We held a fundraising braii at Fringilla Grounds. We brought in a Drama Group BANJA and KABOVA of Muvi TV fame. Some parents and friends of disabled children came all the way from Kafue Town to give us support, this was due to the live coverage of the function by Radio Phoenix. The network between parents and care givers is getting strong.
The next assignment was the erection of a tank stand and acquiring a 10,000 litre water tank so that we could commence the construction of the 1st staff house.
During this time the MYCEPA Gates were being designed, Mr. Errol Hickey passed by at Fringilla Guest House and was attracted by the wheel chair symbols on the gates, and after discussing with Mr. George Woodley, he requested me to contact him. Returning from the Copperbelt I was told to contact the station manager of Radio Phoenix.
I contacted Mr. Hickey and told him more about MYCEPA and the cerebral palsy project in Chisamba and what we intended to do, he gave me the phone number of the Radio Phoenix station manager and an appointment to meet her was made. On 28th May 2009 I met the General Manager and her staff and right there and then I was offered a LIVE interview on the program WOMAN OF DISTINCTION.
The dice were cast and MYCEPA’s relationship with the Radio Station was born. Several programs on cerebral palsy and the MYCEPA Project were featured and a lot of parents with disabled children and cerebral palsy in particular got to hear about the centre being built in Chisamba and a network of parents and other interested people was been formed. Radio Phoenix had several live interviews with my son Temba with a cerebral palsy spokesperson for children in Zambia as well as for MYCEPA; the most famous and talked about interviews was one featuring a special education Teacher, Edwin and Temba. These features have done a lot to sensitise the Zambian public on the plight of the cerebral palsy condition as well as highlighting MYCEPA objectives. Radio Phoenix has not only supported MYCEPA with airtime but have been physically involved in all our programs.
Though they expressed gratitude for what is being done, most of them were not in a position to afford paying even K10,000. The little they have is spent on transporting the children to therapy sessions and felt that for them this was more important than membership fees.
The mothers group has attracted a number of corporate companies and individuals within the Copperbelt who were donating some materials like diapers, some food packs once in a while, as well as paying school fees for those children who were going to Da- Gamma Home for the Handicapped in Luanshya. The mothers will be happy to come to Chisamba when the Cerebral Palsy Centre is completed to be taught how to care for the children in a professional way.
While on the Copperbelt, I had to look for a 40ft Steel Container to use as storage as well as a site office. The task had to be done by browsing the Readers Bargains in the Daily Newspapers and phoning various places including mining companies.
A Container was identified, but by the time I got to the actual place it had been sold for ZK21m. The search had to start all over again.
Some members of the committee, at the request of their family members in Northern Ireland, are preparing MYCEPA T-shirts to take to a party in a relay event to raise money for MYCEPA
Today the payment for the double gates on the MYCEPA premises were paid for.
Courtesy of our donor in Belgium, Zamtel Internet Wireless was connected for easier communication with our partners, locally and abroad.
MYCEPA 