Montserrat Bibián in Lusaka
Montse Bibián from Spain spent three weeks in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, with Sister Loice Kashangura and the Franciscans.
In Lusaka, Montse Bibián was able to contribute her work at a variety of sites and got to know all of our institutions. One striking experience was her time at the St. Paul nursery school, which is managed by Franciscan nun Sister Paula. She was able to spend ten days there assisting the teachers and aides.
Montse Bibián contributed to math and English classes as well as the after-school programs in music, yoga, games and dancing. The fact that she does not speak the local language did not bother her.
At the beginning of the school break in early December, an IT workshop was held for the children at the compound where Montse was also able to offer support and important user knowledge for topics like Word and Excel. “The young people absorb this information like a sponge! It was impressive!” Montse reported.
Spielende Kinder an der St. Paul's-Schule
She sees the Franciscans, who do impressive work in their projects, much more as project managers than as nuns, since Sister Loice and the rest of the order actively contribute to their projects and show an unbelievable sense of dedication and gift for organizing things.
Difficult living conditions
In addition to all of the meaningful personal interactions, her encounters with poverty were also a defining factor of her time there. Montse had initially thought that she would not experience as much poverty in a large city like Lusaka. Beyond the few paved streets where the very wealthy live, however, the majority of the city’s inhabitants live in extreme poverty, especially in Chipata Compound. Many of the homes do not have electricity, running water or toilets.
Montse was especially moved by getting to know children and young people who live in these extreme conditions with their families. One example was the boy who she visited at his home — a house without electricity and water — who was still hoping for a scholarship so he could start attending college.
Montse's fundraising drive
The schools which the Franciscans run create an important foundation for these children’s future lives. To help them acquire the desperately needed school books and other teaching materials, Montse launched a donation campaign and has documented her work with pictures on an Instagram account (@Montseenzambia). She successfully collected donations of €2,000 from friends, family and colleagues; her employer, Schwabe Farma Ibérica, matched the sum.
Montses Spendenaktion
Montse’s commitment received a wonderful response and found support among the people around her, and Loice was delighted by the €4,000 donation for urgently needed textbooks and other classroom materials. Thank you for this wonderful project!
Montserrat Bibián
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Herzlichen Dank! Muchas gracias! Thank you!