Celebrating the Read for Rose Special Education Program: Four Years of Impact
By Annabel Mumba
Annabel Mumba is AYC’s Donor Relations Coordinator in Zambia. She is a Scholarship Fund recipient, high school graduate, and also one of our Success Stories.
Co-written by Pamela O’Brien, African Education Program’s Development Director, who is mentoring Annabel as she pursues a journalism degree.
The Amos Youth Centre's Director of Special Education, Febby Choombe, and her assistant, Annie, have done an amazing job transforming the lives of the children and families they serve in the Read for Rose Special Education Program in Kafue.
Over the last four years, the services provided by this inclusive program have had an impact not just on the lives of the students, but their families too. The community has undergone a truly remarkable transformation, which is a testament to the commitment and effort of all program participants. As we commemorate this milestone, we look forward to telling the stories of the many lives that have changed thanks to this all-encompassing approach.
Today, we tell the stories of three families and how their lives have changed their outlook on life.
Febby and Annie, along with their two volunteers, have many daily challenges with 21 specially-abled kids now enrolled in the program, but this hasn't stopped them from making a difference in the lives of Christine and her children.
The Read for Rose Special Education Program family poses for a picture.
Christine’s Story
Linda gets a hug from her mother, Christine.
Christine, Linda's mother, has a story to tell about the journey she has had with the program. She is a single mother, and the majority of her ten children reside in her village. Linda is a student who has spinal bifida and hydrocephalus. Her twin brother, Pythia, is in the tenth grade and doing well. Christine couldn't afford to rent a house of her own, so she worked as a maid and took care of other people's unfinished homes. Due to her focus on her job and her daughter Linda, who requires special attention, her maid job did not succeed.
Linda was enrolled in the program when it began in 2019, and Christine was offered the opportunity to become a cook for Read for Rose. Christine can work where Linda is enrolled and care for her as needed, and as a result, the job has given her security and peace of mind. All of Christine's children are now enrolled in school, with her oldest child pursuing a degree in education at the University of Zambia with the help of a 100% government loan.
Pythia has also benefited from the AYC programs since the eighth grade after successfully applying for membership. Christine is now self-assured and grateful for the opportunities she and her family have received as a result of the program. According to Linda's mother, if she had not found a job at Read for Rose, none of the opportunities her family has enjoyed would have been possible.
Mirriam’s Story
Chilufya is a 7-year-old boy with hearing loss who is learning sign language while navigating his environment. Both Chilufya and his mother, Mirriam, are taking sign language lessons. Since Chilufya has been enrolled in the program for a year now, his language and communication abilities have significantly improved. He has made it his responsibility to teach his older brothers sign language too. The newly found language has mended the communication barrier that existed between Chilufya and his family.
Mirriam also graduated from AYC's Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy Program Parent Training. Despite working as a secondary school teacher, Mirriam still found it difficult to raise four boys on her own. After learning about various business ideas during the training, she started selling smoked fish to her neighbors and some of her coworkers. This passive income is helping her care for her children now.
Even though Chilufya attends the Twatasha Special Education Community School, he prefers to visit Read for Rose and take advantage of the programs there more often. His mother expressed her hope that the center would turn into a full-fledged school and help many kids like her son.
Chilufya is all smiles with his mother, Mirriam.
Maureen’s Story
Maureen and her youngest child, Taonga.
Two of Maureen's children are already AYC members, and they have all benefited from the program. Taonga, her youngest child who is 4 years old and lives with a hearing impairment, enrolled in the Read for Rose Special Education Program in the middle of 2022. She can now respond to her name and sign without any problems. She has also mastered the art of writing and signing her siblings' names. With her daughter enrolled in this program, Maureen is optimistic that she will learn and have the opportunity to lead an independent life. Her goal is for her daughter to live on her own.
Maureen’s other daughter, Catherine, will be turning 7 this year and also has a hearing impairment. Catherine is an active student who has insisted on only attending the Read for Rose Special Education Program. She was 4 years old when she enrolled, but she has grown along with the program and is thriving. With her friends, Catherine usually takes the lead during reading sessions and regular classes. Catherine is very energetic and confident in her newly acquired sign language.
With two older siblings who are also hearing impaired, Catherine is no stranger to discrimination. Her fluency in sign language is impressive at her age, and many people who meet her are amazed at her progress. They all look forward to her bright future.
Febby is thrilled to see that her initial dream is now becoming a reality. Due to a personal experience that she had while attending the University of Zambia, Febby decided that she wanted to work with people who had special needs. It's a dream come true for her to realize that she can accomplish this with 21 extended families now. She has discussed a few of her key learnings from the previous four years. “Four years later, I am very happy to see the program reaching all these families. The Read for Rose Special Education Program has benefited all the families that have children in the program, especially the women who have been able to take part in AYC’s entrepreneurship classes and have graduated.” Given that these women rely on selling at the market or on the side of the road to support their families, Febby strongly encouraged them to enroll in this class.
“Since parents have learned sign language here during the classes and are also learning from their children, which is a good thing, I no longer receive knocks on my door attempting to translate what the children are trying to communicate to them.”
Additionally, Febby has mentioned how the children who benefited from the Nutrition Program continue to be affected when they aren’t at the center. The parents have shared how their kids lose weight when the AYC team shuts down and takes a holiday break in December, and they don't appear as healthy as when they visit the center.
A plan that was designed by Febby, and her team is currently implementing, is to successfully classify each student based on their needs. They have determined which students have the potential to excel academically and which ones will need additional education or training to be able to live independently. We are eager to learn more about the program's accomplishments in the future. We are in awe of Febby and her team for having an impact on the numerous lives of these dependent children.