Written account and attached photos from Sangeeta’s time assisting Rewati Roman Neupane

We recently received news from RN and community health worker, Sangeeta Poudel! Sangeeta has been working hard at the hospital throughout this pandemic, but also spends her spare time out in the community, providing compassionate care and sharing potentially life-saving information. Below is her written record of one of her recent experiences with an at-home client.

“In the mid time of Covid pandemic in Nepal, Everyone is afraid and situation was so painful. At the same time my neighbor came to me and asked to visit his father who was suffering from fever and cough. I could not deny his request though all the symptoms were similar to Covid-19, but I decided to visit him because I had PPE set provided by HHN [HealthEd Connect]. After becoming safe by wearing set I went to visit that house, I checked fever of him and it seems like Covid, I suggested to check PCR once and stay in home isolation. After two days they went for checking and it came positive as I guess before.

After that again they came to me and visit them because they don’t want to admit in hospital by hearing condition of hospitals, As their father is 87 years senior citizen. I asked them to provide PPE set to visit them regularly, so that I can ago safely. After that I went there and support him psychologically but only that I applied all the medicine recommended by doctors. I took the temperature and oxygen salutation and suggest them to admit in hospitals if condition become worst. And good thing is that he is getter better day by day after taking care daily. Finally within three weeks his report was Negative. They are so happy and thankful to me.” -Sangeeta Poudel

Thank you for supporting the effort and care that our community health workers like Sangeeta share with their community members!

World-wide, illiteracy is its own epidemic, “disproportionally affecting 773 million non-literate young people and adults”. Today, as we celebrate International Literacy Day, we want to highlight the important efforts of our teachers and community health workers as they work to make sure that not only the children, but also the community members have access to literacy education!

In Malawi, literacy programs are taking shape in the new Sinkhani community centers, available to people of all ages. At our sister schools in Zambia, students receive a strong literacy foundation and many teachers provide after-class lessons to support children who need more time. And community health workers who have lacked access to literacy education in the past are able to take classes thanks to development awards offered by HealthEdConnect.

Kafwa health workers were the first to advocate for the organization of community schools so that orphans and vulnerable children would not be left behind in their ability to learn foundational tools for life, such as how to read, write, and do math, among many important aspects of education. “Without education, our children will have no future” was the rallying cry by caregivers and community members to establish our schools. And what an impact this has made in the lives of thousands of children and the communities surrounding them! 

Literacy empowers individuals and provides capabilities to lead healthy and sustainable lives. Thank you for supporting our community health workers, teachers, and learners of all ages as we move towards a more literate future!

As the first line of advocacy and health education in their Zambian communities, the Kafwa understand the importance of nutrition on overall health. Since 48% of people in Zambia cannot meet their required calorie intake, malnutrition is something the Kafwa women see often.

To combat this, the women went around their community to distribute much-needed food! Joyce Ngosa and Joyce Songwe detailed this trip, saying:

“Last Friday as Kafwa women we were visiting our clients and distributed food stuffs to them...
We gave out mealie meal, fish and groundnuts. Our clients were very happy for the blessing of food.”

We are so grateful to our colleagues for addressing immediate needs and providing equitable access to advocacy and health education!

Emmanuel Mumba, head teacher at Mapalo Young Peace Makers Community School, knows how important it is to be a force for good in someone’s life. After becoming a double orphan, Mumba had siblings and cousins to care for. He turned to his pastor for guidance, who told him that the school was looking for teachers and he should apply.

We are grateful that this connection led Mumba into the calling of a teacher at one of our sister schools!

A leader in many facets, Mumba spends each day advocating for vulnerable youth and empowering them to be their best and work towards brighter futures! Read more about Mumba in his own words here.

To support the uplifting work of our teachers and school programs in Zambia, you can make a donation here. Thank you for empowering leaders like Mumba!

As the school year begins, we want to celebrate the ones who lead our sister schools in Zambia! Pictured are head teachers, school board members, and Kafwa leaders who help feed, nurture, and empower students each school day. 

Many of our teachers grew up near the communities they serve today and were orphans and vulnerable children themselves. Several have graciously written their stories, highlighting their journey to teaching, challenges they see the students facing, and what they love most about serving at the schools. As we share these over the next week, we hope you will read their stories and leave comments of encouragement.

To support their work and the education of vulnerable children at our schools, you can donate here.

Thank you for uplifting our teachers, community health workers, and students!

As we start to close on summertime and look to the upcoming back-to-school and fall seasons, we invite you to also look "Toward the Peaceful One" with Dr. Sherri Kirkpatrick!

This podcast episode was part of an ongoing series done by the Community of Christ Church and focuses on volunteer community health workers and lessons we can learn from their experiences. Sherri talks about HealthEd Connect's community health worker colleagues, their servant leadership, and the joys and challenges they face in their work. This is a special opportunity to hear firsthand accounts from one of our founders, and we hope you enjoy a deeper look into HealthEd Connect's history!

P.S. Unfortunately, since this episode was recorded, the COVID situation at our program sites has worsened and is directly impacting some of our health workers and putting a few programs on temporary hold.

Project Zion episode with Dr. Sherri Kirkpatrick:

http://www.projectzionpodcast.org/361-toward-the-peaceful-one-sherri-kirkpatrick/

Article written by Dr. Sherri Kirkpatrick:

https://www.cofchrist.org/mission-stories#/356/toward-the-peaceful-one-a-path-less-taken

Construction worker clearing trees.

Over the last two weeks, work at the Mulundu community center (in the Luapula province of Zambia) has taken off!

From digging trees out to make room for the foundation to clearing a path for trucks to bring in supplies, the construction workers on the job have made huge progress as this center starts to take shape in a big way! The coordinators of this project include the team lead for the Luapula Kafwa, Jane Chibwe, and volunteer, Leo Musans A’kapend. Both have put hours of preparation into seeing that Mulundu will have a beautiful new Kafwa community center.

With hard work on-site and your support, new progress is made each day. Thank you for making these life-changing projects possible!

Bricks, sand, and gravel have all arrived on site!

Baby Jane

Our Kafwa team lead for Luapula, Zambia, Jane Chibwe, recently shared some joyful news with us!

After caring for a local mother throughout her pregnancy, Jane and a fellow Kafwa helped deliver a sweet baby girl last week. While the parents were choosing a name for their daughter, they decided to honor the woman who had helped them so much during their experience. Now, there are not one but two Jane Chibwes in Luapula!

Our friend Jane is delighted to have a little girl named in her honor and is excited to look after this sweet baby as she does so many others in the community! Here is a quote from Jane sharing her joy:

“[I] am very happy that I have my namesake now in our kafwa HealthEd Connect program. I hope you will be happy too!”

Your support makes these special moments possible- may you share in this joy as well!