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ICT Project
Introduction
At the end of 2004 one of the street children was knocked down by a motor vehicle while crossing a road, possibly high on "jenkem".
Several of us visited him in Chingola's North Hospital where he had been taken. He was being looked after by his elderly grand mother. We looked at his hospital admission card to find that his address had been entered as "Market Stall No.1, Chiwumpala Market".
This experience lead us to pray about the possibility of setting up a centre for these children.
Vision
Our long-term plan is to be able to provide a home and give the children a sense of belonging and security. The children will be able to go to local school and be monitored by hostel parents. We hope to have workshops for training in a vocational skill such as mechanics, textiles, woodwork and horticulture, and a clinic on site. It is a very exciting venture and one in which we need much guidance, so prayer would be much appreciated.
The Plot
In 2005, we made an application to the local council for a plot of land in the area. Some time later in March 2006, we received a call from the council to say that land had been allocated to us. The land allocation was free, but we had to pay the council a nominal registration fee.
The next week, we took the council engineer out to map the land. We were originally allocated 75 x 75 metres but were able to negotiate it up to 150 x 150 metres. Once the land was pegged out, we had to arrange for concrete markers to be put in place and then a plan to be draw up by the council in order to make an application for a plot number with the Ministry of Lands in Ndola. Further surveys and formal procedures, which have taken a lot of time, followed and now we have our plot ready for construction.
The Plan
It is our desire to eventually construct 5 hostels on the site and some workshop training facilities for mechanics, woodworking and hand crafts. In time, we hope to have a clinic, Christian bookroom, administration facilities and some guest accommodation.
Each hostel will house up to sixteen children in a family unit, as resources and materials become available we hope to progress with further buildings.
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