At the beginning of this year many areas in Southern Africa experienced high winds and heavy rainfall. In Zambia, the Kabwe and Chisamba regions have been hit very hard. There has been significant damage caused to a number of homes within the communities we serve.In some cases, homes collapsed in the night, leaving families with nowhere to go.
Be a part of helping us bring relief to the most vulnerable children and communities directly impacted by crises like heavy rainfall.
June 2022
Progress Report | A Renewed Sense of Hope | Zambia Region
As climate change continues to disrupt seasons and create unpredictable weather patterns, the most vulnerable are always hardest hit. Families who live in simple home structures and survive off their land bear the brunt of heavy rain and wind with catastrophic implications.
In early 2022, heavy rainfall and high winds hit southern Africa. In Zambia, the Kabwe and Chisamba regions were hit particularly hard causing significant damage to many homes within the communities being served by Hands at Work. In some cases, houses even collapsed in the middle of the night, leaving vulnerable families with nowhere to go.
The initial phase of Hands at Work’s response varied depending on the community and severity of the situation. In some cases, local houses were rented for families while others were placed with family or neighbours within the community. Where possible, temporary fixes were made to make homes more secure. Each and every family affected was cared for throughout this season, and were given regular food and blankets.
Now in the drier winter months, the rebuilding of homes in the Kabwe and Chisamba region is in full swing. Committed to local community ownership, Hands at Work is utilising local builders and suppliers wherever possible to support the work. Additionally, four young people who have been trained through the Hands at Work Youth Discipleship Program from Chisamba Community were employed in the reconstruction work. These young men, though once extremely vulnerable themselves, have developed practical, employable skills and are now rebuilding homes for members of their own communities!
The home constructions not only ensure the physical safety of children and their families today, but they help to ensure their health and wellbeing for the future. The goal has always been to ensure that the houses being rebuilt are stronger and more robust to give families the reassurance they are safe and sheltered for years to come.
In total, there will be 30 new homes constructed across the communities of Baraka, Chisamba, Malakota, Miswa, Mutaba, Nissi and Susu. Thus far, 22 homes have been constructed - 13 in Kabwe and 9 in Chisamba. Three homes are in the process of being constructed in Kabwe, while two homes have had simple maintenance repairs, and there are five homes that are yet to be constructed between the Chisamba and Kabwe regions. The teams of builders are working at an astonishing rate, bringing a renewed sense of hope and joy to desperate families.
“I want to say thank you for this good work that you have done to remember us who are vulnerable. Where we were living, it was raining and leaking. We never had any hope that someone would come and help us. But now we have a house. We are so grateful. My prayer is that you don’t lack and that God will provide more for you.
”
“Before, it was so difficult because my house was so damaged that rain used to come through. It was hard to sleep. Now I can sleep safely with my grandchildren. I am so grateful. I was so hopeful that one day God would come through, and now He has.”
– Gogo Christine from Malakota Community
““Today, my seven grandchildren and I are able to sleep protected and well covered because previously, after the house fell, we were almost sleeping outside. We are now safe. May God bless you so you can continue blessing others who are in similar situations to us.””
“Initially, when our house fell, I felt bad because it was hopeless, but I thank God because the church helped us and started paying rent for us in a temporary home and then people built us a new house. We are so grateful.”
February 28, 2022
An Answer to Prayer
When the local Hands at Work team in Chisamba, alongside the Regional Support Team and the Care Workers, began walking in the community and assessing the damage being done by the heavy rains, the families whose homes were already in need of minor repairs were in fear that further rains would do even more damage.
Mary’s home was one of those homes. What had been a small crack in her mud brick home was getting worse as the rains came down. Care Worker Brenda came to check on Mary and her family and invited them to come and stay in her own home for a few nights, out of concern that Mary’s house would collapse.
The next morning, when they returned to Mary’s house, the roof had caved in and one of the walls had collapsed in the night. It was an answer to prayer that the family had been in the safety of Brenda's home when their house fell.
Mary and her youngest daughter standing in front of their collapsed house.
Mary and her youngest daughter standing in front of their temporary house!
February 22nd, 2022
A Compassionate Response by the Local Church
When the heavy rains began in the Chisamba region in Zambia, 16-year-old Christina’s* home was one of the first to be destroyed. At the time, she was staying with her three younger siblings. Their mother had gone to the field to find work, leaving the girls on their own. Christina was scared but knew she could turn to her local Care Workers from the Chisamba Care Point in this desperate time of need. The Care Workers quickly alerted local church pastors Peter and Cecelia Mulenga, who are part of the Hands at Work team in Chisamba.
Peter was so shaken by this family’s situation that he shared it with the leadership of his church. Acting quickly and out of their own resources, Peter and his fellow church members worked to ensure Christina and her siblings had a safe place to live. They were able to secure a small two-roomed home for them to rent, and are committed to paying the rent until their home can be rebuilt by Hands at Work.
Peter shares, “When we discovered that these children’s home had collapsed and the mother was away, my church wanted to help! As a church, we are committed to this family now. We have a passion for them and we want to see them find safety and healing.”
Hands at Work's vision is to see the local church in Africa caring for the most vulnerable within their community. The response of the church in Chisamba in a time of crisis is a beautiful example of the body of Christ caring for its people!
Christina and her families house after it collapsed
Local church pastors Peter and Cecelia Mulenga, who are part of the Hands at Work team in Chisamba standing with Christina and one of her three siblings in front of their new temporary home!
February 12th, 2022
Our Response - Heavy Rainfall in Southern Africa in early February
“It’s still raining daily here in Zambia, but it’s much softer, and it seems like we have gone through the worst.
Our relief work, which is the important immediate phase of our response, has happened.
I can tell you that all the families who were devastated by losing their homes are in safe places. We rented some houses for a few months for some people, and others were placed with family or within the community. In some cases, where we could, we made temporary fixes to make the homes secure. Everybody has blankets and food and is well looked after. We are so grateful. The team worked very hard to make the relief stage happen immediately.
In terms of rebuilding homes, we will rebuild 12 homes in Chisamba, which is the most southern of our Zambia communities, and then in Kabwe, Zambia, where we have a number of communities, we will completely rebuild at least 7 houses. There are also some homes where we can make some permanent repairs.
In this phase, we will be working with people in our communities at ground zero who know how to forecast and how to plan and arrange the logistics. We are making sure we know where we are going to store everything, how many bricks we need, and so on.
We must ensure that the houses that we rebuild are stronger than the houses that these families had before. For example, we will build their homes with bricks that have been burnt with fire and are much more resilient to strong rains and winds.
We will have three building teams ready to build once the rains have finished. We can’t start the building phase yet, but in the meantime, we are organising all the logistics to make sure everything is in place. Once the rain is gone and the soil is dry, we can rebuild as quickly as we can.
We have made huge progress with the relief work, and the planning is in full swing to rebuild all the houses. Pray that the rains, as they move north and are in the Copperbelt now, will not be as intense and cause as much damage as they did in the southern part of Zambia.
Thank you for standing with us.”
- George Snyman, Co-founder of Hands at Work in Africa
February 3rd, 2022
Heavy Rainfall across Southern Africa
Over this past week many areas in Southern Africa have experienced high winds and heavy rainfall. In Zambia, the Kabwe and Chisamba regions have been hit very hard.
There has been significant damage caused to a number of homes within the communities we serve. In some cases, homes collapsed in the night, leaving families with nowhere to go.
Please join us in praying for the Hands at Work teams in Zambia as they work together with the local Care Workers to respond to this crisis. Pray for temporary housing to be arranged for each of our families, giving them a safe place to shelter. Pray for courage for each family who has been impacted in this season. Pray that they will experience the love of God through an outpouring of compassion and generosity from their surrounding community.
“The rain was coming down heavy in the night. I said to my husband we need to run before the roof comes down. As we were leaving the house, the whole roof caved in. God protected us, but our home is destroyed.” - Gogo Levina, Malakota Community, Kabwe.
