At least 5790 children have been enrolled for educational support by ChildFund through the Chongwe Child Development Agency.
Chongwe Child Development Agency Manager, Green Makamo, said the enrolled children are from seven communities of Chongwe and Rufunsa Districts namely; Mutamino, Chainda, Kapete, Chitemalesa, Chimusanya, Rufunsa and Mpanshya.
Mr. Makamo said out of the 5790 enrolled children, about 4194 are attached to individual sponsors who provide funding for the implementation of projects in health care, education and youth livelihood among others.
He said this when sponsors from the Amy Bell Charities visited Nyashishi Community in Chongwe District, Zambia, to appreciate projects being supported in memory of Amy Bell.
Speaking at the same event, Amy Bell Charities Representative, Larry Bell, explained that they took up the sponsorship of a child in Chongwe, Emmanuel, following the death of their daughter, Amy, who was passionate about helping children.
Mr. Bell said Amy died but left a Will to help Emmanuel, his family and the community resulting in the construction of two classroom blocks, at Nyashishi, water facilities and three teachers’ houses.
He said Amy Bell Charities will continue supporting Nyashishi Community as demanded by Amy Bell in her Will.
“Amy Bell made the decision to “adopt” a child through Christian Children’s Fund (now ChildFund International) after her first trip to Africa in 2009. She had requested to sponsor a little boy, ages 4-5. God, through ChildFund, gave her Emmanuel, age 4 at the time. Emmanuel is now 19 years old and ready to go for higher education. She sent him pictures of herself and her horses. She sent him coloring books, especially ones with farm animals, and lots of photos of her “at the ranch with her horses”. Emmanuel would write Amy very sweet thank you notes (with assistance from ChildFund). He told Amy that he was “a farmer too”. He and his family grew tomatoes in a small garden near his home,” he said.
Mr. Bell said Amy left specific instructions in her Will that if anything happened to her, she had a Sponsored Child in Zambia, Emmanuel.
Mr. Bell said Amy started her legacy because she had an incredible love for children in Africa.
“The real inspiration behind Amy Bell Charity is Amy Bell. Amy Bell had an incredible love for children in Africa. After her passing, she left provisions in her Will that her sponsored child at Nyashishi Community in Chongwe, Zambia, be taken care of together with his family and his community. Because of that, we felt deep about our obligation to honor her wishes and make sure that what she really wanted was for Emmanuel, his family and his community to be taken care of. That is where all this began. As we are doing that, we continue to meet some incredible people in Africa that encourage us to continue her legacy and extend what she was extending to Nysahishi Community and many places in Africa. We love whatever we have been doing in Chainda Community,” he said.
Mr. Bell said one of the most important things the Amy Bell Charities noted is the need for fresh and clean water at Nyashishi Community and other parts of Africa.
He further it was also important to upgrade Nyashishi School to provide for senior secondary education.
“We learnt that the school needed to be upgraded with infrastructure so that when children write exam and pass, they can go to high school. We were happy to find trusted partners here in Zambia to use the resources from America. Together as a team, we have done incredible things. Ellen and I have been involved with ChildFund for over 40 years sponsoring children but Amy took us to another level because when she when she made specific requests in her Will for us to continue the work and do something significant for Emmanuel and his community, it is something we want to be part of it,” he said.
Mr. Bell urged donors around the world to consider sponsoring more children in different parts of the world.
