Matildah Zulu

Name:  Matildah Zulu
Gender:  Girl
Reported birthdate:  November 5, 2016 (currently 6 years old)
Favorite food:  Chicken, potatoes, and spaghetti
Favorite activity:  Moulding clay toys
Child is happy when...  She is playing with friends
Child wants to be a...  Nurse
Home information:  Matildah is growing up in the rural town of Luanshya in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. The Haven of Hope school reports: “Matildah stays with her biological mother. Her father died 2 years ago. She is the last child of the family—she has 3 sisters and a brother. The mother supports the family by selling traditional beverages called munkoyo and tobwa and some freezits (popsicles). However, she fails to support the children into school, as feeding and meeting all the necessary needs is a big challenge for her. Matildah helps at home with washing plates.”
School information:  Matildah has not previously attended school. 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). Matildah’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 God will grant Matildah the grace to grow up to be helpful to other people and to thrive high in her education.

Matildah 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.