Father Andrew Leśniara SJ, in a letter to the Dehonian Missionary Family, summarizes the months-long struggle to survive and save the youngest parishioners of the Chikuni mission in Zambia from starvation.
Chikuni, March 7, 2025
Among all the sorrows of the world,
among all the joys of the earth
one is a rose without thorns
The loveliest among wonders....
One is the smile...
Julian Ejsmond - "Child"
Dear Missionaries (yes, because you are them!),
I am writing on behalf of all the children and their parents and guardians, sincerely thanking you for your wonderful response to our appeal for child nutrition in Chikuni. Your help exceeded our expectations, and a true miracle of bread multiplication happened before our eyes.
It is with deep gratitude and joy that we would like to express our heartfelt thanks for your irreplaceable help in providing food for the children in our Chikuni parish and in our "Taonga" radio school during this difficult year when there was no harvest.
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Thanks to your support, we were able to provide essential meals for:
~ more than 5,000 children attending radio schools who received a hot meal every day for those months,
~ 2,529 children who are not in school yet; for these families we provided corn flour, peanuts, sugar and salt, among other things,
~ more than 70 children with disabilities who attend school in Choongo received food and sanitary supplies each month,
~ more than 80 children (mostly girls) who received food and sanitary supplies every Saturday in Mukanzubo.
As of today, we have purchased:
~ 225 tons of corn flour,
~ 45 tons of peanuts,
~ 16 tons of sugar,
~ 6.5 tons of salt.
And these are just some of the many other products, such as cabbage, soybeans, chicken pieces, peas, capenta and others.
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Transportation over difficult terrain and during the rainy season was required to deliver this amount of food. Where possible, we rented trucks, and where only off-road vehicles could pass, we used two Land Cruisers and a trailer.
Currently, the rain is good and we hope for a rich harvest. We will continue to help until the end of April, but soon our people will be able to enjoy their own crops, such as corn and melons.
Without your generosity and support, many of these children would not be able to receive the necessary meals that are the foundation for their physical development and educational success. Working together for these children gives them hope for a better future. Any help, no matter how small, is invaluable to us.
We are happy to count on your support in these difficult times. Your kindness not only improves the quality of life for children, but also sets an example of compassion, commitment and solidarity in our community and exemplifies a Christian attitude and the proclamation of the Good News.
From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for all that you have done and ask you to pray for the children who benefit from this assistance every day. May this emphasis help them find the touch of the Triune God in this gesture.
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Then he took the child, set it before them, and, putting his arms around it, said to them: "Whoever receives one of these children in my name receives me." (Mk 9:36-37)
TWALUMBA KAPATI! (thank you very much!) BÓG ZAPŁAĆ!
With expressions of gratitude, respect and prayers of gratitude +
Fr. Andrzej Leśniara, SJ Chikuni, Zambia
Read more about Zambia's child nutrition project:
- Nutrition children project in Zambia (mission project description)
