( a close-up picture for Bishop Lazo and his wife)
A lot happens within our environment. It may be hard to believe but yet true that the life orphan children live is a big challenge. It’s hard to know why it happens in such a way that after the parent(s) pass away, their children start testing the wrath of their death, as these people who remain to take care of the children, again, make them pass through regrettable experiences. These children suffer a lot to the extent of missing out on schooling because no one is willing to pay their school dues. Bishop Robister Lazo age fifty-eight (58) years old is a leader at Kanjedza Orphanage in Chikwawa District. His first wife died leaving him with 6 children. His current wife, Agnes Chikuni has 4 children whom her first husband left her with after he died years ago. Among the children, 7 of them are married and the Lazos have three (3) children who are in school.
Bishop Lazo pastors a church and dedicates his free time to farming. Cotton and maize are what he farms and this has been the biggest source of money that helps the children and workers at the Orphanage.
“An effort made for the happiness of others lifts us above ourselves” (Lydia M. Child).
When Bishop Lazo saw his children, he thought of other children who have no parents, no food on their table, and no roof over their heads. Children who always wander around and seem they have no future.
He thought of them and summoned his church members to build an Orphanage. In 2017 Bishop Lazo and the church managed to build an Orphanage from the money they made after farming and some piece-works around the community. They named the orphanage Kanjedza Orphanage (Kanjedza means Palm). They then took 16 orphans, 8 boys and 8 girls from his community and nearby villages to take care of them. These 16 children are the ones at the orphanage till today, in addition to two more children.
But the question is, what is Bishop Lazo’s desire, what are his goals?
In an interview with Bishop Lazo, he said he is only looking unto the Lord. Anywhere God will lead him, he will follow. “Being a Pastor I believe in God. I believe that God’s ways are not our ways. There are a lot of things that this orphanage wants to move forward, I was thinking if we had money or donors, they would have helped us to have our windmill so that it should be helping us in paying the children’s school fees and also food at the orphanage. At our Orphanage, we would have loved it if we would have had not less than 50 children from all the villages around us. Children that lost their parents are suffering here in Chikwawa and they need care and love”.
He concluded by thanking Jesus Mission International who has so far helped Kanjedza Orphanage build a surrounding brick fence, vegetable gardens, food, and a loafing shed for goats, just to mention a few. “A fence was one of the needs this orphanage was willing to have. Being close to the main road, children were at risk of accidents since they were playing closer to the road where vehicles pass, but now they are safe and well taken care of. We are grateful”.
Orphans need total care from people like us. If we take care of them and give them a future they will live happily like any other child.
Jesus Mission has also hired a trained teacher to assist the children in learning how to read.
Steven C. Chapman once said “If only 7 percent of the 2 billion Christians in the world would care for a single orphan in distress, there would effectively be no more orphans. If everybody would be willing to simply do something to care for one of these precious treasures, I think we would be amazed by just how much we could change the world”.
