Mapalo Zimba

Name:  Mapalo Zimba
Gender:  Girl
Reported birthdate:  April 16, 2012 (currently 10 years old)
Favorite color:  Green
Favorite food:  Maize and mangoes
Favorite thing about school:  Learning new words and learning about God
Child is happy when...  She is playing and reading
Home information:  Mapalo is growing up in the rural town of Luanshya in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. The Haven of Hope school reports: “Mapalo lives with her mother and other family members. She has 2 sisters—she is the third born. The grandmother provides for them through the helping hand of other family members. Mapalo helps at home by cleaning the house.”
School information:  Mapalo is in grade 4 at the Haven of Hope Luanshya Primary School, where she has been a student since 2020. She needs a sponsor to support her continued education. At school, she will continue to 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). Mapalo’s family resides in D Compound. 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 Mapalo will do well in school and finish her education.