By Mainess N. Chilumbwa | Managing Director
I feel both proud and humbled by how far we have come as an organisation. This year, much of our effort has continued to be focused inward on strengthening our team and building systems that will support our long-term growth. Whether through in-house training like Jolly Phoenix for our teachers or learning under the mentorship of larger organisations, we have grown in confidence, knowledge and purpose.
Of course, the year is not without its challenges.Our limited indoor space, especially during the rainy season, means that we have to turn some children away, something that never sits well with us. We also experienced setbacks due to inconsistent electricity supply, which has affected our daily record-keeping and slowed some of our operations. Most painfully, we lost a few valued team members because we simply couldn’t afford to retain them, reminders of the importance of sustainable and flexible funding.
Yet, despite these hurdles, we have also witnessed remarkable achievements. One of the year’s greatest highlight was receiving a generous donation of land from a kind couple to build an education centre in Makeni, Chilanga. This new facility will feature a modern library for 1500 children, a special needs unit, and additional amenities, marking a transformative step forward in our vision to provide long-term educational solutions and much-needed space for learning and growth. It’s like a dream beginning to take shape.Through out the year we continue gathering meaningful data to better understand our impact.While library visits showed a slight decline of 13% due to temporary school closures caused by a brief cholera outbreak in some parts of the country, we saw a 7.59% increase in new members. We also reached even more children through four successful outreach events, ensuring our services extended beyond our walls.
To our donors, supporters and community…thank you! Your belief in us fuels everything we do.
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