SISTERS APPLAUDED FOR TAKING CARE OF THE TEENAGE GIRLS IN SCHOOLS
Joy and jubilation characterised the mood of celebration at Ibenga Girls Secondary School as the school commemorated its Diamond Jubilee under the theme “60 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE IN THE LIGHT OF CHRIST”. The girls, parents and scores of people from other walks of life especially the Ibenga alumni flocked to the school for the festival. Mrs. Joyce Chibuye, the Alumni chairperson, who went to the school in 1975 could not hide her joy as she fully participated in all the activities lined up for the day. As Ibenga celebrates its diamond Jubilee in 2023, it gives me shivers, this morning I must have shed tears of joy as we were preparing to come to the celebration. It is really moving for me. Joyce Joyce has passionately commended the religious sisters who have worked at the school since its inception for gallantly taking care of the girls in their teen age stage. She says the teenage stage is one of the most challenging stages in life to manage. This why I give a big hand to the sisters at Ibenga for they took care of us and are still trying their best to manage teenagers who are actually very demanding to handle. Joyce She has encouraged the young Ibenga girls to listen to what the sisters and their teachers are telling them as they would never regret. It’s only when we grow old that we realise there are things we shouldn’t have done but when we were growing up as youngsters, we wanted to experience a lot of things because that’s part of life. I would like the girls to be attentive and take their studies seriously so that they end up like some of us or even better. We would like to have the first woman president coming from Ibenga. Joyce Joyce recollects the days of Ibenga in the 70’s and the many things she learnt from the then head teacher Sr. Alacoque of the Dominican sisters of the Sacred Heart. She says that Sister used to follow up the girls to make sure they did what was right. Am grateful to the Dominican Sisters especially Sr. Alacoque who is still living in Germany who taught me to glorify God above everything else. Each time I come to Ibenga and I look at the church, it gives me happiness because I learnt that God should come first in everything that one does as a teenager. Even today, we put God first and everything came back in full view of what we used to enjoy here at Ibenga. Joyce Meanwhile Joan Chipunza a grade twelve pupil who was the head prefect of the ushers during the celebration said the girls woke up with smiles and enthusiasm to put in the best to make the celebration a success. Everyone has put in so much that you could not know who the coordinator was anymore. I thank the girls for such great cooperation. Some are Ushers, Majorettes, Alter girls and others Stellas. Everyone is participating in some activity. Joan Joan also recalls how she had come to like the school and considers it the best school ever. Over the years, the school has had good results and great standards. They have taught us good morals, how to maintain cleanliness and how to have fun together during entertainment. On a personal level, I have learnt to put things aside and not jump to conclusion but to behave in a mature way. Joan Upe Nalungwe also praised the sisters for imparting good values to the girls. She recounts how Sr. Estella Kasonde, the head teacher always told the prefects to be alert and vigilant by looking around and making sure all is in place and avoid the sin of omission. And Mercy Kazembe, the president of the interact club is also proud to be at Ibenga saying, “It’s the best school ever and I cannot imagine myself elsewhere”. She has thanked the school management for running the school with excellence and all the activities that they organise for the girls as they teach them many things.
SISTERS ATTENTIVE TO THE CRY OF THE POOR
As one way of preparing for their final vows, the Franciscan Sisters of Assis, namely: Sr. Josephine Mukosa, Sr. Yvonne Chileshe, Sr. Magret Shabongwe and Sr. Agness Mumba spent three months of serving the poor in various apostolates at Mitanda home for the aged, children with special needs and the street children at Luigi Drop-in Centre in Ndola. Sr. Yvonne recalls the 25th of November,2023 as a great day, when they committed themselves totally to God through the profession of the evangelical counsels. She adds that serving the poor is a great experience of renewal as it helped them to step back into the Franciscan boots of serving the poor with love. We began our preparations three months prior to the day and in the process a number of workshops were held. Among the workshops held included: Non-violence Communication, Psychological counseling, Formation of conscience, Challenges of understanding living religious and vowed life, the Healing Family Tree and values. Sr. Yvonne Sr. Yvonne adds that the experience was like a second novitiate. While the sisters were doing their apostolates at the drop-in center for street children, they encountered two orphans with two different stories on how they found themselves on the streets. Sr. Margret narrates: One orphaned boy, who chose to go to on the street and beg, said he wished to go to school but he was living with his grandmother who could only afford one meal a day. And another boy, who had a father who could afford to take care of him run away from home because he could not bear the treatment from his stepmother. He added that the streets were more peaceful than his home. Sr. Margret. And Sr. Agness says she realised that not all street children are there because they are happy but because of the different situations they found themselves in. Meanwhile, the sisters say they were elited at the warm reception of the old people at Mitanda. It opened our minds to see how hospitable we could be despite the challenges we might be faced with. We felt a sense of duty to pray for the children from the streets, children with disabilities, and the aged. Some situations may be chosen whilst others are not a matter of choice. Sr. Agness Sr. Josephine concludes that the experience of the renewal program for their final vows helped them to step back into their Franciscan boots of serving the poor with love.