Nurturing young people's talents

By Derrick Silimina

When Tisa Mumba was devastated by hopelessness after her father's death, she had no option but to dream beyond her circumstances and work toward a brighter future.

Mumba, 23, opted to take a risk and migrate from Kabwe town to Livingstone, about 470 km south of Lusaka, Zambia's capital, in search of "greener pastures."

"I struggled to do odd jobs in Livingstone to survive. I plaited people's hair [and] baked cakes and scones for resale at the market. And with my little savings, I decided to enroll at Livingstone's Youth Community Training Centre (YCTC) for a short course in food production since I had a passion [for the] confectionery business," Mumba told Global Sisters Report.

In an economy stifled by high living costs and diminished purchasing power, Mumba began her studies thanks to the Zambia Association of Sisterhoods with support from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. (The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation also funds Global Sisters Report.)

She embarked on a transformative journey at the training center, where young people acquire valuable skills in electrical engineering, plumbing, electrical power, carpentry and other vocational fields.

The Sisters of St. John the Baptist (Baptistine sisters) manage the training center, nurturing young people's talents in Livingstone, a tourist town near the mighty Victoria Falls, one of the world's largest waterfalls. Built in 1999 by Celim and the Livingstone Diocese, the center is in Libuyu township.

Mumba's academic journey at Youth Community Training Centre almost ended halfway into her studies because of her inability to pay tuition fees. This further depressed her as she worked to hone her skills in food production and find a stable job among Livingstone's top hoteliers in the flourishing hospitality hotspots.

After Mumba failed to report for the second semester due to lack of funds for tuition, the Baptistine sisters immediately asked the registrar's office to put her on a scholarship to support her studies.

"Having lost my dad, who could have provided whatever I needed, was not easy. If it were not for the scholarship, I would have ended up in bad behavior," Mumba said.

Zambia has a booming youth population and a lack of academic support, and employability is a pressing concern among the viable but vulnerable youths, particularly amid a shrinking economy in the southern African country.

After a two-month internship following her nine-month course, Mumba's hard work and discipline paid off. She was offered a full-time job as a chef at Woodlands Lodge & Tours.

"Had it not been for the sisters' intervention, I wouldn't be where I am today. And even with what I am earning through my current job, I am now able to support my mother and siblings back home in Kabwe."

Millions of young people in Zambia are trapped in a cycle of unemployment and poverty. HIV infections, early pregnancy, gender-based violence and a host of other social ills are common.

Zambia also struggles with an energy crisis marked by relentless load-shedding that shuts down power, threatening socio economic stability.

Creative minds like Elizabeth Namfukwe, a young beneficiary of the training center, found an opportunity to acquire a skill and find solutions to the country's energy situation.

"I was super excited to be accepted at YCTC, especially since I was also awarded a bursary [scholarship] in 2023. It's a game-changer for my dream career," Namfukwe told GSR.

Fascinated by electricity generation in Zambia's Kariba Dam, Namfukwe saw an opportunity to become a highly sought-after electrical engineer.

After Namfukwe's internship at Dennis Turf Irrigation Systems, her exceptional performance earned her a job as an assistant technician before the attachment period elapsed.

"It was my first time at a tertiary institution after years of trying to source for academic support. Considering our country's socioeconomic challenges, I would like to commend the sisters for this skills training initiative, which will go a long way to reviving young people's dreams."

The initiative has extended its impact beyond Livingstone. Eleven congregations with skills centers across Zambia have also collaborated, aiming to empower 840 youths in the first two years of the project.

The Zambia Association of Sisterhoods has allocated funds to various skills training centers across the country, including the Holy Rosary Sisters Skills Training Centre, the Bauleni Special Needs Project in Lusaka, and St. Mary's Skills Development Centre Kawambwa in Luapula Province, among others.

"When I came here, my first duty was to look for sponsors and help many vulnerable youths finish their studies. Otherwise, if I just sit, they will not have quality training," said Baptistine Sr. Evelyn Bwalya, the coordinator of Youth Community Training Centre.

After working at other learning institutions with minor vulnerable youths, she was transferred to Livingstone in 2021.

Bwalya, a teacher by profession, said the skills center has more than 240 learners pursuing various lifelong skills. Since 2023, 160 vulnerable youths have benefited from Hilton Foundation scholarships, inspiring higher enrollment levels at the skills training center from 50 students per semester to more than 200. The center has a capacity of 500 students.

Bwalya, 44, finds joy in fulfilling her mission as a Baptistine sister, which follows the congregation's charism of caring for the young and the poor. She said a distinctive feature of the program was the emphasis on real-world exposure, which enabled the students to undergo practical internships at various reputable companies, lodges and hotels in Livingstone.

As the project approaches its culmination in 2024, early signs of success are evident as dedication and hard work secured full-time jobs for many youths, a testament to the program's effectiveness.

Bwalya is happy because before the Hilton Foundation's collaboration, vulnerable students couldn't pay the fees for their training, and the school couldn't buy the training materials for them.

"Now, our students can find jobs, and some are able to set up their own businesses."

A refuge for the sick and dying

By Derrick Silimina

Moffat Tembo, who has HIV/AIDS, remembers the day he was hospitalized at Mother Theresa Hospice after gasping for breath due to the devastating effects of the virus.

The Mother Theresa Hospice, a refuge for the sick and dying, is on the outskirts of Kabulonga, an exclusive suburb adjacent to Kalingalinga, one of Lusaka's slums. The facility is managed by the Missionaries of Charity, a community founded by Mother Teresa of Kolkata in 1950.

The congregation is dedicated to serving the poorest of the poor, irrespective of social class, creed or color. Since 1989, the hospice has followed the words of its founder, welcoming people of all ages who knock at the gates, welcoming and giving them care, medicine, food, school amenities, shelter and love.

Tembo, 34, said that living with HIV/AIDS in a country already grappling with poor health care services is arduous, a dilemma that has thrown thousands of families into extreme poverty.

"I always thank the sisters day and night for saving my life. Without them, I would be dead by now," Tembo told Global Sisters Report.

He was brought to the Mother Theresa Hospice in early 2007 while very sick, and the sisters immediately put him on antiretroviral treatment. He later regained consciousness after nine drips of medication.

Tembo discovered his HIV-positive status at the age of 17. The thought of being on medication depressed him, and he lived in denial for some time. But his immunity couldn't withstand the ravaging effects of HIV.

After his mother's untimely death, Tembo lost hope in life. Living in Mandevu township, a slum a few kilometers north of Zambia's capital, Lusaka, Tembo experienced the harsh reality faced by orphaned children in the country, which forced him into extreme poverty and further deteriorated his health.

After he sought refuge at Mother Theresa Hospice, Tembo's health improved. Following this he enrolled in a community school based at the center to revive his academic journey.

"After I recovered, I dedicated my life to helping the sick here, counsel patients [to] take [their] drugs consistently and encourage the hopeless to have a fighting spirit in life," said the father of four, touched by the sisters' tireless care.

Like him, several others who once came in need of emergency health care are now healthy and working at the facility as drivers, teachers, carpenters, tailors, security staff and caregivers.

Mirriam Chisha is a young woman with an extraordinary story. She is still in disbelief that her life is back to normal after surviving life-threatening surgery after her unexpected ectopic pregnancy.

Chisha, 25, became homeless at the age of 15 after her parents divorced. When her father remarried, she said she couldn't cope with her stepmother's abuse, forcing her to endure life on the streets of Lusaka.

"I discovered that I was two months pregnant at the age of 18, and [suddenly], I got very ill while living on the streets of Lusaka. My fellow street kids organized transport and help [for me] at the Mother Theresa Hospice," she said.

Chisha said that had it not been for the sisters' immediate referral to the University Teaching Hospital for surgery, she would have lost her life.

Sr. Mercy Kanyoro is in charge of the Mother Theresa Hospice. She is excited about her calling because she enjoys witnessing terminally ill patients gradually return to life.

"We see them coming in despair, in hopelessness, and worn out physically. We take care of them and restore their health. We also restore faith in their lives, and we see them get up to resume their normal lives," Kanyoro told GSR.

Coming from a humble background in Kenya, Kanyoro is glad her mission at the 35-year-old hospice has been life-changing, acknowledging that divine providence has made the facility operate smoothly.

She added that many patients who recover from poor health choose to give back as a form of appreciation from the facility that houses a hospice, novitiate, a community school for vulnerable children and a skills training center for vulnerable teen mothers.

"When our patients recover, some usually come and say, 'Sister — you have cared for me, and I want to give back.' Whenever we can, we offer them a job to help them get reestablished in life," she stated.

Kanyoro, 44, said the facility goes beyond its mission of taking care of the poorest of the poor, restoring their physical and spiritual health, and offering capacity building through lifelong skills so that they are not dependent on anyone.

With almost 300 beneficiaries taken care of each day, the facility has its share of challenges since the hospice alone accommodates 60-100 patients suffering from HIV/AIDS-related illnesses, most from Lusaka's surrounding slums.

Although Zambia has made significant strides in reducing the HIV/AIDS infection rate in recent years, the southern African country still has a very high rate of infectious diseases. Estimates in 2021 showed that 1.3 out of almost 20 million Zambians are living with HIV, and women are the most affected.

Kanyoro, with her vast experience in humanitarian work in other countries including Kenya, India, South Africa, Madagascar and now Zambia, said her congregation's quest to serve Christ through their fellow humans is in line with their charism, "To labor for the salvation and sanctification of the poorest of the poor."

"I get inspired to instill hope in the hopeless, provide for the needy, and see terminally sick people back to good health because I get bothered to see how vulnerable people struggle to afford the basic needs in a world of plenty. My hope is to see a sharing world that will transform humankind!"