Meet Abraham!
When Abraham grows up he wants to be a firefighter.
Age: 10
Grade: 4
Location: Zambia
Overview
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Challenge:
In Zambia, over 22 million people live across both urban and rural communities, many facing ongoing economic hardship—especially in mining regions like Chingola. With an average monthly salary around $330, families often struggle to meet basic needs. Job instability, illness, and the loss of parents—sometimes due to HIV/AIDS—can leave children without consistent care or support.Our Support:
Mercy Kids Africa partners with Lusungu Children’s Home to provide consistent, family-style care for children who need it most. This includes safe housing, daily meals, education support, and mentorship from local caregivers who are deeply invested in each child’s life and future. -
Challenge:
While primary education is more accessible in Zambia, secondary school often requires fees that many families cannot afford. As a result, only about 24% of students go on to complete secondary school. Financial pressure and the need to contribute income at home often force students to leave school early.Our Support:
Through child sponsorship, Mercy Kids Africa helps cover the cost of school fees, uniforms, and supplies. In addition, we work alongside local staff to support each child’s academic progress and encourage long-term educational goals. -
Challenge:
Food insecurity and limited access to healthcare continue to affect many families. In Zambia, 56 out of every 1,000 children do not live to see their fifth birthday—often due to preventable or treatable conditions. Lack of consistent nutrition and medical care plays a significant role in these outcomes.Our Support:
Lusungu Children’s Home provides regular, balanced meals for every child in its care. Sponsorship also helps cover basic healthcare needs, ensuring children receive medical attention when needed and can grow in a stable, healthy environment. -
Challenge:
Many children’s homes and community programs rely heavily on outside funding, making long-term sustainability difficult without consistent support and strong local leadership. Economic limitations within the country can make it challenging to generate enough local resources to fully sustain these efforts long-term.Our Support:
Mercy Kids Africa is committed to strengthening systems that support sustainability—from developing reliable sponsorship structures to equipping local leaders with the resources they need to operate effectively. The goal is not just to meet immediate needs, but to support lasting, locally led impact.
Walk alongside as their story unfolds
Know Their Story
Begin with a welcome packet and photo that introduces you to your child—their story, their personality, and the life you get to be part of.
Receive ongoing updates and photos that invite you into their everyday moments, growth, milestones along the way, and write letters of encouragement.
Stay Connected
Pray over and celebrate progress through annual updates and, if you feel led, experience it in person with a visit to meet your sponsored child.
Walk the Journey Together
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes! Mercy Kids Africa is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization under IRS code. Our Federal Tax ID number is 47-2315850. All donations to MKA, including child sponsorship donations, are eligible for income tax deductions.
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A sponsorship of anything less than $265 per month does not fully cover the costs to adequately care for the child. Therefore, one child may have multiple sponsors to cover the many expenses of quality care and living.
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Your child sponsorship donations cover the costs needed for quality care and living. Your sponsorship helps cover the costs needed to provide:
Three nutritious meals a day
Quality education at local schools in Chingola
Safe transportation to and from school
School supplies and uniforms
Operational costs for care at LCH
Child sponsorship does not cover day to day clothing, or medical expenses for the children.
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Your account will be charged automatically each month for the monthly amount you have set up for child sponsorship. Your monthly payment goes into one child sponsorship fund, which is used to care for all the children at Lusungu Children’s Home.
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No. However, please keep in mind that the financial climate in Africa, especially Zambia, can be volatile and fluctuate daily. If costs drastically change in the future due to external factors, we will notify you to see if you are interested in increasing your sponsorship amount.
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The child you are sponsoring at Lusungu Children’s Home will be eligible for sponsorship until he/she is 18 years old, graduates from secondary school, or leaves LCH. When the child you sponsor is no longer eligible for sponsorship, MKA will assign to you a child who is eligible for sponsorship. MKA will inform you of a child sponsorship change.
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We’d hate to lose your support, but we understand that circumstances may require you to suspend or discontinue your child sponsorship. At anytime, you can log in to your PayPal account to update or cancel your child sponsorship. For assistance, please contact us at info@mercykidsafrica.com. When you feel led to give again, please head back to our website to sign up!
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Yes! At any point when you feel led, you may make additional donations to MKA at mercykidsafrica.com/donate. If you’re interested in volunteering for MKA, please reach out to us at info@mercykidsafrica.com.
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MKA will email quarterly updates. Once a year, we will have the child you sponsor connect with you through MKA via email or snail mail. We encourage you to write to your child throughout the year! MKA will take your correspondence to the children when we visit Chingola 2-3 times per year.
Please mail letters to: Mercy Kids Africa, P.O Box 296, Broomall, PA 19008
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Unfortunately, not at this time.
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At this time, we are not facilitating any sponsor trips that will allow you to meet directly with your child, but we do offer Mission Trip opportunities that may allow an introduction.
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Some children did not attend school on a regular basis, or at all, before coming to Lusungu Children’s Home. Therefore, the children are not always placed into grades by age, but instead placed according to their individual learning needs.