Hello!

Happiness Initiative partner, Families are Nations (FAN), are doing amazing things in Kapiri Mposhi, and we wanted to spread the word!

On August 11, 2017, Families are Nations (FAN) officially launched the “FAN Community Family Education Centre” in the Chitambala village in the Kapiri Mposhi district under Chief Nkole.

Chitambala village is home to a population of over 5,000 families of whom 60% are children and youths.  The village lacks community education facilities for families and children who end up on the street due to family disintegration.  Majority of the children have a history of broken families, lack of education support and various other complicated backgrounds bordering on family.  As a result, the area records high immorality levels illiteracy, early child marriages, teenage pregnancies and HIV related incidences.

This place will be designed to provide Family Development Facilities to address various issues affecting families. It will also be an effective one-stop institution that will provide activities to address the various needs of family development through specialized family building interventions.

The Centre will provide the following family building services to Chitambala Village and catchment area in Kapiri Mposhi District;

• Early child Education and mentorship activities
  • Nursery education
  • Grades One to Seven
• School Feeding Programs
  • Nutritional Activities (training and awareness)
  • Feeding Program for OVCs
  • Food Processing and curing services
• OVCs Drop in Centre
  • Children Reintegration program
  • Counseling and mentorship
• Empowerment and skills activities for Family Development
  • Recycling project and Echo construction
  • Village Banking Project
  • Vegetable Drying and food processing
  • Cobblestone cutting Technology
• Adult Literacy services – targeting youths, parents and guardians
  • Basic Literacy
  • 3Rs – Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic
  • Health Awareness
  • Older person’s empowerment activities – crafts, weaving, traditional games, etc
• Character Education Sessions for all age groups
  • Youth mentorship and empowerment
  • Family training and education
  • Spiritual Guidance and counseling
• Health and Nutrition education services for families
  • Healthy Eating Club (Promotion of good nutrition)
  • Keep fit and health activities
• Family counseling services including
  • pre and post marital counseling
  • behavior change counseling (alcoholics, abuse and other vices)
  • child counseling services
  • spiritual and psychosocial counseling
• Agriculture and Cooperative Services
  • FISP distribution Services
  • Cooperative services including training and sales
• Family based Social and Recreation activities
  • Family interaction, fellowship and conferencing
  • Family sporting activities
• Creative Arts and talent identification activities
• Communal activities focusing on family wellbeing

The FAN Community Centre has since January 2017 enrolled a total of 381 (217 females and 164 males) children of which 173 were withdrawn from the streets of Kapiri Mposhi through the FAN Reintegration Program from various activities including begging and streetism while, 122 were brought to the center by family members who declared inability to support and need help to educate the children.  The remaining 86 children drop into the center on their own to seek education or other support services.  Among these are orphans, challenged, abused and neglected children.

Here are pictures of the official launching ceremony to commemorate the opening of the school in Kapiri Mposhi:

FAN also sent us a request letter asking for sponsorship for a well for the children to have access to as they go forward with their education.

Happiness Initiative is proud of FAN’s contribution to the community, and we hope to continue supporting their efforts for a greater good.

Families Are Nations (F.A.N) was officially launched in Kapiri Mposhi on 15^th May 2015 by Her Excellency, the First Lady of the Republic of Zambia, Madam Esther Lungu.  FAN has since been creating awareness and undertaking community based interventions in line with the FAN vision “raising communities anchored on Family as an Institution of Love, Peace, Integrity and National Development.”