DAY 7 – 14th October 2025 – Amazing Abigail & Magnificent Muumba
Amazing Abigail: An enterprising start!
After another long, dusty journey through the yellow landscape we finally arrived in the Pemba district where Abigail lives.
Abigail has a small one room home situated opposite the home of her parents. Thankfully water is available, and vegetables are growing. Abigail who is deaf and unable to speak has a 4-year-old son, Alick, who smiled broadly when we fitted his feet into a pair of trainers we had brought from the UK.
Like Florida, Abigial has recently qualified as a competent seamstress because of HHZ training and was gifted a new sewing machine and start-up capital by HHI to allow her to establish her sewing business. Abigail has already made an income of about £100 by sewing dresses and walking many miles to remote villages to sell them. She has also purchased chickens and is able to provide for herself and Alick.
As with Florida, we suggested that Abigail approaches the local school to offer her services for uniform making. Her mother has been encouraged to accompany her.
Well done Abigail you are truly amazing!!
Abigail busy at her machine
Abigail with son Alick and new shoes
Abigail has access to water
Muumba School: From Strength to Strength!
Although we were 40 minutes late arriving at Muumba School after our long trek from Pemba, the head teacher, Mr Bbilika, and senior teacher, Mrs Grace Chitauka, gave us a very warm welcome.
As you may recall, Muumba All-Inclusive School was built with HHI funding back in 2014 and it is flourishing with 505 students from Early Years to Grade 7. HHI has also funded many extra facilities for the school such as a sheltered seating area, water pump, toilet block, and a perimeter wall.
And HHI continues to support the school by providing monthly funds for the students to have a midday meal. This is very necessary in order to maintain good attendance as well as to help the children concentrate on their lessons. The pupils also tend the vegetables which are either used to supplement the menu or sold for profit.
Muumba water pump working
Muumba vegetables
Today it was lovely to see the students seated peacefully waiting for their meal of cabbage, nhsima and soya flakes which had been prepared by parents. At lunchtime the pump provides the water for hand and plate washing and the used water is then recycled on the vegetable patch.
Before we left, we donated some teaching aids for the preschool children and packs of new pencils and pencil-crayons. Mrs Chitauka was delighted and so were the children!
Excellent progress:10 out of 10!
Pupils seated in the shade ready for their midday meal.
Nutritious midday meal at Muumba
Muumba early years children with new learning materials
Muumba early years.. counting and colours