LETTERS FROM OUR FOUNDER, LINDA & GENERAL MANAGER, TRUDY
Dear friends,
On a personal level 2024 was a year that turned my days upside down with a cancer diagnosis and a very abrupt acknowledgement of my vulnerabilities. I have been on a challenging journey of both physical and spiritual recovery. Coming face to face with frailties is not easy yet through it all I never felt alone. I felt your presence as you all held me up through prayers and a constant love.
Throughout the year, despite my absence, Chikumbuso flourished as I knew it would! I am thrilled to see the strong commitment of our teachers and administration as they create, care for and build a more sustainable community in Ng’ombe. The teachers spend time in workshops learning how to reach more children. The sewing group continues to grow with our yearlong training program and new community room. Production on our farm in Chongwe is becoming more bountiful with vegetables, chickens, and goats!
Chikumbuso fills my heart and always will. My husband and I will continue to live in Zambia for 4-5 months every year and I will spend lots of time at the center. Please know that this year has given me the confidence to know that with or without me each of our member’s focus will be on the success of a community full of love and possibilities.
Please read this report knowing that so much of Chikumbuso is reflected in each one of you and the blessings that you share with those in Ng’ombe.
Fondly,
In 2024, our country faced a devastating drought that led to nationwide crop failure. The price of mealie meal became too expensive for many families and caused widespread hunger among our students.
As someone who witnessed this hunger firsthand, I want to sincerely thank our board members and kind supporters who stepped in during this crisis. Your generous donations allowed us to buy extra food for the community, and we began a daily breakfast program to support our existing lunch program—helping students focus on learning instead of hunger. This truly saved lives.
We were also blessed with a grant this year to expand and secure our sustainable farm. The produce grown will now supplement our feeding programs, helping us lower costs and provide better nutrition for our students.
The sustainability of our programs at Chikumbuso would not be possible without the unwavering support of our sponsors.
Thank you,
OUR SITUATION - 2024
On February 29, 2024, Zambia's president declared the drought a national disaster. Wells ran dry, electrictal load shedding disrupted life for Zambians in all walks of life, and the poor suffered exponentially. We asked for your help and you responded! Chikumbuso purchased $30,000 worth of beans, rice, kapenta, wheat, and sorghum and shared it with our neighbors. Along with purchasing food for distribution, we also made grants for 8 people to start businesses, helped several families return to their villages, and helped several severely distressed women.
“In 2017 they came to Chikumbuso as toddlers with zero reading and mathematical skills, some even without an understanding of why they are in school.
Over the years, our dedicated team of teachers and sponsors have defied all odds to transform these young minds into responsible, purposeful bookworms.
Last year was another year where we had 100% pass rate for these students to secondary school. What a delightful transformation! And what deep joy it brings to be a part of their journey!”
-Mishek, School Principal
Kinshasa received a grant to start a business
OUR EDUCATION PROGRAM
We made a bold decision early in the year to make sure every student attending Grades 8-12 would receive food to take home to their families. We believed that this would level the playing field between sponsored and unsponsored children when they went off to local schools. What we didn’t know was that there would be a drought and famine that would take people to an even deeper level of food insecurity than before. So many families came to give thanks for their students’ monthly bag of mealie meal. Our goal of keeping students in school magnified into keeping families fed.
Dear Chikumbuso,
Thank you. You have been a place to call home. We never had the opportunity to go to school and you were there to provide us with a wellstructured classroom with good teachers.
You provide us with breakfast and lunches enabling us to focus in class and to keep us from hunger at home. You even share small things like the fruit from your garden. Just know they are big to us! We promise to do our level best at school as a sign of appreciation for your support.
Josphat Kabwe Grade
7
GIVING BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY
MICRO ENTERPRISE
In 2024, we added a new component to our STARY program. We found that graduates of our tailoring class needed additional support to move on after class. We expanded our factory and classroom with a space for a Co-op to meet and sew their own products for sale, giving Chikumbuso a small amount to cover expenditures.
GRANDMOTHERS
Each month, our grandmothers receive essential supplies—mealie meal, soap, oil—and medical care, easing the burden of daily life. In 2024, we said goodbye to two of them, Efinia and Catherine. They began their journeys at Chikumbuso crocheting beautiful bags. Their strength, laughter, and quiet wisdom echo through our community, a lasting part of who we are.
SAFE HAVEN
Our safe haven is a place where you see a child transformed in so many ways. Even in their ability to communicate with others. You can't really tell who is an orphan and who is not. They are encouraged, they aspire to different things, and early on start focusing on how to apply academics to their future.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
EDUCATION FUND & SPONSORSHIP
Change the life of a child through sponsorship. Each child takes home a bag of mealie meal, oil, sugar and soap. A child who brings home food will be encouraged to stay in school and finish their education. Students in Grades 8-12 are supported through our Secondary Education Fund where our goal is to ensure every student has food at home.
TERTIARY EDUCATION FUND
Students that perform well on Grade 12 exams can apply for a scholarship to continue on to college or a trade school. Exam results come out in March and during the interim year our Gap Year program offers a curriculum of life skills, job interview training, and guest speakers that inspire students to excel in whatever profession they choose.
GENERAL DONATIONS
General donations are key to supporting underfunded parts of programs such as transportation, repairs and/or replacement of equipment, and supplies. General donations supply part of the funding to our feeding program, tailoring program, school celebrations, and outreach beyond the Chikumbuso Center.
Happenings around Chikumbuso in 2024...
• As the drought worsened, our students were not eating at home. We added a breakfast program of porridge and bread and it has proven beneficial to all.
• A grandmother's home had a leaky roof and crumbling walls. We rebuilt the home and she is secure with her family in a safe house.
• Completed major capital improvements to The Farm thanks to a District Managed Grant supported by District 7980 Southern Connecticut Rotary. We installed fencing, a water tank with irrigation to our vegetable garden, and built a chicken house for raising chickens, with the goal of a more sustainable future for our feeding program.
• Sewing Co-op offered new income generation opportunities for tailoring graduates.
• 92 students attended tertiary programs.
• 189 primary students sponsored for school and monthly food packages.
• 170 secondary students provided with food, uniforms, and extra tutoring for school success.
CHIKUMBUSO - ZAMBIA
“The effort and commitment of the Chikumbuso community at large to empower individuals through education is truly inspiring. Please know that as teacher here at Chikumbuso, my gratitude extends beyond words. Chikumbuso’s provision of food, books, and other essential necessities, not only alleviates financial burdens, but fosters a sense of belonging and community to everyone involved. I am dedicated to paying it forward by making a positive impact in the lives of my students and the community.” Mutonda Choza, Grade 7 Teacher
FINANCIAL PICTURE
Chikumbuso Project serves the vulnerable with funding from Friends of Chikumbuso, a 501(c)3 based in North Stonington, CT, USA and with help of donors from all over the world. Our 2023 independent audit performed by Doherty, Beals and Banks PC is available on request.
"“Mama Linda, do you see this?" He waved his hands over his body. "All this, would not be here today without Chikumbuso. I started with Chikumbuso in 3rd grade at the Baptist Church in 2005 and now this August I graduate as a doctor of medicine. I am so humbled and blessed.”
-Matthews Malichupu
ANNUAL REPORT 2024
Remember those who have died, Remember where we came from, and Remember to do for others.