Creating Full Life out of Despair
In Zambia, there are many impoverished young mothers who are jailed for 5 years+ with hard labour for shoplifting or fighting back against domestic abuse. When they are arrested, their young children come with them to jail, and their older children are abandoned in the street. The children in prison are not provided with any necessities, including formula, nappies or education. The mothers are not provided with basic items eg blankets, soap, sanitary pads or medications.
Full Life Zambia’s pilot project is in Luanshyna, north Zambia with plans to expand to other cities by 2026. (we have already been offered land by councils in Lusaka and Ndola).
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Full Life Zambia, has achieved so much! We went from a 2 room dirt floor lean to on flooded low land, to a larger building with cement floor and walls on higher land. ( 10 ha of land was donated by chiefs- the materials donated by Australians), The compound now consists of 3 classrooms, a nursery with cots, a kitchen and toilets with a septic tank. There are now 65 children cared for and educated by our staff. Children and most adults are currently sleeping on the floors together due to lack of room and furniture. All staff are volunteers ( except the teachers are paid when we can) and only sleep around 4-5 hours a night due to the numerous children with autism or other disabilities or severe trauma they now care for. As on December 2023, we have finally obtained water filter so will no longer need to boil all water. We have also just bought a 9 seat car to transport children from prison to the playgroup. |
Current goals include
· A new large bedroom and toilets for the older boys
· separate bedroom and office for staff
· Mattresses and blankets for all persons living there ( very cold in winter)
· Desks , chairs and books for the classrooms
· An industrial washing machine and dryer ( currently handwashing)
· A fridge, freezer and stove ( currently cooking in a large pot over fire- which is hard as it rains 6 months a year)
· More teachers and another nurse/counsellor
· Wheelchairs for disabled students
· Solar panels and generator as electricity is unreliable
· Purchase of Goats, pigs, chickens and animal shelters to improve self sufficiency and increase local income/decrease reliance on donations for basic monthly essentials ( formula, nappies, corn meal)
