ACE eNews

In Zambian villages when young girls and boys reach adolescence they move into a special house, called an “Ngobelo” where they are prepared by the village elders to become stable, productive men and women. We are using this concept, rooted in the traditional African culture, to assist boys and girls living at the House of Martha to become self supporting responsible Christ centered adults equipped to live within the local Zambian community.

In August, 2009, seven girls moved into our first Ngobelo, located on the House of Martha property. This concept was an immediate success and as the plans for our adolescent children grew the boys clamored for the same chance we had given the girls.

Even as the walls of the girls Ngobelo were going up, the prayers of the young men were going up to heaven asking God for their own Ngobelo and skills center. Eagerly, the boys helped the girls paint and plaster and clean up the construction site, and were delighted the day that they moved into their new small house with a study and sewing room.

Several months passed and Nellie, the House of Martha house mother told us over and over again that the boys had not relented in their prayers or their questions about when they would have their own Ngobelo and a chance to learn vocational skills.

Last month we were introduced to a local Tucson family that wanted to do something meaningful for youth in Zambia. After only a few minutes of discussion about our vision of a boy’s Ngobelo, the grandson, who is working on his master’s degree in economics spoke up, “This is perfect. It is exactly what we want to do. We will build an Ngobelo and skills center for the boys!”

In addition to initial funding, the family is offering another $50,000 as a matching fund for the Ngobelos. To make a donation of your own that will be matched, enclose a note with your gift, or go to our donate page and stipulate in the comments section that it is for Ngobelo Matching Fund.

Not only will this family provide funding, they have also volunteered to travel to Zambia and share some of their own skills with the boys – and the girls at the House of Martha Ngobelos.

The boys, who have already started clearing the ground for the construction even before there was money to build, are jumping with joy. Each one has a fresh outlook on life and a bolstered faith in God’s love for them.