Author: David Bain

Just as we look forward to celebrating the the birth of Our Saviour during the Christmas Season, in Zambia, our FOF children prepare for the celebration with singing and the rehearsing of the nativity event for presentation at their FOF Christmas Party.

Each year at this time, Faith and her Team visit all twenty four Centres to provide a Christmas meal and present a practical gift to each child. Faith tells us that the excitement and joy on the faces of the children as they receive their gift is something to behold.

One of the gifts this year is a colourful water bottle. Water in the rural areas of Zambia where our Centres are located, is a highly valued commodity and having your own bottle with a lid minimizes health risks and reduces the number of trips to the well.

A Christmas dinner is also an important part of the Christmas Party. The meal includes goat and nshima, which is a thick and smooth porridge made from ground maize.

May you receive the joy and blessing this Christmas of knowing how you have made a difference in the lives of these vulnerable and less fortunate children in Zambia. Thank you for supporting Faith’s Orphans Fund.

Teens Missions has started and thanks to your support, 120 of our FOF teenagers are attending this years event. This is a five week intensive training activity that is highly treasured by those who have attended and eagerly desired by those that learn about the experience.

Before they leave, Faith equips the students with a basket loaded with practical of ‘goodies’ such as soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, etc …the following picture will give you a better sense of what they are given.

The benefits of Teens Missions are many, but one of the key elements is that the students are taught how to share their learning with others in the Centres where they live. So not only are skills passed on, but it creates a strong desire within the younger students for a chance to go. And that helps us achieve the goal of giving the orphans and vulnerable children the opportunity for a better future.

November 21 2022  Dear Friends of Faith,   As we move swiftly toward the end of 2022, enjoying an absolutely beautifully colourful and warm fall, we have a great deal to be thankful for and to celebrate at Faith’s Orphans Fund Canada.  First, of course, is the fact that 30 years of ministry to Zambia’s orphans and vulnerable youth was celebrated over three days (Zambian style) in August with hundreds of FOF implementors, FOF staff & faculty, STC students, FOF alumni, government officials, pastors and yes, some Canadians too. It was an honour and a privilege to witness the incredible impact that FOF has had and continues to have on so many young lives – spiritually, physically, emotionally and financially – FOF truly gives impoverished individuals a chance.   Having visited the Skills Training Centre in Kitwe in August, we were impressed to see the impact of on-going repairs and maintenance projects. As a result, we have provided additional funding for new roofing and ceiling boards which are being installed on the main, original classroom & administration block at this time. Additionally, while on site, we reviewed the age, mileage and state of the three existing FOF vehicles. Having recently learned of a mission group in Germany that is focused on vehicle procurement for charitable organizations, we have ordered two new Toyota Land Cruisers for a fantastically low price, including delivery, to replace two of the aging FOF vehicles.   We were extremely grateful to have been able to have Faith Liyena return to Ontario in mid-May after COVID travel restrictions had been lifted. Faith was greatly encouraged to be able to meet with the many committed donors, prayer partners, sewers, knitters and volunteers. Your continued faithfulness in sharing with FOF’s work is reflected in the fact that our packing & shipping team of volunteers have just sent the largest ever shipment of handmade clothing & quilts to FOF Zambia. The hundreds of hours passionately invested by over a thousand volunteer sewers and knitters is overwhelming.   We celebrate with the Zambians, the electing of a Zambian Christian businessman, Hakainde Hichilema as President (Aug 2021). Mr. Hichilema is attempting to reform the government, drive out corruption and build a more stable and significant economy. To date, these reforms seem to be having a positive effect as inflation is slowing and the Zambian Kwacha is strengthening in value. This is great news for Zambia. However, a stronger Zambian Kwacha relative to the Canadian dollar will impact our FOF Canada annual budget. Shortly, the FOF Canada board will be reviewing and solidifying the budget for 2023. For all the years FOF Canada has existed, there has always been enough provision to meet each and every operational and capital budget. We recognize that without the Lord’s guidance and your support, there would be no budget. So, we wish to express our gratitude to our Lord and to all of you who support the work of FOF and the impact it has on the lives that FOF touches. Thank you!  Each year, as we approach Christmas, some of our FOF supporters express a desire to provide a special gift to Faith’s Orphans Fund to support a project that aids our orphans and vulnerable youth. The following are some ideas that would be well received in Zambia that we could facilitate.  1. Send a student to Teen’s Missions Leadership Camp for a life changing five weeks of Bible, leadership and life skills training – $150 per student.  2. Help provide a Christmas party for children at a Centre which includes a practical gift and a Christmas dinner of goat and nshima (a staple food in Zambia – a very thick and smooth porridge made from ground maize) – $2.50 per child or about $450 per centre.  3. Provide a sewing machine or carpentry tool kit for a STC graduate student to enable them to start their own business. There is a need for 12 manually operated sewing machines and 20 carpentry tool kits – $325 per sewing machine, $350 per carpentry tool kit. 4. Equip a secondary student with necessary school supplies. Our Zambian students are required to provide their own course texts, uniforms, math sets, stationery and pens or pencils. $30 per student helps FOF provide these essentials to the 1,353 FOF registered students attending secondary school.   As we complete another year at FOF Canada, we again wish to say “thank you” and “may the Lord bless you and your family” because of your generous support and the encouragement that you have been to the work of Faith’s Orphans in Zambia. While in Zambia, we were blessed to hear many testimonies of the positive impact your support has made in the lives there. The latest video from Zambia immediately follows this letter. However, there are several other stories available to view by going to the ‘Videos’ section of this website. We believe these testimonies will warm your heart as you hear from the ‘children’ themselves what your support has meant to them and how it has changed their lives. Wishing you and yours a very blessed and meaningful Christmas Season, from all of us at Faith’s Orphans Fund

Ian Ross on behalf of the FOF Zambia Team and FOF Canada Board of Directors

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