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Jew with Samaritan heart

Jew Chapomba (R) and Young Kay presenting items to community elders in Chiradzulu
Jew Chapomba (R) and Young Kay presenting items to community elders in Chiradzulu

While some worry that they cannot make a decision on which pair of shoes to wear to match with their clothes, others do not even have that choice; their worry is that they do not have the shoes.

It is amazing how a pair of shoes can make a difference in the world. Gospel musician Jew Chapomba realised this and now he has transformed lives of more than 600 people in Blantyre through his Tiwaveke Nsapato Campaign.

But how did it start?

Jew is son of Pastor Carol Chapomba of Living Waters Church embarked on charity to assist orphans that were being taken care of in his mother’s ministry.

“I teamed up with Tina Kendricks and registered Hope for Children Foundation, a non-profit making organisation, to source funds in aid of the orphans and we even attracted the attention of Emmanuel TV Partners who came and donated various items at the orphanage,” said Jew.

He said after that they were approached by Chifundo Talimba Orphanage in Manase, Blantyre to help them raise money.

“I used money from a performance to buy shoes for all the 85 children at the orphanage,” said Jew.

He, however, confesses that it was Pastor Sabston Banda who reignited the need to give to others when he advised him to give to the poor during the time the musician’s father was in hospital.

“He cited Psalms 41 verses 1 to 3 and assured me that if I give to the poor, God will consider my prayers. During this time, my dad was on oxygen support machine,” said Jew.

That was the birth of Tiwaveke Nsapato Campaign, which kick-started with 100 pairs of shoes donated in Limbe and Mangochi.

“On September 30, I went to Chiradzulu where I met village head Msaka and I told him what I do and he told me that since there is an orphanage in the area, he would assemble the orphans at St Michaels Primary School,” he said.

But as he was coming from the chief’s house, Jew took a two-hour walk with a barefooted orphan from the school. He discovered that the child walked a long distance, which discouraged him in his studies.

“When I came back on October 7, he was the first one to get the shoes and this was his first day to ever wear shoes in his life. I could see the excitement from the glow in his eyes,” said Jew.

Tina Kendricks and other musicians such as Young Kay, Princess Chitsulo, Neligo Women’s Choir, Mada Ngoleka, God’s Will and Faith Mussa have also joined Jew to make a difference to Malawian children.

“I thought there would be just a few children, but I was puzzled to find out that there were 600 children on the ground. We donated shoes to all of them, but when we went to check their school reports, only 150 have passed and that no one was in the top five. We promised to come back to award the best students as a way of encouraging them,” he said.

When they returned to St Michaels on December 12, which was closing day, 200 beneficiaries were on top five positions in their respective classes and 500 had passed.

Jew Chapomba says he wishes to support the children until they complete their secondary education.

The 25-year-old artist has three albums: I Will Make It (2006), Only You (2009) and Yesuology (2014).

 

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