 | The Name Says It All...
At the start of the summer of 2004 a group of fly-fishing guides from Idaho got together to raise money through guide trips to feed and educate 300 orphans in a terribly impoverished area known as Chipulukusu ( "worthless" ) near the city of Ndola in northern Zambia. At the time there was one teacher teaching all 300 children in shifts in a building the size of a two-car garage. Through the efforts of the guides, and with the generous support of owner and employees of Silver Creek Outfitters in Sun Valley, an event and organization known as Fishing for Life was born. As a result, many children who had little hope of surviving are now receiving nutritious food, clothing, health care, and a quality education from five trained teachers
Our mission is simple: To provide care and education to orphans left behind by the devastation of disease and poverty in Zambia. |
 | Accountability is the key...
As many of us know, Africa is a difficult place to send help due to the fact we know so little about what really happens to our contributions. One of the great advantages of Fishing for Life is that Peter DeBaun, the Silver Creek Outfitters guide who helped start FFL, is the volunteer director of the Mapalo Orphanage School, and an instructor at Northrise University. During his yearly three to five month stint in Zambia, Peter and the Zambian board for FFL (which in part is made up of three accountants) spend ample time reconciling receipts and expenses for the project. Additionally, the same receipts are reconciled by Josette Stellars, the accountant for the Kirk Group of Sun Valley, Idaho. All financials are available upon request from Josette at either 208-726-6560, or by email - jstellers@kirk-group.com
The school built from the 2005 Fishing for Life event...
During the spring of 2006, a 63 meter school house was completed for the children of Chipulukusu. As a result, the name of the area where the school is located, along with the orphanage itself has been changed to Mapalo, which means "blessing". All five teachers are receiving formal teacher training, and are presently instructing from new text books. In 2007 we hope to build a trade school which will help older students become self-sufficient and the orphanage project to become self-sustaining.
|
Friday, September 22, 2006
 | Imagine your very first taste of ice cream...
Unable to walk due to malnutrition, many of the children who now attend the Mapalo Orphanage School were rescued from a local hospital. Today, the children of Mapalo receive nutritious food and look the part. One of the real treats the children received at Christmas, 2005, was their very first taste of ice cream. So many of them were so overjoyed by the experience that their only response was laughter after each bite!
College Scholarship Fund...
One of the driving forces behind Fishing for Life is to educate children who would otherwise never have the opportunity. To date, we are proud to say we have helped sponsor a number of students without parents to attend Northrise
University - Zambia's most technically advanced college with the highest hiring rate of any school in the country. Of the 20,000 students who qualify anually for college entrance in Zambia, only 1000 are placed; and of those, half drop out due to financial or health reasons.
Therefore, one of the long-term goals of Fishing for Life is to help restore the intellectual capital of Zambia by sponsoring 1000 orphans to post-secondary education.
Four ways you can help...
1) Financial Gift
If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to Fishing for Life you can do so by making your check payable to:
PCBW , or Presbyterian Church of the Big Wood (A local partner with FFL)
Addressed to: Fishing for Life
c/o The Kirk Group
PO Box 4380
Ketchum, ID 83340
2) Sponsor a project at the Mapalo Orphanage School
For those looking for a more hands on way to help there are a number of projects (e.g., providing new school desks for all the class rooms) associated with the Mapalo Orphanage School. You simply raise the money for the project and a teacher from the Mapalo School or a student from Northrise Universtiy will partner with you in completing you project here in Zambia. If you would like to find out more about what projects are available, along with their cost, please email Peter DeBaun - peterhdebaun@aol.com
3) Sponsor a student without parents
to attend Northrise University
There are a number of hard-working students who have been accepted to Northrise University who have no parents and no way of paying for a college education. A unique way to help them and rebuild Africa's future is to sponsor a student to the highest rated technical college in Zambia. The cost is approximately $3200.00 a year for a two or four year program.
4) Purchase an African fly-fishing safari with all guide proceeds going to Fishing for Life
If you're looking for adventure and a great way to help kids at the same time, consider booking Peter DeBaun, a fly-fishing guide in the US and Africa, and let him introduce you to bream fishing in Zambia, bronze whaler shark fishing in Nimibia, tigerfishing in Zimbabwe, barbel fishing in Botswana, dorado fishing in Mozambique, wahoo fishing Zanzibar... not to mention some of the finest game viewing on the planet. If you have any questions about fly-fishing safaris or Fishing for Life in general, please email Peter DeBaun - peterhdebaun@aol.com ...or call him when he's in the States between March and October at 208.720.0339. - You'll never be the same! |
|
