From Desperation to Dreams: 14-year-old Precious' Inspiring Comeback
By Muntinta Chiseko, Donor Liaison, Zambia.
In the heart of one of World Vision’s operational areas in Southern Zambia is a tiny remote village called Chile. This is home to 14-year-old Precious, a cheerful young seventh grader who loves school and singing in her church choir more than anything. Precious lives with her elderly grandparents, Jane and David, and two cousins in a two-roomed mud-brick house.
Her grandparents are peasant farmers who grow cash crops like corn, groundnuts and sweet potatoes for a living. In most farming seasons, they produce enough for consumption and surplus for sale to raise income for basic needs.
Unfortunately, in 2022, Precious’s grandfather went blind due to an eye condition called glaucoma, leaving her grandmother to fend for the family. Despite the reduction in manpower, Jane was able to plant the usual crops last farming season, but sadly, they were all destroyed by the El Nino drought, which severely affected most parts of southern Africa.
,To survive, they began selling their livestock and going out for casual jobs, which were unusually scarce that year because of the same drought. With time, their lives had changed dynamically. Their home was hit with severe hunger, and they found themselves begging for food and going to bed with one or no meal on most days. This new way of life eventually made it impossible for Precious and her cousins to stay in school.
To help her grandmother make ends meet, Precious was lured to join a local group of prostitutes in her village. Unfortunately, at 13, she fell pregnant and was forced to drop out of school. Her pregnancy was not easy, as there was barely anything to eat in their home. As a result of the inadequate nutrition, Precious gave birth to a premature baby which later died the same day.
To help cushion the effects of the drought, including hunger and vices like prostitution that are being worsened by the drought, World Vision Zambia has partnered with the government to offer cash in exchange for community work. Luckily, Precious’s family was one of those enlisted for the cash-for-work program. Through the program, families now have enough income to buy food and other household essentials.
World Vision Zambia, through its sponsorship program, also sank a well in Precious’s village. In addition to drinking clean water, Precious’s family is also using the water from the well to do vegetable gardening, which has, in many ways, helped to improve nutrition and income.
Today, Precious and her cousins no longer go to bed hungry, they have enough to eat. With encouragement from her church and family, Precious is now back in school and looking forward to completing high school and studying nursing.