Zambia is an African country hard hit by the HIV/AIDS
pandemic, with almost one million of its residents
infected by the killer virus, and some 90,000
already having died from it. Suffering is widespread,
exacerbated by the poverty that affects eight
of ten Zambians, but none suffer more than the
children made orphans when their parents die of
the disease. These children face a bleak future,
without parents to care for them and little if
any assistance offered by the state. The United
Nations estimates there are some 1,250,000 orphans
in Zambia.
In 2001, Adamson and Anne Musonda decided to
do something to help the children made orphans
by AIDS in their native Zambia. They started by
providing the basic
food, clothing and school supplies needed by 400 children
in a poor area of Lusaka, the capital, but soon realized
they would have to develop long-term programs to help
the children build productive and successful lives. In
order to organize and expand their activities effectively,
the Musondas set up Zambia Hope International with a base
in Lusaka and an office in Missouri to facilitate international
support.
In
2007 Hope Mountain Foundation of Frederick, MD became
the US base for Zambia Hope and is actively supporting
Zambia Hope programs in the United States.
To help feed the children and to provide education
in agriculture, with the help of Jay Tailor, their first
major supporter, they established a 10-acre farm, not
far from Lusaka. After a successful first year, the
farm has expanded to 120-acres. At the end of 2007 it
was raising vegetables, corn, soy beans and ground nuts.
A 20 sow pigery was under construction as are two ponds
for fish farming.
At the same time, seeing the sorry state of local
educational facilities, Zambia Hope ‘adopted’ a local
school to improve its buildings and equipment and to
make sure the children had the clothing and school supplies
they needed. In 2006, with a donation from Jay Tailor,
work was started on Hope School, which will eventually
offer classes from elementary through high school. The
school will teach a program of self-reliance and personal
responsibility, as well as practical skills, in addition
to the public school curriculum. By the end of 2007
Zambia Hope was supporting four schoos with a total
of 1,200 children.
Zambia
Hope has conducted a successful program to combat the
spread of HIV/AIDS through teaching responsible behavior
to children, and has provided a local clinic that serves
18,000 people with much-needed medicines.
By utilizing all donations in a responsible way, making
sure the money goes to addressing the orphans’ real
needs, Zambia Hope has attracted a growing number of
supporters from Europe and the United States.
In
2007 Hope Mountain Foundation of Frederick, MD became
the US base for Zambia Hope and is actively supporting
Zambia Hope programs in the United States.
Zambia
Hope has conducted a successful program to combat the
spread of HIV/AIDS through teaching responsible behavior
to children, and has provided a local clinic that serves
18,000 people with much-needed medicines. 
