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Bethel Orphanage, Zambia

 

Mr. Alex & Mrs. Kimberly Heath
Volunteers at Bethel Orphanage, 2005

Introduction
My wife, Kim, and I visited Bethel Orphanage from the 15th to the 19th of April after corresponding for several months with Pastor Gondwe and several international supporters. The following describes some of our activities and observations during this time.

Saturday, April 16th
Arrived late morning at the Centre in the company of our friend, Musonda Simwayi and his wife, Josephine. Musonda is Manager, Security for the Bank of Zambia and had become a friend several months earlier through a mutual acquaintance. As our host and ‘protector’, Musonda had come to Kafue and introduced himself to Pastor Gondwe about a week earlier and was impressed with the mission there. He had heard about the tragic car accident during a broadcast on ZNBC, but had not made the connection with our visit.

Pastor Gondwe greeted us and showed us to his office, as he was meeting with ladies from his church at the time.  Later, in his office, we talked with Pastor Gondwe and said good-bye to Musonda and Josephine. Around this time, four representatives of the Heritage Party came to meet Pastor Gondwe and deliver their condolences. The Heritage Party is a Christian-oriented political opposition party. It turned out Pastor Gondwe had become accustomed to visits from various people and groups, most of whom he did not know, due in part to the tremendous publicity around the accident and word of the success of Bethel Orphanage.

In the afternoon, we were guests at the celebration of Pastor Gondwe’s 61st birthday. A number of trustees were in attendance along with the children, staff and Mayke, a Dutch volunteer. The children sang to Pastor Gondwe.  There was no dancing, as they were still in mourning. Kim and I were introduced and given a very warm introduction.

Later that day, Kim and I walked over to the houses and visited with the children. In the early evening, Kim and I joined Crispin (Pastor Gondwe’s nephew) in a drive to the marina at Kafue River to pick up members of the church youth group. This group included some youth from the orphanage, and they had been on an excursion to the river-side.

Sunday, April 17th
Kim and I attended a rousing worship service at the main Pentacostal Assemblies of God church at Kafue Estates, a part of Kafue several kilometres from Bethel. Pastor Gondwe normally led his own church, at Bethel’s Centre, but was still in recovery and so drove and accompanied us to the main church. The Bishop was preaching that day, and welcomed us. He mentioned Bethel and his church’s support of the children.

About three hours later we returned to Bethel and joined Pastor Gondwe for lunch in his office, and another long conversation about Bethel. Joined the children in the afternoon, and later drove to church for the evening service.

Following this service, we joined the children at the Centre for a good-bye celebration for Mayke

Monday, April 18th
I went over to the houses in the early morning to take pictures. It was still a school holiday for the children, and many were outside performing chores. There were many children tending garden plots. Some were watering with hoses and others carried buckets of water.

Later in the morning, we drove to the shanty market in Kafue to buy chickens to start a flock. This is one of the ideas Pastor Gondwe had for generating income and/or building up the food supply. Patricia, a trustee, and Prudence, one of the older students went ahead of us to negotiate the terms of the transaction (the price tends to stay high when a muzungu (white person) is around. Two boys, James and Milipa, were on hand to guard the vehicle and help with the chickens. There were only a few chickens for sale in the main market, so we drove to Kafue estates to buy more. I had the cash in my pocket and handed it over when a price was negotiated successfully. Ultimately we ended up with about four roosters and around seventeen hens for prices ranging between K18,000 and K25,000 (totalling roughly US$100). Some people had cleared out a large shed on Pastor Gondwe’s property and the chickens were secured in there. In several days they would be let out to wander during the day. We drove to a small building that was milling maize and Patricia bought a bag of feed.

We visited the children at the houses after lunch, and later drove with Crispin to Kafue Boys Secondary School where Kim and her family had lived in the early 1970s. Engaged in another long conversation with Pastor Gondwe and visited one of the childrens’ houses before bed.

Tuesday, April 19th
Visited the children again and took individual photos. We wanted each child to have some record of themselves, even if it was just a head and shoulders shot. It would also be of some benefit to the orphanage and ourselves in record-keeping and fundraising. A number of the older children were away, but we managed to take quite a few photographs of children, who were quite willing.

We left Bethel around ten o’clock in the morning for Lusaka. Pastor Gondwe drove us, as he had some family matters to attend to in Lusaka. We said good-bye to him downtown by Cairo Road.

Observations
Many of our observations are a mix of personal experiences during the trip and information drawn from Pastor Gondwe during a number of long conversations in his office. In preparation for our trip, Alex solicited concerns and questions from benefactors. There was an overwhelming concern for Bethel in light of the accident and Pastor Gondwe’s injuries. By the time we arrived, we sensed things had returned to normal.

The children
The children all seemed healthy and happy, as one can see from pictures and video. They were extremely interested in Kim and me, and clustered close by whenever we appeared. I suppose the love and attention of the house-mothers and Pastor Gondwe is limited, and the children were eager for more. We were there during school holidays and so did not see their regular routine.

We were only alarmed once by their behaviour when Mayke, the Dutch volunteer, set down a bowl of gumballs. There were about ten to fifteen children present who violently swarmed the table and the treats. Reflecting later with Mayke, we concluded the children have to share just about everything, so the desire to have even the smallest personal possession is strong. Of course, many of the children would remember consciously, or subconsciously, a time when they had nothing and nobody to provide for them as well. Pastor Gondwe was obviously aware of this-the Canada flags, pins and one-hundred teenage novels we brought were stored in his office instead of shared with the children. Presumably they would be shared later in a planned fashion. Pastor Gondwe said the books would be shredded in days if simply handed over.

When asked about their experience before Bethel, and during Bethel’s early years, several were reluctant to talk. Understandably, these children have been through very difficult times which will have affected them psychologically. Compared to the children living alone on the streets in Lusaka, however, they are doing very, very well.

Pastor Gondwe
Pastor Gondwe felt recovered enough to drive and spend full days in the affairs of Bethel, and in our company. At sixty-one, though, he looked visibly and understandably tired at the end of the day. However, his passion for the children is strong. I did not know him before the accident, though, and cannot comment on how this changed him. He told us several stories of his life and Bethel before being ‘discovered’ by you, the network of international benefactors and the wonderful transformation that has occurred since.

The Trustees
Many of the trustees were present at Pastor Gondwe’s birthday, and in the days following. They were all quite friendly and were obviously engaged in the organization.

Williams Tembo spoke with us quite a bit and seemed to be very close to the affairs of Bethel. He is also a trustee on the parent-teacher association of a local school.

Simon Gondwe was around, helping with the chickens and working with a local contractor on some repairs/building.

Gift Mutambo was at the birthday and we saw him at church.

Patricia Mulemwa helped buy the chickens

We also saw Martin Musonda and Fred Kapema several times but did not really speak with them. Apparently Poko Biyela, the legal advisor, had resigned to take up a new post somewhere, and I believe John Musenge had resigned but cannot recall for sure.

Crispin, Pastor Gondwe’s twenty-one year-old nephew, was present most often. He had come three months ago to visit and stayed on due to the accident. He did much of the driving, and seemed quite good at it. He commented that there had been another man doing most of the driving before he arrived; he had been quite rough on the truck however, which required some repairs as a result

The House-Mothers
They appeared friendly and welcoming, although the head was quite unwell and left for a couple weeks of rest.

The Garden
There were quite a few plots at Bethel. Some looked very well tended with mature plants. Others were being tilled and seeded and still others were neglected and with weeds choking out small plants. Several banana plants, and an orange tree I believe, were growing in different locations. From what I could gather, the gardeing program had started off well thanks to John and his group of supporters. I was told about the permaculture experts coming from Zimbabwe, which they appreciated.

Pastor Gondwe said they their first crop was good but that this success was short-lived, and a new effort was required to get the gardens going again.  I understood how part of this was due to the accident. The funeral events lasted about a week and for 3-4 weeks Bethel was in deep mourning with several thousand in attendance. It doesn’t take much time to let a garden succumb to weeds and lack of watering. In the wake of the accident, several committees were struck to keep Bethel going, and a garden committee was formed.

Incidentally, the rainy season ended a month early and drought threatened maize crops throughout the country.

While some watering was done with buckets, other children had hoses. Here and in other situations (e.g. car washing) water seemed plentiful and there was no obvious effort to conserve. (Note: we live in the semi-arid Canadian prairies where water restrictions are common; this is the regional perspective). I presume there is lots of groundwater and certainly lakes and rivers, and that some irrigation and water-diversion projects would solve the country’s problem with drought; that’s a much larger issue, of course.

Williams talked about natural insecticidal herbs that should be planted, and suggested they were in short supply. This was the only expression of need, although Pastor Gondwe talked about requesting more land from the local government to help increase output and become more self-sustaining. A development which seemed to help was the assignment of garden plots to different houses as a way of sharing responsibility. It seemed a number of new plots had been developed as part of this initiative. As mentioned, there were numerous children out watering the gardens in the morning.

It sounded like renewed leadership was the most important factor in realizing the gardens’ full potential.

Bethel Children’s Services
I learned that Bethel had helped over two-hundred children, but not all actually lived at the houses. Apparently some children are placed in homes, and relatives are encouraged to take in orphaned children, and quite a few children spend their days at Bethel but sleep at home at night. This would make sense, it seems; some families may still have in adult in charge but not the resources to properly care for all the children.

Kafue Sand
There is indeed a booming business in Kafue River sand. I saw trucks plying the route from Kafue to Lusaka, and several depots with piles of the distinctive dark sand. There are some photos of one truck we passed on the way into Lusaka. I asked others about this business; they all acknowledged the valuable properties of Kafue River sand and the lucrative business available for anyone with a truck.

Pastor Gondwe said they would not sell the sand to a middle-man, or depot, but rather put an ad in the paper to sell directly to builders. He seems to have had enough business experience in the past that his idea would have a good chance of working. Zambia has experienced moderate economic growth for several years which explains the current building boom.  (Pastor Gondwe explained the wash-house was still unfinished because building materials were quite expensive now. At our hotel in Livingstone, a restaurant sat without a roof and building had halted because of a lack of supplies.)

In our developed countries, a clear opportunity such as this would quickly attract entrepreneurs and the competition would be strong for any latecomers. Here, however, lack of capital would really hold back the most enterprising people. It would be difficult to arrange enough financing to buy a truck and equipment to get started. Anyone lucky enough to get their hands on a truck would have a chance at least. Obviously there are other factors (levy on sand at the River site, price of fuel, security of vehicle, economic downturn) that could derail this business venture.

Succession Planning
Pastor Gondwe seems well aware of the need for a successor and he talked of a possible candidate on the drive into Lusaka. The two girls, Margaret and Musozi, are going off to college and could feasibly return as accountant and social worker, but that is a few years into the future.

Conclusion
Compared to a year ago, Bethel seems far ahead thanks to benefactors coming forward and helping with food, basic supplies, buildings, education funding, etc. The car accident took a real toll on the community but they appear to be getting back to normal. While there are still some affairs to be organized (registry of the children, accounting) the central mission of helping children remains strong and is making a difference. I feel there is an ability to expand its influence beyond simply the children residing within the houses; the act of placing newly-orphaned children with relatives and serving as a day-only resource centre.

Bethel certainly has support in the community and recognition beyond Kafue, partly because of the accident which drew a great deal of attention. A delegation of United Church of Zambia women came one day to pay their respects, and Pastor Gondwe says this is a common occurrence nowadays.

Pastor Gondwe’s vision for Bethel includes more training and education for the children, as this seems the only way out of the extreme poverty faced by the average Zambian. I learned that a shopkeeper earns about K200,000 and public service workers (police, teachers, nurses) earn between K400,000 and K700,000 but new university graduates in government and the private sector will earn about K3 million to start with. Despite the current unemployment, there is clearly an advantage to higher education. Pastor Gondwe acknowledges that not all the children will go to university or college, and he suggested carpentry training for the boys and tailoring for the girls as a way to equip them with some basic income-generating skills.  He would like to build a block of buildings to help increase their capacity to teach and train. It seems the local government-run schools only have so much capacity.

A business idea
I had been considering the idea of Bethel opening itself up to visitors to generate revenue. The treatment we received was good. There are some fantastic experiences to be had such as chicken buying in a shanty market, attending a Pentecostal church service, bargaining with road-side craft stalls, climbing into the hills to see the monkeys, touring  the neighbourhood, teaching the children a skill (Kim brought knitting needles and fancy yarn), visiting Kafue river, touring the local hospital, etc. Crispin was an excellent escort in our tour of the Kafue Boys Secondary School and even helped us track down the retired headmaster in town, after the sun had set. It would have been challenging to do this ourselves, and we were grateful to have a Zambian escort.

The Lonely Planet travel book on Zambia says volunteer/travel opportunities are in short supply. There is one community, apparently, that hosts people for US$25 a night; guests there are encouraged to help out with local projects. I recently spoke to a Canadian who went on a mission in January to build a school in Kitwe. The trip began with a church here in Calgary, but was organized by a private company that arranges mission trips and prepares people for a very transformational travel experience. Apparently over a million North Americans go on overseas missions every year, which is astounding.

I think Bethel is well-equipped to host a select group of visitors (mission-oriented, perhaps church-related, mature visitors) already. Their greatest asset is trust. I trust they would provide good treatment to people coming to stay, as they had with us. Kim and I could also serve as a referral for Bethel, and provide positive testimony to anyone contemplating a visit. Pastor Gondwe told us about Dan going to Malawi to see an orphanage, which turned out to be a bit of a fraud (not sure if we got the story right).

Quite honestly, a few here speculated our friend may not meet us at the airport, or the orphanage may not be what we were expecting. I think some didn’t even expect us to make it back. There is a lot of fear regarding developing countries. Much of this is fed by the average news piece out of Africa, like escalating violence in South Africa, the growing Marburg virus in Angola or genocidal politics in Sudan or Rwanda. If someone talked with us about our experience in Kafue and Zambia, I think they would be much more confident about visiting.

Pastor Gondwe liked the idea of establishing Bethel as a specialized destination. I hesitate to use the word tourist, but this definitely fits the growing field of transformational travel. We are planning to place an ad in the travel section of our United Church of Canada magazine, to invite inquiries and evaluate this prospect further in consultation with Pastor Gondwe.

There are two rooms which could probably be rented out for US$25 a night, if demand was no there. This means potential revenue of US$1,500 per month at maximum capacity. It would also require very little investment, which is appealing from a donor point of view

Contact Alex Heath & Kimberly Heath

 

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Bethel Orphanage is a Zambian charitable organization among Christian charities caring for orphans, in Kafue, Zambia, Africa. AIDS in Africa has increased the burdens of child charity organizations like Bethel Orphanage that help children orphaned from poor families. Orphanages have a challenge of keeping up with the growing numbers of orphans. Bethel is among African Christian orphanages in Zambia working to fight the AIDS orphan crisis. Persevering in the pillars of religious service & ministry: “Pure and undefiled religion is to care for orphans and widows in their distress," (James 1:27). Supporting helpless children through your child sponsorship outreach. Orphanage volunteers most welcome. Volunteering opportunities available at Bethel. 101 ways to support children.

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