Joshua Bwali

Name:  Joshua Bwali
Gender:  Boy
Reported birthdate:  February 3, 2017 (currently 5 years old)
Favorite food:  Nshima and sausage
Favorite activity:  Playing with homemade toys
Child is happy when...  He is watching cartoons with friends
Child wants to be a...  Police officer
Home information:  Joshua is growing up in the rural town of Luanshya in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. The Haven of Hope school reports: “Joshua stays with his mother and grandmother. The father has never been in his life, and he is being raised by his mother. Joshua is an only child. His mother sells fresh vegetables as a means of support for the family. However, they struggle to meet all the needs necessary for the child. Joshua helps with sweeping at home.”
School information:  Joshua has not previously attended school. 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). Joshua’s family resides in Mikomfwa. 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 Joshua may get a good education and live an independent life.

Joshua 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.