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As many of you are well aware, nshima, a stiff maize porridge, is a staple food of Zambia. It is eaten all across the nation and many Zambians do not even consider food they consume a full meal unless there is nshima involved. The children that come to Camp LIFE as well as the children and families our Father’s Heart program touch throughout the compounds of Lusaka, all eat nshima regularly.

Yet Zambians, and more specifically children, often do not receive the necessary vitamins and minerals in their daily food intake. Thus they are malnourished and prone to infection.  However, if Zambians can be persuaded to eat an orange-colored variety made of biofortified maize, their health prospects could be greatly enhanced. Check out this story on a new way the Zambian government and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are trying to counter malnourishment. Here are the highlights:

More than half of Zambia’s under-five children are affected by vitamin A deficiency, which can increase the risk of illness, retard growth and cause blindness, according to the government’s National Food and Nutrition Commission.

In the past few years, developing countries have launched several programmes to fortify staples with vitamin A and iron. Biofortification is the process of breeding higher levels of essential micronutrients such as vitamin A, iron, and zinc in food crops.

Zambia has also made its own efforts to biofortify maize with vitamin A – led by the government’s Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI), which is collaborating with HarvestPlus.

After three years of work – identifying maize varieties with high beta-carotene content and then cross-breeding them to increase the content naturally – the scientists appear to have been successful.

Beta-carotene which is converted in the body as vitamin A is naturally found in maize, explained Simpungwe. The researchers led by ZARI have managed to develop a maize variety with a beta-carotene content of nine milligrams per gram, which should improve levels of vitamin A in consumers quite substantially, he said.

“We are aiming to get to a maize variety which will provide 10-15 milligrams of beta-carotene per gram, which is the optimum level,” said Simpungwe. The researchers arrived at the figure after taking into account the amount of maize an average Zambian consumed in a year, which is 160kg.

There is however, a growing fear that the new maize may not be accepted. Simpungwe disagrees. Simpungwe said he had run his own trials at home and found the maize to be a hit with his children and friends. “Unlike white maize which has a flat taste, the orange maize has a sweetish taste which the children loved.”

Simpungwe said the seeds will be made freely available initially, and subsidized thereafter.

What an exciting development for all of the Lord’s children in Zambia!

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The Lord is continuing to do big things for Family Legacy and for the people of Zambia! Last month the Lord brought our 15^th Staff Member to us from Belton, TX. Meet Lindsey Beasley:

Lindsey received a degree in Finance from Mary Hardin-Baylor with an emphasis on international relations and micro finance. Most recently, she worked for Hope for the Hungry in Belton, TX, where she helped develop microloan programs in Haiti.  Lindsey’s work will center on two critical areas within the Father’s Heart department: a trades program for older sponsored children and a microloan program for children’s guardians.

Through the trades program, older children will receive vocational training in mechanics, carpentry, masonry, or other areas which will give them valuable skills needed to earn a living.  The microloan program will provide small loans to guardians to enable them to start their own businesses.  Both of these initiatives will greatly enhance the economic status of our sponsored children’s families by increasing their capacity to generate income.

By developing these programs, we are not only affirming our commitment to minister to families living in poverty – we are also actively seeking ways to lift them out of it.  Through the trades and microloan programs, children and caretakers gain the necessary skills to step out of their hardship and into lives they are proud to call their own.  This newness of life creates a mindset change that not only revolutionizes their lives in the present but also sets into motion a ripple that affects families, communities, and generations to come.

Lindsey’s arrival at Family Legacy will boost the excellent work that is already being done by our staff in Zambia and will extend the impact of what the Lord is doing there.  To learn about other new faces who have joined Family Legacy in recent months, be sure to check out our staff pages.  Be on the lookout for more specific information about the trades and microloan programs in the weeks to come.

Bernard is  a 17-year-old boy from the IBEX area of Lusaka. He has unfortunately had terrible nightmares and dreams throughout his life. These dreams have brought fear and confusion into his life.

Nightmares are a common occurrence among children in Zambia.  Dreams of witchdoctors, snakes, dead relatives, and other macabre subjects regularly terrorize them during the night.  Unfortunately, these precious children are not spared from the culture of death and the occult that pervades much of Zambian society.

However, through one-on-one blessing times with his counselors at Camp LIFE, and more importantly through evangelism and discipleship at the IBEX Community Resource Center, Bernard has been able to share openly about these dreams and get help.  Through prayer and counseling with his Discipleship Leader, Bernard has grown stronger in his faith and has developed a deeper relationship with God.

Bernard testified that since a prayer session on October 10^th, 2010 he has not had a single nightmare! He credits his close relationship with God and the support of his DL for this transformation.  Bernard has been evangelizing to his friends, and his family says that he is now full of joy!

While nightmares are a powerful force among the children of Zambia, Bernard’s experience demonstrates that the power of God is stronger.  As the apostle Paul declares in 2 Corinthians 10:4, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”  We thank God for the work He has done in Bernard’s life and for his sponsors who have made this intense discipleship possible.

Are you interested in sponsoring a child like Bernard in the Father’s Heart Program and changing a life forever? Click Here

Benny Chitanaka is a single orphan in IBEX who lives with his grandmother. He has lost his father, and his mother moved because of work. Benny has had his life dramatically changed due to his monthly Father’s Heart sponsorship.

Through his meetings with his Discipleship Leader, Benny has learned to trust God all the time, even when things are hard at home. He loves praying and has even been evangelizing to his grandmother! Because of his discipleship Benny has become an intercessor for his family.

His grandmother and school teachers marvel at his respect for his elders and his willingness to help around school and the house. Benny has also recently been excelling at school. Benny has testified that through his study sessions at the CRC and prayer, he is now able to read and write!

Last summer, Benny’s sponsor came to Zambia to volunteer at Camp LIFE, and beforehand she took two extra days to participate in a Sponsorship Trip. During that trip, she was able to visit Benny and his family in their home and spent time praying with them and getting to know them.  She was also able to give them a month’s worth of food along with a few other small gifts for Benny.  The food was a big help to the family which allowed his grandmother to save some money and helped them to have regular meals.

Benny’s amazing story is a testament to what $40 dollars can do to change a child’s life. Benny Is being spiritually nurtured,  educationally stimulated, and is in good physical help because of his sponsorship.

Are you interested in sponsoring a child like Benny and changing a life forever? Click Here

Are you a sponsor who wants to take a trip to Camp LIFE and visit your sponsored child? Click Here