Emmanuel

Name:  Emmanuel
Gender:  Boy
Reported birthdate:  Not available (currently about age 5)
Favorite food:  Cakes
Favorite activity:  Playing soccer
Child is happy when…  He is going to church
Child wants to be a…  Medical doctor
Home information:  Emmanuel is growing up in the town of Luanshya in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. Our ministry partners in Luanshya report: “Emmanuel lives with his mother, who sells small packs of charcoal to sustain the family. He has two older sisters and a younger brother. Their father abandoned them and has never been involved in Emmanuel’s life. The family has not heard from him for over a year and no longer knows his whereabouts. It has been hard for Emmanuel’s mother to fend for her children. She would like them to be in school but cannot manage to provide school necessities. Emmanuel’s primary need is to be enrolled in school. He helps at home by cleaning plates after meals.”
School information:  Emmanuel has not previously attended school. Through sponsorship, he will be able to start grade 1 at the Blooms of Grace primary school in January 2025. 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). Emmanuel’s family resides in Buntungwa Overspill 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 Emmanuel will grow up to be of good character and complete his education.