you cannot believe! In the recent End-of year exams in Mathematics she got 90%, Integrated Science she got 100%, Social and Development Studies she got 100%. English she got 90%, Spiritual and Moral Education she got 80% and French she got 56%. Throughout her exams she got distinctions except for French where she got 56% which was average. Christine really brings me so much joy when it comes to her performance in school. She always comes with presents from school for her outstanding performance! However our concern as a family is how we are going to raise her and ensure that she attains quality education and realize her dreams because education nowadays is slowly becoming very expensive. 

This year at her school the school fees have been increased. The school attributes this increase to the increase in the allowance of the teachers at the same school per month because all the government teachers have had their allowances increased with the incoming of this Patriotic Front government that we now have. So all the teachers, nurses, doctors and other civil servants in the private sector are demanding for salary increments thereby making the schools to increase school fees in order to meet the allowances of the teachers. The new government has exacerbated the situation by reviewing the minimum wage both in the government and in the private sector thus making the inflation and the cost of living to escalate for an ordinary Zambian. The costs of food basket on the markets have also increased because of the new government’s unrevised policies and the rainy season.

We Greatly! Greatly thank you for your support! May God richly bless you for this!!! We Love you so much and we are praying for you!

The Action Plan

We have also prepared an Action Plan for this year 2012. This Action plan consists of the column of the names of activities that are lined up in this year that CAM plans to undertake, the months and agreed dates on which the organization wishes to carry them out and the persons who will be responsible for the activity and ensure that they are done according to our plan. Each activity has also what we can call an Activity Based Budget for this year. such as The monthly Food Distribution Program, community sensitization on TB and HIV/AIDS once a month, Mondays and Fridays food Distribution at Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical Center, transportation of the TB/HIV/AIDS patients to the health centers for medical reviews, drug collection and TB or HIV diagnosis once a month, the World TB Day Commemoration on the 25th of March, the Commissioning of Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical Center on 29th June, the Fundraising Walk on August 3rd and the World Aids Day scheduled for 1st December 2012. This is what we discussed in the Annual General Meeting that we held with our volunteers on 7th of January 2012 last month at our home at 3038 Kwacha East Kitwe. See the attached Action Plan for this year 2012 in Ms Excel prepared by Mwiche C. Bwalya CAM Community Programs Administrator

The Annual General Meeting

We could not hold the annual general meeting at Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical Center at the Chest clinic on the 7th of January 2012 as was planned before. This was because of the heavy rains on this day so we decided to hold it at our home in Kwacha East. It was a vey successful meeting and all the volunteers came.

Topics on the agenda were:

(i) Community food distribution

We resolved that the community food distribution is going on well as most of the patients have now recovered. The only challenges are transportation and the cost of some of the food items such as beans, kapenta and cooking oil that have gone up on the Zambian market. 

We need a vehicle to help us carryout this and many other activities so effectively and an increased funding in order to afford to buy some of these required food items for the TB/HIV/AIDS patients in the community. The developed client food distribution cards are also working well as we have been able to know the patients who have been consistently receiving the monthly food supplements from our organization. From the patient’s register and with the help of these Cards, it is easy to closely monitor the healthy improvement of each and every client in all our 7 communities who is on the nutritional support program. 

(ii) Food distribution to TB patients at Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical Center

The Mondays and Fridays food distribution to TB patients at Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical Center has been a success. Many patients in Kitwe District have benefited from this program. However, it was resolved that when the center is fully completed and commissioned, the organization will be reserving some petty cash that will be used to pay for transport back home for some of the most vulnerable and neediest clients while we are praying to God for a vehicle to provide such services to some of the deserving vulnerable clients.

(iii) Who will be working at the center after it is fully commissioned

We unanimously agreed that only qualified and trained volunteers in various fields such as counseling, ART adherence, will be qualified to work at the center.

(iv) The World TB Day

We agreed that if the financial resources will allow, we will have 20 CAM members who will participate in this year’s World TB Day commemoration. These are 7 community volunteers from our catchment areas, 4 CAM staff members, at least 4 former TB patients from the community to come and 5 TB patients on TB treatment to come and attend the World TB day commemoration to come and tell the public that they are indeed on TB treatment and are being supported by CAM. This is one way of marketing our organization to the public to lure support. The Venue and the Theme of this year’s World TB Day will be communicated later when we begin stakeholders’ preparatory meetings at Kitwe District Health Management Team early next month.

(v) The Fundraising Walk Scheduled for 3rd August 2012

In the meeting we also resolved that this year 2012, we will carry out a number of fundraising ventures one of which is a Fundraising Walk. This venture will be done on 3rd August 2012 this year. This year we want to do something which looks more ‘Crazy’! We want to walk a distance of 120 Kilometers from Kitwe to Ndola. The estimated activity based budget for the fundraising walk is K2, 167, 500. And we are likely to raise double this amount. The person responsible for this activity is Mwiche C. Bwalya our Community Programs Administrator.

(vi) World AIDS Day Commemoration

World AIDS Day is an important annual event which is commemorated worldwide on the 1st of December of every year. It is such a very touching event because it always reminds us of our brothers and sisters who have died of AIDS worldwide ever since this pandemic came on the scene in the early 80s. This year we want to join the rest of the World in the commemoration of both the World TB Day and the World AIDS Day as Christian Aid Ministries. 

On 31st of November before the commencement of the World AIDS Day, CAM will participate in the Candle Lighting and prayers and supplication will be offered on behalf of those who died of this disease and a moment of silence will be observed. Cliff decided to take up the responsibility of this activity since he is HIV+ who is very open about his condition.

(vii) Transportation of patients 

We discussed a lot of issues and more specially on fundraising. We wish to embark on a lot of fundraising activities in this year ranging from fundraising walks, proposal writing, brails home and officer cleaning etc. We are likely to raise more funds for the organization CAM.

Commissioning of Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical Centre 

We wish you could come here and witness this important day! We would like to honor Dr. Rini in a special way for the support that she has been faithfully rendering to CAM by naming it after her. This intension comes from a pure heart of giving thanks giving appreciation where it is due. And the best way we thought of doing that was to give this center an insignia of a loving caring mother because that is what we see in you my sister. Your tendering spirit towards the agonized and your embracing spirit and goodwill towards those in pain will live on long after we are all gone. We want this center to have a caring spiritual connotation of a great mother like you Dr. Liz. Look at the wonderful work that you are doing even now there in the USA of caring for the sick. Some of them come in very frail health conditions that it only calls for the ‘called’ in that field to tend them. This is why I feel we rightly named this place after you and the reason why you should come to witness the ushering in of this life-giving center. 

However if by all means you do not manage to come and witness this occasion, Karen Tk and Keisha are here in Zambia. I will invite them and TK will stand in your place and will relay the message to you. TK looks great! We meet on Sundays and chat a lot at length. That other Sunday she even witnessed the baby dedication for Daniel when Daniel, TK, and Andrea from the Boys Ranch told me that they will find time to visit our projects to see how we are doing soon after pastor Tony gets back to the USA. I’m very delighted to meet sister TK physically once again. For sure Jehovah God is a Healing God! Whosoever thought we could meet with TK once again and laughed the way we laughed together at church the way she was in that critical healthy condition? God is indeed a miracle working God. Thank you Sister Liz, Brother Dan, Sister Keisha and all those who fervently joined in prayers for our sister, Sister TK for healing! Praise be to God! 

Sister Keisha passed through our home to pick some of her stuff that she left in her buckets at our home. She has come for a one year six months Midwifery course at certain International nursing school in Livingstone where she is staying. She said she will pass by again when she finds time. We were very happy to meet our sister once again after the ground breaking ceremony last year! She has made a wonderful Calendar for CAM with wonderful pictures of Mambwe Lawrence when we were staying together with him in our home, and when sister Kisha was caring him on her back to the hospital. The calendar also has pictures of my family and Kiesha and the pictures of the groundbreaking ceremony with brother Dan and sister Keisha and the rest of the volunteers and invited guests to the groundbreaking ceremony. I feel so good seeing these wonderful pictures because they remind me of some of the memorable moments in my ministry life. Christian Aid Ministries has come from very far. A BIG thanks to you my dear sister Dr. Liz for your good heart and loving-kindness. You are always! Always in my mind and my heart does not stop interceding for you! 

May God bless you for the GREAT sacrifices that you have made for me, my family and my ministry! You are more than sisters and brothers to me, God Bless you a HUNDREDFOLD more!!!

Christian Aid Ministries Administrative Activities and Innovations

We are working so well with Mwiche our CAM Community Programs Administrator. Mwiche is hardworking and experienced in her field of social work. She has a good track record working with various NGOs in Kitwe. Her achievements in the school of social work at the University of Zambia have also contributed a great deal to her outstanding office and field performance. We are fortunate that we could this time around find a suitable candidate for our field and office work. She coordinates office and community programs well. She knows how to work with community volunteers well.

Mrs. Mwiche C. Bwalya CAM Community Programs Administrator working in the office at 3038 Kwacha East Kitwe

​Good Governance and Management Training at Copperbelt Health Education Project

Christian Ad Ministries has created good linkages with other local NGOs such as Copperbelt Health Education Project. 

On November 26th 2 011 last year we received a call from Mr. Isaac Mumba inviting us to attend a Five days training in Good Governance and Management. 

I went with our Community Programs Administrator Mrs. Mwiche. C. Bwalya. The training was very enjoyable and we learned a lot of things thre. We covered topics in leadership and financial management. we learned about many key long term and short term programs that can enhance the operations and the management of our organization.

The workshop was fully packed with organization leaders from various organizations in Zambia who had the opportunity to share their experiences on how they are running their organizations pertaining to financial management and other issues. We had a wonderful opportunity to learn from each another guiding and teaching one another. As the director, I was even given an opportunity to share some of our successes and challenges that we experience in the running affairs of Christian Aid Ministries. Our Community Programs Administrator was also an active participant in this workshop. She was also able to ask and answer questions related to her and we all learned from each other.

Stanley Mulenga and the rest of the participants from various organizations, attending five-day training in Good Governance and Management at CHEP

​On Friday 28th November, 2011 after the workshop was over, we were all given Certificates of participation in Governance and financial management course. It was marvelous! 

Mr. Isaac Mumba CHEP TB Programs Coordinator (in blue) presenting a Certificate of participation to Stanley Mulega (in white)

Mr. Isaac Mumba CHEP TB Programs Coordinator (in blue) presenting a Certificate of participation to CAM Community Programs Administrator Mwiche C. Bwalya on 2nd December 2011

3rd TB Copperbelt Provincial Conference

On Monday 12th December 2011, CHEP wrote to Christian Aid Ministries and invited us to attend the 3rd TB Copperbelt Provincial Conference for two days from Thursday 15th –Friday 16th December 2011. 

Many organizations from the Copperbelt and Lusaka provinces were there. Organizations such as Christian Aid Ministries, the Kitwe District Health Management Team, Kitwe District Aids Task Force, Community Based Tb Action Group, COBTAG, Community Initiative for TB, HIV/AIDS and Malaria CITAM, Reigners in Life, Twafwane Home based care, Community Health Program COHIP, CHREP, Beacon of Hope, Community Based Transit HIV/AIDS Project, MunweU mo and so on and so forth. The Newly appointed Kitwe District Commissioner Mr. Mwape Kasanda was also there. We were also privileged to have the Norwegian Ambassador, Mr. Arve Ofstad who came from the Norwegian Embassy in Lusaka to represent the Norwegian Heart and Lung Patient Organization - LHL organization that supports CHEP. The Theme of this conference was ‘Confronting the challenges of TB Prevention and Care’

The host organization (CHEP) Executive Director Mr. Roy Mwilu also gave few remarks in the preamble of the conference and declared it open.

CHEP Executive Director Mr. Roy Mwilu giving few remarks in the preamble of the conference at Copperbelt Health Education Project

​The Norwegian Ambassador said the Zambian government through the Ministry of health had tried its best to ensure that the TB burden was reduced in different communities. It also calls for the empowerment of various nongovernmental organizations to supplement the governments’ effort in the fight against TB, the government alone cannot manage. After delivering a speech, the Ambassador turned back to Lusaka. On Thursday evening at 7 PM the Zambia Nation

Stanley (front right) sharing some of the TB infection control guidelines and how CAM is using the same guidelines to construct centers such as Dr. Elizabeth Rini medical center in Kitwe at the Chest clinic in order to reduce the spread of TB disease

​Adequate vacuity with sufficient spacing are vital in any given TB treatment center to allow free air circulation void of TB micro bacteria to prevent the spread of this curable airborne disease. If TB treatment centers in Zambia were constructed following vis-à-vis coherent TB infection control guidelines, the spread of this disease from the patients to the TB treatment care providers were not going to be commonplace. Our Zambian nurses have also neglected the use of the masks putting themselves at a higher risk of contracting this communicable disease from their own clients which they can avoid by simply following the laid down instructions. In Zambia it is not unusual hearing that the TB corner nurse has contracted TB and is on TB treatment because of mere negligence. And going for regular medical check-ups to know their general health conditions, let alone TB screening is not common among them. Some of them we just stop seeing them at the clinic only to hear that they have TB. Unlike other diseases, TB is preventable as far as the TB infection control guidelines are concerned. 

Miriam (in blue) from COHEP in conquering with what I said also added that in Zambia the 2011 statistics showed that only 4% of the medical practitioners went for HIV tests and had their HIV status known

Monthly Community Food Distribution Programs

Community food distribution has been going so well. With the January funds we bought some melie meal from Jamas milling company. Actually, I went there personally and paid the company and on the following day they supplied the bags using company transport to Kwacha East. We also bought beans for the patients. We hired a minibus and on Friday 10th February we were in the community giving food to our clients. We first began with Mugala, Kamakonde, St. Anthony and Buchi communities. On the following day Saturday 11th February 2012, we continued with our food distribution to patients in Kamatipa, Kapoto and Luangwa communities. We were very very tired. The patients were very grateful for your support Dr. Liz. One patient came to me and knelt down saying her husband has run away from her and left her with 9 children to look after. They all tested HIV positive and he said she is the one who infected him so he decided to leave her. She had no option but to let him go. Now she is very sick and they do not have food with her children. So when she heard we were coming to give food to the patients in that community I did not hesitate to come saying if they chase me because I’m not on the program, I will come and we will die of starvation with my children. Thank you CAM you have saved my life and my children by giving me melie meal so that we can live today. We do not know where the next meals will be coming from after this sack of mealie meal finishes. God Bless you to use you to come and give us food! We were all touched by what this woman told us and we have now included her on our support list. Fortunately, one of our clients has completed the TB treatment and is looking who we have replaced.

Stanley (on the right) and the volunteers giving food to patient in Mugala community

​It was encouraging to meet some of the patients who were very sick but now they are in good health and full of life. Elizabeth was very sick when we together with the volunteers and Dr. Liz visited one of our communities called Mugala community in March 2009 but now she is very fine. She has a big farm near the stream in Mugala community where she has planted some carrots. When we went to distribute food to the patients in that community on December on Thursday December 8 2011, she even gave us some carrots to share amongst ourselves. Thank you Dr. Liz! You prayed for your namesake and now she has life. God bless you so handsomely for your compassionate prayers that you offered so faithfully to this woman. She is a living testimony of your support. She was asking about you and she is sending her special regards to you during this Christmas festivals. 

Mwiche C. Bwalya Community Programs Administrator (in green) calling the register using the developed patient Cards in Kamatipa community on Saturday 11th February 2012

​It is easier distributing food supplements to patients using these cards. It is a good idea

Mrs Mugala giving melie meal to one of our clients in Mugala community

Bernadette gioving food to Mr. Rodlick one of CAM clients in Kamattipa community on Saturday 11th February 2012

Stanley (in a brown T/Shirt), his wife Bernadette in a green T/shirt with a baby (Daniel) on the back, Mwiche (in green) with Kamakonde community volunteers and the TB patients posing for a photo in Kamakonde community

Christian Aid Ministries giving food to patients in St. Anthony community on Friday 10th February 2012

Matilda (in green) and Foster Yombwe CAM volunteers in St. Anthony and Kamakonde communities respectively giving food to Martha. Martha is three years old. She is HIV positive. She is one of the seven patients on ARVs and TB treatment in Kamakonde community who is on CAM monthly nutritional support program. Martha has recovered and she is looking healthy now

Matilda giving food to Sara in St. Anthony community on February 10th 2012

Stanley speaking to patients in Kamatipa community about the importance of sticking to TB treatment to full term to avoid the spread of multidrug resistant and extensively drug resistant TB ailments which are difficult to cure in Zambia today. It is always our mandate as CAM to sensitize our clients on some of the most important aspects of TB and HIV/AIDS before we commence the food distribution in the community otherwise our work would be in vain

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much for all your support my dear brethren! I’m on my knees even as I write this Newsletter glorifying God for your warm-heartedness towards CAM and towards my family! I just do not know what I can give you in return to your pure, genuine and unconditional love that you give me my dear friends! I tell you I love you SOOOOOOO MUCH with the depth of my heart! Please! Please! Please I pray remain in good health and may God fare you well in all your endeavors! Always lifting a banner of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord for you! I’m always with you in spirit no matter what! Work and learn well! Please, lean on Jesus, for He is our comforter and our good source of strength, for He never leaves us nor forsakes us in whatever situations we are passing through!!!! He is our creator who is desirous in seeing us happy always!........ Stanley………!!

Fall 2011 Update

Care and Support to TB/HIV/AIDS Patients

When you are ill with Tuberculosis, you need support, care and love to get better. We know that those patients who are given quality support by their family members as well as community volunteers to meet their physical needs such as good food, a home, as well as enough rest get better.

Christian Aid Ministries has been working so hard ensuring that it meets some of the above needs.

Each month, the organization buys food such as kapenta, beans, cooking oil and mealie meal and distributes it to its 49 needy and vulnerable TB/HIV/AIDS patients in seven urban and peri-urban communities in Kitwe which is its catchment area. These are Buchi, St. Anthony, Kamakonde, Mugala, Kapoto, Kapatipa and Luangwa communities.

Stanley helping the boys to offload 25 Kg sacks of mealie meal from a CHAT Milling Company truck

​Because CAM is a regular buyer from Jamas and CHAT Milling companies, we just place an order for the number of bags and the quantity of mealie meal in each bag needed and they deliver to our home/organization office at 3038 Kwacha East Kitwe instantly without having to go there and transport them to our place ourselves.

Chomba Mwiche CAM volunteer secretary (in pink) and the boys volunteering to offload the bags of mealie meal from CHAT Milling truck, the incentives we enjoy by buying from these two milling companies

Community Food Distribution

We do Community food distribution once a month. Before food is distributed to our clients in the community, our volunteers spend time in our food store sorting and packing all the food items in readiness for the distribution. We park beans and kapenta in 5kg plastic bags separately, while mealie meal which in 25 kg bags is repacked in 10 kg sacks. Cooking oil is distributed in their original 3.5mls one bottle to each patient. The reasons why we repack the food in portions before the distribution day is to to make the prospective food distribution much easier. We travel from community to community giving food to all our 49 clients in seven communities

Bernadette (Stan’s wife) (r), and Mwiche Chomba (l) repacking mealie meal in the storeroom at CAM office at 3038 Kwacha East Kitwe, Zambia, in readiness for distribution to the needy chronically ill TB/HIVAIDS patients in the communities

Each patient receives at least a 10 Kg bag of mealie meal, 2 Kg packet of beans 2 kg packet of kapenta and one 3.5 milliliters bottle of cooking oil

Food Distribution in Buchi Community

The food distribution to patients in Buchi community went so well. We found all our clients gathered at Kebba’s grandmother in Buchi community. We started the food distribution program at exactly 11:00 hrs. But before we could start the program, we had to introduce our working staff to our clients and the patients went on to introduce them to us.

Stanley (r) introducing Mwiche Chomba (l) to our TB/HIV clients in Buchi community

wiche Chomba is a newly engaged CAM volunteer who is now responsible for all CAM community outreach programs. She will be working hand-in-hand with Bernadette Mulenga (Stan’s wife) in coordinating all community related TB/HIV related programs in Christian Aid Ministries.

Mwiche Chomba is educated and has a diploma in Social Work from the University of Zambia. She has also worked with a number of civil society organizations in Kitwe in HIV and TB related fields. We are optimistic that she will deliver and carry our work forward.

Community Sensitization on TB and HIV/AIDS

Community sensitizations on TB and HIV/AIDS are very very important to our TB clients in the community. Before we start distributing food to them, we start speaking to our clients about TB and HIV/AIDS that affects them in the community. TB is a preventable and curable airborne disease that is caused by bacteria, while AIDS is a condition of the body having many diseases, brought about by a weak immune system due to HIV virus. It is estimated that 75 per cent of TB patients are also infected with HIV.

These sensitizations are especially important because they help to dispel the illusion and a myth that is there in community that all TB patients have HIV. This causes a lot of stigma and discrimination among TB patients.

Stanley speaking to the TB/HIV/AIDS patients about the importance of a good nutrition to a TB/HIV client before the food distribution program started in Buchi Community

​We highlight the fact that TB is curable while HIVAIDS is treatable. Scientists and all the researchers in the medical field have not yet found a cure for HIV/AIDS. The only treatment remedy available at the moment for AIDS patients is ARVs that they have to stick to for the rest of their lives. ARVs are working so effectively in prolonging life and it is the responsibility of the patients to make a commitment to follow the laid down instruction given by the doctor at a health institution.

Client Food Distribution Card

Christian Aid Ministries has developed what is called a ‘Client ‘Food Distribution Card. These cards will be given to each of the 7 TB/HIV clients in each of the 7 communities. The Cards comprise particulars of patients such as name, Sex, community and residential address of the patient and the food items given to a patient in a particular month. There is also a provision where the volunteer giving the food and the patient receiving the food have to sign to confirm that the patient received the food. These cards will be kept by the patients themselves. Each time we have a food distribution program in the community, the organization will be requesting its patients to produce these cards a failure to which they will not be able to receive anything from CAM on that day. This will help us to focus our attention on intended clients who have registered with us.

Stanley giving maelie meal and beans to Sharon Musonda in Buchi community

​Sharon Musonda is HIV positive and she is on TB treatment. Sharon is a mother of 4 children and she is a divorcee. Her husband left her and married another woman when she was very very sick in the hospital.

Mr. Musonda accused his former wife (Sharon) to be the one who infected him with HIV because Sharon was a business woman, selling vegetables in Chisokone market, and they divorced.

However, Mr. Musonda has been found with TB and he is on TB treatment. He is very very sick and there is no one to look after him. His newly married wife after divorcing Sharon, has left him saying she is not the one who infected him with HIV to begin to suffer and continue to look after a terminally sick TBHIV/AIDS patient like Mr. Musonda.

Christian Aid Ministries has adopted both Mr. Musonda and Sharon as its clients in Buchi community and has been supporting both of them with nutritional support, spiritual support through prayers, psychosocial counseling, transportation to the health institutions such as Kitwe central hospital and the Chest clinic for medical reviews and TB and antiretroviral drug collection. Both of them are so critically sick that they cannot walk to these nearby health institutions ( Kitwe central hospital and Chest Clinic) from Buchi community where they stay. 

After we counseled both of them, they have plans of coming together when they get healed and continue to look after their family in the near future.

Stanley and Mwiche giving mealie meal to Mary Makungu in Buchi community

​Mary Makungu is HIV positives and she is a mother of 4 children. Her husband had HIV, and died of TB in 2007. Mary is currently on TB treatment and on ARvs. She is responding so well to both treatments.

Mary’s elder brother Joe, and 6 young sisters of hers, her niece, Kebba and her mother are all HIV positive and are on antiretroviral treatment.

Christian Aid Ministries identified this family in 2008 and has remained committed to providing them with the necessary care and support that they need in terms of nutritional support, supplementary medical support,, spiritual and psychological support which have encouraged them a lot.

In 2010, we worked so hard with Kiesha Garber, when Joe was admitted to Kitwe central hospital very very sick to the point of death. I, Stanley, was on the bedside tending him. CAM paid for all the TB and HIV tests and he was discharged and commenced on both treatments. Joe is now in good health and is at his father’s farm farming. We meet when he comes to collect ARV medicines from Buchi clinic and he is always thankful to CAM.

Kebba, a niece to marry and Joe Makungu (also on ART) is in grade 8 now and is doing so well in school. She visits and stays with us at our home during holidays. She is greeting you!!!

Stanley (r) and Mwiche (l) giving melie meal to and beans to Judith Tembo

​Judith Tembo is 10 years old. She is HIV positive and she is on antiretroviral drugs. She is being looked after by her grandmother because her mother is dead. Unfortunately Judith has not been going to school because she is always sick. She has been coughing for almost three weeks now. But when we took her sputum to the laboratory for TB test on Wednesday, 2nd November 2011 last week, the results indicated TB negative. We will take her to Kitwe Central hospital for X-ray on Friday 11th November 2011 this week. We are so sure that if she has TB and she is commenced on TB treatment, she will begin to feel better and eventually she will begin to go to school.

Stanley (l) and Mwiche Chomba (r) giving mealie meal and beans to Rodah Soko, a TB patient in Buchi community on 12th October 2011

​Rhoda Soko is 49 years old. She is married with 4 children. Rhoda is on TB treatment. We have taken her for HIV test and she is negative. Rhoda’s health condition has improved so significantly and she is now able to do her domestic work and look after her family so well. 

Rhoda is very active. When she is home, she likes selling vegetables from her backyard garden that she has made. Sometimes people like coming to buy rape right from her garden and she makes money to feed her family without asking CAM for support. We are really proud of her for being so enterprising. She has managed to send her two children to secondary school.

Food Distribution to TB Patients in Kamatipa Community

Stanley and Bernadette offloading mealie meal and beans from a hired vehicle in readiness for food distribution to TB clients in kamatipa community

These are the TB patients that were given melie meal and beans during food distribution program on the 13th of October 2011. Standing from r- l was Bernadette Mulenga, Stanley Mulenga, Mr. Forward Katukula Kamatipa community Zone leader and Ms Mwiche Chomba CAM Community Programs And Administrative Secretary

Christian Aid Ministries director Stanley Mulenga giving a Client Food Distribution Card to Mrs. Joyce Kachaka before the food distribution program started

Client Food Distribution Cards have been distributed to each of our 49 TB/HIV clients in 7 communities where we operate from.

The Cards contain particulars of patients such as patient’s name, Sex, community and their Residential address, and the food items given to a particular client in a month. There is also a provision where the CAM volunteer/s giving the food and the recipient client/patient will be signing to confirm that they have received the food.

These cards will be kept by the patients themselves. Each time we have a food distribution program in the community, the organization will be requesting its beneficiaries to produce these cards a failure to which they will not be allowed to receive food items from CAM. This will help us to concentrate only on our intended clients who are in our register.

Stanley and Mary Kampyongo, kamatipa community volunteer giving melie meal and beans to Jenifer Mukwabila

​Jenifer Mukwabila is HIV positive and she is on antiretroviral treatment. During the initial stage of her ART treatment, she developed severe heat rash culminated into sores around her body. The doctor wrote a prescription and we bought her the medicine that was needed and the sores vanished.

Stanley and Mary Kampyongo giving melie meal and beans to Forward Katukula

​Mr. Katukula is a retired military man. He was given early retirement in 1988 when the government discovered that he was HIV positive and was not active. This was at a time when HIV/AIDS was not very common and those found with it were very much stigmatized and discriminated against. It was difficult to come out in the open and declare one’s HIV status. As a result many people were dying in great numbers. It was even difficult to even go for an HIV test to know one’s status in case you test positive. 

Mr. Katukula suffered a lot of stigma and discrimination even from his family members and he almost died. His wife died long before he was even retrenched. Mr. Katukula is now in good health and he has continued taking his ARVs.

Mr. Katukula is one of the strongest HIV/AIDS activists in Kitwe and Christian Aid Ministries works so well with him.

Stanley and Bernadette Agnes Mwansa in Kamatipa community on the 13th of October 2011

​Agnes Mwansa is a mother of four children. Her together with her husband Mr. Mwansa are HIV positive and are on antiretroviral drugs. It is very encouraging on the part of CAM to see that Mwansa and her husband’s health are continuing to improve day by day as they stick to the medication. Sooner or later they will be out of our support program and we will have to recruit others on their place for support

Mr. Roderick Mufwaya helping to offload food supplies from the vehicle

​Mufwaya has TB and is on TB treatment. He is not HIV positive, however. Mufwaya is a married family man with four children. Previously, six months ago, in the initial stage of treatment when he felt better, Mufwaya stopped taking the TB medication and went to the bush to burn charcoal for business. While he was there in the bush, his condition changed suddenly and he fell very sick.

There was no one to look after him. His wife and the rest of his family were all left in Kamatipa compound. When CAM was informed of this sad development, we had to mobilize his family member who had a bicycle and I Stanley went with his cousin, Moses to pick him from the bush to Kamatipa. It was a long distance riding to the bush where he was. We were very very tired. On our way back, we had to carry Mufwaya on the bicycle and we walked all the way back to Kamatipa. The distance was approximately 30 km to and from the bush.

Christian Aid Ministries through Kamatipa Zone leader Forward Katukula worked so hard to ensure that Mufwaya was recommenced on TB drugs and streptomycin injection, which he receives every day morning at Kawama clinic. Christian Aid Ministries is so glad that Mufwaya has adhered to TB treatment this time around, and his health has improved. Mufwaya is on our monthly nutritional support program together with the rest of other CAM clients in Kamatipa community. Mufwaya’s family has been so grateful to us for the support that we have rendered to them during Muwaya’s sickness!!!

Bernadette and Stanley giving melie meal and beans to Ruth Kasongo in Kamatipa community on the 13th of October 2011

​Ruth Kasongo is HIV positive but she has not yet started taking the antiretroviral drugs yet. Her immune system is still high.

Nevertheless, Ruth is experiencing headache and an unstopping running stomach. When she went to the clinic, the doctor told her that she has severe headache and diarrhea and gave her two prescriptions where she was requested to buy medicine for both sicknesses. The clinic did not have those drugs in stoke.

However, she did not have money. So she had to inform the Zone leader who later called the Secretary at CAM office who gave money to the Zone leader and bought the drugs for both diseases. Ruth called us on the phone that both the headache and diarrhea have minimized. Christian Aid Ministries will continue to support Ruth till she fully recovers.

Bernadette and Stanley giving melie meal and beans to Mary Spriyano in Kamatipa community on the 13th of October 2011

​Mary Spiriyano is a Kamatipa community volunteer. She is HIV positive and on Antiretroviral drugs. She just recently completed TB treatment on which she was for a full course of six months. Mary is married and has four children. She is very committed to mobilizing her fellow community volunteers in organizing various community activities for Christian Aid Ministries in Kamatipa community. When the Zone leader, Mr. Katukula is not there, Mary acts on his behalf.

In order to appreciate and motivate her as one of our community volunteers in that community, we decided to give her and Mr. Katukula some melie meal and beans. This is what we also (do) did to the rest of the community volunteers in Buchi, St. Anthony, Kanakonde, Mugala, Kapoto and Luangwa communities so that they can work hard.

Transportation Challenge

ow one of the challenges that we are facing in our day-to-day activities of Christian Aid Ministries is transportation. It is difficult to determine how much we are going to spend on each program let alone, community mobilization programs such as food distribution, community visitations and transportation of patients to the health institutions for routine medical reviews and other medically associated tests. We spend a lot of money on transportation on these programs by hiring a vehicles with different drivers who charge us differently depending on the distance and the duration of the program. It is difficult to stick to one or two drivers because at the time we need them, we find that they are already booked by other people and they cannot manage to come at the time we need them. And because of the change of government, the fuel has increased and the cost of transport especially if you are hiring has also increased. It is difficult to hire a minibus (van) as we used to do to do monthly community food distribution, weekly community visitations and transportation of patients to the health institutions for routine medical reviews and other medically associated tests because the cost of hired transport has increased. Hiring a taxi like the one we hired for the October food distribution for two days 12th and 13th of October 2011 totaled to K800,000.00 (Eight Hundred Thousand Kwacha) instead of Five Hundred thousand Kwacha that we have budgeted for.

Now the monthly transportation cost for Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical Centre TB patients feeding program for 8 – 9 days in a month (On Mondays and Fridays in a week) where Christian Aid Ministries used to spend K20,000.00 to and from the center which used to add up to 40,000.00 per day, is now 50,000.00; K25,000.00 to and from. We will now be spending approximately K450, 000.00 per month as a result of increase in fuel costs. 

We have now realized that it is vitally important to have your own vehicle as an organization. It is significantly cheaper to have your own vehicle/s to help reduce transportation costs! If we have one, however, small it could be, what is very important is good maintenance. It can help us very very much in reducing the transport costs and allow the organization to operate effectively and meet the expectations of our clients in the community. 

We are so grateful to our dear sponsors, who have been always committed to sending funds to cover the logistic transport expenses per month. However, the budget allocation towards transport usually overshoots because of the inconsistence in the manner we are being charges on hired (vehicles) transportation. And mostly we are being inconvenienced and disappointed by the drivers because they do not come on the time we expect them and we always start the work late. It is really hard! 

We are praying to God and seeking for help from our sponsors, or anyone who is touched to buy us a vehicle that can help improve the operations of our organization and reduce the organization loft expenses on hired transport! We will be SO SO GRATEFUL!!!

We are very much humbled for the love and support that you extend to us almost on a daily basis, dear partners! God richly bless you as you labor in His Vineyard! We LOVE you so much! Stan

Ministry Strides - 7 Year Anniversary

The Remarkable Familiarization Trip to Lusaka

In trying to complement your good effort in supporting our organization and our clients and many other projects that we have embarked upon, I decided to go on a familiarization tour to Lusaka on 16th February 2011 Last Month, to visit various government ministries and institutions and meet some of the most important government officials in charge of health.

We were privileged to go and be accommodated at the National Assembly Motel where Most Honorable misters stay to represent their constituencies. Mr. Lombe Justine Mulenga, who is Kwacha Constituency Member of Parliament where we stay in Kitwe, received us to well and accommodated us in his apartment at the National Assembly Motel. He introduced us to most of his fellow Honorable ministers and Members of Parliament there including the Copperbelt Minister Mr. Mwansa Mbulakulima. Honorable Mbualakulima was very thrilled to hear what we are doing in his Province as Christian Aid Ministries organization to help the vulnerable community members who are suffering from TB and HIV/AIDS. We had a constructive discussion with him regarding Christian Aid Ministries and all its projects in the community and he promised us that he will be able to visit us and learn more about what we are doing when he comes to Kitwe in April next month!!! We are sure that Honorable Mbulakulima will be pleased to see the projects that we are doing and as the Copperbelt minister, he will definitely support us because we are supporting people in his province.

(L-R) Copperrbelt Minister Mr. Mwansa Mbulakulima and Mr. Stanley Mulenga at the National Assembly Motel in Lusaka during a one week-familiarization tour to Lusaka to raise more donor support from the Zambian government to Christian Aid Ministries

Mr. Mulenga Stanley (left) explaining to Honorable Deputy Minister of Education Dr. Boniface Kawimbe (right) at CAM office at 3038 in Kwacha East Kitwe how Christian Aid Ministries is working hard in partnering with the Zambian government to alleviate TB and HIV/AIDS in kitwe on the Copperbelt

On Monday 28th February 2011, we were so honored to be visited by one of the most important ministers in the Zambian government, honorable Deputy Minister of Education Dr. Boniface Kawimbe who came from Lusaka to open a   medical school in Ndola. Dr. Kawimbe decided to come and pay a courtesy call at Christian Aid Ministries office at 3038 Kwacha East Kitwe (at our home) to see what the organization is doing. Multidrug Resistant MDR TB and HIV/AIDS have reached alarming proportions in Kitwe. So the Honorable minister being a doctor, decided to tour the Copperbelt Province as a whole and visit civil society organizations like CAM that are working on these issues so that together with the government we can find a lasting solution of how best we can curb them.

We had a fruitful discussion with him regarding how best we can partner and access funding from the government and other donor funding organizations. He even gave us information of some of the government institutions that can help us with funding such as The Citizens Empowerment Commission. He even assured us that he will be able to recommend us, should recommendation be needed.  We took him around our home to show him the food that we have in stock for our TB /HIV/AIDS patients at the chest clinic and in the community and he was very very happy.

I first met Dr. Boniface Kawimbe and several other important government officials when I recently went to Lusaka on 16th February 2011 last month on a one week familiarization tour to lobby for financial support for Christian Aid Ministries from the government and other funding international organizations based in Lusaka.  I met him at the National Assembly Motel where I was accommodated by our area member of parliament for Kwacha Constituency, Honorable. Justine Lombe Mulenga for one week.

After a long chart with him, I gave him one of CAM Newsletters that we printed with our CAM address in Kitwe.  So when he came to Kitwe, he decided to come and see what we are doing at our office. Everyone was very surprised to see the honorable Minister with his entourage coming to our home in Kwacha East.  His big car with a Zambian Flag on it was packed by our gate. We took photos with him and we have made a long lasting relationship together and he said that each time he would be visiting Kitwe, he would also be visiting us to see how we are doing with our organization work!!

Stanley Mulenga (CAM Director) at the Zambian Parliament house after attending a parliament session and presenting Christian Aid Ministries to the Parliament house on Monday 21st February 2011

This was my very first time to visit Zambia National Assembly and attend a parliament session and listen to parliament deliberations on various important issues affecting the Zambian people. It was a very very big day for me because this was the first time I was presenting Christian Aid Ministries organization and all its obligations to the highest office and authority in the land, the Zambia National Assembly.  This was a very big opportunity for CAM because we wanted the government to know and appreciate what we are doing as an organization for the Zambian people. We wanted the government to come up with a concrete plan on how best they can work with us to help many suffering TB and HAIV/AIDS patients in the community.  The Minister of Health was very very happy to learn more of what we are doing and he promised that we will be able to collaborate more effectively on so many issues surrounding the health of Zambian people in the community in the Copperbelt province. He promised to visit us one day to see physically what we are doing like what honorable Deputy Minister of Education Dr. Boniface Kawimbe did. We are very very sure that this important campaign will bring about drastic social and economic renaissance in CAM and subsequent clientele.

As Christian Aid Ministries, we will endeavor to lobby for support for our suffering people in the community from the government, funding agencies, churches, business houses, companies and apparently any individuals who can support us. We really want to advocate for and support our weak suffering underprivileged society whose voices cannot be heard. We will stand firm and remain commented to our cause and approach even the unapproachable jus to try to help better the living standards of our people.

CAM Recognition for World TB Day!

I would like to also inform you that Christian Aid Ministries has been recognized to celebrate and participate so actively in the World TB Day Commemoration that Kitwe District Health Management Team under the Ministry of Health will cerebrate on 24th March, this year,  2011. 

The District wrote to us inviting the Director Mr. Mulenga Stanley to sit on the this year’s World TB Day organizing Committee board to deliberate on how best the commemoration will be done. We commenced our sitting on Thursday March 3rd 2011 two weeks ago and we have continued to meet on Thursdays every week.

It is our pleasure that the government has now begun to recognize our commitment to help in mitigating TB prevalence in the country, and this is a pat on our back to work even harder.

During this commemoration, we are encouraged to showcase some of our activities and the support systems that we provide to our clients suffering from TB in the community. It is a good and a rare privilege because almost all charitable organizations in Kitwe District including those that fund community based grassroots organizations will also be there to display what they do. 

Each invited, organization will have a displaying space/shelter where they will display what they do. Those who have recorded what they do on the CDs, tapes, Brochures, magazines and other IEC materials will be allowed to display and sale them if they want.

People will turnout in great numbers and there will also be a good representation of some of the government officials to officiate at this occasion such as the Kitwe District Commissioner, Copperbelt Permanent Secretary, the Town Clerk, Copperbelt Minister, and Mr. Mwansa Mbulakulima and so on and so forth.

These important officials will be able to see how organizations are helping the government in curbing TB in the country, therefore, creating an enabling environment for these organizations to access certain privileges and funding that the government offers to civil society organizations working on programs to mitigate TB in the country.

The Care Center Plot in Zamtan

The Care centre plot in Zamtan is still intact. We regularly go there with our volunteers to clear the surrounding and make sure no one is tempering with it. Almost everyone there is building and Zambia City Council has allowed everyone who has land in Zamtan to continue to develop it without having to wait until we pay them the Four Million Five Hundred Thousand Kwacha that they were previously asking for. We will be able to pay that money to the Council, during the time they will be able to issue Title Deeds to us. Otherwise, CAM is the rightful owners of that land and is at liberty to develop it and build the Care and the Training Centers there. Brother Garette has really encouraged us. He said we have to discuss the way forward regarding the development of this project with his organization. We will soon meet this week to deliberate more on the way forward!!!

There are so many patients who are suffering in the community who do not have accommodation and people to care about them. It is our prayer that one day a Care center will be built here for such clients. In Zambia today, people are neglecting their own flesh and blood to die prematurely in cold blood without having to support them because of poverty

While in Lusaka, I shared with so many organizations and the Honorable Ministers about our plans to build a Care center in Zamtan where the most vulnerable patients can be accommodated for a time till they recover and many of them liked the idea. They were promising to come and physically see this project in order for them to plan how best they can support us build the Care and the Training Centers. We will keep praying about it!!!

Community Programs Organizer

We have now engaged a community Programs Peer Educate Natasha Zulu who is now doing everything possible to ensure that Programs in the communities with the resident community volunteers and the Chest Clinic Feeding program are well coordinated. She is the one who now writes all the information for the programs that she does there with the community volunteers and the patients are well coordinated and organized. She will be able to drawn up programs such that every Mondays, through Friday the community programs are vigorous and well-organized.

Communities Food Distribution

The monthly Communities Food distribution program in all seven communities is on course and is running so well. On February 11th   last month we brought patients from Buchi community, St. Anthony community, Kapoto community, Kamakonde community, Mugala community, Luangwa and Kamatipa communities and gathered them at 3038 Kwacha East, Kitwe

Before we gave our clients mealie meal and beans, we prepared nshima with chicken and cabbage and we served to the patients and they enjoyed and they were all very very happy

We hired a big tent from the Zambia Army (Chandamali Barracks and mounted it right in front of our home. We brought all the twelve plastic chairs from the stall room,  six seater lounge sofa from our seating room and a carpet where patients sat. We also brought three round plastic tables that you obtained for us from the stall room on which food was served to some patients and  other invited guests. It was fully packed! Some patients and CAM volunteers sat on the corridor of our home.

In order for the government to know what we are doing, we invited some of the government officials on the Copperbelt who represented the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy such as Mrs. Mataka and Mrs. Kaweche who were very very delighted to see what CAM is doing.  Mrs. Mataka, in her speech said, it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that social amenities are provided to the Zambian people free of charge. However, there is need for concerted efforts from the civil society organizations like CAM to help attend to some of the social needs of the Zambian people such as TB, HIV/AIDS, malaria, hunger, etc  the government alone cannot manage.

Copperbelt MMD chair person Mrs. Mataka (seated in pink) identifying herself with our TB/HIV/AIDS clients

This was a very very wonderful day indeed for the volunteers of Christian Aid Ministries and all the clients in the communities. We ate together and sang and danced together. This was a hilarious day because every one of us was happy. We will continue to remember this day. The government will remember to collaborate and support organizations such as CAM that are working hard  in lessening  the impact of  TB and HIV/AIDS that are taking most of the Zambian lives today. 

Mrs. Kaweche encouraged all TB patients to take the HIV test and start taking the ARVs because HIV/AIDS is just like any other disease and people with it should not lose hope.  Margret Lombe, one of the volunteers from Kapoto community also encouraged the patients that there is still hope for the patients with HIV to be healed because she was also sick like them but she is now healed in the name of Jesus.

We hired a tent from Chandamalii Barracks where the patients, the volunteers and the invited guests gathered. We thought it could rain

We invited Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation who came and took video of the entire food distribution program on this day and aired it on the national television Focus almost free of charge. We just booked a taxi and picked them from ZNBC in the morning and they came and they did a video shooting and aired it on the National television and the entire Zambia watched us.

Chest Clinic TB Patients Feeding Program

The Chest Clinic Patients Feeding Program has been running so successfully and has helped Christian Aid Ministries to have become even more popular. Our work there is visible and viable because we meet our clients almost every day in a week. 

We are so glad because many patients are doing fine because of this program. There are no more TB defaulters. This nutritional support program that Christian Aid Ministries has introduced at the chest clinic on Mondays and Fridays per week, is working out so well for the TB patients and the Chest Clinic. It has really yielded good results as many patients on the TB treatment are no longer stopping to take the TB drugs or ARVs as a result of lack of food. There has also been a substantial decline in TB relapse cases among patients completing the TB treatment

Bernadette (Stan’s wife) and Stanley parking soya flour for the patients at the Chest Clinic

We first fry soya beans and grind them into powder. We then mix it with 1 bag of roller meal, 4 kg packets of powdered milk, 4 kg sugar and 1 kg packet of fine salt in 25 kg bag of soya flour. We then pack the mixture into 2 kg plastic packets and start distributing them to patients at the chest clinic on Mondays and Fridays. Soya is a rich source of proteins and is liked by most patients. Of late, soya beans is scarce and very expensive. We are so grateful that we have two 50 kg bags of soya beans remaining in stock. We are likely to go back to Mpongwe Farms where we buy this commodity any time soon.  It is a 5-hour-drive journey and fuel and transport costs have been increased. We expect to pay more when we go back to Mpongwe to buy soya this time around.

Progress on the Shelter Construction at Buchi Clinic

The shelter construction project at the Chest Clinic has been progressing well.  This project has 10 good successive stages to completion. We have already done the Foundation setting, 5 tone Sand procurement, Stone acquisition (3.5 tones), procurement of 15 pockets of Cement, and the Foundation Footing. What we are just remaining with is the Slab and flow Construction, Pillar construction in the corners to hold the roof, the Shield construction around the shelter, and the  Roofing.

We are praying so earnestly to God that we can complete this project soon. People like this idea so much including; the patients, the Ministry of Health and the volunteers. If this shelter is successfully completed, it will add value to Christian Aid Ministries and to the Zambian government as a whole. Food distributions and community sensitizations on TB and HIV/AIDS will be easier because we will have where to gather and conduct our programs.

It will be able to serve multiple purposes ranging from a CAM food distribution center for TB patients in Kitwe to a training facility for both the Chest Clinic and CAM.

We will even invite you Brother Daniel, Dr. Liz, Brother Seamus and many more other CAM Fundraiser Supporters together with our local government officials to come and open it officially for us.  We will be so glad to achieve this goal because CAM will win a lot of favor and support from the Zambian government and other local and international donor funding organizations to commission such a project and they will find a way of appreciating us.  Our financial base will be broadened as many more partners associate with us who will also find ways and means of supporting us.

We thanks our CAM Fundraiser Supporters in helping us successfully complete this viable, multipurpose and resourceful Shelter construction project at the Chest Clinic!  It is rainy season and our volunteers and TB patients are getting soaked with rain during food distribution to patients as they work on an open environment at the clinic. The Zambian government does not have enough infrastructures to accommodate us while we are serving the suffering TB and HIV/AIDS clients at the clinic. These patients are very very sick and are coming from different communities to receive medical care services at this clinic!!!

Community Visitation and Sensitization

In addition to the communities food distribution program, Christian Aid Ministries activated two more programs namely which are Community visitation and Community sensitization programs. We now visit two communities in a month. The purpose of this visitation is to create a relationship with our clients, and to keep tract of those that are still on TB or ART medication and those that have completed TB treatment and are now continuing with the ARVs. We immediately want to be weaning off patients that have completed TB meds and have recovered and strong enough to fend for themselves. This will help us to spread our assistance to many more other patients in different communities who are in need and do not have any source of support.

Community sensitization programs have started to go smoothly.  So far we have done one powerful community sensitization program on TB and HIV/AIDS in Kamatipa community where we had a turnout of 80 community members who where sensitized on TB/HIV/AIDS Prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care and support for people suffering from these diseases. This happened during the time I was in Lusaka on a familiarization tour.

The volunteers in Kamatipa and the CAM Administrative staff organized it. They booked and a taxi and took a Flip Chart stand which they used as a teaching aid. After the sensitization, they also distributed some of our newly written brochures. At the end of the program, each participant at was asked to sign up to keep the promise and take a challenge to help in any way they can within their means and support patients infected with TB and HIV/AIDS within their locality. This is one way of helping people to realize that they also have a role to play to help their family members and their neighborhood on issues of TB and HIV/AIDS without depending on charitable organizations to help their family folks.

The programs are running successfully nowadays because we have now engaged a community programs organizer and an administrative Secretary who work in good collaboration with the community volunteers in all seven communities in organizing community programs. Even when I’m not there, work is going on so well.  I’m really very impressed with this. I now have people who know what to do, making my work very very easy.

Our Sincere Gratitude to our Fundraiser Supporters!!!

We would like to thank Dan Montes,  Dr. Elizabeth Rini, Brother Seamus and his wife Lisa and all our faithful and generous fundraiser supporters who have been partnering with Christian Aid Ministries in raising the funds for the organization for us to continue to manage to implement various viable projects and activities to help alleviate TB and HIV/AIDS in various communities in Kitwe. You have expressed a great deal of compassion, sacrifice and goodwill in your sponsorship to this organization and for this reason, we wish to express our sincere gratitude for  everything that you have done and what you continue to do for us! We love you so much and we wish you well in everything that you good Brothers and sisters are doing out there.

We feel so much beholden for your unflinching love that you have vividly shown us through this organization. We wish to pledge to you that in all our human endeavors and willpower, we will continue to scrupulously reciprocate your good effort and continue to work extremely hard, faithfully making sure that your good support reaches the intended suffering TB/HIV/AIDS clients in the community. We will continue to come up with meaningful projects and business prospects that will translate into the betterment of the living standards of our poor clients, the AIDS prone and hard-hit society who are dying in great numbers without anyone coming to their aid.  We will remain committed to our cause and support our suffering clients and ensure that they are provided with the most needed care and support while they are taking their TB and ARV drugs so that they can fully recover from their ailments that are jeopardizing their lives in order to reduce unprecedented premature deaths associated with TB and HIV/AIDS among them.

Your efforts brethren are not in vain for as long as many TB patients here are being cured of TB and those with HIV/AIDS are being taken care of by Christian Aid Ministries, encouraging them to stick to their ART for life to continue to boost their compromised immune system to help them fight off some of the opportunistic infections that put their lives at a greater risk.

It is gratifying and encouraging to hear how the general populous is appreciating CAM and what it is doing.  People are able to see for themselves how the organization is helping many TB/HIV/AIDS patients in Kitwe. This good work has gone before the ministry of health, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services and other important government wings who are all very appreciative of what the organization is doing for the suffering people in Zambia. Some of our clients who were once very very sick are now well and are testifying about how our organization helped them with food, transportation, supplementary medication and hospital consultations i.e. x-rays, counseling and paying for all their routine TB and HIV tests to enable them to start treatment. Our prayers are also encouraging them to depend on God for their total healing. The Zambian government is procuring TB drugs, ARVs (which sometimes run out of stock in healthy institutions) and provide many other health care services to the people while in complementarities, our organization is helping the poor to access those drugs and other health care services that the government provides to the people. Our able and dedicated staff members and community volunteers in our organization make sure that patients who are commenced on these drugs are observed closely and make sure that they successfully complete the treatment to full term without defauting. The organization provides an enabling environment for this to be a reality.

Thank You! Thank You! Thank you so much for your Support!!!

Walk of Lions Fundraiser Purchases!

We bought 2 wonderful iron metallic gray Filing cabinets from the fundraiser as was planned and budgeted. We also bought some wood (particle board) from one of the shops in town and asked Isaac, one of my brothers to make the wooden filing cabinet for CAM organization free of charge.

​We are so grateful to you, our partners for all these necessary storage devices that you have made Christian Aid Ministries to have. Our work will be more organized as files will be kept safe and in order. We will no longer be losing necessary documents as we used to because of lack of storage facilities like the ones that we have bought.

​We are so glad to inform you that we also bought an office desk from the Fundraiser money that was sent to Christian Aid Ministries by HOB as we requested and as was budgeted. This kind of the desk is high quality and it is very durable because it is made out of metal. It is convenient for office use as it has three lockable drawers where we can even store certain important documents and finances such as petty cash for the day-to-day running affairs of the Christian Aid Ministries. It also has another extension desk which makes an “L “shape when joined together with the main desk. This can provide enough space to allow two persons to seat diagonally, each with his/her own computer working and attending to different persons and issues at the same time, it is big. We are so grateful to all those faithful partners of Christian Aid Ministries who contributed towards the Walk of Lions Fundraiser last year. You have really brought joy to our organization and the entire staff for this wonderful gesture so as for CAM to operate professionally the way other organizations operate.

​We bought a Color and Black and White HP 6500 Office jet Printer. This Printer has four functions: it can print, photocopy, scan and fax if connected to the land line. It is a very very powerful and durable machine indeed. We are so grateful and delighted with this 4 in 1 office jet printer because we will no longer be spending money on Printing, or photocopying or even scanning like the way we used to previously, now all the printing, scanning and photocopying works will be done right at CAM office at our home in Kwacha East. This is a HUGE saving for Christian Aid Ministries.

​Thank you so much thank you! We even bought a Dell Desktop computer from the fundraiser funds from HOB. This was totally God’s favor and I have never seen this kind of favor not even when we purchasing food for the patients or in any little expenditure for CAM that we make on a monthly basis, this was the first of its kind. We thank you so much our faithful partners for your prayers for this God’s favor, please, keep praying for us, we Love you!!! 

​We bought a 10.2 Mega Pixels Samsung digital Camera that is even able to take video and still pictures. It is such a dynamic gadget and is powerful and latest of its kind. There will be no need of buying batteries there is a small battery right inside that is rechargeable immediately you connect it to the computer even when you are editing the pictures. All we need now is to buy a camera pouch and the memory card that were being sold separately. Thank you so much for your support all those that contributed towards the fundraiser. These are the items that have bought from the hard-earned money that you sacrificially contributed towards The Walk of Lions. This money had great, great favor I can tell you. On every item that we purchased, we were given some substantial discount. This is what God can do.

Thank you so much for saving Chistian Aid Ministries on the lofty expenses it used to make on printing, photocopying and scanning. Some documents could not even be printed out or photocopied because color printing and photocopying is even more expensive and not many public secretarial services are able to provide such services. The ministry is thanking everyone who wholeheartedly and selflessly contributed to this Fundraiser! You have made our office work easier, cheaper and cost effective. We're really very appreciative of your contributions. May the Almighty God Bless you and replenish where these contributions came from. These gadgets and instruments have come at such a right time when we need them most in Christian Aid Ministries!!! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You for your support! We Love you so much and together we are one family!!!

​We also purchased 12 plastic garden chairs for the Chest Clinic TB patients Feeding Program from the Fundraiser that HOB sent a week before. These chairs will be divided into three sets of four chairs per set where one Volunteer and three TB clients will be able to seat to be attended to.

​We bought a Flip Chart Stand that we were yearning for from the funds raised from the Walk of Lions fund raising venture. We will now go flat out in sensitizing and educating the civil society and our clients in various communities in our catchment area so that they can learn more on how they can prevent TB and HIV/AIDS in the communities where they live and provide care and support to those that are already infected and affected by this duo epidemics in the community. This device will help us so much in carrying out our outreach teaching and sensitization programs not only on TB and HIV/AIDS but also on other healthy related issues that are affecting the people in various communities.

e also bought 3 (90cm –diameter) round plastic tables for the Chest Clinic patients feeding program. This will be the sitting arrangement that we will be preparing for the Chest Clinic Feeding Program. 

Registry - table one will be the Registry. There will be one CAM Zone leader/care-giver sitting there taking details of the patients, such as their names, address and all their healthy conditions, i.e. how they are feeling while they are taking TB drugs or ARVs, their side effects and give advice on how to manage them or go to the healthy centre for medical checkup. This table will be a registry as well as a counseling table and it will be able to accommodate three patients at a time.

Dispensary - table two will be the dispensary. There will be one CAM Zone leader/care-giver sitting there giving food staffs to patients taking all the details of food and quantities that they have taken and ensure that they sign at the end of the dispensary. 

Altar – table three will be the altar. This is where patients will be guided on the spiritual matters by one of the CAM Zone leader/Care-Giver.

We will also be having round-table group discussions on TB and HIV/AIDS with our clients. We will be spending quality time with them trying to know how they are faring with TB and the TB drugs and ARVs that they are taking and we will be able to encourage them to go back to the communities where they come from to encourage their relatives, neighbors and friends to go for TB and HIV tests to access early treatment before their conditions could get worse. This will be cheaper on the part of CAM and other institutions that provide care and support to people suffering from TB/HIV/AIDS. We will endeavor to use these tables and chairs and Flip chart stand and all the instruments that you have purchased for us to disseminate information on TB and HIV/AIDS at the Chest clinic and in the communities. We will go flat out. Thank you for your support our faithful partners, God bless you!!! 

We have decided to build a shelter at the Chest Clinic where all the Christian Aid Ministries activities will be carried out. The District Health Management Board has also given us a patch of land just next to the Chest Clinic where we can construct this shelter. They have really appreciated our services and they would like to continue partnering with us. Last week the Director of Health sent one of his staff members Mr. Ngoyi in the Environmental Health department to show us where we can build this small shelter. He advised us that the shelter should 12 meters long and 7 meters wide and it should be adjacent to the their shelter out side the chest clinic where patients are given medication. We have even started the process of construction.

We went with our bricklayer there and he had to set the foundation and they started digging the foundation. We have also bought 5 tones of river sand and 3 tones of stones we will now buy seven pockets of cement to make footing and a slab. Thereafter, we will be able to buy six 4 Inch diameter pipes as pillars; 4 in the corners and 2 in the middle as roof suppers. We will then buy Iron sheets for roofing. We want it to look beautiful, convenient and well ventilated. We want its space to accommodate three round tables of four chairs. When our volunteers will be at the chest clinic giving food to the patients, our bricklayers will be there doing some work making the foundation strong. This shelter will only have a 1 meter tall wall all around it and the rest of the space will be airy with a roof on top of it to allow free air circulation as we deal with TB cases.

It is now left to us to reciprocate your well intended efforts by way of making good use of them and ensure that they serve a purpose and last long. We are so very very grateful for this gesture because if it were not for your sacrificial support, we may not have had all these vital office equipments to allow for the smooth running of this organization. God Bless you so much, we love you and we are praying for you!!!

Walk of Lions - Thank you Daniel!

We are so excited that Brother Daniel will be supporting Christian Aid Ministries in China this summer!

Fundraiser for Christian Aid Ministries in Zambia! walkoflions.org humanjourneyproject.blogspot.com

Lawrence

Lawrence Mambwe is 30 years old and is chronically sick.  He is suffering from both TB and HIV/AID’s. He is depending his life solely on the caring hands of the heart-broken caregivers of Christian Aid Ministries – CAM family.  Lawrence cannot stand up or walk on his own. He has severe Kaposi’s sacoma and fungal infection in both legs and his feet are swollen because of the TB making it very difficult for him to stand and to walk on his own. Here, we are taking him to SOS tests as the machines at Kitwe Central Hospital are not working to facilitate for his commencement on Anti-Retro Viral Therapy (ART). Lawrence was commenced on TB drugs Monday May 17 and ARV’s on Thursday May 20. He is going to recover soon but now his life is entirely in our hands and we will continue to care for him until he fully recovers. We are praying to have our care center built so that we can be in the position to help many clients like Lawrence in the community.

Walking the path of life with someone very sick on her back makes Keisha a fulfilled missionary. Though it calls for great sacrifice in doing God’s work, it is fulfilling people appreciate assistance most if you are able to help them while they are so weak and unable to manage on their own. Keisha a true missionary exemplifies to us what it means to love unconditionally. She has left her sick family member in America to come and serve our fellow Zambians suffering from TB and HIV/AID’s in various communities in the Kitwe district. She is serving these lives under Christian Aid Ministries – CAM. Keisha has shown us a good example of a “good” Samaritan who served without tribe, creed or nationality and free of charge

Lawrence Mambwe is now in our home for many months ever since Christian Aid Ministries found him at the church in Kapoto where he was staying. We had never seen him put a smile on his face until coming back to our home and joining our family. He is sleeping well and eating well. The TB drugs and the ARV drugs that he was been commenced on are working well and are the right prescription and consistency. His lost appetite is slowly improving and he is now eating the right amount of food at the right time. When he needs help to go to the bathroom, we are assisting him. We love Lawrence so much. We have given him clothes to wear and bedding to sleep on. Eventually we will buy him a mattress to sleep on. We are very happy now that he is at our home safe and sound.

Cleanliness is next to godliness, this is what the bible says. Patients who are well looked after and kept clean all the time, have higher chances of assured recovery and cannot alternatively infect others. On the following day when Lawrence joined us at our home, we worked so hard. We bathed him and washed all his clothes. Keisha was washing all his clothes while Stanley was busy bathing him with warm water in the bathroom. This was his first bath in nearly two months. We were joking and laughing with him throughout the day. Lawrence is jovial and has a good sense of humor. He said that when he fully recovers and puts on weight, he would go back to the village and bear male twins with his wife to prove that he has really recovered. We all laughed our lungs out. We are working so well with Keisha to help Lawrence forget the traumatic past experiences with his extended family members where he was staying when they chased him away. We feel good when he laughs because by so doing, he is healing spiritually, emotionally, and psychologically.

Counseling is the lifeline of any charitable health organization helping any given set of clientele. In organizations, dealing with patients suffering from TB and HIV/AID’s like Christian Aid Ministries- CAM. Counseling and care givers highlight certain important issues affecting the clients. Stanley Mulenga is standing with Joseph Kabwe explaining more on the importance of tests associated with TB and HIV/AID’s diagnoses at Buchi Main Clinic. Joseph Kabwe is HIV+ and is commenced on ARV’s at Buchi ART clinic. Joseph was once admitted to Kitwe central hospital and had an opportunity to meet with Doctor Liz when she came from America. Joseph is feeling much better now.

Ministry Work - Summer 2009

Michael’s speedy recovery has greatly impressed CAM

Michael is HIV+ and he is on ARVs. He had a soul that was not healing and we tried to apply all kinds of medication on it but nothing worked out. Now we are glad and grateful to inform you that he is very very fine. He has put on a lot of weight and his soul is almost healed! Thanks be to God for you Doctor Liz and Kim for your support and medical advice on this matter. The honey and sugar solution you told us to use has really worked out so well for him and the wound has almost vanished as you can see on the pictures below. We are happy to inform you that Michael is now vibrant and full of life and able to walk again. He was so happy to receive mealie meal, beans, cooking oil and a chicken from Christian Aid Ministries. We will continue to use this kind of medication on other patients with similar ailments in the future.

Michael (left) receiving mealie meal and a chicken from Mr. Stanley Mulenga

Christian Aid Ministries CAM is so impressed and encouraged with Michael’s speedy recovery! He has gained weight and he is able to walk again now. We so much thank you our partners for your unwavering support for Michael. He could have died by now. The pictures below show how he was before and after treatment. Please know that your prayers advice and your financial support are not in vain. They are working and helping someone in need here to survive.

Before treatment

After treatment

Cliff's Story

Cliff is Stan’s young brother. Cliff is 30 years old and he is single. He is a carpenter by profession and he specializes in carpentry and joinery and roofing. His fiancé whom he was dating in Lusaka died of HIV related infection in 2006. Last year 2008, we started hearing reports that he was feeling unwell and he was coughing so heavily. I advised him to go for a medical checkup and take an HIV test but he could not. When his health condition worsened, I sent for him in July two months ago this year and he came and we are staying together at my home. I spoke to him about HIV/AIDS. At first he was not willing to take an HIV test but later he agreed. When I took him to Newstart centre, his results were positive. The following week I took him to Bulangililo clinic for CD4 count test but his immunity was a little bit stronger and we were told to wait until it drops so as to be commenced on ART. A month ago, we took his sputum for TB laboratory test and it was TB positive. We also took Cliff for X-ray and his x-ray showed that he had a problem in his chest. He was commenced on TB treatment last month in August and his condition has started to improve, though, he is complaining so much on general body itching and nausea.

Cliff (in blue) at Bulangilio clinic

Taking an HIV test at Newstart Centre

Waiting for our clients to be attended to at Buchi Clinic

Christian Aid Ministries has been working so tirelessly to encourage patients and the general public to take courage and go for HIV tests. In Zambia now, almost everyone is HIV+. Statistics show that 65 percent of the Zambian people are dying of HIV related infections. In order to reduce deaths related to HIV/AIDS, our ministry has been going round in communities in order to raise awareness against the TB and HIV/AIDS pandemic, encouraging people to go for HIV tests to know their status. It provides such incentives as pre-HIV counseling, free transportation to HIV testing and other health centers where our clients do not pay anything but our ministry does. We know that when people know their HIV status, they can prolong their lives by looking after themselves properly and stop infecting others with the same virus. It also helps our ministry a great deal to know where to start from in providing care and support to those clients who know their HIV status. We visit and encourage them almost on a daily basis to see how they are coping up with their disease. We provide nutritional, medical and logistical support to vulnerable clients who are so poor who cannot provide for themselves. And most of our clients stay in peri-urban or remote areas and in the outskirts of Kitwe town where access to healthy amenities is hard to find. These are the areas that are at risk where HIV/AIDS is alarmingly higher. We also pray for our clients and encourage them with the Word of God because we know that God is the only answer to any situation whether in poverty or in sickness.

Justin Mutambo’s Story

Justine Mutambo is HIV positive and he is taking emtricibine and efiverenz antiretroviral drugs. Justine is a widower and he stays by himself. In August last month, we were surprised to find that his condition was just getting worse and worse and we did not know the reason why. During our routing visitation to patients in the community, we visited him at his house in Kapoto compound where he stays by himself. We were so surprised to find that he had not been eating all the food that were giving him and it was intact. He said that although he has appetite to eat, he could not prepare food for himself because he was finding it hard, so he would just choose to prepare some sugar solution and take it with his ARV drugs. This adversely contributed to the worsening of his health condition and he became so sick to the point of death. So I decided that he should be able to stay with us at my home for one week so that we can be observing him closely. While with him, we were able to encourage him to eat and he started eating almost everything. I would buy him oranges, bananas and apples from tow and he enjoyed them so much. Bernadette my wife could prepare nshima and he would eat. When he got better, we decided to take him back to his home on September 12 this month. On his way back home, we bought him one bag of mealie meal for his home consumption and we strongly encouraged him to be able to eat. We are so glad to inform you that he has been able to eat regularly now and his health has improved so greatly. We have learnt that not all patients prepare and eat the food that we give them especially those that are so sick that stay by themselves like Justin. So it is our prayer that we have a permanent home for our patients where they will be able to be taken care of properly so that deaths related to malnutrition and HIV/AIDS could be reduced. Justin could have died by now without our support together. He is now too strong to be able to lift a 25Kg bag of mealie meal back to his home in kapoto.

Stan giving ARV drugs to Justin at Stan’s home

Christian Aid Ministries collects TB drugs and ARVs for bedridden and chronically ill patients. The ministry also buys supplementally drugs for patients when it is in short supply in the health centers.

Justin was very happy to receive a bag of mealie meal for home consumption

Justin went smiling all his way home in a good condition

Nutrition

Beans, cooking oil, and chicken are a rich source of proteins for patients while nshima, which is made from mealie meal, is a carbohydrate and gives them energy

Our Clients were so happy to be able to receive a chicken each for their meal. As a matter of fact, this was the first time Christian Aid Ministries was able to buy chickens for its clients. Patients were so very very happy and they really thanked the ministry so greatly for this wonderful kind gesture.

Justina receiving a chicken fro Christian Aid Ministries during the food distribution to the patients in St. Anthony communit

Catherine and Stanley Mulenga offloading mealie meal chickens cooking oil beans and some clothes in readiness for distribution to the patients in St. Anthony community

Musonda said this on receiving the chicken, “God is merciful.” “I did not know that I will eat today but He has provided to me through Christian Aid Ministries.”

Almost everyone danced when they were receiving a chicken each. Mercy one of our clients said that it is almost three months since she last tested a chicken in her mouth. “So today is jubilee for me and I will eat like a lion and forget about my illness

Moses Mwango is a new client. His wife died of HIV/AIDS related infection in 2003. On 26th August 2009, we took Moses for HIV test and his results came out positive. However, his CD4 Count showed that his immunity is still strong and he cannot be commenced on Antiretroviral Therapy treatment. His sputum results also indicated that he does not have TB, though, he has been feeling some chest pains.

Moses Mwango receiving cooking oil in St. Anthony community

Catherine sorting out clothes in readiness for distribution to the patients

Clothes for young children and the elderly both for mars and females

Catharine’s first born daughter (in red) sharing mealie meal to Christine Buleti out TB and HIV/AIDS patient in St. Anthony community

All our patients in St. Anthony received clothes and food staffs on this day and they were very happy

In readiness for the building project at the Care Centre in Zamtan, Christian Aid Ministries has bought a 1000 liter water storage tank to help with water storage during the block making. This tank will also help store water for the patients even when the construction project is completed. It is so ideal and versatile

Thank YOU! Thank YOU! Thank YOU So much for your support!

We would like to thank YOU So much our dear faithful partners for your unwavering support to Christian Aid Ministries. Your contributions bring a lot of Hope and healing to our clients. We are who we are and do what we do because of you! Frankly speaking we cannot do anything without you. Your guidance, prayer and financial support have greatly contributed to building CAM to this level. Ministry work has always been coupled with a lot of challenges but they feel lighter and surmountable when you our people who love us come to our aid and pray for us. You encourage us so much in so many ways. We thank you very much for enabling our ministry to be able to serve the dying world. Nowadays, it is difficult to love but you; you have showed us love in totality. Christian Aid Ministries is making so much headway in its quest to care for the weak and unrecognized vulnerable society and able to achieve its objectives in the community all because of you. Look at how your support and prayers are working in touching many lives here. If we were to take pictures of all the patients that you are helping here, you can be amazed because they are numerous. They are able to smile again because you have touched them. All the agony and pain in their muscles and bones have completely vanished! These people are bearing a huge testimony to your faithful prayers and support to them. Your great self sacrifice is evident because at least one life in a day is being served from untimely deaths due to TB and HIV/AIDS. You are the apple of our eyes and we LOVE you much! Please bear with us in some of the areas where we are not doing well, we are here to learn and we will begin to polish up. Never tire in doing good, for the Lord is watching over you and He is accounting for every time and dine that you are spending for others in this ministry. We Love you so much and we are praying for you!