“God tapped me on the shoulder." Chikumbuso is Remembrance

by RONA MANN

It would have been so easy to walk away...

Initially, she did. She recoiled upon seeing the hunger, hearing the cries of the children, inhaling the odor of death that hung in the air. This was a third world country steeped in poverty, with little future for the women who had lost their husbands to the scourge of HIV/ AIDS. These women were left to scratch about to feed their children. People were illiterate, hopeless, but this was commonplace in Ng’ombe, Zambia. And she was just a woman from North Stonington, Connecticut whose world was utterly removed from all this. “I remember looking around and saying, 'That’s too bad.’ "So she decided to put it out of her mind...until she could no longer sleep at night.

I kept hearing God’s voice over and over,” said Linda Wilkinson, that one woman from North Stonington. 'That’s too bad? Really, Linda, that’s all you can say? You who lost a child here in West Africa? That’s too bad?’ The voice continued to haunt the woman for weeks. “'That’s too bad’ when in Zambia there are 1.2 million orphaned children?”

Africa was not a new experience for Wilkinson, as she had lived here for 25 years and loved the country. Her husband, Bruce, worked for World Vision International and was in Zambia under a grant working with PEPHAR. PEPHAR was an initiative begun under President George W. Bush’s administration that endeavors to combat the spread of AIDS, building up a network of caregivers to support the sick. Wilkinson had seen much of the continent in her years there but had never seen anything like Ng’ombe, a slum near Zambia’s capital city of Lusaka. It was a compound of shanties with nearly 100,000 residents all packed in together in cinder block homes with no electricity, no running water, and extreme food deprivation. The 20,000 orphans in Ng’ombe would often eat just one meal a day. Most do not go to school because it costs $50 for uniforms, shoes, and notebooks, and many never see the inside of a health clinic.

It was the faces of these women and children that haunted Linda, day and night until she could deny it no longer. A local woman named Katherine took Wilkinson to meet Rhoida who lived in the slums of Ng’ombe, bringing with them a suitcase of clothes and food. Rhoida’s house consisted of just one room fashioned of pitted cement bricks that had never been plastered and was surrounded by rocks and dirt. Nevertheless, although there was no reason for her to do so, Rhoida met them with a smile and a greeting of, “Muli bwanji (“How are you, mama? Welcome.)”

As Katherine translated, Linda looked at the faces of Rhoida’s five children. They shared a bowl of nshima, a very thick porridge that is a staple in Zambia and is also known as “mealie meal.” Rhoida was a widow, as are most women in Ng’ombe, yet another secondary victim of AIDS which has devastated the population in this part of the world. “I don’t have work,” Rhoida told Wilkinson. “No one is hiring for daily wages, and everyone is struggling, so I spend my days walking the fields looking for wild greens and mushrooms. There is never enough to eat with five mouths to feed, so I am forced to beg.”

Having lived on the continent for a quarter century with her husband and children, Linda knew that begging had never had a place in traditional Africa. Whatever one had was always shared by all, but this was different. Here, poverty and illness were at a peak. Seeing funeral processions, even with the tiniest of caskets, had become a daily occurrence.

As Linda Wilkinson sat silently staring at Rhoida and her children she related, “At that same moment, God tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'This is it. This is where I brought you. This is where you will meet your neighbor.’ "

To say, “the rest is history” may seem trite, but it is true. Perhaps the best thing about history is not its past, but its ongoing story, it's

future. That future became The Chikumbuso Project, begun by that one woman from little North Stonington, Connecticut and now known as “Mama Linda,” embraced and loved by many in Ng’ombe.

Success by the Numbers: The 2018 Milestones: Meals provided – 70,000Kids in school – 500Kids passed 7th grade – 100%College Scholarships - 45

It is called Chikumbuso, this project that has made a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable. It is Chikumbuso that provides free schooling for children as well as training for the adults, teaching them a skill, allowing them an opportunity for independence and the chance to earn an income. This is Chikumbuso which means “Remembrance,” said Linda. “We remember those who have died, remember where we have come from, and remember to do for others.”

Once the youth of Ng’ombe had little opportunity, but now they can look forward to quality education. One that will allow them to grow, join after-school clubs, take field trips, make cultural exchanges, and fill their stomachs. All at no cost whatsoever! Now, instead of hoping one day for a menial job, the students of Chikumbuso go on to become engineers, computer scientists, doctors, bankers, and even teachers. Here, there is a community in its truest sense.

The Chikumbuso Project has four targets: widows, orphans, grandmothers, and single mothers. Widows have a support group at all times, meetings, training, and have started their own grassroots project. A microenterprise in which they crochet plastic grocery bags into purses and fashion accessories. The bags are sold both locally and internationally and allow them to provide for their families with pride.

Orphans have the promise of free elementary education. If they successfully complete this, Wilkinson pays for them to go on to both middle school and high school, and there is a promise of a college education. The school that began in 2005 with just 30 students now has several hundred matriculating.

Grandmothers are revered in this culture, and the widows of Chikumbuso provide home-based care and support for as many grandmothers in their community as they are able. These nearly destitute seniors now have food and a roof over their heads.

A reasonably new venture for the Chikumbuso Project targets single mothers. While the women are being trained in a skill, their children are taken care of in a nearby daycare.

Wilkinson visits Ng’ombe several times a year and has recruited friends, family, and members of her local Rotary club to get involved. She has several fundraisers ongoing in Connecticut and works tirelessly for these people who welcome her back each time with cries of, “Mama Linda!”

Is it the power of one woman, or the power of God’s voice speaking directly to and through that woman? No one knows, and it really doesn’t matter. What really matters is The Chikumbuso Project exists, and it thrives. It has a continuance. It has promise. And now, the women and orphans of Ng’ombe have a brighter future, a sense of hope, and a reason to smile.

For more information on how you can get involved, or to make a donation to this 501 C-3, visit them online at www.chikumbuso.com.