By Fresie Chikomb with Barbara Dadd Shaffer
Fresie Nandona Chikomb is a United Methodist missionary assigned half-time to the Jamaa Letu Boys’ Orphanage in Lubumbashi, DR Congo. There are presently 23 children and teens living at this orphanage, all who began the new school year in September. There are also 35 residents at the Girls’ Orphanage.
First, we would like to say thank you so much for all that you are doing for these kids or future leaders of the church. September, the first month of the school year, is a busy and expensive month for the staff. We need to make sure we collect all the information for each child to figure out who is going where – because they have to choose what they want to pursue or do in high school. We also have to make this decision now between private or public schools. At the private school, the teachers are good but are very expensive, while the public or government schools are not providing a good education at all. The teachers are not getting paid like they are supposed to, so they become lazy on education.
The most important thing is to make sure we pay for registration first and the government fees for all the kids this school year. Then, we need to buy the school supplies for each, including uniforms, black shoes, white socks, backpacks, etc.
The kids are so excited to start school with a new school year, especially those who are changing schools.
For all of us, it is also exciting. Now we can get a break as the staff, but focus on how we perform through the year. An amazing and personal mindset is how we all embrace these kids with an open mind of helping them to succeed as I do with my own kids. Blessings!
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Special thanks to Barbara Dadd Shaffer, chair of the Bishop’s Task Force, Jamaa Letu Orphanages.
