August 2026
On my first Tuesday back in Zambia last month I wondered if any of the Running Club members would hear that I had come back and would come to run. Well, eight girls and boys came that day, and each week there were more. On the final Tuesday there were 45. It is a very simple format — gather and greet, run three kilometres (six for the ambitious ones), sit in a circle for a drink and snacks, hear a few words of wisdom from me before getting a lift home to the compound in the Land Cruiser. The programme keeps them fit, keeps them out of mischief after a day at school and gives them something to think about until we meet again next week.
One of our six-year-old preschool girls was badly sexually assaulted by a neighbour in the compound recently. The assailant has admitted his crime and is now in custody, but there is cold comfort in this. The girl was treated at a government hospital before we brought her to the Kafakumba Clinic to be examined by a female paediatrician from Ndola. The paediatrician is confident that her injuries will heal without surgery, and we are relieved to hear that her test results are negative for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Our prayer is that she will experience complete recovery — physical, emotional and psychological.
Rodgers is one of our tertiary Onesimus Programme students who is studying engineering in Lusaka. His laptop was stolen through the window of his dorm room in Lusaka on Sunday night. But we must give him top marks for tracing the laptop after it was offered for sale on FaceBook the following day. Rodgers and his student friends trapped the seller and took him to the police where he and his accomplices were arrested. Sadly all his data has been deleted, but at least the laptop is back in his possession. Such setbacks can be extremely discouraging for our students.
Our Chess Club members at Limapela Cedric’s were challenged to an online fundraising chess competition last week by one of our donor families in the USA. It was great fun and US$ 20,000 was raised for our new Biology lab. Thanks to our generous donors!
Once again, our thanks to you all for your interest, prayers and fellowship.
— Matthew Raymond
Full Circle
by Peggy Siamusinza
I was born and raised in Zambia in a family of five, raised by our mother. My family encouraged me to stay focused in school and to always aim higher. Their support kept me going even during challenging times. All five of us started our primary school at Cedric’s School. At that time Limapela was only a primary school, so I did my secondary schooling at another school, completing in 2015.
After finishing school, in 2022 I came back to Limapela Cedric’s, but this time in a different role — as a librarian and teacher assistant. Coming back to the place where I started as young pupil was a full-circle moment for me. It reminded me of how far I had come. At that time I was untrained.
My decision to do teacher training came from the heart. First, I was inspired by Mrs Raymond who was my library trainer and teaching coach. Second, my experience as a teaching assistant showed me the impact one teacher can have on a child’s life.
In 2022 December, Limapela offered me a teacher training loan, and I enrolled in college to pursue my passion for teaching whilst working at the school. I worked hard throughout my studies, and by God’s grace, I graduated last month with a Merit in Primary Diploma. That achievement meant a lot to me because it was proof that dedication and patience pay off.
My journey from a pupil at Cedric School in 2004, to a college graduate in 2026, and now as an aspiring teacher, has taught me that with faith, hard work, and support, anything is possible. I look forward to serving and making a difference in young learners’ lives, just as my teachers did for me. All thanks goes to Limapela and to Mr and Mrs Raymond.
