We want to share a bit more about the orphan support group in D.R. Congo! To read the first part of our story, click here.

As we rang in 2022, we heard from the D.R. Congo team lead, Josephine, about their own New Year’s celebration with the orphan support group in Lubumbashi. Dressed in lovely matching outfits, the children had a wonderful time at the party put on by the Wasaidizi.

When we asked about the beautiful outfits and who had made them, Josephine explained that they were hand-made by the first orphan support group!

“Yes the Wasaidizi paid for the fabric but it is the former orphans who sewed for them…They are the orphans of the first group of 2018. Ruth Banza supervised them and also taught them tailoring.”

The orphan support groups are special because they create a space for new connections and familial bonds to be built between the children. How special it is to see the older group come together to make something beautiful for the younger ones to enjoy!

In the D.R. Congo, our team leader, Josephine Kipampe, hosts an orphan support group with the Wasaidizi health workers in the city of Lubumbashi. A group that fosters joy, community, and healing, the support group met for a New Year’s celebration! Josephine shared the above photo and sweet message:

“This is the group of orphans in Lubumbashi… we invited them to come and celebrate with us today. the children were very excited and they said thank you to the Health Ed Connect team for the wonderful work they are doing and also to the Wasaidizi team. We are also saying thank you to the Health Ed Connect team for their support during the year. May God bless you all and we are wishing you all the best and a happy new year 2022.”

Wite are wishing a wonderful new year to each and every person we partner with and serve!

We are thrilled to share that as we move into 2022, the Mulundu community center in the Luapula province of Zambia is nearing completion! The roof has been framed and covered in tin sheets, and the community is helping to finish the final phases of the project!

Luapula Kafwa team lead, Jane, shared her joy with us, saying:

“Hello friends!!!!! Wow Mulundu center has just come out like flying colours. I am so happy, how I wish you were in Zambia today.”

Project coordinator, Musans, shared this sentiment regarding the help from the community:

“People of Mulundu are also fantastic to contribute voluntarily like you see in the photos. I'm so happy.”

Soon, the Mulundu center will be filled with people of all ages, coming together for empowering programs led by community health workers. We share a big “thank you!” to all who have generously shared time and resources to help this project come together in a spectacular fashion! We’re excited for the new year!

Each December, our sister schools in Zambia are alight with excitement for the year-end party! Kafwa volunteers lovingly prepare a special meal and treats as a celebration for the completion of the school year!

When the students arrive, many times the Kafwa have already been up for hours cooking. By lunch time, wonderful aromas of frying chicken or sausage can be smelled all around campus, and tummies are rumbling! As you can see, the joy on the students’ faces makes the day well worth the effort!

Friends, you make smiles like these possible! Even more importantly, you help provide long-lasting blessings of health and education for those who would otherwise lack access. Thank you for blessing others so generously!

COVID-19 waves have hit one after another and our friends in Nepal are making sure that community members are prepared and protected! Nepal team leader, Pinkey, and local community health workers are distributing reusable masks for people in the villages where they volunteer. Well-known and well-trusted, the Svoyamsevaka (Nepali community health worker volunteers) make sure that each person who receives a mask also has clear knowledge of how to use it effectively. They also use the opportunity to teach other healthy practices for virus prevention, including hand washing. Below is the message Pinkey shared:

Thank you HealthEd Connect for your kindness, giving re usable mask to community people. It’s small help but very important thing in current situation. Trying to cover more areas and villages where our volunteers are working. More work to do!  -Pinkey Malla Adikhari, Nepal team lead

COVID-19 is not in the past yet, and we are grateful to our supporters, local leaders, and community health workers for their vigilance in keeping communities healthy!

As our schools in Zambia begin to prepare for the new academic year in January, we were excited to announce pay increases for teachers at all 3 sister schools! These were happy surprises, and our friends put together small celebrations for the occasion. Afterwards, we received these uplifting messages:

“I am so pleased to write you this mail on behalf of all the teachers and School board. There was excitement during our party as letters were presented to teachers and read them.
Teachers appreciated the increment which has come at a time when life is seemingly becoming so difficult due to covid-19 pandemic. The gesture is a motivation which is an indication to us that our partners care so much about our economic well being as the case may be we entirely rely on this appreciation for our survival. This is very sustaining and you have done it in the most transparent manner! Thank you!

In undertaking the party, all the 8 teachers were around and one representative from the school board ( vice treasurer) Joyce Ngosa who encouraged the teachers to put in their level best in the education of the orphan and vulnerable child under our guard. Teaching transforms life completely and so what we do is important and the more reason why all these efforts from friends to help us transform the lives and future leadership of Zambia and the world as a whole.” - Emmanuel Mumba (Mapalo head teacher) and Joyce Ngosa (Kafwa leader and Mapalo School Board Vice Treasurer)

“We are all excited about this wonderful development and it is a huge motivation for the teachers. Thank you very much and please pass this message to entire Health Ed Connect team.” -Jackson Manjai (Zamtan School Board Treasurer)

We are so grateful to YOU, our supporters, for making this possible!

You not only met our $30,000 goal, you more than DOUBLED it, EXCEEDING our goal by  $38,540! That’s why today is “WOW Wednesday” - because you amaze us!

It becomes increasingly clear that one generous act surely sparks another. You have shown us that! Together, as a community, you raised $68,540! Add that to a generous commitment of $30,000 in matching funds, and that's...drum roll please...

$98,540 total investment

for empowering women and children through the loving arms of our Advocates, Builders, Community Health Workers!

 Watch our thank you video! - https://youtu.be/JEj0BzJx-Wo

Your support makes all the difference in ensuring that our community health workers have the tools they need to uplift their communities. Health education, first aid materials, birthing kits, weigh scales, and COVID-19 prevention supplies are part of their tool kits. Through their efforts, orphans and vulnerable children have access to quality education and a hot meal each day. You are granting scholarships for girls to attend high school, training professional nurses, and development for the health workers. The impact of your generosity creates cycles of positive change for generations!

There is so much more we could say, but the most important thing we want to share is THANK YOU!

Our mission to empower women and children through evidence-based health, education, and advocacy is made possible by YOU!

We’ve received happy news from Mapalo, Zambia! The chairman for the PCSC (similar to the PTA in the United States) at Mapalo Young Peace Makers Community School has received his COVID-19 vaccine and is excited to share! Head teacher, Emmanuel Mumba, sent this message:

I am delighted to send you this mail on behalf of Polycarpo, Parent Community School Chairman for Mapalo Young Peace Makers Community School, with his leading role to encourage the women and men who are guardians for the pupils to vaccinate against Covid 19 which has affected our living conditions.

In the Picture is Polycarpo holding his certificate after undertaking the noble choice of  vaccinating! He is now a shining example for many others who shun to take the vaccine based on mere speculations.

He is thankful to healthedconnect for the continued support to the school which has created an opportunity for many vulnerable children in my community.

A shining example, indeed! We are grateful for steps being taken, individually and collectively, in creating healthy communities!

Pssst! We’re nearly a week away from Giving Tuesday! Your donation to HealthEd Connect between Nov. 23-30 will be matched! Please join us and double your impact!

It’s International Education Week! Education is a big part of what we do at HealthEd Connect, and we are excited to focus on the many ways our health worker and teacher colleagues come together to empower bright minds and healthy bodies!

We can’t stress enough how integral education is to health. The community health workers in the Copperbelt province of Zambia found that caretakers of orphans and vulnerable children identified lack of education as the biggest threat to their children’s health, saying “our children may be hungry tomorrow, but without education, they have no future.”

That’s how HealthEd Connect was born! Connecting health and education to empower women and children. Now, 12 years later, we support three sister schools led by teachers and community health workers that empower over 1,400 students! The communities are proud, with active PCSC (equivalent to a PTA committee in the United States), beautiful campuses, and scholarships that allow students to continue through high school level. Additional programs have grown to address education gaps between girls and boys, provide nutritious lunches for all students, and support orphaned children through after-school activities, among other wrap-around programs.

We could not be more proud of the ways health and education are combined at our schools to uplift the lives of our students! Today, at the start of International Education Week, we send a big thank you to all of our supporters, teachers, and community health worker colleagues who make these empowering opportunities possible!

In Biratnagar, Nepal, Svoyamsevaka community health worker Sangeeta spends a great deal of time helping others. As a professional nurse and volunteer health worker, she visits clients who are in need of care, health education, or advocacy. Below is Sangeeta’s written account of her time with client Binita Paswan:

“In my community, most of people are from lower class family. Among that most of people are uneducated so most of them careless about their health and some of them are having high blood pressure and diabetes and they do not take prescribed medicine. Not only that but the financial condition also not so good because of that they are unable to afford medicine also. Near by me, I have one family in my community members named Binita Paswan who is 76 years old. She is having one sided paralysis and speech loss. Somehow they visited hospitals and doctors prescribed some injection medicine and they requested me to apply daily so I was serving he since two weeks. At the day of end while giving injection she started to speak some words and it make me so happy. Now she is getting more better than before. Till now I am visiting and serving her.”

We are so grateful for our colleagues who put such compassion and care into their communities, and for supporters like you who help make stories like Binita’s possible!

We are ECSTATICALLY celebrating the accomplishments and goals of two of our Girls Achievement Program (GAP) graduates!

Carol Chisenga and Everlyn Kase were among the first GAP scholars, and in our first high school graduating class in 2020. But their educational goals didn’t end with high school! This year, they applied for our Professional Nurses scholarship and both were accepted to begin a nursing diploma program!

We feel like proud parents to witness their journey! Carol and Everlyn, both orphans raised by extended family members, were able to attend elementary school at Mapalo Young Peace Makers, supported by HealthEd Connect, for orphans and vulnerable children. They were both able to attend high school with a HealthEd Connect GAP scholarship. And now, they will become professional nurses thanks to a scholarship provided by HealthEd Connect. The impact of this continued education will be life-changing for these young women, both individually, and for their families, and community at large. 

We are able to provide these empowering opportunities, for aspiring young women like Carol and Everlyn, thanks to the dedication of supporters like YOU! We can’t thank you enough!

Did you know that girls with secondary schooling are six times less likely to marry as children (under age 18)? And, women's earnings increase by 10% with each additional year of schooling? These are just a few of the good reasons why we support scholarships for girls! www.healthedconnect.org/walden

Nurses are integral to every society, and HealthEd Connect is proud to steward scholarships that empower women as they pursue their passion for nursing! This past week, HealthEd Connect awarded NINE Professional Nurses scholarships to women who wish to help their communities through compassionate health care. Pictured above is one of the nursing scholars, Nikita Malla, from Biratnagar, Nepal. In the second year of her program, Nikita expressed joy and gratitude to be able to continue, saying:

“I am glad to hear from you and this is a joyful and glorious moment for me…Nursing is not just a profession but it's a passion for me. As before I have given my best in 1 year program and looking forward to give my best in 2 year nursing program too…I am looking forward to serve in my community as a swoyamsebika after the completion of my study. Heartly thanking you all for your support and prayers for me!”

Thank you to all who help to make these dreams a reality! Nurses like Nikita will uplift those in their care, and go on to empower their community with knowledge and passion!

Today is a day to celebrate girls around the world! Recognized by the United Nations, International Day of the Girl brings into focus the challenges and barriers girls face on their way to empowerment. Girls face unique educational, economic, and humanitarian gaps. It is the responsibility of all people to uplift girls through education, access to health and reproductive care, and advocate for their rights!

“Adolescent girls have the right to a safe, educated, and healthy life, not only during these critical formative years, but also as they mature into women. If effectively supported during the adolescent years, girls have the potential to change the world – both as the empowered girls of today and as tomorrow’s workers, mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads, and political leaders. An investment in realising the power of adolescent girls upholds their rights today and promises a more equitable and prosperous future, one in which half of humanity is an equal partner in solving the problems of climate change, political conflict, economic growth, disease prevention, and global sustainability.” - United Nations on International Day of the Girl Child

HealthEd Connect is proud to uplift girls every day - from scholarships for girls in Zambia to reproductive health education for girls in Nepal and many programs in between. We are grateful to YOU for making it possible to empower girls around the world!

We are thrilled to announce on this day, World Teacher’s Day, that all of our teachers at Mapalo Young Peacemaker School have received their COVID vaccinations! Led by the community health workers, the teachers readily chose to get the vaccine and protect themselves from the worst of the pandemic. Mapalo head teacher, Mumba, wrote this:

“It is gratifying to inform you that all the teachers received their vaccine in the name of Johnson-Johnson for Covid-19. As a matter of importance you will appreciate that in our quest to excute our duties we interface learners everyday who come from various homes and this render us vulnerable in view of this deadly pandemic.

We all received the vaccine and thanks for having encouraged to take the vaccine due to the fact there were so many myths surrounding this vaccine but with the information you extended to us have motivated all of us friends to take the vaccine with easy. The Kafwa led the way in the first place and now all the teachers have been vaccinated!”

Join us in congratulating our teachers on their vaccinations AND on being wonderful role models for the students at our schools!

At Kasompe Community School of Peace, the ablution block is nearing completion! Aside from a few minor finishing touches, the block is ready for use! A water tower, borehole (well), and septic system have been installed, while the block itself houses eight toilets, two showers, and two handwashing stations.

Students and teachers will have up-to-date, safe, and sanitary facilities for their school, and have engaged in training in how to properly maintain the facilities. They are so excited! And we are all so grateful to the Rotary grant that made this possible! Special thanks to the members of Kansas City Rotary Club 13 and Kitwe North Rotary Club for their combined efforts and support for this clean water, sanitation, and hygiene project, and to our Kasompe school board for working closely to see this project come to fruition!

In Mulundu, Zambia, a community center is taking shape! Kafwa leader, Jane, and project coordinator, Musans, have done a fantastic job making sure that things are running smoothly. Mothers who are Kafwa clients and children from the local Isubilo (orphan support) groups are coming to visit and pitch in with tangible excitement!

Building a community center is no small feat, and we want to thank YOU for helping to provide this wonderful space in Mulundu! Soon the community can gather here for health education, literacy, grief support, and recreation! It will be filled with the sounds of singing, laughter, reading, and stories of hope and healing!

We recently received news from RN and community health worker, Sangeeta Poudel! Sangeeta has been working hard at the hospital throughout this pandemic, but also spends her spare time out in the community, providing compassionate care and sharing potentially life-saving information. Below is her written record of one of her recent experiences with an at-home client.

“In the mid time of Covid pandemic in Nepal, Everyone is afraid and situation was so painful. At the same time my neighbor came to me and asked to visit his father who was suffering from fever and cough. I could not deny his request though all the symptoms were similar to Covid-19, but I decided to visit him because I had PPE set provided by HHN [HealthEd Connect]. After becoming safe by wearing set I went to visit that house, I checked fever of him and it seems like Covid, I suggested to check PCR once and stay in home isolation. After two days they went for checking and it came positive as I guess before.

After that again they came to me and visit them because they don’t want to admit in hospital by hearing condition of hospitals, As their father is 87 years senior citizen. I asked them to provide PPE set to visit them regularly, so that I can ago safely. After that I went there and support him psychologically but only that I applied all the medicine recommended by doctors. I took the temperature and oxygen salutation and suggest them to admit in hospitals if condition become worst. And good thing is that he is getter better day by day after taking care daily. Finally within three weeks his report was Negative. They are so happy and thankful to me.” -Sangeeta Poudel

Thank you for supporting the effort and care that our community health workers like Sangeeta share with their community members!

World-wide, illiteracy is its own epidemic, “disproportionally affecting 773 million non-literate young people and adults”. Today, as we celebrate International Literacy Day, we want to highlight the important efforts of our teachers and community health workers as they work to make sure that not only the children, but also the community members have access to literacy education!

In Malawi, literacy programs are taking shape in the new Sinkhani community centers, available to people of all ages. At our sister schools in Zambia, students receive a strong literacy foundation and many teachers provide after-class lessons to support children who need more time. And community health workers who have lacked access to literacy education in the past are able to take classes thanks to development awards offered by HealthEdConnect.

Kafwa health workers were the first to advocate for the organization of community schools so that orphans and vulnerable children would not be left behind in their ability to learn foundational tools for life, such as how to read, write, and do math, among many important aspects of education. “Without education, our children will have no future” was the rallying cry by caregivers and community members to establish our schools. And what an impact this has made in the lives of thousands of children and the communities surrounding them! 

Literacy empowers individuals and provides capabilities to lead healthy and sustainable lives. Thank you for supporting our community health workers, teachers, and learners of all ages as we move towards a more literate future!

As the first line of advocacy and health education in their Zambian communities, the Kafwa understand the importance of nutrition on overall health. Since 48% of people in Zambia cannot meet their required calorie intake, malnutrition is something the Kafwa women see often.

To combat this, the women went around their community to distribute much-needed food! Joyce Ngosa and Joyce Songwe detailed this trip, saying:

“Last Friday as Kafwa women we were visiting our clients and distributed food stuffs to them...
We gave out mealie meal, fish and groundnuts. Our clients were very happy for the blessing of food.”

We are so grateful to our colleagues for addressing immediate needs and providing equitable access to advocacy and health education!

Emmanuel Mumba, head teacher at Mapalo Young Peace Makers Community School, knows how important it is to be a force for good in someone’s life. After becoming a double orphan, Mumba had siblings and cousins to care for. He turned to his pastor for guidance, who told him that the school was looking for teachers and he should apply.

We are grateful that this connection led Mumba into the calling of a teacher at one of our sister schools!

A leader in many facets, Mumba spends each day advocating for vulnerable youth and empowering them to be their best and work towards brighter futures! Read more about Mumba in his own words here.

To support the uplifting work of our teachers and school programs in Zambia, you can make a donation here. Thank you for empowering leaders like Mumba!