Emmanuel Kasoma

Name:  Emmanuel Kasoma
Gender:  Boy
Reported birthdate:  February 2, 2014 (currently 9 years old)
Favorite food:  Sausage, chicken, and nshima (a staple food in Zambia)
Favorite activity:  Playing football
Child is happy when...  He is watching football
Child wants to be a...  Soldier
Home information:  Emmanuel is growing up in the rural town of Luanshya in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. The Haven of Hope school reports: “Emmanuel lives with both his parents. He has 2 elder brothers, 2 elder sisters, and a young sister. The family supports themselves through crushing stones for sale to individuals. Both parents are stone crushers and struggle to support Emmanuel into school due to financial difficulties. Providing for food is also a struggle for them. Emmanuel helps to wash dishes and fetch water at home.”
School information:  Emmanuel started grade 1 in a local school, but it has been a challenge for his parents to afford school necessities such as books, shoes, and uniforms. He needs support to continue his education. Through sponsorship, he will be able to join the grade 1 class at the Haven of Hope Luanshya Primary School in May 2023. There, he will learn and play, be taught about God, and receive meals, medical care, and clothing. In Zambia, primary school lasts for seven years and is followed by five years of secondary school.
Community information:  Haven of Hope's students in Luanshya live in a number of compounds (densely populated communities). Emmanuel’s family resides in Buntungwa. In the compounds, unemployment and poverty rates are high, and people primarily depend on menial jobs for survival—working, for example, as garden hands, maids, and small-scale farmers. Families tend to be large and live in small houses. The compounds have been greatly afflicted by HIV and AIDS, leaving many children without one or both of their biological parents. Orphaned children are often cared for by their grandparents, aunts, or uncles; other children live in child-headed homes. Living in poverty, most families struggle to meet their basic needs and afford school fees for their children.
Prayer requests:  Please pray for Emmanuel’s schooling and for God’s abiding grace upon his life.

Emmanuel will start school in May 2023. Any financial contributions made toward his sponsorship before then will help his school open a new grade 1 class and ensure that he has everything he needs for school.