| Country / Region: | Zambia / Samfya |
|---|---|
| Project Summary: | Isubilo Ministry began as churches told stories of suffering and sickness in the poor townships where they were located. One of the responses was to establish feeding programs to assist the most vulnerable people in their community. |
| Bright Hope Support: | TBD |
For a community like Ndola, in an area experiencing the highest HIV/AIDS infection rates in Africa, getting adequate nutrition can mean the difference between fighting off illness or succumbing; recovering with the help of medicine or being too weak for the medicine to work. The Isubilo HIV/AIDS Ministry understands this and has incorporated a feeding program into their overall ministry to the poor.
Many Zambians are subsistence farmers and can only afford the food they can grow themselves. The harsh environment permits only two crops: maize (corn) and cassava. Cassava is a plant that must be soaked in water for two weeks to eliminate the arsenic in it and make it edible. Both foods are filling, but provide very little nutritional value. Sources of protein like fish, eggs and beans are unaffordable and frequently unavailable.
Isubilo Ministry began as churches told stories of suffering and sickness in the poor townships where they were located. Andy Patching and his team of 29 staff and 43 volunteers lead programs to help local churches become active in ministry to orphans and AIDS patients. One of the responses was to establish feeding programs to assist the most vulnerable people in their community.
The program distributes fish, beans, eggs, and high protein supplements every two weeks to orphans and vulnerable people. A larger group of orphans receive a large meal with meat or fish once a week. Also, AIDS patients are given high protein supplements to help their bodies adjust to the strong ARV drugs and strengthen them for recovery. The protein helps the children grow strong and attend school. It also helps them fight off infections and other diseases. Isubilo is committed to developing local leaders and drawing on their understanding of the community to shape and lead the programs effectively. They are passionate about keeping families together and strengthening them for personal and economic growth and self-sufficiency.
Funding for this project provides for the cost of food and distribution expenses and the operational support for developing local leaders.
