Mattress Drive for Deaf School

Written by Susan Witmer

*Update: Mattresses delivered were delivered on November 20th!!! HBB recently partnered with Program for Vulnerable Women & Children (PVCW), an NGO in Zambia, to purchase mattresses for a deaf school in northern Zambia, Africa. Over $1500 was raised to purchase the 38 mattresses for the students. The Story Every time I travel to Zambia my eyes are opened to the injustices that people face every day. My trip this past August was no different. During one of my routine visits into town for supplies I stopped by the NGO office of a friend of mine named Joyce.  Shortly after a man stopped by who was deaf and Joyce began to tell me about the local boarding school in town for deaf children. She offered to take me there to learn more and I happily went. I was not prepared for what I saw. The building was situated on the property of the local public high school where they get 2 classrooms specifically for their students. The housing was made up of 3 rooms- a girl’s dorm, a boy’s dorm and a small dining room for meals. There were bunk beds in each of the dorm rooms but no mattresses. I then asked the dreaded question, “Where are the mattresses?” to which they replied, “There are none.” The school receives very little funding and what they do receive needs to go to feed the 38 students who live there 9 months out of the year. The headmistress of the school told me that most students just sleep on the wooden slats and the lucky ones have a reed mat to lie on top. It was all I could do to contain the tears knowing that these children who had already been dealt a tough card had to sleep on hard wooden slats every night. I knew that once I got home I would need to do something about it, to share what I had seen. My friend Joyce has researched the price of mattresses in town and found that each one will cost only $35. With 38 students that’s just $1,330. I figure if we spread the word we can meet this need in no time. I’ve set a goal date of Dec. 31st but I hope we reach the goal sooner than that. Thank you so much for donating and encouraging these deaf students that they are valuable and worth supporting!