November 2010
Relief Goods shipped to Zambia
Earlier in the year, in June of 2010 to be correct, three large boxes full of relief goods were sent to Zambia via the postal system. After an eventful three-month journey all three boxes did eventually arrive in Ndola where the contents were distributed to the poorest of the poor among the population.
Most of the boxes were filled with clothing and other household items. All contents as well as the cost of shipping were donated by the Frei family in Oberhallau, Schaffhausen (Switzerland).
November 2010
Fundraiser in Oberhallau
A humanitarian fundraiser, organized and conducted by the Lutheran-reformed church congregation of Oberhallau, took place in the local village activity center on November 21, 2010. Many local volunteers turned this event into a wonderful afternoon, which was attended by numerous families from the community itself and its surroundings. Coordinated by Daniel Frei, the complete iChange team was able to meet up and attend this event together.
Aside from the sale of coffee & cake, baked goods, crafts and other items a popular raffle event also fascinated many of the younger generation. Half of the proceeds from the sale of food and the other items as well as the raffle were donated to HEKS, a humanitarian organization conducting a special relief project for the victims of the catastrophic flooding in Pakistan. The other half of the afternoon proceeds were given to iChange as a continued support of its various projects in Zambia.
Dezember 2010
Voluntary Work by Cordelia F.
The sparkling caused by the glittery sun, reflected back from the ubiquitous tin sheet roofs, meets my eyes the moment I land at Ndola airport. Some of those roofs belong to Mackenzie community, which just borders on one side of the airport. But - the smiling faces of the people who came from Mackenzie community to meet me at the airport seem to sparkle even more. I feel comfortable right away, thanks to their warm welcome!
From the first day on, my host-family, the Chishas,
give me the feeling of being part of their family. There are some moments I enjoy
in particular: for instance, sitting in the garden in the mornings with a cup
of tea in my hand watching the sun rise from behind the palm trees, while my
host-father explains to me how to manage the garden so that it produces almost
everything the family needs with regards to food supplies.
October 2010
10th year Anniversary at Mackenzie Community School
This year Mackenzie Community School will be 10 years old, therefore the Community together with the teachers and children of the Community School will be celebrating the 10 years of being in operation from the time it was built 2000 to 2010.
The school has expanded from grade 1 to grade 4 and from one classroom block to four classroom blocks. Furthermore the number of teachers has increased from one to four teachers and a helper over a period of ten years.
Oktober 2010
Projects Summer 2010
Thanks to very generous and substantial donations by the church congregation of Oberhallau, Schaffhausen, we were able to renovate one of the local gospel churches in Mackenzie. Shortly after my arrival I met with the leadership of the congregation and inspected the building. Sadly enough, the church was still in the same dilapidated state as one year before when we had looked at it as a potential project for the first time. The mud walls were crumbling and falling apart in places, showing cracks and holes – they clearly would not last much longer. In addition, the roof wasn't water-tight anymore either, and during rainy season the whole church turned into a major puddle of standing water.
September 2010
Teachers' Support
At the beginning of September, the three teachers of Mackenzie Community School as well as the long-serving cook for the first time started to receive from iChange a limited token of financial support for their work. All four of them serve in a voluntary capacity and are dependent on support from the community itself as well as other humanitarian organizations. Without their tireless efforts the overall existence of Mackenzie Community School in general would be in danger - and for many of its students this would endanger the only option for primary education available to them as they cannot afford the high tuition at public or other private schools.
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