She almost gave up. After applying four times and waiting two years, Mama Martha thought maybe this door just wasn’t going to open. But God had other plans. Today, she is living out her calling as one of our newest Mams in the Chongwe Family Homes of Every Orphan’s Hope.
Born and raised in Lusaka, Martha grew up in a stable home with both parents. Life was good, and she had access to school until the ninth grade. She married young and settled into the rhythm of caring for her husband and their two children. For a while, everything felt right.
That changed in 2015 when her husband passed away. Not long after, she also lost both of her parents. The weight of grief, responsibility, and survival hit hard. With two children to raise alone, Martha took whatever work she could find. For years, she worked as a cleaner for a construction company and later worked as a maid. She did her best to make ends meet.
By 2021, the pressure became too much. She took a short break and moved in with her uncle in Chongwe. During a church service with him, she heard an announcement about the opportunity to become one of the widowed Mamas with Every Orphan’s Hope. Something inside her lit up. She knew she was made to care for others, and the idea of raising children who were not her own felt surprisingly natural.
She applied right away. Then applied again. And again. Four times in total. The waiting stretched across two years. After her first interview in 2023, she waited once more before finally being called in for a second interview near the end of 2024. Just when she was about to give up, the answer came. She had been chosen.
Now, at 42, Mama Martha embraces the role she prayed for. She says the peaceful environment at Every Orphan’s Hope has made it easy to bond with the children. Some of the challenges she expected never even showed up.
Of course, like any mother, she still faces some hard days. The children she cares for are young and still learning who they are. Sometimes, that growth brings difficult moments, especially as their character is being shaped. But she meets those moments with grace, patience, and love.
“I thought it would be harder,” she says. “But this place is so peaceful. I feel at home.”
Her two biological children, now young adults, remain close and support each other in Lusaka. Her son is 22 and finished with school. Her 18-year-old daughter is in 12th grade. Knowing they are doing well gives her peace of mind as she pours herself into the lives of the children in her care.
When asked how others can pray for her, she simply says, “Pray for good health, and that God would keep growing my heart to care well for the kids.”
Because of your support, women like Mama Martha are stepping into their God-given roles as mothers to the motherless. Through your generosity, children who have known loss are learning what it means to belong.
Thank you for helping make this possible. You are part of a story filled with healing, hope, and love.