Kabwata Orphanage
Much More Than a “Transit Centre”

Friday, November 22, 2013

Kabwata Orphanage
Much More Than a “Transit Centre”

Friday, November 22, 2013

kabwatasmOur partners in Zambia at the Kabwata Orphanage and Transit Centre (KOTC) have provided holistic care including nutrition, education, and healthcare for hundreds of children over the years. But what sets them apart is the work captured by the second part of their name – “Transit Centre”. Whether it’s an emergency rescue case from the police, an ailing child from the nearby University Teaching Hospital, or a family of five children fleeing the conflict in the Congo – our supporters make sure that KOTC never has to turn a child away.

kabwata3Our partners in Zambia at the Kabwata Orphanage and Transit Centre (KOTC) have provided holistic care including nutrition, education, and healthcare for hundreds of children over the years. But what sets them apart is the work captured by the second part of their name – “Transit Centre”.

On April 29th of this year, Kabwata’s Founder, Mrs. Angela Miyanda received a late night phone call from the police station. Five children were in prison with their mother after being caught at the Zambian border without papers. The family was fleeing from the latest bout of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with the hopes of reaching an open refugee camp.Kabwata Orphanage The police asked Angela whether she could come pick up the children and keep them at KOTC; if she couldn’t, they would have had to stay in prison with their mother indefinitely.

buildingsAngela receives countless calls like these every year from the police, the Department of Social Welfare, or the local hospital. Thanks to your support, she can say “Yes, I will come to take these children” and then bring them to safety at the KOTC. The five children were brought to the home immediately where they were cleaned up, fed, and given a warm bed. But, Angela’s work does not end there. She immediately sets herself to the task of contacting the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to find out the necessary steps to reunite these children with their mother and find them a safe resettlement plan that will prevent them from being sent back to the DRC. It is these cases that make Kabwata a “transit center” in addition to an orphanage. Despite the incredible challenges these five children have experienced already in their young lives, they will be able to await their happy ending and reunion with their mother in the safe and able care of the KOTC family.

***NOTE: – we’ve since received word that the children have been reunited with their mother and are in the custody of Immigration to work on a safe resettlement strategy for the entire family!

See our virtual tour of the Kabwata Orphanage and Transit Centre:
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Thank you from the children of Kabwata:

 

 

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