July 5, 2007

Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day.
Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for life.
-proverbial

Dear Friends,

Munjungo Namuyama believes in fishing

Kapenta-fishing rig returning to shore.

As we watch the odd-shaped rig come in—this square floating platform, surmounted by a circular net—we remember the story in Luke chapter 5 where Peter says, “Master, we toiled all night and caught nothing.” The sun is barely rising. From our vantage point on shore we attempt to ascertain whether the fishermen were successful.

They have been fishing for kapenta, a pungent-tasting minnow eaten dry or sometimes fried, but always whole (eyes and all). Kapenta and chicken eggs supply most of the protein consumed here by villagers in the vicinity of Lake Karibe.

Munjungo Namuyama, director of Namumu Orphanage Center, is a former orphan himself.

Not far from the lake lies Namumu Orphanage Center, home to 80 boys and girls from southern Zambia. Namumu seems more like a family than an institution. Its “can-do” spirit begins with the director, himself a former orphan, and is shared by the whole staff.

Munjungo’s father died when he was young. His mother remarried. The stepfather didn’t want him. The stepfather said he had to work in the fields. The boy ran off to school instead. The stepfather was angry, but the principal agreed to let him stay as a self-supporting boarder—in the principal’s house. One door opened to another. Eventually, Namuyama retired as an electric company manager.

And then he went to work!

Children of Namumu Orphanage, the reason why we fish.

Starting with little apart from vision and enormous gratitude to God, Munjungo Namuyama turned former scrub land into a chapel, dining hall, clinic, two dorms, a school, a playing field, and the insaka (round, thatched-roof pavilion with open sides). It may never be confused with Hilton Head, but it works. Rustic? Yes. Joyful? Absolutely!

The concept of “orphanage” is strange in Africa, where extended families care for their own. Children whose natural parents cannot function due to death, disability, or distance will normally reside with a maternal aunt or uncle. Or a grandparent. Or another relative. It is a sign of extreme social stress occasioned by the pandemic of HIV/AIDS that certain families now relinquish their children to the care of outsiders. It must feel like a defeat.

One thing we like about Namumu: it doesn’t reinforce that feeling in any way. There is no wall or fence around it.  No inner air of superiority. The surrounding community comes to utilize the clinic. The school has twice as many pupils from outside as it does from within. And relatives can visit.

For most of its five-year history Namumu has depended on support from the United States. Its primary ally is our own supporting agency, The Outreach Foundation, based in Franklin Tennessee. Working in partnership with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), TOF sends dollars and visitors to encourage and enable this good program. Over the years, its focus has shifted from sustaining operations toward endowing capacity.

In other words, we like to equip friends to go and fish for themselves.

In this case our donors have purchased a pair of kapenta-fishing rigs. So now the orphanage can send out boat crews at night—just like in Bible times, using light to attract the prey—and in the morning they return, offload the catch, weigh it, dry it, and sell it. After covering expenses and some set-asides for maintenance they can still expect to reap a tidy sum for the main work of helping orphaned kids.

Building capacity and not dependency. We think this should be the way of the future.

At Namumu, projects are now underway to raise pigs, grow vegetables, and grind corn into meal. Each of these products has a ready local market, so all can contribute to the cause. There is also a carpentry shop under construction, and there are plans to teach sewing and knitting. In every case, our goal is two-fold: train the children in a practical life skill, and help make the orphanage more self-sustaining.

We invite our readers to become new investors in this form of godly entrepreneurship. Opportunities exist, not only at Namumu, but in several other places throughout our region. You can write us to ask.

Oh, and by the way, that night’s catch was mediocre. Fishing can be unpredictable, as you know. But it doesn’t keep us from going out again!

Personal notes

We depart from Lusaka on July 26 for the wedding of our daughter early in August. Then, after some family time and travels in the northeast, we turn south to visit churches on behalf of The Outreach Foundation. The month of October will belong to PC(USA) and its big mission conference called "Mission Celebration," followed by Mission Challenge 07.

It will be nice to see both of our children in one place for the first time in almost two years. We also look forward to seeing our parents—arriving just in time for the 83rd birthday of Ted’s dad.

We thank God and thank you also for your amazing support. What a privilege to represent you!

Yours by grace,

Ted and Sue

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 337