BrightPoint for Children

The heart of Wiphan Care Ministries began in the hearts of a pastoral couple in Zambia—Timothy and Kunda Tumelo. Early in marriage this couple devoted their hearts and lives to the poverty stricken compound community in Ndola, Zambia. Timothy, being a pastor, had the opportunity to travel to America where he not only made a friend but a brother in Christ while he stayed in the home of Kevin and Leasa Jones. Timothy returned home and the friendship of he and his American brother was a bond that could and would never be broken. Years later, Timothy passed away—yet his American brother continued to support Timothy’s family enabling his widow and children to survive and even attend school.

Kunda, now a widow, developed a new passion and heart for other widows and orphaned children in the community who did not have the help she was receiving—and with whatever she had left over, she shared with the widows and children in the compound. The compounds are filled with hundreds of mud homes with neither running water or electricty where thousands of widows and orphans struggle to meet basic needs. In a population of just under 11 million, nearly one million children have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS. There are countless homes left without the traditional breadwinners—the fathers. Widows remain helpless and hopeless with no means to sustain their children. According to UNICEF statistics a child in Zambia is orphaned every 35 seconds from AIDS. This has resulted in helplessness and hopelessness among those left behind. Overwhelmed by compassion, Kunda was given a vision to help the widows and children she now knew and to become a source of hope for them- she shared this vision with her husband’s American brother half way across the world. Out of loss, came joy—and Wiphan (WI= widows +PHAN= orphans) Care Ministries was born.

Today, Wiphan Care Ministries is run by the local Wiphan Board in Zambia as well as an American Wiphan Board in North Atlanta. Both teams work together in hopes of drawing not only the Zambia people to Christ- but also Americans who feel led to join us on this beautiful journey. Together, we desire to give the hopeless hope and follow James 1:27 to “look after widows and orphans in their distress..." Wiphan Care provides biblical teaching, skills training, medical attention and basic education to widows and orphans in Zambia, Africa who have been devastated by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Wiphan Care has 2 campuses- one located in the Sinia compound and the other in the Mapalo compound- both are located on the outskirts of Ndola, Zambia. Approximately 450 students and 120 women attend Wiphan's programs.