PLEASE HELP FULFILL THE DREAM

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Father Ngwira

In late September 2024, the St. Peter Claver Society (SPCS), an apostolate of St. John the Beloved in Mclean, Virginia, celebrated the completion of the building phase of the Cardinal Mazombwe Agricultural Skills Centre (CMTC) 50 miles from Livingstone, in the Livingstone Diocese, Zambia. In addition, all the official documentation needed to get permission to open the center by January was submitted to TEVETA by the September 30th deadline.

In order to meet Zambia’s TEVETA accreditation requirements, the CMTC compound includes: two classrooms to accommodate up to 40 students; one library; two dormitories, one each for boys and girls; two semi-detached houses for teachers; one large open-air kitchen, and one stand-alone toilet facility to cater to teachers and visitors. To provide for adult supervision, the girls’ dormitory has an attached apartment for a matron and the boys’ dorm has one for a staff member.

The SPCS was founded 21 years ago by Shimwaayi Muntemba with the then pastor of St. John’s.  Shimwaayi now lives in Livingstone and has been working closely with V. Kalumba Bishop of Livingstone Diocese and with appropriate Diocese officials to see that the ambitious CMTC project succeeds and eventually becomes self-sufficient.  All SPCS’ funding goes through St John the Beloved parish to the Arlington Diocese and then to the Livingstone diocese USD account.SPCS has no paid staff, so 100% of donations will go directly to CMTC.  Bishop Kalumba appointed the former pastor of the Makunka parish, Father Ngwira to coordinate the project, including the all-important accreditation process.

We plan to open the agricultural training center in January 2025. Once the CMTC is up and running, the SPCS will be fulfilling its mission of carrying out the late Cardinal Mazombwe’s vision of establishing a rural skills center that will train both boys and girls in agricultural skills so that they will be able to support themselves and avoid migrating to urban areas where they encounter joblessness, drugs, prostitution, and violence.  Cardinal Mazombwe shared his dream with Shimwaayi who promised him that she would make his dream a reality.

Left: Library Right: Classrooms

Before we can open the Agricultural Skills Center, we need to raise about $25,000 by mid-November 2024

Teveta has specific requirements for furnishing the CMTC before it can accept its first 20 students. Hence, SPCS must collect about $25,000 before the January opening.  We have come too far to not make the January opening! (See the separate list of key items needed.)

Key Items Needed by Mid-November for the TEVETA Site Visit
AT CARDINAL MAZOMBWE AGRICULTURAL SKILLS TRAINING CENTER IN

To furnish the two dormitories:

ITEM COST PER ITEM PER 20 STUDENTS
Bunk beds $160 $1600.00
Mattresses $30 $600.00
Curtains $320.00 (1 dorm)   $640.00 (2 dorms)

To furnish the open-air kitchen:

Gas stove  $580.00
Plates for a gas stove (4)  $176.00
3 refrigerators with solar panels  $690.00 each
Cooking Pots (6) $440.00
Frying Pans (2) $40.00

To be on site by mid-October 2024:

Fish Pond  $1600.00
Tools for crop production $176.00

Thank you for your continued support and God bless you for your generosity.

You may donate via Faith Direct or online at: www.saintpeterclaversociety.org,  or with a check made out to St. John the Beloved, with SPCS on memo line.

September 9th is St. Peter Claver’s Feast Day

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September 9 is the feast day of Saint Peter Claver (1580-1654), a Jesuit missionary known as the patron saint of slaves, African missions and interracial justice. St. Claver spent his life serving enslaved Africans who were brought to Colombia during the 17th century.

St. Peter Claver Society Mid-Summer Fundraiser 7-14 July 2024

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HELP US COMPLETE THE DREAM

Over the past several years the St. Peter Claver Society has been blessed with the support of many parishioners and friends in our ambitious project to build the Cardinal Mazombwe Agricultural and Life Skills Training Center in a poor rural parish of the Livingstone Diocese of southern Zambia

While progress has been slow, we can now see “light at the end of the tunnel.” All construction should be completed by the end of July including: two classrooms with restrooms, separate girls’ and boys’ dormitories, a library, an outdoor kitchen, and housing for the teachers.

The next step is for the diocese to apply for registration with the Zambian Ministry of Education, required of all educational institutions in the country. The plan is to register by September 30th in order to begin accepting students in January 2025.

The St. Peter Claver Society has committed to support the hiring of two teachers by the end of August. They will prepare the teaching materials and syllabi needed to gain accreditation.

We are appealing to our fellow parishioners and friends to help raise $11,000 for the first-year salaries of two teachers and other staff through St. John the Beloved’s annual Special Collection. You may donate here, at the parish office, or via Faith Direct.

Thank you in advance for your continued support and may God bless you for your generosity.

 

Front View of the Two Classrooms

Side View of the Two Classrooms

Lavatories Near Classrooms

Girls’ Dormitory

Boys’ Dorm

Second Teacher’s House

Community Leaders and Villagers

The St. Peter Claver Society Thanks Its Generous Donors

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(Photo: Working on the Girls’ Dormitory) The St. Peter Claver Society sends a heartfelt “thank you” to St. John the Beloved parishioners and friends for your generous donations to our annual July Special Collection. You made it possible to meet our goal of funding the construction of a simple open-air kitchen at the Cardinal Mazombwe Agricultural and Life Skills Training Center in Kazungula, Zambia. The kitchen will allow boarding students to prepare their meals. Your support is deeply appreciated. God bless you all.

2022 SUMMER FUNDRAISER FOR THE CARDINAL MAZOMBWE LIFE SKILLS AND AGRICULTURAL TRAINING CENTRE

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ST. PETER CLAVER SOCIETY 2022 FUNDRAISER

Zambia’s first Cardinal, His Eminence Medardo Mazombwe, had a dream before his death in 2013: to build an agricultural training center where disadvantaged young people would be prepared for adulthood and learn the skills necessary for rural farming and husbandry, thereby avoiding the many problems accompanying urban migration. The St. Peter Claver Society an apostolate of St. John the Beloved Catholic Church has been working with many Zambian partners over the years to make this dream a reality. We are pleased to report that construction of the Cardinal Mazombwe Life Skills and Agricultural Training Center (CMTC) is well underway with the building of the classroom block, staff house and dormitory. None of this would be possible without our donors’ on-going generous financial support and prayers, for which we are very grateful.

Classroom block under construction

The CMTC is located on a 59-acre property donated by the Makunka parish of the Livingstone Diocese of Zambia. Until recently the project was managed by CARITAS, but Bishop Kalumba transferred management to the Curia on May 30, 2022 and assigned Father Barnabas as project manager. The next phase of the project will include a second dormitory, solar lighting and furnishings for all the buildings.

Roof on the staff house almost complete

Transfer from CARITAS to the Curia with Vicar General, Father Mulasikwanda, looking on.

Siblings Improving Daily Since Coming to St. Anthony Children’s Village

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When St. Anthony Children’s Village was established in May 2003, the majority of the children were HIV infected, their mothers having died from AIDS.  However, with the availability of ARVs (anti-retroviral drugs) for adults and children, more mothers are able to live and care for their children.  Currently, St. Anthony’s has increased the number of vulnerable children it welcomes to include those who have been abandoned by their families, or whose mothers are incapable of caring for them, and especially those with special needs.  St. Anthony’s provides both physical and emotional support to these children in a loving and caring community. As needed, the kids receive physiotherapy from a qualified physiotherapist. Caregivers continue with the exercises. The St. Peter Claver Society, which has supported St. Anthony’s since 2004, raised the necessary funds to purchase the physiotherapy equipment.

Siblings, James and Chikondi, are not orphans, but their extremely poor parents locked the children in a house without food.  When James and Chikondi arrived at St. Anthony Children’s Village, they were severely malnourished; Chikonddi could not walk at all, and James was unable to walk straight.  With physiotherapy and proper nutrition, they can now walk and are able to go to school.  Donations are especially needed to deal with the impact of the pandemic. 

James

James’ sister, Chikondi

St. Peter Claver Society’s 2020 Special Collection

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Responding to the COVID-19 Impact on Zambian Orphans

In late May, 2020, Sister Lucia, St. Anthony Children’s Village Administrator, reached out to the SPCS with an urgent request for $3000 to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak in Zambia. To expedite the aid, SPCS has sent the $3000 from funds on hand to cover the rising costs of diapers, detergent, face masks, sanitizers, cleaning materials and food stuffs.

Please help us replenish those much-needed funds. In addition, SPCS is committed to sending St. Anthony’s $10,000 by the end of July, our annual stipend.

Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Tax deductible donations can be made through Faith Direct, online at saintpeterclaversociety.org or by mailing checks payable to St. John’s with SPCS on the memo line to:

St. John the Beloved Catholic Church
6420 Linway Terrace, McLean, VA 22102
The St. Peter Claver Society is sponsored by
St. John’s and donations are deductible toextent allowed by law.

 

Quote from St. Peter Claver:

“We must speak to them with our hands by giving, before we try to speak to them with our lips.”

St. Peter Claver Society

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