Lar Kuzola

Seven years ago, my life was changed forever when I met the most resilient and amazing children in the world. While studying abroad in Cape Town, I volunteered at Baphumelele Children’s Home, which is located in the largest township in the city. Townships are informal settlements in which people literally live on top of one another in tin shacks. There are no municipal services like electricity, water, or plumbing. Violence, extreme poverty, and disease run rampant.  Amidst this bleak scene, stands a miraculous place full of love, laughter, and generosity. I can remember driving there for the first time with a pit in my stomach and thinking, “I’m going to see orphans in Africa. This is going to be so depressing.” It was anything but. The children swarmed me as soon as I got out of the car, each one wanting a hug or to hang from one of my limbs.  The caretakers were singing to the babies and washing clothes, while the toddlers played at their feet. In the middle of this terrible place, the women there had created a safe haven where the joy was palpable. This experience taught me that children don’t need much to feel happy and loved, and all it takes are a few dedicated individuals to give them that.

* My parents still continue to generously support Baphumelele Children’s Home, which is run by CHOSA Children of South Africa

Shortly after I arrived in Luanda, my friend Melissa, who is the Community Liaison Officer at the Embassy, told me about an opportunity to volunteer at a local orphanage. I jumped at the chance. 

Lar Kuzola, which means “love” in Kimbundu, a local language, is in the heart of Luanda. The children, who range from infants to teenagers, have arrived at Lar Kuzola for a number of reasons. Some have been abused, abandonded, or neglected by their families. Others have lost their parents to disease or violence, while others have severe mental or physical disabilities that their families could not cope with. Perhaps the most distrurbing reason why some children end up there is witchcraft. Witchcraft is still a very prominent aspect of Angolan culture, even in urban areas. Many times, children are accused of being witches if the parents are experiencing hardship. They will go to a “priest” and ask why such terrible things are happening to them, and the “priest” will blame it on their child who he claims to be possessed.

Warning:  this article may cause you to lose all hope for humanity Angolan Witchcraft's Child Victims

Unfortunately, my first visit to Lar Kuzola, was nothing like my experience at Baphumelele.  Due to lack of funding and volunteers, the facility, which is home to about 250 children, is severely understaffed. It’s somewhat of a free-for-all in which the children roam about doing their own thing, without supervision or structure. Anyway, I met with the director, who asked me if I would like to get involved with a pilot English program for 15 children. Since I am pretty busy these days, I was thinking I really don’t have time to teach myself, but I could ask some of my English students at the university if they would be interested. Voila! The idea for the Lar Kuzola Student-Teaching Program was born.

Since many of my students at Agonstino Neto University are aspiring teachers, I thought this would be a great opportunity for them to get some hand-on experience while at the same time providing the kids at the orphanage with English lessons. Everybody wins!

The response from my students, who are now the student-teachers, has been amazing! I have been really impressed with their dedication. We have been holding the classes on Saturday mornings for the last few weeks and I hope that this will continue indefinitely, even after I leave in December. 

Best of all, when I am in that classroom, I get that old feeling back again. The way I felt at Baphumelele. And I can tell that the student-teachers feel it too. 

Ball toss - always a crowd pleaser