Christmastime in Zambia
There are lyrics to a song that I listen to around Christmas that go like this:
“It’s Christmastime, there’s no need to be afraid
At Christmastime, we let in light and we banish shade
And in our world of plenty we can spread a smile of joy
Throw your arms around the world at Christmastime
But say a prayer, to pray for the other ones
At Christmastime
It’s hard, but when you’re having fun
There’s a world outside your window
And it’s a world of dread and fear
Where the only water flowing
Is the bitter sting of tears
And the Christmas bells that ring there
Are the clanging chimes of doom
Well tonight thank God it’s them
instead of you
And there won’t be snow in Africa this Christmastime
The greatest gift they’ll get this year is life
Oh, where nothing ever grows, no rain, or rivers flow
Do they know it Christmastime at all?”
I’m pretty sure that I’ve mentioned that life for the kiddos on this side of the globe is not easy, right? At Christmas time I get this overwhelming feeling. A feeling that wants to see the kids at Lifesong having a great time. Just one day where I can see them squeal with glee, throw their heads back and laugh, and just have a fun day. I mean, when I lived in Canada, we would go out of our way – at school and in our families – to have spirit days, fun days, crafts at Christmas, etc. Now I know that together we’re working toward a better future for these kids (what with providing daily meals, education, medical care and so on), so I don’t want to sound ungrateful….but shouldn’t a poor kid have an opportunity to have fun? We at Lifesong Harmony School have a favor to ask, if we may be so bold. We want to change things up a bit this Christmas, and we need your help. We want to list a number of ideas and see if we can make it happen. Kind of a Christmas wish list, if you will. So, let me dive right in and see if I can get you on-board with an idea or two.
Here goes:
We would like to have a meal. A proper Christmas meal. We would like to have rice….a luxury they don’t often partake of, chicken, beef, fish, potatoes and maybe even a…………cake???
We would like to prepare kits for each girl from Grade 4 and up. The kit would include a re-usable sanitary napkin (the pad is made out of cotton and citenge – a typical African fabric). We would also like to include some undergarments and perhaps a roll-on deodorant.
For the upper level boys we thought to provide some undergarments – the teachers have been noticing that many go without.
We would also like to put on a Christmas play…….to use this opportunity to spread the good news about Jesus….since He is the reason for the season.
(In an effort to contribute to this idea, the teachers and I are going to have a bake sale in November to raise awareness with the locals).
With that being said, join me in bringing some cheer into the lives of these dear children, by reaching out to me (yasna.delic@gmail.com) or Andrew Sulja (andrew.sulja@lifesongfororphans.ca) via email and let’s “Feed the World……Let them know it’s Christmastime.”