Munjongo

While a number of people and organizations have contributed to the development of the Namumu Orphanage Centre, Munjongo Namuyamba is the man behind it all. He is Namumu's fearless leader.

It all started more than 10 years ago when Munjongo was working for the Zambian power company ZESCO. He and his wife, Esther, began welcoming orphans from the surrounding villages to stay in their home with them. They fed them and, in some cases, helped to pay for their schooling. They gave support and direction to a number of children over the years.

God soon led Munjongo to take things to the next level and create Namumu. With the assistance of Esther and a few others, Munjongo worked out the details, sought and secured funding, and picked the site in Siavonga. Less than a decade later Namumu is up and running. It offers housing, meals, education and health care to 80 children on a large complex that only 10 years ago was covered in bushes.

Today, Munjongo remains Namumu's executive director, overseeing all operations. He has a hand in everything that goes on at Namumu, from the production levels of the income-generating projects to the nutritional content of the children's meals. He deals with government agencies, international aid organizations and American churches. Perhaps his greatest talent is his ability to communicate well with anyone, whether it be an impoverished villager in Siavonga or a wealthy businessman in Houston, Texas.

He is so good at his job that the Outreach Foundation, a U.S.-based missions organization and one of Namumu's main backers, will not let him retire despite his repeated attempts to do so.

Now, I've lived with Munjongo. Yes, he's healthy. I've even seen him dance. Yes, he's spry. But he won't be around forever. Please take a moment today to pray that God will raise up a new leader that will take over for Munjongo soon and that will do the job well.