Streetlife stories

Sammy Munga

Sammy Munga is a full-time volunteer with Streetlife, working alongside Lillian Mwila and travelling to Kapoto, Luangwa and Lukoshi every week to feed hundreds of children in our street-feeding programmes.

It is such a heartwarming experience to see the transformation of a once-malnourished child, gaining weight and becoming healthy through consistently attending the feeding programmes.

We are so thankful to the people that sponsor the feeding programmes and those that have come on board to sponsor them; we are now able to conduct feeding programs four times a week in three different locations – Kapoto (Wednesdays and Fridays), Luangwa (Wednesdays) and Lukoshi (Thursdays).

Seeing and observing children being transformed as a result of constantly attending the feeding program is a miracle.

Most kids carry the food back home to try to balance the day because of hunger at home.

Six-year-old Naomi, who has been attending the feeding programme for two years now, says: “I carry the rest of the food (half plate of porridge and half an egg) for my little cousin, because she’s too young to come here.”

The joy in these children’s faces is too much for words despite living on so little in their respective homes.

Following one of the feeding sessions recently, I was heading back to the station to catch a bus ride back home when I heard a little voice call me.

When I turned back to see who it was, I saw a small little girl with sparkly beautiful eyes.

She said: “Hey, my name is Patricia, I’ve been attending the feeding programmes for a year now,” and we had a little chat. She told me that she came to know of the feeding programmes through a friend in class who was in a similar situation, and wanted to thank me for helping them.

She said: “I almost quit school in first grade, because sometimes I would be so hungry in class and just sleep, because I attend afternoon classes.”

My eyes were filled with tears. This little girl was telling me that she continued to go to school because she attends the feeding programmes on Wednesdays and Fridays.

When I told her that somebody sends me to give them food, she said: “Tell them, I love you and God bless you.”

What we do in the lives of these little ones goes a long way.

The feeding programmes

The Kapoto programme has been great this year, with lots of children coming along each week. What is amazing is that at least three quarters of the children who attend the programme are different every feeding day.

The Lukoshi feeding has been running for roughly three months now and the response from the kids and this very remote area is amazing.

We are so thankful for the people who sponsored the much-needed repair works at our dilapidated feeding shelter in Kapoto and the feeding hall in Luangwa. A little kindness goes a long way.

The Luangwa feeding programme has been great as well, despite the almost static number of children attending.

Sammy with the children in Luangwa.