Tache Home
Come let us build together with the children
Our Story – Told by Ms. Elizabeth Malama Chitundu
I realized my calling at the age of five. I would collect animals in their infancy, kittens, puppies, chicks, and keep them in my bedroom. Whenever I saw a baby, I never wanted to let go. As the youngest of nine children, I always begged my parents to bring a baby into the house. I adored my nieces and nephews when they were babies and always looked forward to visiting them in their homes.
I attended boarding school from Grade 5 to Grade 7 (1975–1977) and later went to a secondary boarding school from 1978 to 1982. In 1984, I traveled to Australia for tertiary education, where I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science and Technology in 1987.
In 1988, I returned to Zambia and began working under the Ministry of Health in the Department of Food and Drugs Control Laboratory, in the chemistry section. In 1991, I went back to Australia to pursue a Master’s Degree by research at the University of Western Sydney. My supervisor encouraged me to convert it into a doctorate by adding one more year of research, but I declined. I felt the call of God growing stronger within me, and I sensed the time was near to begin the work I was born to do. I returned to Zambia and continued working for the same institution.
In 1999, the Lord brought to me my first child at the age of seven. He is now a freelance artist. That same year, I voluntarily resigned from my job as I felt an urgency in my spirit to begin the work of God, caring for orphans and vulnerable children. During this time, I also traveled to Sydney, Australia, where I reunited with dear friends from university. One of them encouraged me to remain and work with a food processing plant, but even after only a month, my heart yearned to return home to Zambia to begin the mission God had placed on my heart.
Before I left for Australia, I had received a word from Proverbs 10:22: “The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.” While in Australia, every house I entered received me warmly. Even strangers on trains showed overwhelming kindness. I was given both material and monetary gifts. It was an unusual experience, but I knew it was God showing me that as I embarked on this journey, He would raise people to support His work.
The more time passed in Sydney, the more strongly I felt I needed to return to Lusaka. When I arrived, I received news that the car I had bought just before leaving had caught fire. Though disappointed, I remembered God’s word and gave thanks. I asked my brother to take the car to a garage, and they sold it, amazingly, four times more than the price I had initially paid for.
It was then that the Lord spoke: “Begin My work.”
In October 1999, I found a house for rent. Using the money from the sale of the car, I bought beds and bedding. A committee and board of directors were soon formed. Children began coming, some through the Department of Social Welfare, others through word of mouth, as the Spirit of God led. Some children came on a transit basis, while others were placed permanently. At one point, there were as many as 22 children in the home. Out of all those, 16 were raised here.
The Lord instructed me never to call it an orphanage, but a Home, so the children could feel loved, accepted, and truly at home. And so, Tache Home was born. Established in 1999, it has provided shelter, food, clothing, education, healthcare, and a loving environment where children can grow spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually—developing the social skills and knowledge to discover God’s purpose for their lives.
All the children raised in Tache Home, except for the three who are still in school, have successfully gone through university and are now working across Zambia.
Along the journey, the American government partnered with us to build a school, Likasa Boys Secondary School, whose name means “Covenant with God.” Though originally intended for orphans and vulnerable children across the country, the school is now run by the Zambian government and continues to serve children on merit.
God has indeed been faithful. Tache Home is a testament to what can happen when one obeys the call of God.
Contact
To help in any way towards the well-being of Tache Home please contact us
Address
Plot 14570 Mwambula. Kafue.P.O Box 36212 Lusaka.
Call Us
+260 0977520058
+260 0973614291