Our partners in Buntolo have recently celebrated  Young People’s Day, this annual heartwarming event brings together all the children whose education and wellbeing is supported by our sponsors.  It is a celebration of achievement as well as an opportunity to share the experience of group work and a moment to reflect on the most important issues in the lives of  young people in the Monze district of Zambia.

All seven Wellbeing groups from Buntolo came together.  Sister Purity, who leads the Wellbeing programme, said she was thrilled to see so many attend in spite of the rains.  A total of 77 children and 7 group leaders congregated at the Makangala Pre-School, which continues to serve as a community hub.

Mr Royd Siambeta from PPAZ, Planned Parenthood Association of Zambia, gave a motivational presentation about his own educational journey and the important work he does today in helping to prevent early marriages.

  Christohper Chiinda, BFZ alumni, spoke inspiringly of his experience of sponsorship through BFZ.  He encouraged the children to succeed in education, as he had, ‘as a weapon against poverty’.

The children had prepared performances of cultural dances, poems and drama to raise awareness of child trafficking, child marriage, drug abuse and the importance of education. These performances showcased the themes regularly explored in the Wellbeing sessions.

  Prizes were awarded to children who have worked consistently hard this year.  Gifts of school bags, books, pens and maths sets were presented in recognition of their efforts.

It was a hugely positive day for all. Thank you to all supporters of BFZ for making this rewarding day possible.

“A story of loss and resilience, Clara used her own grief and struggles to support the founding of BFZ and ensure the continued evolution of our projects.”  

From the beginning, there was Clara − a tireless advocate for the children, who has worked relentlessly to support and steer BFZ to achieve the greatest impact. Clara assists with a network of community groups who have joined forces to raise the prospects of children in their care. BFZ began supporting this network in 2011. 

Roll back to the 1980s and you will find Clara working as an administrative assistant at the government grain store, making the most of her prized education to write reports and work accounts. Clara is married and about to start a family that will bring her six children. Twenty years later, Clara’s story became one of a series of losses – first her job (the grain store closed down), then her husband, then three of her children. This left Clara alone, raising her last-born teenage sons − twins who are as different from each other as chalk and cheese, but united in facing enormous challenges alongside their mother.  

Clara knew so many women in her community whose situations were similar to her own. Many did not have the benefit of education. Many were left caring for their grandchildren. But all shared a determination to make things better for the next generation.  

Clara founded A’tugwasyane (in the local Tonga language this means ‘let us help one another’) community group, which brought together women caring for orphans and vulnerable children. Clara used her administrative skills to support a network of community groups working together to improve the lives of the children in their care.  

Since BFZ joined forces with this network in 2011, the groups have grown to cover seven different communities. Clara still works tirelessly within her own community, hosting and supporting the weekly BFZ Wellbeing sessions and keeping a watchful eye, offering counsel and support to all the households in her group.   

When she is not busy in her group, helping care for her grandchildren, sewing stars or planting maize, Clara supports our BFZ Coordinator to run our projects − from paying school fees to purchasing food for pre-school meals to writing budgets and reports. Clara is the ultimate grafter, full of compassion and humour, hope and love.   

Clara and women like her are BFZ, they embody our mission to create a better present and a brighter future for the children who need it most.   

10 Years, 10 Weeks, £10K!

To mark our 10 -year anniversary, members of our trustee board and other supporters have embarked on an ambitious challenge to walk/ cycle/ swim or even kayak the length of Zambia and raise £10,000 to continue to expand our life changing work. This week the team have virtually followed the Zambezi river for an impressive 157km to reach the town of Sesheke on the Namibian border.   

If you would like to support their efforts and help us reach our target you can donate here. 

“Made under African skies, BFZ stars are handcrafted from traditional citenge fabric by our community group members, each one is unique and beautiful.”  

BFZ offers small start-up grants, allowing community members to buy the materials to craft the stars, and then buys the finished stars from the women at a fair price. The stars are easy to transport and now decorate many a Christmas tree in the UK, Switzerland, Canada and beyond! 

The community groups BFZ supports are full of tough, enterprising women. The kind of women who face one challenge after another and keep on finding solutions for a better future. A few years ago, we faced a problem. Citenge handicrafts were being sold for vital additional income, but the method wasn’t working for everyone. Women had to travel to our centre to use the sewing machines, which is a major hurdle if you live in a rural community miles away and care for several young children!   

The solution? Hand-stitched stars which could be made at home by anyone with the patience to perfect the skills required to craft them.  

Some of the women have re-invested the profits they have earned to buy solar lamps to allow them to work (and the children to study) after dark, and even to launch new small businesses. You could say that these stars are helping to make the stars of the future.   

We offer the stars for a suggested donation of just £1, and any profit we make goes back into supporting BFZ’s other projects, like the Makangala Preschool and our sponsorship programmes.  

Demetria is an enthusiastic star crafter and explains the benefits for her:  

“There are challenges being a woman in Zambia, especially the rural women. It is hard to find things to do like business and work and to care for the children. I really appreciate the skills imparted to me in learning to sew the stars. The money raised from the stars helps in paying for school fees for those children not on sponsorship and buying other essential things that are needed at home.”  

If you could host some stars at your workplace or in a community setting, please contact us and we can provide you with a presentation box and collection tin.  

 10 Years, 10 Weeks, £10K!

To mark our 10 -year anniversary, members of our trustee board and other supporters have embarked on an ambitious challenge to walk/ cycle/ swim or even kayak the length of Zambia and raise £10,000 to continue to expand our life changing work. This week the team have travelled a collective distance of 132km to virtually reach the tiny town of Siashona in Zambia’s Southern Province. 

 If you would like to support their efforts you can donate here.  

“My way of living is not comfortable. I’ve got so many orphans to look after sometimes I even struggle to feed them. Even sleeping is a problem — the house is just too small. We have to squeeze when we sleep. I do piece work to try to clothe and feed them. Like in the rainy season I work in other people’s fields.” 

Clementina met Brighter Futures Zambia through the Buntolo Orphan Carers group back in 2011. She is a widow and, after the death of her sister and children, she is raising her orphaned grandchildren and niece alongside her own children. The story is sadly a common one in Zambia. However, being part of the Buntolo Orphan Carers group has helped Clementina, practically and emotionally. 

Caring for nine children is hard, but being part of BFZ has brought support and hope for the future. 

Clementina has supplemented her income with group farming, making BFZ Christmas star decorations and through our Good Goat project.  

Counselling training made possible by BFZ has enabled Clementia not only to help those in her care to manage their grief, it has also helped Clementia address her own. Clementina is very close to the other caregivers in her group. 

Clementia’s eldest grandson completed his education through the BFZ sponsorship scheme. He will graduate college next year and Clementina hopes that his younger brother will also gain a place on the sponsorship scheme to enable him to follow his big brother’s example and achieve a brighter future.  

10 Years, 10 Weeks, £10K !

To mark our 10 -year anniversary, members of our trustee board and other supporters have embarked on an ambitious challenge to walk/ cycle/ swim or even kayak the length of Zambia and raise £10,000 to continue to expand our life changing work. It’s another exciting week for our challengers as they have collectively travelled the 195km to virtually arrive in Zambia’s capital city Lusaka.  

If you would like to support their efforts and help us reach our target you can donate here.