Fencing at the farm

Tomorrow is Saturday, the day where we work with the sponsored students helping them with their volunteer work. The past several saturdays many of the Kalomo High School grade 11 and 12 students have been assisting our new farm manager, Yobe Banda to build a fence. Our cattle need to be confined to a smaller area. All the post hole digging is done by hand, as is the fixing of the barbed wire to the posts. Lots of hard work - but "our" boys do it with smiles and then afterwards we feed them buns and juice. We spend time in singing and devotion before transporting back to school on the back of the big truck. The grade 10 sponsored students stay back at KHS and work at the "piggery". Sometimes a few grade 10's sneak on the truck and even sometimes some kids that are not sponsored by ZMF-C escape to the farm with us!
I will stay at the Guest House with about 25 of our local sponsored kids. I'm trying to get them to look after a large garden that will then feed some of our young kids (grade 8 and 9's) who are boarding at Namwianga Basic school.
Last week, we had some of the kids dig a pit that will become the compost. When I checked back later at their progress it was deep and wide enough to hold a casket for a giant. I asked the gardener (that we have until April 7) to please fill some of it in! He did.
Richard is trying out his cell phone. He likes to put jazzy music as his ringer and the kids laugh when he dances to the ringing!
We appreciate hearing from any of you!
suekrogs@sasktel.net
richardkrogsgaard@sasktel.net

trying our blogsite while in Zambia

Hello all,
We have power in our house tonight and we have e-mail. This is a rare event and while both are up I'm giving my best shot at blogging.
Webster is one of our newest sponsored kids and I always tell him I love his surname. I'd like to have the name mandumandu myself! Webster seems like a good pick for the program. When I did a surprise visit to the Kalomo High School library this week Webster was only one of 8 in the library studying. Kalomo High School has about 1200 kids! We'll watch Webster and see how he does. Term 1 of 2010 closes April 9 and the kids will holiday until term 2 in May. The grade 9 and 12's will stay and get extra help for 2 weeks of the holiday in order to prepare for their government exams in November of this year. Government exams are very difficult and take much serious preparation.

Today, we were in Livingstone at the auditors with Shepherd, our general manager and all of the 2009 accounting information. In 2 weeks we'll be told whether we're on track and hopefully get more tips on how to move ahead so that ZRA could be satisfied should they be interested in looking at our books.

Tomorrow, Saturday is when we work alongside our many sponsored kids with their volunteer work! Richard will take a pile of them out to Seven Fountains farm and I'll manage the 25+ kids that will show up here. Lots of fun.

Hold on everyone - Richard bought a cell phone today while in Livingstone. Shepherd was trying to convince him to spend just a bit more, but he doesn't know my husband as well as I do. I told Shepherd that his advice was still good b/c some of the cheapest deals that my thrifty husband has purchased through the years have not always been the best deals. For example - there were haircuts at Discount Als. :) Oh yah, and he gets as a bonus K5000 per month of talk time. Approximately, $1.25. (that made it a real deal for him!)
Glad to hear from anyone! And sorry about our lack of communication.
You can even phone us - our cell # is 26 0 0974161812 Be sure to dial the international codes first.

December 27, 2009

It's warming up in Saskatchewan! Only -14C this afternoon ~ and with no wind and a clear, blue sky it felt fine outside!

Hope your day was a good one!
Sue K

Testing, testing!

December 26, 2009

It's been almost a year since I posted (or rather since Bill posted for me, thanks Bill). I'm determined to learn - so have dedicated a bit of time today to figuring this blog thing all out!

So...greetings again!

Today I'm back at work after enjoying much family time and food yesterday. Our house was full as were our tummies! Today, the kids are mostly dispersed to other sides of their families.
Tim and Krista are back out to the farm, Tori and Sharon flew to Winnipeg this am. Tiffany and Layne went down to the farm - for hockey and more food and fun! Aaron and Lorraine are staying close to home - the countdown for grandchild # 1 is on. January - the birth month is very soon!

Between the feasting times yesterday our family put together a sing song at the hospital. My patients were a great participatory audience and seemed to appreciate our short, and mostly unrehearsed visit!

February 18 we leave for 6 months in Zambia - and are looking forward to being back with our friends there!

It is -21 today - so the warmer weather will be an additional bonus!

Enjoy the season and all its fellowship,
Sue

Siabalumbi grade 7 students score very well!

A first for Siabalumbi and Katungu
grade 7 students write government exams!!

Siabalumbi teacher - Mr. Simalondo, Mr. Namuswa (headteacher)
along with grade 7 students

Every year grade 7, 9 and 12 Zambian students must write government exams. They are tough—even tougher if a student has not had a proper learning environment. With donor help ZMF-C has been able to assist with creating better learning environments. Many donors have assisted so that classrooms, teacher housing and toilets can be built. As well, donors have contributed toward community teacher “bonuses/salary”. Containers sent from Canada have been filled with desks, blackboards, paper, textbooks, shoes, and uniforms.

The 2008 Siabalumbi results are out and the scores were great! The teachers and students are thrilled. This translates to further education opportunities for students.

Thanks, for being a part of creating better learning environments for Zambian children and for being part of their future goals!

Christmas Time for the Sponsored Students

Erick, Danny, Castrol, Jean, Lovelyn – all sponsored students at Namwianga Christian Basic school received their 2009 school uniforms yesterday! And Castrol got new shoes!

The school year in Zambia runs from January to December and has 3 terms. All students that attend a government operated school must wear uniforms! Last year I bought uniforms for our sponsored students, but this year I decided to assist a couple of ladies' groups by creating some income generating activity. For me it created extra activity as I had to measure the kids, check out prices of what it would cost to just buy the uniforms and actually go find the kids as not all of them are in the same place at the same time, like at school! And as is the case of Jean’s uniform send the dress back for adjustments (which actually got done the same afternoon that Jean tried on the dress—unbelievable!)

The Siabalumbi sewing club was able to generate K90,000 for the sewing of the uniforms (there were more than are shown in the photo) and our two new Chodort graduates (HIV patients – Lucia and Alice) will also receive the same for the sewing of the Good Hope sponsored students uniforms. The sewing club income will go back into the Siabalumbi school for purchasing of notebooks, pencils…
Mrs. Simalondo – the most active member of the Siabalumbi sewing club.
Mr. Simalondo is one of the teachers at Siabalumbi school where ZMF-C has built a classroom buildings, teacher housing and toilets.

Anna Kanana

It’s almost Christmas!

Each year a certain donor always sends a gift to granny Anna Kanana. She is a muchembele (old woman) who has responsibility for many grandchildren, one of them is Susan—one of our former sponsored students. Most of her own children have died, so Anna has done what any decent granny would do, cared for them, even though she has no source of income. She regularly comes to visit me, and after tea and buns , I send her on her way with some mealie meal, kapenta or beans. She also visits the Kasiyas, our neighbours and fellow ZMF-C workers, and receives vegetables from their garden. She is always grateful and always thanks me with every Tonga word of thanks! She knows only a couple of English words, but for the most part we communicate just fine! Smiles, hugs, tea, rubbing of the tummy indicating hunger, not too hard to understand!This year I gave her the kwacha instead of purchasing groceries. She liked this idea because she said she might buy some fertilizer for her maize field as well as the groceries. So, family in Regina who donates to this woman and her family: thanks a bunch from Anna Kanana and may God continue to bless you.

James 1:27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress Twalumba maninge!