A Note From Jolima...
I am feeling good to be here because you are keeping me well, we eat together and you are buying me school requirements. We are staying well and am always on good terms with everyone in the house, I am not fighting with my friends.
General Information
Birthdate: 12/03/2011
Current Age: 13
Move In Date: 11/21/2022
Hobbies: Music & Singing
School/ Education
Current Grade: 5
School: Twashuka Primary School
Jolima has been welcomed into WellSpring due to the significant challenges and vulnerabilities she faces at home. Her father passed away from HIV several years ago, and her mother now works tirelessly to support the family by collecting firewood and selling it to individuals who brew local beer. This work is physically demanding and often yields less than K15 (about $0.80) per day—barely enough to provide one meal for the family.
Because of these financial hardships, sending Jolima to school has not been possible. Additionally, her mother, who is also HIV positive, struggles to afford the food she needs to take her medication properly and stay healthy. In response, WellSpring is not only providing care and education for Jolima, but also offering food support for her mother, helping to ease their daily burden and bring stability to their lives.
Jolima’s Story – As Shared by Her Mother, Agness
“My name is Agness. I am 51 years old, a single mother and grandmother, living in Kawama West. I care for two children: my youngest daughter Jolima, who is 11, and my granddaughter Jane, who is 9.
Jane’s parents both passed away from HIV/AIDS in 2019. After their deaths, I was left to care for five grandchildren. Sadly, three of them also passed away. Now, only Jane remains with me—while her brother Peter lives with his grandfather in Congo.
Jolima is currently in Grade 3 at Twashuka Primary School, thanks to the help of Mufulira Social Welfare. Jane, however, has never been to school. Due to limited support, they were only enrolling one child per household, and Jolima was selected.
Our daily life is a struggle. I wake up around 4 a.m. each day to collect firewood from the bush. I don’t return home until 4 p.m., carrying bundles of wood that I sell for K10 to K15 (about $0.50–$0.80) each. This is our only income, and it’s barely enough to buy a small amount of mealie meal and vegetables. We try to have one meal a day, but sometimes even that is not possible.
I am living with asthma and am HIV positive. The illness, the physical burden, and the poverty are overwhelming—but I keep going for the sake of the children. When I feel like giving up, it’s the thought of who will care for them that gives me strength to continue.
I am pleading with WellSpring to help us. If there is a way to support us—whether by enrolling Jolima or Jane in your care or offering some form of empowerment or skill training—it would mean everything. I cannot afford school fees or even basic supplies. Education would give these girls the chance at a future I cannot provide.
Helping them is not just charity—it is building their future.”