Feeding Hope: Reverend Mwananyanda’s Mission to Keep Kabwe Children Learning

At Lufutuko Christian Community School, education is being combined with food, faith and humanitarian service to give vulnerable children a better chance at the future

By Moses Sayela Walubita

KABWE — In a classroom in Kabwe, the lesson may begin with books and a teacher at the front, but for some learners, the ability to concentrate begins with something much more basic — having something to eat.

It is this reality that has shaped the work of Reverend Mutinta Mwananyanda, the founder and driving force behind Lufutuko Christian Community School.

For Reverend Mwananyanda, education cannot be separated from the circumstances in which children live.

A child who is hungry, she believes, needs more than a lesson. That child needs support, dignity and an environment that makes learning possible.

It is this philosophy that has made the school's feeding programme an important part of its community-centred approach.

The programme provides food to learners while helping create conditions in which children can remain focused on their education.

And behind the meals is a wider humanitarian vision — one that connects education, faith and service to the community.

Lufutuko Christian Community School represents more than an institution providing academic instruction.

Under Reverend Mwananyanda's leadership, the school has embraced a broader responsibility towards the welfare of children.

The feeding programme is a practical expression of that responsibility.

For families facing economic difficulties, ensuring that children have access to food while at school can ease one of the pressures that may affect their ability to participate fully in education.

For learners, a meal can mean having the energy to concentrate, participate in lessons and remain engaged throughout the school day.

The initiative reflects a simple but important principle: education works best when the needs of the whole child are considered.

Reverend Mwananyanda's approach has consequently turned the school into a space where humanitarian service and education intersect.

On September 19, 2025, Arise and Shine Christian University in the United Kingdom conferred an Honorary Doctorate in Humanitarian and NGO Management on Reverend Mwananyanda.

The recognition marked an important milestone in a journey rooted in community service.

For Reverend Mwananyanda, the doctorate represented recognition of work that has focused on improving the lives of children and communities.

It also drew attention to the contribution that grassroots initiatives can make to humanitarian development.

Her story challenges the idea that meaningful humanitarian work must always begin with large organisations or international institutions.

Sometimes, it begins with a school, a community and an individual willing to respond to a need.

In 2024, Lufutuko Christian Community School received another remarkable moment of international attention when former United States First Lady Laura Bush visited the school while in Zambia with her husband, former US President George W. Bush.

The visit brought an internationally recognised name to a community institution whose work is focused on education and the wellbeing of children.

It was also significant given Mrs Bush's longstanding association with education and literacy initiatives.

For the school and the Kabwe community, the visit provided visibility for work that had largely been taking place away from the international spotlight.

But the significance of the visit goes beyond the presence of two former US leaders.

It demonstrated that a community-based initiative can attract attention when its work responds to issues that resonate far beyond its immediate surroundings.

For Reverend Mwananyanda, however, recognition is unlikely to be the ultimate measure of success.

It is found in a young person who begins to see education not as an impossible dream, but as a pathway to a different future.

That is where the humanitarian mission of Lufutuko becomes most visible. The meals served at the school may not make international headlines. The daily lessons may not attract distinguished visitors. But together, they represent a sustained investment in children's futures.

The experience of Lufutuko Christian Community School also raises a broader question for Zambia: how can communities ensure that children are able to benefit fully from education when poverty and basic needs remain barriers to learning?

Government, communities, churches, civil society organisations and other partners all have roles to play in creating supportive environments for children.

School feeding initiatives can be part of that wider effort, particularly where household economic pressures make it difficult for families to meet children's nutritional needs.

Reverend Mwananyanda's work demonstrates what can happen when education is viewed through a wider humanitarian lens. Her honorary doctorate is now part of her journey.

The visit by the Bushes remains an important chapter in the history of Lufutuko Christian Community School. But neither achievement defines the mission.

The mission continues every day when a child walks through the school gates, receives a meal, enters a classroom and is given another opportunity to learn.

For Reverend Mutinta Mwananyanda, the recognition may be international, but the mission remains deeply local — feeding hope, protecting dignity and building futures one child at a time.