Inverness County Cares in Zambia: # 52 February 10, 2026 sort hats

Last night the rain poured down on the metal roof in torrents and continued until about 9:00. The inverness County Cares team is getting in sync with the school routine. Breakfast at 7:30 after mass. After breakfast, we all set off for our assigned tasks. John and John continued their itemization of areas which need work. They met with the plumber Emanual and made a plan to repair plugged and broken pipes as well as speaking to an engineer, who is an ardent supporter of the school and is planning and coordinating the placement of pavers on the school grounds. Presently the fine sandy soil is eroded by each rainstorm leaving large puddles and ruts. This and the broken cement on the walk ways make it a very hazardous terrain to navigate for the blind and those with visual impairment. Chalice hopes to transform the school landscape with pavers which will make it much safer for the school children. Winnie visited the classroom where she will conduct cooking classes and did an inventory of what she will need for her recipes. She planned the menu for next day with the students.

Jane spread out all the medical and musical related donations and divided them between both schools. A huge task as so many people were very generous. She had a meeting with a local nurse from the hospital who is going to set up a first aid course for ten people (teachers, sisters and house parents) on Saturday. This first aid course was God given. In a matter of an hour or so a location, time and instructors were secured to make this important even take place.

Charlotte worked with head teacher Mr. Chisembe, who is totally blind. She taught an English lesson with simple comprehension question afterward. The children are preparing for their monthly testing.

Colleen worked with her team of helper student, Doris, Irene, Goodson and Preston. Today they reviewed their domino skills and then moved on to playing cards. They learned how to play “War”, a game which reinforces math skills; more or less, addition, subtraction and multiplication. They moved on to a memory cards game and caught on very quickly. In the afternoon they became the teachers. They taught their friends who are totally blind, how to play dominoes using the 3D printed dominoes which came from a contributor in Canada. In keeping with 3D printed materials, they tried out the hand-held 3D printed panels which have all 6 braille dots in a frame, which can be pushed up and down to form braille letters. This allows them to write words and short sentences using the push out buttons. (See photo below). They also were so excited to try out other 3D printed gadgets to help them with braille.

The number of totally blind children in the school certainly give us a glimpse of how very fortunate we are. These children, until they become familiar with the school grounds are almost totally dependent on others to lead them around. There is however no shortage of willing hands to help them navigate. Other students instinctively move to assist a friend who is in need of a guiding hand. We even see tiny little ones reaching out to lead an older student. As they become more confident, they will learn to navigate on their own. The white canes we brought will give them the opportunity to gain independence and walk confidently as does Mr. Chisembe and Vincent, teachers at St Mary’s. The children with albinism also have a challenging life. The have very low vision and are very sensitive to the sun and also have to deal with their eyes being very painful. There is the absence of melanin in their skin which can lead to painful sunburns and a predisposition to skin cancer. We see many children already with dark skin lesions which can lead to cancer. If this wasn’t enough, they have to deal with the stigma of having albinism as well as the dangers of unscrupulous people who will kidnap them for their body parts for witch doctor potions. This ancient superstition is still a reality in Zambia and neighboring countries.

The ICC travellers met for another wonderful supper and moved on to sort a portion of the donated articles. We sorted through mountains of hats, team uniforms, dental supplies, reading glasses, sun glasses, school supplies, braille items, white canes, braille cards, safety sunglasses, musical instruments, games, books and more. It was late into the night before they were finally sorted. Thank you to our generous donors.

Picture uploaded soon