Gift Chalwe

Name:  Gift Chalwe
Gender:  Boy
Reported birthdate:  February 16, 2017 (currently 5 years old)
Favorite food:  Sausage, chicken, and nshima (a staple food in Zambia)
Favorite activity:  Moulding clay with friends
Child is happy when...  He sees people dancing and is singing
Child wants to be a...  Chef
Home information:  Gift is growing up in the rural town of Luanshya in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. The Haven of Hope school reports: “Gift stays with his mother and grandparents, as the biological father denied responsibility before the child was born. Gift has never set eyes on his father. He is the only child of his mother. The family supports themselves through the sale of empty plastic soda bottles that the grandmother picks on the streets or surrounding areas. They face a lot of challenges such as feeding and meeting other necessities, which has resulted in them being incapacitated from doing most of the things they wish and plan to do as a family, such as putting the young boy in school and providing for his needs. Gift helps with washing dishes at home.”
School information:  Gift was able to attend preschool at a community school (for underprivileged children) but has had no further education. Through sponsorship, he will be able to start grade 1 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). Gift’s family resides in Freedom Fighters. 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 that Gift will be educated and become independent in life.

Gift 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.