Makeni Centre News and Views

Moving

2011-06-12T12:11:37Z

The MEC website has moved to http://makeni.org.uk/wordpress

The website and blog have moved!

2011-06-12T09:49:05Z

Dear listeners

I've decided to take the plunge with wordpress. It seems to integrate web pages and blog posts quite nicely, and I like the interface and plugins... So I've set up a new MEC website/blog. This blog is now defunct and I may remove old posts (which have been ported to wordpress) over a period of time. If you want to subscribe, please see the main web page and RSS link at http://makeni.org.uk/wordpress

Latest newsletter

2010-12-26T12:25:43Z

Dear Friends,

This is just to let you know that the latest newsletter, for the third quarter for 2010, is now on the website.

The editorial team of Fr Mukuyamba, Joe Silwenga, Chizuma Phiri, Ireen Chinyama, Bringnas Saviye and Mulimba Mponda have put together a very informative collection of items with stories including:

Kloosterkerk investment in rural water projects
Makeni receives a minibus from the Friends of Makeni
African AIDS Angels lifting vulnerable rural people from Poverty
Hon. Lameck Mangani Graces 39^th Graduation Ceremony
Face to face with the pupils: the Bertha experience
Wedding of the year!

We would also like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a productive new year!

Broadband arrives...

2010-07-03T19:23:38Z

Dear All

Just a note to let you know that broadband has finally arrived at MEC! It's been a long time coming and is not cheap, but when one counts all the failed attempts to connect by dial-up, sometimes running into a dozen or more, each charged, then it doesn't look quite so bad anymore.

E-mail addresses at the centre have changed. You can reach Fr Mukuyamba and Mr Silwenga via the email addresses advertised on this website's contact page at http://www.makeni.org.uk/contacts.htm, or write to the postmaster @ makeni.org.uk if that isn't working out.

We now need to see that we make the best use of our internet connection. There's lots to do! I am sure that assistance will be needed to make sure that all our computers have their security nailed down, and to help the staff make best use of the resources that will now be at their disposal.

2009 Annual Report

2010-05-29T11:21:29Z

This is just to let you know that the 2009 Annual Report is available - we are slowly but surely catching up on our reporting schedule!

2009 was another eventful year, which included a visit from First Lady, Madam Thandiwe Banda for the annual graduation ceremony and also the opening of the new secondary school building by Dutch ambassador Mr Harry Molenaar.

In addition to the usual reports from each department on progress in the year, there is a foreword from the Chairman, Fr Andrew Mukuyamba and we also hear how Bertha Kabwe is getting on at Solwezi College of Education on her primary teaching course.

Happy reading!
MEC 2009 Annual Report.pdf

Flooded again...

2010-03-02T19:26:31Z

You never know what kind of rains a year will bring - some years you can't get enough, others you get too much. This is one of those years when the rain has just continued to fall in great quantities.

Once again, I hear, Makeni is being flooded. The drainage ditches along the roads have been poorly maintained. Of course, much of Lusaka along Kafue Road used to be a place where ducks and deer were in abundance, and floods are nothing new to the city.

The general clinic, the ARV clinic, and the toilets for both the school and the clinics were flooded impassably for two days, which finally seems to have prompted the council to clear the ditch in front of MEC.

They put a large earth mover to work on the entrance to the centre. Unfortunately, in the process, they also removed the tarmac road at that point and the part of the road that went over the ditch. Cars could not get in or out for a full day, until Fr Mukuyamba and other staff exhibited that can-do attitude that is born of necessity, and built a new makeshift bridge over the ditch. It did get some water flowing though.

The 'dambo' as we call it - the acre or so we have always kept undeveloped - has flooded properly and is full of ducks and other unidentified visitors.

Apparently some children from the orphanage even took to the lake in a water storage drum for a while.

I have no current photos, but here are some from the floods in 1978, which give you a good idea of the scene on the ground. 1989 were the next big rains, and there was widespread flooding in Zambia (and all the way down the Zambezi) in 2000.

Here also is an aerial photo from the same period showing the kind of flooding that is affecting the whole area once again.

Mwomboshi Settlement Village school house

2009-12-13T09:21:11Z

Joe Silwenga reports:

Mwomboshi Settlement Village has no government school and the residents send their children to a community school within the settlement village, initiated by Makeni Ecumenical Centre to help young children access basic education. The school runs from grade one to grade seven.

For the past two years the school management has been making efforts to raise the standards of the school to equal that of the government schools in Zambia.

Attempts to become a government school have faced difficulties because the Ministry of Education can only upgrade a school after sending qualified teachers.

For Mwomboshi settlement, the Ministry has required us to build a house for a teacher before one is sent to the area.

The Village Management Committee and the PTA decided to renovate one of the community houses, but lacked finances to embark on the project.

However the Friends of Makeni in Holland intervened and funded the project in 2008. Here you can see the house in the process of renovations.

Our thanks to our Dutch friends for this wonderful support!

St Nicholas Village garden project

2009-11-14T08:26:26Z

I am told that on their recent visit, Gordon and Julia Lowes established a garden for the children at St Nicholas Village to grow their own food - or at least, to be able to grow some of it! Jacob reports...

They planted cabbage, cauliflower, melons, impwa, tomato, rape and okra. Most of the crops are growing well, although some appear to more popular than others!

Everyone is working enthusiastically on the garden and there are some plans for expansion to grow more, including maize production. Some land has been given for their use by the Agricultural department

Here you can see pictures of carrots, squash, impwa and tomatoes in early stages.

New school building completed!

2009-11-01T09:29:39Z

I am happy to pass on the news that the new, three-classroom school building has now been completed, after about seven months, thanks to the financial support of our Dutch donors.

For some time we had been asked by the community to extend our school from 'basic' to 'high school', by the addition of grades 10, 11 and 12, as there is no provision for this level in our area. To do this we also needed to provide facilities for laboratory lessons for science classes, which are to be achieved by shared space with the electronics school.

Thank you to Jan and Truus Veldkamp, who are visiting Makeni at the moment, for these pictures!

Welding project

2009-10-10T06:08:38Z

Thanks to donations from Saanich community, security at the orphanage was improved in June. Exterior grill doors have been fitted on several buildings.

Here are before and after pictures!

Our new St Nicholas head

2009-09-15T15:55:17Z

Having bid farwell to Ambuya Judy Passmore, we welcome Mrs Irene Chinyama as the new mother in charge of St Nicholas Orphanage Village.

Mrs Chinyama holds an advanced certificate in Social Development and is also studying for a diploma with Mulungushi University.

Here you can see her in the grounds of the orphanage village .

Here also is a recent picture of some of the orphanage staff and children.

We wish Mrs Chinyama all the best as she continues to settle in to her important role at St Nicholas Village!

Football matches...

2009-09-01T13:16:06Z

During my visit I have been watching the children playing football on our dusty football pitch. Games go on until the sun sets and are contested with great enthusiasm...

I took this picture of some of the orphanage children a few nights ago to share with you.

Hope you enjoy it!

AAA Support for Chisamba Settlement Village

2009-08-13T06:40:55Z

African Aids Angels in Victoria, BC have been supporting our work for many years now. We are very grateful for their continuing assistance! Whilst the group takes a particular interest in the welfare of the children at St Nicholas Orphanage, they also provide support to other Makeni Centre projects.

I have recently received these pictures from Joe Silwenga of Chisamba Settlement Village, where AAA also has been assisting with its Input Support Project.

The captions also come from Mr Silwenga.

A beneficiary congratulating a friend after showing the maize harvested from AAA input support field in Chisamba settlement village, as others look on and admire the yield.

A widower beneficiary of AAA Input Support Project smiling as he poses for a photo with his 2 grandsons to show his yield to the Settlement Officer.

A picture of a widow a beneficiary from AAA Input Support Project, in her field of maize gathered in heaps before harvesting. She explained that because she is just alone that is why her maize was still in the field and she has not prepared a traditional barn to store her maize in.

A beneficiary (Jericho Chibulu) with his family showing the quality of cobs and pumpkins harvested from the field. Behind them is the traditional barn used for temporary storage of maize.

Mrs. Kandago sitting on her bags of unshelled maize as she expresses her happiness. This is inside her house.

A picture showing beneficiaries after loading some of their maize bags in the truck to Lusaka to assist their school-going children. They were captured unaware.

The beneficiary on the left in excitement performs a traditional dance to express her joy and happiness while others look on.

School buildings nearing completion

2009-08-08T06:20:32Z

I have just received this picture of one of the new school buildings nearing completion!

It's looking very nice, I must say.

We hope to give you the latest pictures very soon, as we are visiting Makeni this month.

January to March 2009 newsletter

2009-06-14T14:58:05Z

Dear Friends of Makeni

This is just to let you know that our latest newsletter covering January to March 2009 is available on the website...