Zambia (MNN) — The
future for young people in Zambia is grim. Over 80% of the 13 million Zambians
lack regular sources of income. According to government statistics, most are
below age 35.
Jobs are hard to come by, but the likelihood of unemployment goes
up exponentially without an education. Add to that an HIV/AIDS pandemic, and it's clear something needs to
desperately change…and soon.
Kids
Alive International is answering the crisis by providing education, nutritious
meals, medical care, and the love of Christ to more than 450 children in
Zambia. They're hoping to add an
additional 50 children to their Homes, Schools, and Care Centers.
Sponsors for these children play a key
role in having a life-transforming impact on a young life.
Take Mushaukwa, for example. He is the first high school graduate from the
Kids Alive program in Zambia–a long way from who he was when he first came to
their team.
Orphaned
at age five, Mushaukwa lived with his grandfather who was unable to properly care for
him. He then began to live on the streets begging for money and picking food up
off the streets.
Once
he got sponsored, he began attending school at Kids Alive and was introduced to
Christ. The education gives him a chance
to leave the cycle of poverty that grips Zambia.
Students
like Mushaukwa will also have an opportunity to continue their education. Kids Alive Zambia has also established an
Advanced Education Fund to help transition the children under their team's care
into well-trained, independent healthy adults that can make a positive impact
in their society.
The
Advanced Education Fund will help pay scholarships for qualified students
attending high school, university and/or vocational training, as well as help
cover some of their living expenses. Because every child in Kids Alive care has
been rescued from a desperate living situation, these young people have little
or no access to other sources of funding for their education.
Beneficiaries
of the Advanced Education Fund will be studying to become doctors, teachers,
lawyers, accountants, managers, engineers, information technology
professionals, and other skilled professions. They may also be learning
valuable vocational skills such as woodworking, sewing, mechanical repair, and
construction.
The hope of Mushaukwa's story is part of what makes Kids Alive
International tick. Their team members reflect
the love of Christ by rescuing orphans and vulnerable children, nurturing them
with quality holistic care, and sharing with them the transforming power of
Jesus Christ so they are enabled to instill hope in others.
Want to know more? Check our Featured Links Section.
