The Story of Miswa Community

Miswa is a rural community, isolated from secondary schools, hospitals, shops and other amenities, where traditions run deep and cultural beliefs are tightly held onto. Witchcraft, prostitution and the abuse of alcohol are clearly evident in Miswa, deeply impacting the most vulnerable children and their families. Additional challenges in Miswa are a lack of clean water, food shortages and unemployment.

100 Children currently supported

25 Care Workers Coordinated by Daniel

Basic Services Started in 2015

5 km from the CHISAMBA Local Office

In 2000, local Pastor Peter Mulenga was attending a Bible School in Luanshya that was connected to Africa School of Missions (ASM) in South Africa, where George and Carolyn Snyman had been students. Peter heard the vision of Hands at Work when George and Carolyn came to visit and shared the Biblical mandate to care for the vulnerable. At this time, George Snyman, co-founder of Hands at Work, began mentoring him in what it means to be a Care Worker. In 2003, Peter felt called to Miswa and was shocked by the devastation that the HIV/AIDS epidemic was having on the community. Having been neglected as a child himself, the suffering Peter saw impacted him deeply and he knew that he needed to act immediately. In 2007, with the support of Hands at Work, Peter cast the vision to the local church: to see them unite as Christ’s body to care for the community’s most vulnerable children.

As a result of Peter’s mobilisation of the local church in Miswa, people from the community wanted to start a school and so in 2008 the Community School began. Initially the children and teachers met under a tree, but with the community’s help, a thatched classroom was built and then a more permanent structure was constructed. In 2015, Hands at Work began officially partnering with the Miswa Community Based Organisation (CBO). Coming to the Life Centre in Miswa, 50 of the most vulnerable children began receiving a hot, nutritious meal daily, and support with their education and basic health care. Since the start of the Miswa CBO, the number of children being cared for has increased to 100.

In 2018, the Hands at Work local office team in Kabwe ran a Maranatha Workshop for the Care Workers, sharing the foundation of who Jesus is and who he can be in their lives. The local Hands at Work team in Kabwe were encouraged to see a reconciliation of relationships amongst the Care Workers and a deeper understanding of the love of Christ.

The Care Workers and some of the Primary Caregivers have come together and planted a garden next to the community borehole, which provides easy access for watering. They have planted various vegetables and continue to work together in tending the garden.

Meet Grace

Five-year-old Grace* is the second of three children. In 2020, Grace tragically lost her father, leaving her and the entire family vulnerable. Although her mother tried to support the children by doing casual jobs within the community, these jobs were scarce and made it difficult for her to provide for them. Grace quickly became malnourished. Thankfully, Joyce, a volunteer Care Worker from the Miswa CBO, knew the family’s situation and advocated for the children to join the CBO, where they now receive the three essential services of food, education, and basic healthcare. Grace and her younger sister are also participants in the Under 5’s program. Grace’s health immediately began to improve, and today she is a healthy and happy girl! She loves playing and singing with her friends, and says when she grows up, she would like to be a teacher and singer at church.

The local Hands at Work team in Chisamba currently supports five Community Based Organisations, which exist to care for the most vulnerable in their communities. The office provides training, networking, and encouragement to those Community Based Organisations like Miswa. It also gives administrative support, including helping with funding proposals, monitoring and evaluation, bookkeeping and reporting to donors. 

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