Since its foundation in February 2000, Mutende Foundation has supported the education of the four children of the late Pastor Joseph and his wife Melanie Chikoti. They died shortly after each other in 2001 when the children were between 8 and 17 years old. All four were taken into the family of an uncle and aunt. Mutende then committed itself to cover the educational costs for children until they finished highschool. Further training should be considered where possible. All four have completed their primary and secondary school at Chengelo School, the school where board members Keesjan and Reinette have worked for five years. Through social media there has been active contact with all four over the years.

Sharon
The eldest daughter Sharon started a Discipleship Training School of Youth with a Mission Amsterdam in 2006, sponsored by Mutende. After this she was able to do her forestry training in Zambia thanks to the contacts there. She married Daniel and lives with her family with three children in the capital Lusaka. Daniel has a construction company and Sharon works at the school where her children go. Sharon is now doing a teacher training which is sponsored by Mutende. To complete this, Mutende is still looking for donors. Sharon hopes to start her own pre-school in the long term.

Melody
After having been an au pair in The Hague for a year, Melody Chikoti had the opportunity to to study Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries at the Hogeschool Utrecht. Mutende sponsored this. After this she found work at various employers. Melody has been on the Mutende board for a few years. She is married to Onne, they live in Amersfoort, together with their two childeren. They are a great support for their immediate family in Zambia.

Gloria
After graduating from high school, Gloria studied psychology for two years with a Zambian scholarship at the University of Zambia in Lusaka. After a break of two years, she followed and completed a counseling course at a bible school in Zambia, with Mutende’s sponsorship. She is working on finding stability and vision for the future

Emmanuel
Emmanuel, the youngest, has followed and completed an ICT course after high school. Through sponsorship through Mutende he studied economics for three years at Zambia Catholic University, where he obtained a number of partial certificates. He is in the process of saving money for further education that he aims to fund with the support of Mutende.

Cousin Tehilah
Tehila is a first cousin of the Chikoti children and asked Mutende for help at the beginning of 2020, because she could not finance her final year of her study to become a Clinical Officer. We notice frequently that the Corona measures in Zambia make life in Zambia more difficult. A small group of sponsors support her financially through targeted donations via Mutende. She is a smart and hard worker who communicates well. She will likely graduate in the summer of 2021.