The Story of Katetaula Community

Katetaula Community Based Organisation (CBO) was born when the Care Workers in Maranatha Community identified the need to open a second Care Point in the nearby community of Katetaula. The decision was made to create a separate CBO in Katetaula, with its own group of Care Workers and children due to the distance that children had to walk each day to the Care Point. Care Workers from Maranatha, alongside the local Hands at Work team in Luanshya, walked with and invested heavily in newly identified Care Workers in Katetaula, who began feeding 35 children in April 2014.

50 Children currently supported

11 Care Workers coordinated by Ambredo

Basic Services Started in 2014

70 km from the Luanshya Local Office

When Care Workers from the local church gathered, God began the work of transforming and healing the lives of the most vulnerable children in Katetaula. As Care Workers began learning and growing in their understanding of Holy Home Visits and providing basic care to the vulnerable children in their community, they started uniting as a group. Taking initiative, the Care Workers built a small shelter on a piece of land and started doing Holy Home Visits. Participating in a Maranatha Workshop and Care Worker Foundational Training gave the Care Workers a deeper understanding of what it means to serve the most vulnerable and who Jesus is and can be in their lives. As the Care Workers have grown in their capacity, the number of children being cared for has increased to 50.

In 2018, the Chief of Katetaula gave and officially demarcated land for the use of the Katetaula CBO, which the Care Workers took ownership of. They cleared the land and constructed temporary shelters on the property so that the Care Point could shift from where it had been based at one of the Care Worker’s homes. In 2018, the Care Workers, with support from the local Hands at Work team in Luanshya, finished the construction of a cooking shelter, benches and toilet at the new Care Point.

With only one borehole and a few shallow wells which are rapidly drying up, regular access to water is a challenge. Recognising this, Hands at Work constructed a borehole at the Care Point, giving the Care Workers and children free access to safe and clean drinking water. This year marked the beginning of a new season for Katetaula as they opened their Care Point building. In addition to the building, new toilets were constructed at the Care Point

With strongholds in the community like witchcraft, alcohol abuse, childhood marriage and a lack of understanding of the importance of education, the local Hands at Work team in Luanshya and Zambia Regional Support Team (RST) are continuing to walk with and invest in the Care Workers as they grow.

Meet Landisa

13-year-old Landisa* is the eighth born in her family. She lives with both her parents and her two younger siblings. The older seven children live elsewhere. Sadly, both parents have poor health; her mother struggles with leg problems and her father was attacked on his way home from the bar one evening, leaving him with consistent health challenges since. Because of these health issues, both her parents are unable to work regularly. Last year, Landisa was invited to the Care Point after Care Workers noticed her on the outskirts of the Care Point, observing the other children play and eat their meal. Today, Landisa has developed a good relationship with Care Worker Lwisa and enjoys playing games with her friends at the Care Point. She has close relationships with children her age and enjoys learning Bemba and English at school where she is in grade 4.

The local Hands at Work team in Luanshya currently supports eight Community Based Organisations, which exist to care for the most vulnerable in their communities. The office provides training, networking, and encouragement to those Community Based Organisations like Katetaula. It also gives administrative support, including helping with funding proposals, monitoring and evaluation, bookkeeping and reporting to donors.

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