October 2024

We are all enjoying watching the Lower Primary Building Project at Limapela Cedric’s going up steadily. Our builder Simon Muyamba, has built before for Limapela, so he knows how we want things to be! We are hoping to have the roof on by the time the rains begin, but today there was a very light sprinkling of rain — very refreshing, but a reminder that the real rains are probably not far off. We are experiencing daily high temperatures or around 34 degrees. The heat saps our energy, but at least temperatures drop during the hours of darkness.

AFTER THE DROUGHT EARLIER THIS year, Zambians are now experiencing hardship as their wells and bore holes dry up. Scouting for water takes time and energy. Add to this the daily power cuts, which make it very hard for those relying on electricity to run their businesses. Thanks to generous donors in the USA, Limapela has now installed solar panels on our office and computer room at Limapela Cedric’s. So work now continues uninterrupted throughout the day.

THE KAFAKUMBA SINGERS enjoyed a long weekend Chengelo School after the school term began last month. An overnight trip away from home is a rare adventure for most of our singers, and singing from a stage to an enthusiastic audience of several hundred is quite a thrill. Needless to say, even though I enjoyed it all, the weekend was exhausting for me, being as I am no longer in my prime!

OUR DIRECTORS HERE IN ZAMBIA have now agreed to open a Grade 10 class at Limapela Cedric’s in January, thus starting the long awaited expansion to full secondary. A new secondary building will be required for the following year (2026), and an additional teacher or two will be recruited to spearhead the venture. Our parents and community members have been begging for this expansion for years now. It has been gratifying to see how well our Grade 8 and 9 pupils have been progressing, and we hope that most of them will opt to stay at Limapela in January, rather than move on to other secondary schools.

ON 24 OCTOBER WE WILL ALL CELEBRATE Zambia’s Independence Day holiday with singing, dancing, speeches and poetry in both schools. It is now 60 years since the British flag came down and the new Zambian flag went up on 24 October 1964. I am one of a diminishing number of people who were actually a part of those celebrations so long ago when I was 13 years of age!

OUR THANKS TO YOU ALL once again for your interest, prayers and support. We greatly appreciate it.

— Matthew and Alison Raymond