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.
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
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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.
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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.
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
Responding to the COVID-19 Impact on Zambian OrphansIn 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.
Who was Cardinal Mazombwe? He was Zambia’s first Cardinal who had a lifelong devotion to promoting education. In fact, during his 53 years as a priest, he established many universities, nursing schools, hospitals and education centers.
After observing the alarming number of orphans of AIDS in Zambia, the cardinal obtained 200 acres of land near a hospital and nursing school he had founded. His aim was to interest orphans and very poor young people to live at the farm and raise crops and livestock for their own consumption and to earn money to put themselves through school. Since 2002, this enterprise has been very successful in helping almost 200 young adults graduate as teachers, nurses, priests and more efficient farmers who are now self-sufficient and able to help their siblings. Cardinal Mazombwe wanted to stem the flow of orphans to the cities where they are generally unemployed, and too often resort to crime and prostitution, in order to survive.
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