It all started when Dee Jones was nursing at Mukinge hospital in 2011, working in the malnutrition ward.

“We ran an outreach programme to identify children who were most at risk of malnutrition. We visited their families and loaned them a quantity of protein rich seeds for planting, such as soya beans. I went to the farms of these families and observed their poor planting techniques and a low standard of agriculture. That was the inspiration for me to start Kasempa Foundations. I attended a five-day Foundations for Farming (FFF) training course in Zimbabwe and undertook considerable online learning to better understand the links between agriculture and nutrition,” remembers Dee.

Recently Kasempa Foundations has run its first trauma healing programme in conjunction with the local churches. The initial convening session drew forty-five people from diverse local denominations. The actual programme was implemented with her own team and a small group of individuals from local churches.

“With further training it is hoped that we can facilitate our own programme and see it expand. God has given us an open door into other churches and through the programme we hope and pray that they will see a more holistic growth of their members,” says Dee.

The staff and ministry have grown and there now is considerably more administration.

“We have more documentation to write, such as creating policies and codes of conduct, and preparing vision statements about who we are and what we do. We also need to be planning logistics such as organising events,” Dee comments.

The development of micro-enterprises is also another focal point. For example, making soaps and producing cooking oil from soya beans. Both sunflowers and soya are grown locally, so they are considering ways of making other items from these to sell.

“We need help with the development of business and an experienced person to assist us in bringing it up to the next level,” says Dee, “however, this needs to be someone who will listen to and run with what the local farmers and pastors are saying. Someone who will come in and serve the people.”

The vision of Kasempa

Since 2021, Dee has been building a multi-purpose facility for the community.  It is a place where training and seminars can be held to serve the wider church.

“So far we have completed three workshops, an ablution block and five small storerooms. We are now starting on our main conference room and offices.  The last phase of the building will be another ablution block and two classrooms.”

Dee has a vision for the Kasempa Foundations centre to have an educational hub comprising homework groups and the possibility of a kindergarten (the foundation of learning). However, Dee also listens to the ideas from her team members as well as local pastors, to find out what they see as important going forward.

“Every morning starts with devotions during which we discuss and seek to resolve relationship challenges in the light of what we are reading in the Bible. Our team has become very good at identifying issues that are going on,” remarks Dee.

Most of the income for Kasempa Foundations comes from a local NGO in Zambia in return for which agricultural training is given to groups of farmers living in remote locations who are brought to the centre.  There is also project money from SIM but it isn’t sufficient to cover what is required. They are working hard to move towards sustainability, and the micro-enterprise focus will also be of great benefit.

There are demonstration fields at the centre, and each year in April, local farmers and churches are invited to open days to see what Kasempa Foundations are doing.   Another current programme is a course offering budgeting training for families.

“We want Kasempa Foundations to be the fence at the top of the cliff, rather than the ambulance at the bottom,” says Dee.

For more information on the Trauma Healing programme go to: https://traumahealinginstitute.org

Consider giving to this project today here and quote the Project Number 94650.