Our Annual Report is a winner!

We won an award for our 2022 Annual Report! Nonprofit Connect, a local nonprofit group here in Kansas City, hosts the Philly Awards each year celebrating the outstanding achievements in nonprofit marketing, communications, and fundraising. This year, they received over 200 submissions for categories ranging from videos, newsletters, websites, annual reports, and more. We're thrilled to share that HealthEd Connect received first place in the Small Organization Annual Report category!

Our report was judged for clarity, mission alignment, outcomes, creativity, design, and branding. Each year's annual report is a collaborative process, and we are so proud that the work of our team and the impact of our colleagues has been recognized! Every opportunity to share the work of our colleagues is a big deal, and we’re grateful to be featured!

Regan Jackson
Life-Changing Opportunities

Scholarships change lives in big ways! For Japhet Mumba from Mapalo, Zambia, the Young Peacemakers Community School and high school scholarship made way for a bright future. Just last month, Japhet was awarded a full bursary (scholarship) from the Zambian government to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy at Mukuba University. Scholarships like this from the government are rare, which speaks highly to his academic capability, and to the community cheering him on. Japhet kindly shared this story of his experience.

“My name is Japhet Mumba and I am a third born in the family of four children. My elder brother Mumba Emmanuel is a teacher at Young peace makers community school (YPM) in Ndola-Mapalo. Our youngest brother Michael is still schooling and our sister is married.

Therefore, I started my primary school in grade one at Young peace makers community school (YPM) in 2012. This late commencement of schooling was due to the demise of our dearly mother and father. This saddened our hearts deeply.

However, through my brother Mumba I was identified by Heathed connect as a double orphan in grade eight in 2018. The Heathed connect group took up a mantle of supporting me in various ways until I completed my secondary school in 2022. For example, in provision of substantial meals, clothing and school necessities.

Additionally, Young peace makers community wrote a letter for me to the bursary committee of High institutions in Zambia to be considered. Fortunately, I was accorded a bursary to pursue bachelor in pharmacy at Mukuba University in Kitwe.

Lastly, I sincerely encourage my fellow learners to set a 'massive goal' in their lives, pray for it to God, work hard and smart on the goal set in order for them to accomplish what they are aspiring now to be in future because 'the sky is the limit.'“

Life-changing opportunities are supported by passionate people like you, uplifting the importance of access to education through our community schools and scholarships for students like Japhet. Thank you!

Regan Jackson
Celebrating Independence

October 24 marked the 59th Independence Day for Zambia! Our friends at Kasompe Community School of Peace celebrated with Zambian-flag colored clothing and songs in the courtyard of the school. Head teacher, Loveness Mulemba, shared these lovely photos and video with us, showcasing the students’ participation in the special day. Their bright clothes and happy faces make for a celebratory day, indeed!

Learn more about the symbolism and meaning of the Zambian national flag here.

Regan Jackson
Day of the Girl 2023

Former Mapalo YPM student and GAP high school scholar, and current nursing scholar, Everlyn Kase, teaching wound care at the 2023 training in Malawi

What does the future look like for the next generation of women?

For over a decade, UNICEF has been celebrating the Day of the Girl to promote issues that threaten girls’ rights, opportunities, and safety (UNICEF). Each year, UNICEF sets goals that will make the future brighter for the next generation of women, and can be supported at the national, local, or individual level. Goals for 2023 to 2024 include:

  • Recognizing, celebrating, and supporting the leadership of girls

  • Increasing programs that support adolescent girls’ well-being

  • Support and increase sustainable funding that will address issues girls are facing

We are proud to invest in programs that support these goals! The weekly Girls Achievement Program (GAP) supports the well-being of girls as they learn about bodily development, life skills, and personal development. This group also directly addresses issues that girls face in the communities where we work, like early marriage and young pregnancy; issues and practices we aim to decrease. We also choose to fund scholarship programs that specifically uplift girls through secondary and tertiary education levels, providing a foundation to further opportunities and leadership in their communities. Many of our nursing scholars are young women and we support opportunities for them to lead as trainers with our volunteer community health worker teams.

We are grateful to you, our supporters, who make these life-changing programs possible. By continuing to empower girls, we are preparing the next generation of empowered women, and the whole community rises!

Regan Jackson
World Teacher Day

Teachers at Zamtan happily holding new supplies donated for their classrooms and extra-curricular activities

It’s World Teacher Day, so it’s time to celebrate women and men who choose to uplift others through education! The teachers at our three sister schools in Zambia are compassionate and creative leaders who we are proud to partner with. Their dedication to empowering orphans and vulnerable children is inspiring, and they use their many talents to help shape good citizens both in and out of the classroom! Along with their day-to-day class duties, many of the teachers support wrap-around programs and extra-curricular activities so the students have well-rounded opportunities for learning and fun.

At Kasompe Community School of Peace, Ms. Musonda and Ms. Musanya (pictured below) help care for the garden and incorporate lessons it into their curriculum so that students learn to grow nutritious foods.

At Mapalo Young Peace Makers Community School, Head Teacher, Mr. Mumba (far left, pictured below) assists with tutoring the KIT Club students receiving high school scholarships, so they do well in their studies and graduate with distinction. Mr. Chipyango (far right), KIT Coordinator, also provides tutoring and integrates co-curricular activities to enrich students’ learning experience.

Mr. Kingsley (front, pictured below) leads the choir at Zamtan Community School of Peace, giving students a chance to sing and dance after classes!

All of our teacher colleagues deserve to be celebrated and recognized for their empowering work! We are thankful for our teacher friends, and extend our gratitude to teachers across the world uplifting young world-changers!

Regan Jackson
International Literacy Day

One of many learning stations in the Mapalo ECE classroom.

This week we are celebrating literacy programs for all ages! Each year, on September 8th, we celebrate the opportunities that literacy provides.

At our sister schools in Zambia, literacy begins in the ECE (preschool) classroom. Mapalo ECE teacher Ms. Mubanga has made colorful, tactile, and exciting tools for students to learn their letters and sounds! Her brightly colored classroom is a haven for young learners as they make connections between, letters, colors, sounds, and actions. You may have also seen our recent blog post about the importance of songs as learning tools, where you can see our little friends in action with Ms. Mubanga! These lessons learned in the first few years are the building blocks for students’ continued learning and success.

In Malawi, DR Congo, and Luapula, our colleagues at the community centers are building up literacy programs for adults who may not have had access to literacy lessons earlier in life. School fees, book and uniform costs, and family resources all pose barriers to education, so having free access to books, literacy lessons, and caring support systems at the community centers can make a world of difference! The ability to read and write is a big step towards empowerment, which is why our colleagues have identified it so strongly. From writing one’s name to reading medicine bottles, literacy is a skill that can’t be undervalued.

We are grateful for the continued push from colleagues, supporters, and students to keep learning and building towards a brighter future!

Regan Jackson
Honoring 30 years of service

While visiting our colleagues in Africa in June, we had the privilege of honoring two leaders who have served over thirty years as volunteer community health workers! In the photo you can see Chama Chola (left) from the DRC Wasaidizi group and Gabriel Muposhi (right) from the Luapula, Zambia Kafwa group. These special volunteers were among the first health workers our co-founder, Sherri Kirkpatrick (center), trained in this area and they have faithfully served ever since. Seeing her mother’s dedication to the community, Chama’s daughter has also joined the Wasaidizi as a second-generation health worker!

Sadly, however, our friend Gabriel passed away a few weeks ago. Gabriel had a kind and gentle disposition and he was highly respected in the community for his dedication to uplifting the women, children, and families around him. He was also a proud Kafwa volunteer, and enjoyed opportunities to learn (you can see him proudly holding a health worker training certificate, pictured below). Gabriel was lovingly honored by his family, friends, fellow Kafwa, and HealthEd Connect colleagues from afar. We were thankful to have the opportunity to recognize his years of dedicated service publicly while we were together in June. While we are deeply saddened to have lost a friend and fellow community advocate like Gabriel, we are grateful for our dedicated health worker colleagues like him who have mentored younger health workers and empowered community members.

Gabriel Muposhi

Regan Jackson
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The GreatNonprofits seal is highly regarded among both nonprofits and donors, showing that people have trust in our organization. We proudly display this seal on all of our printed content, as well as on our website - we want people to know how our supporters and colleagues feel about us!

If you have kind words to share, we would love for you to leave a review. It’s easy, only takes 3 minutes, and all content will be visible to potential donors and volunteers. Click the link below to get started!

https://greatnonprofits.org/reviews/write/healthed-connect

Authentic, heartfelt words from passionate supporters like you will help us make an even bigger impact. It would mean so much to us if you could take a few minutes to help us earn this award!

Regan Jackson