Life is good for 33-year-old Moses Banda.
The father of three runs a grocery stall and works in the food and beverage section at the luxurious Radisson Blu Hotel in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka.
Recently he bought some land in Rufunsa, east of Lusaka city, where he plans to start a farm.
“I plan to go into farming full-time in the next few years,” Moses says.
Life could have easily taken a different path, however. Moses says he’s “very lucky” to have everything he has now.
“I’m what I am today because one person called a sponsor cared enough to ensure that I was healthy and, above all, got the necessary education to enable me to face the future with confidence,” he says.
When he was six years old Moses was enrolled into ChildFund’s sponsorship program. A year later he was sponsored, and his life took a turn.
Growing up in a family with five children and one income – his father worked as a security guard – it was unlikely he or his siblings would go to school.
However, after joining ChildFund’s sponsorship program he found himself among books and classrooms, and envisioning a different future for himself.
“As a result of my sponsorship, my parents never worried about my school requirements as all these were provided by ChildFund,” he says.
“My clothing and shoes were also from ChildFund.”
He threw himself into his studies and was determined to finish grade 12 to get the best chance at life.
After his sponsorship came to an end when he finished grade 10, he began working to pay for his school fees.
“I knew my dad could not afford to pay, and I did not want to stop school, so I paid until I completed grade 12 with the salary I was getting then,” he says.
“I wanted to live a better life than what we had in my father’s house.”
They trekked with gorillas, saw wild lions and experienced Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls, but few experiences from Dennise and Peter Rossetti’s trip around Africa were as memorable as their visit to a small village in Zambia.
There, the Aussie couple from Victoria met the family of Ericah, who has been a part of their lives since they decided to sponsor a child in Africa a decade ago.
“We have supported Ericah for almost 10 years and seen her grow into a beautiful young woman and the opportunity to visit her was overwhelming,” says Dennise.
The couple and their children had been exchanging letters with Ericah since she was a child, and in Zambia they saw firsthand the impact they have made.
Dennise and Peter spent more than two hours catching up with Ericah – meeting family members and neighbours who have benefitted from their monthly donations.
As the future of children is ultimately linked to the situation in their community, ChildFund Australia sponsorship contributions are pooled with funds from other sponsors to help meet the individual and group needs of all children in the program and to benefit the entire community.
Active community participation and empowerment is encouraged within ChildFund project areas. Although children are at the centre of the locally developed initiatives, the emphasis is on encouraging self-help by providing families and communities with the means to reshape their future.
“The dedication of everyone to provide the communities with meaningful support was evident and we came away knowing that our money was not just assisting Ericah but other members of her community.”
Peter and Dennise’s trip to Africa included stops at Kruger National Park in South Africa, the Okavango Delta in Botswana, Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and gorilla trekking in Rwanda. She said sponsoring a child in Africa, gave the trip more meaning.
The couple visited many African communities throughout their trip, but Zambia was the biggest standout by far.
“Our visit to meet Ericah was more than we could have ever imagined,” she says.
“We’ve been with ChildFund for almost 25 years as we’ve always wanted to provide other children with the opportunities that we’ve given our own. It was so wonderful to hear about Ericah’s dream of becoming a nurse and be able to support and encourage her face-to-face.”
