June 6, 2008

Dear All:

Greetings from Solwezi! How are you? My wish and prayer that you are all fine.

We are fine back here at St. Charles. I apologize for not communicating for quite a long time due my other responsibilities. As I mentioned about it before that I am still the school coordinator of St. Charles, but our Bishop asked someone and me to help establish the Diocesan Education Desk. We are working on the strategic plan and handbook for the Diocesan schools. We are also trying everything possible to source funds for the office and the schools. The schools are in bad conditions. They need to be renovated, and we need to improve the educations standards. So these are the things that keep me away from communicating with you all our friends. Please pray that God will touch the hearts of other kind and generous people to give us a hand for our other schools.

For St. Charles

We have about 190 children this term this. People are just bringing their children to St. Charles because of the following reasons:

• There is improvement at the school management, education standards and cleanliness). I want to say “THANK YOU” to Ales, Mona and Ted for this. They really worked hard and fought for our vulnerable children at St. Charles.

• They are very poor and cannot afford to provide the school requirements at other schools.

• To take advantage of the help provided at St. Charles (this is very sad)

Although we see that there is improvement at the school, we are still struggling with our unmotivated teachers. I feel that the teachers are working because they need money, but they don’t love their work. So we have to be at the school for them to work. It is sad to do this, but … Please keep our teachers in your prayers.

Our children at other schools
When our children from St. Charles complete their grade 6, they go to the different government schools in the town of Solwezi.  we continue to support them by paying their tuitions and providing them their schools uniforms, shoes, notebooks, pens and pencils. Sometimes they come to ask for medical assistance. I would like to share the joy we experienced when one of the schools gave placement test to our children. The staff of the school was impressed by the performance of our children. Their scores were higher than those of their own students.

We know that most people look down on St. Charles, our children. When we hear that a child is “from St. Charles”, means that the child is poor and does not know… But our children in grade 7 now proved that wrong. They know a lot more than other children in other schools. So again my THANKS to Ales, Mona and Ted.

Assistance from St. Timothy Parish
I would like to thank you once more for the assistance you have rendered to us at St. Charles/the Catholic Diocese of Solwezi. In 2007 we received $2834 (eleven million, three hundred thirty-five kwacha). Half of it was put away for my salary and the other half was for the school’s needs. This year, 2008 we received about $950 (three million, eight hundred kwacha).

Your kind and generous gesture has helped us in our ministry to these children whom God has entrusted to our care. The disbursement of the money is as follows:

Food:
We bought food as treats for the children during school extra curriculum activities, closing of schools for vacations, contributions to the Food Program CSP and staff meetings.

Office Supplies:
We used some of the money to buy box files, bookshelves and bulletin board for the office, repaired and maintenance of the computers and stationeries.

Administration Costs:
This is a great help for the monitoring of our children at the different schools and for communication.

Classrooms & toilets:
The parishioners of St. Daniel wanted that St. Charles pay rent fee for the Social Hall. I told them that we don’t have money to pay rent, but promise that we will maintain the Hall and do whatever we could. So we gave K2,000,000.00 (two million kwacha) for the maintenance of the Hall. We painted the classrooms at the Nursery which we are using. We used some of the money for the construction of the two restrooms.

Others:
Some people did “piece work” at the school. Also school’s contributions to parish for some events.

Friends, this is all I can share with you right now. I promise to make effort to keep you update of our children at St. Charles. Once again I thank you all and the parishioners of St. Timothy for your tremendous assistance. We will forever be grateful… We keep you all in our prayers.

God blessings,

Krista