A New Voice From Nyumba Yanga: Lucy Masiye Lungu Says Hello!

Hello Everyone,

I feel privileged to share my motivation as a volunteer at Nyumba Yanga Orphanage in Lusaka, Zambia. I have volunteered throughout my life because I believe I have something to give to others. I am motivated by the love and grace of Christ to help. I am a gender activist and I belong to an Association that champions women’s and children’s rights with an emphasis on the girl child. I am currently the Chairperson for the regional YWCA branch in Lusaka. Through the mother body known as the Non Governmental Organizing Coordinating Committee, (NGOCC), we address issues of human rights that include children’s rights.

This being my first blog for Homes of Joy, I wish to introduce myself to all friends and partners of the special Home for children, Nyumba Yanga. I am known as Aunty Lucy by the children. Lucy Masiye Lungu is my full name. I am a secondary school teacher by profession but later changed to social work and worked as a Program Manager until 2005 when I decided to take another route. I am completing a degree in Development Studies this year. I have travelled extensively and lived in four countries.

I am married with three children (two boys and one girl) and two nephews. I have been married for 33 years to a very supportive partner who is a professor at the University of Zambia. Our children are all graduates and independent while our nephews still have two more years to finish secondary education. They lost their mum when they were 4 years old and have lived with us since 1999. They are special to my family. We give them all the love they deserve. In our African culture, they are our sons. This is the beauty of extended family systems in Zambia. We continue to encourage our society to uphold this culture because it does not leave children without mothers or fathers.

Nyumba Yanga is managed by the Sisters who need the support of Zambian volunteers because they are dealing with children from different backgrounds. As a Zambian with extensive experience in working with different people from different parts of the world, I am convinced that I can make a difference at the orphanage. My background and my knowledge and skills are centered on gender issues, and this makes it possible for me to deal with the different needs of the girls and mothers at Nyumba Yanga.

I am the bridge between Nyumba Yanga and the outside world. It is in this outside World where we hope for the girls to succeed in the future. I wish to share the love and care I received from my parents with others who may need both. My family is really supportive of my passion and my husband is always ready to help where need arises. This makes me a happy volunteer. Stay tuned for my next blog when I will share some conversations with the girls at Nyumba Yanga.

Lucy Masiye-Lungu

Volunteer at Nyumba Yanga

Nyumba Yanga Site Visit: A Short Reflection

Hello all,

It has been an exciting couple of months for Homes of Joy! All three HOJ volunteers (Amanda, Angi and myself) have now returned from our visit to the Nyumba Yanga Orphanage in Lusaka, Zambia. For me, the site visit was an incredible experience! It was wonderful to see how much both the girls and the institution have grown since my initial visit in 2008.

While at Nyumba Yanga, I did a lot of reflecting around the difference between a house and a home. There are thousands of orphanages around the world and the people within them work tirelessly to provide the best life they can for the orphaned children they take in. However, in this way, Nyumba Yanga truly stands out. The Sisters, house mothers, and volunteers go above and beyond to create a true home for the girls. It is so much more than just a roof over heads and food at a table. During our visit I felt very fortunate to join this community and become part of the Nyumba Yanga family. Listening to some of the older girls tell their stories at the 10th Anniversary Celebration was amazing. Many of the girls were overcome with emotion and had to fight through tears to tell everyone how much Nyumba Yanga meant to them and how strongly they recognized the doors that had been opened for their futures as a result of being accepted into the Nyumba Yanga family. It was very obvious to me that everyone that works at Nyumba Yanga makes decisions based on needs and resources, but they do so within a framework of love and support for each and every girl that enters through their gate.

The other thing that was constantly on my mind while visiting Nyumba Yanga was the importance of grassroots development. There has been a lot of publicity lately that criticizes the effectiveness of aid and international development. However, I still strongly believe in the critical importance of small scale development. It was a beautiful experience to walk around Nyumba Yanga and see firsthand the impact our funding has had over the past two years. Talking with Memori about how much better she sleeps with her own mattress, seeing photos all of the girls in their raincoats during the monsoon season, and visiting the girl’s schools were all moments that stood out to me. Providing resources to a small project like Nyumba Yanga has made tremendously effective use of the comparatively small amount of funding that we have been able to provide. Although I had full faith in the way we were distributing our funds, it was very moving to actually see what they had accomplished on the ground. I am incredibly thankful to all of our donors, volunteers, and HOJ board members who have made this possible.

I look forward to our continued growth as an organization and to the increasing impact we will have on the lives of the girls at Nyumba Yanga.

With gratitude,

Micaela
HOJ Founder