Announcement: the passing of Lydia Maonde, Nov.11 2023
Lydia Maonde, founder of TPS
Partnership with Friends for Zambia
Lydia Maonde, founder of TPS
Mrs. Maonde, known as Granny to her family and the pupils at Twitti Primary School, passed away recently. She was a tireless advocate of the rights of children to an excellent education. With her husband Simon, she worked hard to provide this kind of learning in Lilayi.
Granny with former pupils
Partnership with Friends for Zambia
Lydia Maonde, founder of TPS
Mrs. Maonde was very proud of "her children", always interested in what they had done with their lives after their years at TPS. Many young men and women would drop by the house to report on their successes to Granny. This group visited her in June of 2023.
Partnership with Friends for Zambia
Partnership with Friends for Zambia
Partnership with Friends for Zambia
Mr and Mrs Maonde encouraged their former colleagues from Canada to come back to Zambia and to accept the challenge of financing the construction of TPS. Recalling the good memories of Namwala Secondary School, they came, and continue to offer support.
Term 1 of 2024 - What's New at Twitti School?
Reading books for the younger pupils
A wonderful local donor offered a wide selection of reading books suitable for the younger classes near the end of 2023. These books have been labelled by the older students and are now being enjoyed from Baby Class to Grade 3.
The Breakfast Program
The Sponsored children are continuing to benefit from the daily breakfast served in the staff room at morning break time. Volunteer teachers prepare the egg buns and tea, and serve them to the pupils needing food energy to learn. Thanks again to the generous Canadian donors responsible for funding this welcome addition to the school routine.
Adjusting to a new end date for Term 1
Due to the delayed opening of Term 1 on February 12 , classes will continue until April 26 so that students can make a good start in catching up on lost time.
New computer for Student Use
A beautiful new Computer recently arrived at Twitti Primary School! This is the result of a donation from a school in Canada - Myrtle Philip Community School in Whistler, British Columbia. The computer has been set up in the Library and is receiving a lot of attention from the students.
Everyone at Twitti is grateful to Shelley Desbrisay who teaches at Myrtle Philip. Shelley visited Twitti Primary School last June, and is the new coordinator of the Sponsorship Program at TPS.
Gr 7 Pupils have Had great success in National Exams
October 30 - November 3 2023 Exam Week
The week of October 30 to November 3 was a very important week in the lives of the Grade 7 students. This was the week that they sat for their National Exams. The whole year they had been preparing for these few days when they would get the opportunity to show how much they had learned during their years at TPS.
In Term 3 of 2023 the pupils chose to prepare in a new way. They made a decision to study together in groups. This method of review brought about better results than ever before.
Of course we must also thank the teachers who worked tirelessly to assist their students by finding the best way to present lessons and by reviewing material as often as necessary.
THANK YOU as well to the parents and guardians who encouraged their children and provided the extra funds for the Special Classes held on Saturdays throughout the year.
Finally the Results were published for all to see and the former Grade 7s found out that they had received their certificates and could move on to Grade 8 on February 12 2024! Congratulations to All!!
NOTE: Friends For Zambia would love to know what schools the sponsored children chose for Grade 8. We invite you to let us know! Send an email to Patricia at ellpatg@gmail.com and she will let your former sponsors know where you are studying and how you are doing. Twitti Primary School is missing you!
Thinking of School Partners of TPS In Canada
George Street Middle School, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
George Street Middle School, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
George Street Middle School, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
Friends For Zambia, with the help of students and teachers at George Street MS,
held annual Twitti Book Sales for 9 years.
However everyone has gone to other schools, jobs and efforts so the Book Sales have ended, at least for now. Past Sales brought in thousands of dollars that were used for the direct benefit of the Twitti Primary children, iocusing on classroom needs.
Marketplace, a sale of products produced by the Grade 8 students, also raised funds for TPS and sent the money to build the Play Park.
We thank George Street from the bottom of our hearts and wish teachers and students all the best!
We also recognize the contribution of GSMS former Principal Pierre Plourde. Mr. Plourde is now Principal of Hanwell Academy, a new school, near Fredericton,NB. And we celebrate the contribution of Madame Lise Martin-Keilty who now teaches at a Canadian Armed Forces School in the Netherlands.
École internationale du village, Gatineau, Québec, Canada
George Street Middle School, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
George Street Middle School, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
After 8 years of helping Twitti Primary School, L'École internationale du village, an international school in the Canadian Province of Québec, has made the decision to move on to other charitable efforts.
TPS staff and students, as well as Friends For Zambia, offer sincere gratitude to the pupils and teachers for their hard work in raising funds to assist vulnerable children in Zambia.
We are particularly grateful to Mr. Steve Wadlow who has now retired from his years at L'École internationale du village.
Zikomo! Zikomo! Zikomo!
If other schools in Canada are reading about these sponsoring schools, and wondering if they could do something similar to help, please contact Friends for Zambia for ideas and support!
Simonds High School, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Myrtle Philip Community School whistler, British columbia
Myrtle Philip Community School whistler, British columbia
Simonds High School has been sponsoring TPS pupils for many years. Their generosity has helped several children complete their basic education and be ready to go on to the next levels of their learning. One of their former sponsored pupils, Sarah, completed her Nursing program at Chikankata and is now a Licensed Nurse.
Elizabeth, another Twitti pupil sponsored by Simonds, went on to Parklands High School after she completed Grade 7.
Since Joseph, their latest sponsored student completed his Grade 7 in 2023, Simonds High decided to carry on their sponsorship with another pupil. So Simonds is still involved in the life of Twitti Primary School. YAY!
Thank you, Simonds!
Myrtle Philip Community School whistler, British columbia
Myrtle Philip Community School whistler, British columbia
Myrtle Philip Community School whistler, British columbia
Myrtle Philip Community School has 320 students K-7 just like Twitti School. In the spring of 2023, the students raised money for Myrtle Philip Community School has 320 students K-7 just like Twitti School. In the spring of 2023, the students raised money for new sports equipment and books for the students at Twitti School. Teacher Shelley DesBrisay, in the photo above, was able to visit the school in June 2023 and deliver these gifts. She also brought letters from students in Canada for students in Zambia to reply to. A special connection between these two schools was made.
When the Myrtle Philip Community heard that there was a vulnerable student who needed sponsorship to be able to attend Twitti School they started fundraising again. Students hosted a bake sale in fall of 2023. So much money was raised that not only did they pay for the school fees for a student they also were able to buy a new student computer for the library at Twitti School. Twitti school hopes to have a complete lab of computers for students to use. If everyone does a little we can help make dreams come true. Myrtle Philip is keen to continue supporting the student’s learning needs at Twitti School. for the students are Twitti School.
Current needs at Twitti primary School
Here are some of our Current Needs/Fundraising goals
Would you be willing to help Twitti Primary School?
Consider how you might contribute:
- The Breakfast Program, bringing a much-needed meal to the sponsored children, was offered in Term 3 as a pilot and it is in place for 2024. The cost per sponsored student per day is $1.75 CDN. With 12 children sponsored for 2024, the cost of the program will be $3,780 CDN. Enough funds were donated to fund the program for the present. However it is a program we hope to continue into the future. Please help us make that happen!
- Upgrades and Repairs of school infrastructure will be done ! YES! Estimates were secured, an appeal was made in Canada and donations arrived! We will report on the work as it is undertaken and/or completed. Thank you to all who helped with their contributions :
Replacement of vertical blinds in Library and Administration.
Painting of interior of the administration building.
Painting of the exterior of the classroom buildings.
Repair of cracks in cement classroom floors and walls.
Replacement of broken toilets and doors in the children's washrooms.
Repairs to the badly cracked Basketball Court. This will be looked after later.
- New reading books and textbooks have been purchased through donations.
- n addition, the very successful Literacy Project which began several years ago has made it possible for many, many children to improve their reading skills. New levels of the program are needed. Maybe you would like to donate to this goal.
- The future installation of Solar panels will make the school increasingly self-reliant. 2 panels have been installed with help from FFZ donors. Your donation could increase the capacity for energy from Zambia's natural energy source - the sun.
These are the current needs, and the next steps that will be taken in order to optimize Twitti's success.
Want to help? To see how to financially contribute to these projects, go to the How to Help Page or Click on DONATE NOW.
School Campus
When Twitti School was Officially Opened in July 2012, there were on the campus 3 classroom buildings containing 11 classrooms, 3 washroom buildings, a water well and storage tank, a sports field, a basketball court (in need of a new surface...HELP!), a playground for the little ones, and an administration building containing offices, a staff room and a library.
Since then, attractive security fencing and well-maintained landscaping have been added. A netball court is enjoyed, as well as a sheltered stand for bicycles. Stone walkways constructed between buildings reduce the amount of mud that comes into the classrooms in the rainy season. There are benches near the playing field for the children during break times. In 2018 the cholera outbreak necessitated the addition of water points for hand washing ( these are now being used again after the latest cholera epidemic). The Play Park built in 2019 had to be replaced in 2023 as the lumber used was eaten by termites. The new, new Play Park is providing a fun area for the younger pupils. With cement donated by Lafarge Cement Zambia and a financial contribution from Friends For Zambia, a new security wall was completed at the rear of the school property. This wall provides a secure environment for the children and protects the property, including the Play Park, from vandalism. A wall formerly on site was demolished in 2016 as a result of a property dispute.
Granny (Mrs. Maonde) tells the story of Twitti
Click on the arrow to watch a YouTube video of Lydia Maonde telling the Story of Twitti in her own words. You will be moved by her account!
You will need a Youtube Account, easy to sign up for!