Margaret Kasanda

Name:  Margaret Kasanda
Gender:  Girl
Reported birthdate:  December 8, 2014 (currently 8 years old)
Favorite food:  Rice and chicken
Favorite activity:  Skipping and jumping rope
Child is happy when...  She is watching people play netball
Child wants to be a...  Nurse
Home information:  Margaret is growing up in the rural town of Luanshya in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. The Haven of Hope school reports: “Margaret stays with her mother. Her father is dead. She has six siblings—3 elder brothers and 3 elder sisters. She is the last child of the family. Their mother buys vegetables from farmers for resale as a means of supporting the family. Feeding and meeting of everyday needs is a challenge, and thus she fails to meet certain necessities to manage the family well. Margaret helps with cleaning dishes and sweeping at home.”
School information:  Margaret was able to attend preschool at a community school (for underprivileged children) but has had no further education. Through sponsorship, she will be able to start grade 1 at the Haven of Hope Luanshya Primary School in May 2023. There, she 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). Margaret’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 Margaret will have continuous good health and be educated.

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