Monday Morning

MONDAY MORNING The work week starts with a number of visits to projects that the Livingston Rotary Clubs have been working on. These projects all could use some assistance. Like most problems here in Zambia these projects are large and worthwhile. Our first stop was to a school for deaf children. There are no government programs to address their special needs. This school was set up by a very passionate woman from the US but little attention was paid to creating a sustainable structure for the school. Their main and largest patron has pulled out leaving them in desperate financial shape. The kids at the school melted our hearts. Next stop was to several projects designed to help trafficked women. These women are now learning new skills to not only help build their self confidence, self worth and learn new skills that will help carry them to a brighter future. The first consists of a sewing program where the are producing some fabulous clothing items. The next is a farm in the country where tending crops and livestock can employ the graduates of the sewing program giving them long term stability. We took a long very rough bumpy ride to visit this property. Their major need is a well to give them a reliable water source. They are presently tending some crops with local groundwater. There is essentially no infrastructure in place at this time. The fourth project was an orphanage for local children with no stable home. Their goal is to care for these children as long is it takes with the hope that some family member will step up and take the child in. All these projects require needs far beyond the resources of the local Rotary Clubs. Perhaps we may be able to offer some help in the form of a Global Grant through the Rotary Foundation.

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