Esther Longwe

Esther is an incredibly hard working person from the Kawama community in Kitwe. Esther’s husband, who was the breadwinner for the family and worked in the mines, sadly passed away in 2014. This left her widowed and responsible for bringing up their eight children. Her children range in age from her firstborn son aged 29 down to her youngest aged 4. They all live at home with Esther in Kawama except for her eldest daughter who is married.

Esther with her two youngest children and her grandson who all attend Kawama Community School

When Kawama Crafts started up in 2013, Esther was one of the original people to start the sewing and making of the crafts and she really enjoyed learning new skills. She also openly admits that the money that she earned was a lifeline for her and the family as they had very little if any coming in at that point. Along with all the rest of the people who worked there they were very sad when it ceased operating. She was, therefore, excited when Pastor Cephas and Mary asked her if she would like to take on the role of sanitation at Kawama Community School. Esther immediately said yes because it meant that she would be earning a regular wage and also it was the school where her youngest two children plus her grandson attended, so she knew it very well.

Esther chatting this week

The family has now lived in Kawama since 1992. They have seen it grow from an area just 14 years ago that was almost all “bush” with very few houses to the bustling and vibrant community that it is today. To many people Kawama may be seen as one of the “poorer” area but Esther talked passionately about the sense of community that she enjoys with her links to the school, the church and her neighbours. She recalled that when they first came they had to walk to the neighbouring community of Kamatapa to find a shop, but now there are many shops and a small centre selling much of what is needed.

When asked how the school has changed and how she enjoys her job she replied, with a smile, that before the new toilets were built and bore hole was sunk, there were just two pit latrines to take care of and clean. Water to clean the toilets had to be fetched from a tap a distance away by her predecessor, Ivy, (now school administrator). Esther jokes with Ivy that she has 10 toilets to clean now so works a lot more but Ivy always reminds her that there is now water on tap so it is so much easier. Seeing Ether and Ivy joking together is a good example of the strong sense of community seen both at the school and in the area.

Esther’s salary each month is the only income that the family have on a regular basis. Out of it she prioritises the school fees that she has to pay, which is a significant part of her salary. Obviously she also needs to budget for food and clothes, which cannot be easy for her. Her eldest son sometimes brings in some money to help but he has found it hard to get a full time job and manages on odd jobs.

Esther is always seen around the school working hard, with a smile on her face. Esther explained to us just how important her job and her links to the school are to her. She is very appreciative of what Beyond Ourselves has done, not only for herself and her family, but also the community with the education and feeding programme, supplying water and the regular clothes sale, which helps local people to clothe their families. It was a pleasure chatting to Esther and we now feel that we can understand her daily struggles just a little more.