He did not return to Zambia until 20 years later in 2012 for a two week holiday in order to attend a relatives wedding. This trip turned out to be a life changing experience for Mala and it inspired him to start his own non profit organisation to help disadvantaged communities in his country of birth.
Read more about his journey and how you can get involved to help.
Visiting Zambia for the First Time in 20 Years
The trip back home for Mala was a serious eye opener as it exposed him first hand to the hardships the communities and country face as a whole i.e. poverty, disease (malaria, HIV/AIDS, cholera etc).
His heart was touched by so many people’s stories and situations including his own immediate and extended family who he had absolutely no contact with whilst he was in the UK until his life changing trip back to his motherland
Upon returning to the UK Mr Mwense began making plans and arrangements to help those in Zambia that were less fortunate and suffered from hardships that he felt he could assist them with either directly or indirectly.
In his own words he says “I realised this was my calling in life so I decided to dedicate my life to the advancement of others in my country who were not as lucky as me to escape the vicious cycle of poverty and disease that cripples Zambia”
After collecting various donations in different forms including educational materials i.e. textbooks, clothing calculators as well as financial contributions whilst he was back in UK Mr Mwense returned to Zambia and volunteered at a local private school with two campuses that belonged to his uncle.
As well as this Mr Mwense donated the items and funds he had accumulated to various schools as well as to impoverished parts of the community by feeding orphans and widows using a program he started called #Need2Feed.
Upon seeing the impact of the little he had done in his eyes to lessen such a big problem he decided to establish his own non profit organisation in Zambia and in the process also secured a partnership with UK registered charity Life Aid UK.
Together the two organisations focus on assisting and empowering orphans, vulnerable children as well as widows.
Project Overview
(Charles Mwense Foundation Founder) in the field assisting with various aspects of community development)
Since its establishment in 2013 the organisation along with its UK partners has served well over 3000 meals to the community via the #Need2Feed program and has consistently fed close to 200 people on a weekly basis in schools as well as in the wider community i.e. ghettos/compounds.
However the organisation and its partners have now focused their resources and attention on assisting community schools that lack funding and resources.
The programs that exist at the schools currently include gardening/agricultural projects (#Grow2Grow), Poultry farming (#PoultryPower), serving school meals (#Need2Feed), donating free educational materials (books, pens, pencils, paper, calculators etc) and lastly redecorating i.e. painting of classrooms and restoring broken down parts of buildings and classrooms.
The big steps and advancements the organisation has made alongside its partners are very commendable taking into account the short space of time they have been fully operational however there is a great need required from individuals all over the world to participate on the volunteer programs setup.
As a volunteer you can assist with the execution of the programs at the various different schools and local charitable organisations.
Volunteers are required to execute projects at schools and responsibilities can include the teaching of maths, English and sciences to orphan pupils at the schools, helping serve meals on #Need2Feed days, help with gardening and the growing of produce alongside pupils at various school sites, handing out of donated materials such as educational materials and used clothing from various countries abroad and lastly help with painting and redecoration of classrooms and school buildings.
If you are looking to take a break or gap year in Africa then your help will be apprecied with us.
How You Can Get Involved
There are many reasons why you should apply to volunteer in Zambia through the Charles Mwense Foundation.
There are several projects available to join where you can help local communities as well as five schools all within an hour distance from each other. There are community volunteer programs and teaching jobs with the Charles Mwense Foundation where you can work on the ground and see the inspirational work being dome first hand.
Two of the main places you can be placed include:
Anchor Private School has 2 sites both situated in the town centre 15 minutes from each other with a total of over 1000 pupils for both sites. Showground’s Community School is situated near the town in a compound / ghetto notorious for its illicit illegal taverns that serve alcohol 24 hours a day and as a consequence the community is very broken and chaotic.
Hapawaya basic school is based in a rural setting in Munali Hills and has 800 plus pupils and is also part funded by the Zambian Governments Ministry of Education.
Lastly Malaikha is the ONLY school for the blind in the whole country and is a boarding school and charity founded by an Austrian woman who came to Zambia as a volunteer and refused to return to her home country without making a serious change and leaving a legacy.
Teaching in Zambia at one of these schools will be a life changing experience.
If the idea of goint to volunteer in Africa has always appealed to you then you should definately consider this experience.
When in Zambia you will have a respected point of contact and chaperone with Mr Mwense who is Zambian by birth but was raised in the UK for 22 years so he speaks English and is able to find the perfect balance to cater for volunteers from the developed world as well as the communities and schools they will serve.
There are also lots of excursions, Zambia tours and travel opportunities which can be arranged once in country.
Check our more information and apply to volunteer with the Charles Mwense Foundation today.
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