Livingstonia Synod sends SOS

A food shortage crisis has hit the CCAP Synod of Livingstonia’s five schools for the deaf and the blind that some of them are on the verge of shutting down.

The synod’s education director, Vincent Kalua, said this yesterday after receiving a donation of foodstuffs worth K1.2 million from Nico Life Insurance Company.

He said the crisis is a result of the synod’s donor community grappling with the global economic crisis which has forced them to reduce funding to the schools.

“Donations are becoming a problem. Most of our partners overseas are also feeling the effects of the global economic crisis. As a result, we have very few friends who are still with us,”said Kalua.

He also said this has seen the synod’s education department struggling to feed learners at its Karonga, Nyungwe, Ekwendeni, Bandawe and Embangweni campuses.

He said the situation is dire such that Bandawe School for the Deaf was about to close before the term ended whereas at Embangweni, 10 learners have dropped out due to the crisis.

“Two weeks ago, Bandawe had only 10 bags left against 60 students. So, that’s very critical because the school could have closed before a term ended,” said Kalua.

He thanked Nico Life for the donation, saying it will help alleviate such challenges.

Kalua asked for more well-wishers to emulate Nico’s gesture in supporting the schools with foodstuffs.

Nico Life manager for the North, Eurita Chirwa, said the donation is part of the company’s corporate social responsibility.

She said they decided to donate to the synod after noticing that some of its schools were going through a food shortage crisis. n