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In September 2000, one hundred and forty seven heads of state and government met in New York for a historic United Nations meeting – The Millennium Assembly. Then Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, presented the delegates with a document entitled We the peoples: The role of the United Nations in the 21st Century. This document went on to be adopted by all and formed the basis of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that have become popularized today.
The MDGs outline eight goals that are unified commitments for sustainable development amongst the worlds poorest. This has presented the world with a unique opportunity to move in a common direction to help in the alleviation of issues and injustices that extreme poverty amplifies.
Goal Two of the MDGs states:
Achieve universal primary education: Ensure that by 2015 children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.
Our surrounding communities of Kanyala, Bwunga and Overspill are part of the 1.1 billion people today that live in extreme poverty, meaning that they survive on less than $1 per day. Extreme poverty virtually means that they do not have enough income to provide for basic needs such as health care and therefore cannot afford to support their own children into formal schooling.
In the population of over 3000 in these three communities, 2500 are children. Eagles Wings is providing the following opportunities through our Education Program for children who otherwise would not receive an education:
- 47 children enrolled in government schools
- 70 children enrolled at our Kanyala campus
- 130 children enrolled at our Monkey Fountain campus
- Adult Education Program
Our greatest efforts are currently reserved for our Monkey Fountain Campus (MFC) as this is where we provide a quality based education which allows children living in extreme poverty to achieve the same level of education only afforded by children from wealthy families. Our five year plan states that the MFC will eventually educate 360 children from grades one to twelve per year, while creating community ownership over the MFC.
Meet some of those who will help make this possible.
Daniel Zulu Reports:
Ongoing rising literacy levels in our children is the evidence of progress. The loving, dedicated and competent teaching staff are doing such a fantastic job shaping these young lives with the love of Christ. The overall performance of the children this quarter has indicated some level of improvement which is more than encouraging. But even beyond that, all the children that have had behavioral problems at the start of this year have drastically settled down in behavior and general attitudes.
Chairman of the Parents and Teachers Association for Monkey Fountain Campus, Mr. Joseph Phiri.
Other blessings to thank God for are friendships and partnerships that have been formed between Eagles Wings and Sutherland Shire Christian School in Sydney, Australia, Groves Christian College in Brisbane and Hillcrest Christian College on the Gold Coast. All three schools have shown keen interest in Eagles Wings. This includes the future possibilities of a teacher exchange program, which involves sending our teaching staff to any of the three schools to train, observe and teach for a period of time in order to improve their teaching.
Special Needs
One of our teaching staff, Sylvia, is training to be a Special Needs Teacher and is at a stage where she is qualified to teach a special education class. Research into the possibilities for this class starts this next quarter and we hope to finish in six months time. Sylvia says she has already identified children with a hearing impairment and all that is remaining is to get permission from parents to have these children assessed by the government department for the hearing impaired. Then we will set up a classroom with all the necessary equipment and we will be ready.
Parents and Teachers Association
Parent’s involvement with the school has been very impressive. The chairman, Joseph Phiri, looks forward to a day when all the parents in the community can come together and team up to develop their children’s education. The executive members comprise of four men and five women, three of the members are Eagles Wings staff. Mr. Phiri further shared:
‘First of all we need to work hand in hand with parents in order to help the children, as progress of the children is intrinsically bound with parents. It will be difficult for children to develop when they are coming from poor homes. For instance, during holidays some of the children are sent into the taverns to sell things which is not what they are learning at school. Our vision as a PTA is to hold seminars and workshops to help parents understand how we can raise our children in the right way. We want to create a strong partnership between parents and teacher at Eagles Wings so that together we can raise our children in a proper manner. We want to raise awareness in our community so that all the parents can be supportive of the teaching staff at Eagles Wings in any way possible. We want to strengthen the commitment which is already there.’
Other community based programs currently operating through MFC include adult literacy and numeracy classes, small business studies, tailoring and community health seminars which are all aspects of our Adult Education Program.
It is both inspiring and humbling to see the way that God is shaping and developing the Education Program and staff involved, as we try to bring wholeness and empowerment to the community we serve.
Two stories which have recently come out of LiAL:
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Teke* and Toki* are just 11 years old. Since their parents died several years ago they have been fending for themselves, staying at night with a relative who is often drunk and spending the day on the streets as a means of survival. Project leaders of LiAL have fostered both boys, giving them a stable, loving environment and have seen them settle in well. This is a great example to the church as they hope to encourage foster care further for children in crisis.
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Mele* was found in a nearby village. He was malnourished, due to untreated AIDS, and had a deformity in his limbs after an accident twelve months previous. Due to inadequate treatment, his damaged knee had seized at a right angle, forcing him to use his hands and slide his bottom to move around. Molise’s mum has already lost both her parents, is HIV+ and her husband has died. She had no income and has been a squatter in a room unfit to live. CRC members mobilized to assist Molise and his mother and the transformation is obvious for all to see.
These are just two examples of what we believe will be many to come through CRC reaching out to disadvantaged children and families within their communities. It is a great example to local churches everywhere! We look forward to seeing this ministry grow and develop in God’s strength and wisdom.
* Names changed
Over the past 12 months, Eagles Wings has had the pleasure of working closely with a local church in Lesotho, Christian Revival Church (CRC). Lesotho is quite unique, in that it is a country within a country – it is completely landlocked by South Africa. It is also a constitutional monarchy, with a tender hold on democratic rule. Just crossing the border from South Africa into Lesotho there is a noticeable difference in development.
A unique scene that you will encounter if you arrive at the border on a Friday afternoon is the massive line of Basotho’ re-entering their own country after working in South Africa during the week. Lack of employment and low income positions have meant that many Basotho’ seek work outside their borders in the more affluent South Africa. This transient population, quite possibly, has been a major reason why Lesotho suffers with such a high percentage of their population with HIV/AIDs, which is at an epidemic level of 25.5%. As a result, over 150,000 children have been left orphaned, with little or no hope of having their basic needs met (UNICEF).
On the 17th April, Eagles Wings signed a partnership agreement with CRC as part of our new Acts Initiative. Eagles Wings will fund LiAL’s first full time national Basotho staff member with qualifications in social welfare areas. This will help to empower and equip the ministry further, taking it to a new level of professionalism. We are only one part of the network that CRC has established and only take on an advisory and encouragement role in seeing the ministry develop to assist many disadvantaged children. We take no role in management or leadership as the local church is in full control as to its direction and style. They own the ministry. It is therefore a sustainable local church based ministry.
LiAL seeks to train members of the local church and community to become volunteer mentors and advocates of children in need. Their goal is to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of children, empowering them to become all that God created them to be. This can only be done effectively through a commitment to the transformation and empowerment of the families and communities in which they live. (Adapted from LiAL brochure)
Nicknamed ‘Pumba’ by his new young friends in the Family Program, this young boy was found abandoned and after an extensive search for family we are yet to find any connections. He is a great young boy with plenty of personality and we pray that we will eventually be able to track his existing family and start the process of working for a better outcome for the family as a whole.
Clayton standing on the land that has been donated to Eagles Wings by Luyando Communities. Clayton and Anna have a heart and vision to see Eagles Wings establish a permanent camp site which will see hundreds more children from disadvantaged backgrounds have the opportunity to take part in our Camp Program. Read more from their website www.claytonhinds.com as to how this will happen.
Finances
January – March 2008
Income – AUD52,817
Expenses – AUD51,105
Breakdown of Expenses
Programs – 95.7%
Projects – 2.7%
Administration – 1.6%
Monthly Running Costs $11 160
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