•HENRY

By CHUSA SICHONE –

AFTER losing both his parents in 2003, and facing hardships living with his aunt, Henry Kunda of Samfya, moved in with his grandmother in Mansa.
Life with her grandmother seemed to have lightened his burden because she treated him with compassion.
Although she was unable to support him to further his education due to limited financial resources, 16-year-old Henry was happier living with his grandmother, and was determined to do his best to contribute towards making ends meet for both of them.
His determination to earn an income to support his grandmother’s efforts saw him get employed as a farm worker in Mwang’uni, in 2007.
Unfortunately, all his efforts were shattered when he returned home only to discover that his only guardian-his grandmother had since died!
He had nowhere else to turn to, and he did not have any known relatives he could depend on.
This left him with only one option-street life, where only the fit can survive.
“After my grandmother died, I turned into a street kid, moving from one place to another like markets to beg as well as do piece works,” he said.
Although he is fortunate not to have stayed long on the streets, four months taught him to anchor all his hopes on God.
The turning point for Henry was when he met the proprietor of Down Town clinic, Henry Ngosa, who accorded him a warm welcome.
Mr Ngosa introduced Henry to a pastor from the Seventh Day Adventist church, where he was then taken to an orphanage.
“The pastor first took me to church where discussions were held before I was taken to the orphanage. At some point we even went to Samfya to look for my aunt, only to discover that she had shifted and we couldn’t locate her, that is how we came back to the orphanage,” Henry said.
Whilst at the orphanage, Henry was enrolled at Mansa basic school and later Mutende secondary school for his junior secondary education.
Henry is currently hopeful of being accepted to Chipembe secondary school in Kawambwa where he hopes to complete his secondary school education.
His greatest desire is to join the Zambia National Service (ZNS), after his secondary school education.
His interest to join this defence wing was hatched as a result of his frequent interactions with ZNS Colonel Daka, who he first came across at Mansa Sports Club.
Although Colonel Daka is now relocated to Lusaka, he encouraged Henry to consider taking up golf as hobby, and now Henry boasts of several prizes won at various competitions.
Inspired by American golf icon Tiger Woods, Henry aims to improve his golf skills so that he moves from Division B to Division A.
In nurturing his dreams, Colonel Daka has continued rendering financial and material support to Henry, who has not been able to trace his relatives up until this date.
“My relatives are there somewhere but they are not concerned about me because none of them have ever bothered to visit me,” he said.
A devout and active SDA, Henry is indebted to God for helping him through the church and Mansa orphanage, Mr Ngosa and colonel Daka, among other people, for assisting him in various ways.
He says he prays for them every day so that God continues blessing them abundantly as well as for himself to be what he wants to be in life and pay back those that have positively contributed to his life.
“All I can say is thank you to everyone who has helped me to be where I am today because without their help, I don’t know what I would have become.
By the grace of God, or should I say it was He who directed me to go there (Mr Ngosa’s surgery clinic).
“I pray for all those that have helped me so that God adds on to whatever they have and I know that one day God will also help me become somebody in society. That is my prayer,” he said.
With more encouragement to study hard, Henry undoubtedly has the potential of becoming who God destined him to be.
In sport, Henry believes that given the necessary support in as far assisting him with the golf apparatus.
Henry is capable of bringing honours to Zambia by competing favourably on an international level.
Indeed, what does not kill you only makes you stronger and that is what has happened to Henry.
The trials and tribulations he went through have made him more focused and determined in life towards achieving his desired goals.
God has worked wonders in Henry’s life and the boy surely has a great future if he does not derail from the path he has taken.
Despite having endured the trials he underwent after the loss of his parents and grandmother, Henry is a true testimony of how ‘God opens doors that no man can close’.
He now firmly believes that although he may have questioned or blamed God for the loss his suffered, God who is omnipresent will never let him down.