Fuel Efficient Stoves for 23 Grandmothers

Early in the morning of International Women’s Day, I was sleeping, I just wanted to sleep in.  But then someone began knocking on my door, and I got up to answer it.  I found there was this old, old lady.  She was carrying this big sack on her back like a baby.  I said, “Ah, Sylvia, what are...

It is a good thing there are grandmothers in Zambia and in the world today! Imagine life with out them. Who would take the orphans in with arms wide open just to see them cared for and in a home where they felt safe?  The grandmothers sponsored at Chikumbuso are caring for many grandchildren left to them after the...

Let us not forget our grandfathers. In Ng'ombe, Lusaka there are many old men who do not have work, homes, or people to care for them. One of these men is White. White became a part of Chikumbuso back in 2007 when we began working with grandmothers. He and his wife lived together in a very small home and were desperate for...

  At one o'clock on Thursday I decided to go and visit some of our sponsored grandmothers to see how they were getting along. There is no doubt in my mind that these grandmothers struggle everyday to provide for the grandchildren left in their care. Yet everyday they get up and do what they must so that the children...

The word "grandmother" brings back memories for all of us. Everyone loves their grandmother and everyone remembers something their grandmother did for them. My grandmother made fudge... she did lots of other things too. She taught me about money and how to save it for the carnival each spring.  Grandmothers in Zambia...

Maines Ngoma is the widow in this picture.  She is the mother of Christine Khosi, one of our widows that passed away back in August 2010.  Maines lives on the corner of the street that comes into Chikumbuso. A couple of weeks ago, Gertrude told me Maines had come to Chikumbuso.  “You see me,” she...

Violet is one of our grandmothers.  She joined Chikumbuso's grandmother project in 2009.   Violet's husband died eight years ago, shortly after he retired from his work at the University of Zambia.  Violet herself used to sell cooking oil and other items at the local market while her husband was at work. They...

Yesterday Gertrude and I were talking about electricity.  Gertrude had the opportunity to visit one of the local dams providing electricity in Zambia.  She now appreciates how the systems work and when the 'brown outs' happen locally, she knows that at this time of year it is because the water table is lowering...

Our Grandmothers are really benefiting from their new stoves.  It gets surprisingly cold here in Zambia.  The construction of the homes in Ng'ombe don't offer much protection either, basic block construction, no insulation and a metal roof.  The rocket stoves create a bit of warmth on a cold evening....

A growing family is generally something we say congratulations for.  Sometimes for us, the growing of a family is a moment to be sad, though.  One of our dear widows, Brenda, has a growing family with the addition of a new baby.  The blessing is mixed because the reason of the baby's coming is a sad one, the...

  Chikumbuso Women and Orphans Project looks for better solutions in helping our grandmothers. Every month we reach out to 23 courageous women who care for their grandchildren left to them after their own children died.  As part of Chikumbuso’s mission statement “to remember to do for others” we...

Our Grandmothers still need stoves… Ellie was sitting out on the ground in front of her door. She is one of our sponsored grandmothers which means that every month one of the Chikumbuso widows goes to check on how she is doing and brings her a 25 kg. bag of mealie meal, oil, laundry soap, salt, sugar and charcoal....

This year I have been thinking about how communities function. What keeps them ticking? What glue holds them together? In Ng’ombe where I work I am constantly amazed/bewildered by what goes on around me. There are about 120,000 people living in poverty in a three mile area. Many have never been to school, many are...