First Lady Mutinta Hichilema has donated assorted items to two orphanages in Lusaka.

 Mrs Hichilema was represented by officials from her office at the handover of the items to the two orphanages.

ZANIS reports that speaking after receiving the donation, Mothers Without Borders Country Director Josephine Daka said the gesture from the First Lady’s Office is not just a donation but an act of kindness and love.

Ms Daka noted that the donation will also stimulate and encourage children to work harder in their educational journey especially with the school feeding programme that the school is implementing.

She explained that the school which was established 20 years ago has three objectives of protecting, nurturing and providing educational support to over 800 children of Malcom community in Lusaka West.

Ms Daka indicated that from the over 800 children, 48 are resident children.

 She said the children that are housed by the organisation are coming from the department of Social Welfare with different conditions.

Ms Daka noted that the conditions range from sexually abused children, chronic ill conditions and others coming from mentally disturbed mothers who were found on the streets.

 She further explained that the children coming from outside are provided with one meal each daily adding that the donation has come at the right time.

Ms Daka further noted that from the time the school feeding programme was introduced, the number of children has risen.

“I want to thank the Office of the First Lady for this donation of food and other items. You know these children you are seeing here, when they come to school we give them food, and this is the only meal they will have for the day even when they go back to their families,” she said.

Ms Daka has since called on other well-wishers to come on board and help support the organisation.

 “I want to call on other well-wishers to emulate the Office of the First Lady and support us with whatever they can manage being educational or any other support,” she said.

Another donation was made at Kasisi Children’s Home where Sister in Charge Mariola Mierzejewska, also thanked the First Lady’s Office for the donation.

Ms Mierzejewska said the organisation is not just happy with the donation but also with the love and care received from the First Lady’s Office.

She said the organisation has over 250 children who all live as one family.

“This means a lot to us. Kindly pass our gratitude to the First Lady for this donation. And tell her that we want to see her next time. She should come,” she said.

The items donated at Mothers Without Borders include 67 cases of cooking oil, 68 cases of sugar and 4000 story books in partnership with Merck Foundation.

And at Kasisi Children’s Home, 35 mattresses, 100 cases of sugar and 100 cases of cooking oil were donated.