Betty has been our assistant teacher at Taonga since the preschool opened, and as she is retiring this year, we want to thank her for all that she has done to instruct the students and make Taonga a welcoming educational community! We'll miss you Ms. Betty, but we wish you well as you take on your next adventure!

We would like to give a HUGE thank you to Gracie Dunlap, who came all the way from Middleburg, VA to work with the kids and help the teachers at Taonga! 

Thank you Gracie!

You can't escape the chill of winter, even in Zambia! These smiling faces huddled in an office to try keep warm. Despite facing these winters every year, the students at Taonga still lack the much appreciated warmth offered by winter clothing... luckily that problem will be one of the past, and it's all thanks to Lori Ann Graham and her big hearted knitting community! In response to seeing our students in the cold, her and her fellow knitters kitted hats, scarves, shawls, and cowls, and then sent them to us all the way from California! We can't even begin to thank you all enough for you kindness, and we are so thankful for this amazing gift you have given us! 

The arrival of our beautiful new Knitwear! 

So much thanks to everyone involved in this gorgeous knitting endeavor!

This summer Taonga school got repaired and repainted, ready for Jane's return from her studies in Livingstone, where she was at the top of her class and gained her teaching certification! Taonga is truly growing and improving every day!

The finishing touches are currently being put on Taonga's brand new bathroom and storeroom (made possible by Harmony Middle School's generous donation). As the students grow and learn more each day, their school is expanding to accommodate them. Housing a toilet, counter-top, and storage space, the new addition to the building is helping to complete Taonga's presence as an sanitary, established learning environment for the village's young children. Although the completion of this construction project has not yet been reached due to the torrential downpours of the rainy season, as soon as the weather clears up again these rooms will be finished and put to good use!

Taonga held its second annual Christmas party last month on one of Zambia's sunny December days. The children played games, danced, and ate cake!

Taonga has been functioning without a bathroom since its conception in 2015, but the pile of hay that has to suffice for right now is in the process of being replaced by this brand-new addition to the school, which will be divided into a bathroom and a store room. This construction project would have been nearly impossible without the spectacular support that we have received from Harmony Middle School, and to the students and staff of Harmony we give our most sincere thanks. With every day the addition gets closer and closer to being fully functioning facilities--we will keep you updated with its progress!

For the past year, Taonga has been working on a garden to teach the students about plants and the value of growing your own food, but up until the installation of this fence two months ago, the neighborhood chickens had been laying waste to the small plots. Thanks to the generous donations of all of our sponsors, we raised the money to purchase the materials for the fence, and Taonga parents were more than happy to assist us in its assembly. Now the garden is coming along beautifully, and the children have been selling their crops to their families to learn about profit and the rewarding feeling of reaping what you've sown!