ZOCS (Zambia Open Community Schools), our partner in assisting the Sekelela School, notified us that Zambia was closing all schools and colleges and ending public gatherings as of March 20. We asked our contacts at the school to give us some news about their situation.
The head teacher at Sekelela School, Always Kaumbi,
told us that none of the teachers had contracted the virus, but he said, “Cases in our area are increasing every day.”
Mr. Kaumbi also said that Sekelela’s six teachers were “preparing educational materials for their students,” who are staying in their poverty-stricken communities while schools are closed. CWB continues to fund these teachers. Mr. Kaumbi said the teachers “are planning to open an e-learning platform engaging students’ caretakers who share smart phones.”
CWB is funding one of Sekelela’s teachers, Eunice Nachimata, for a three-year program to get her teacher’s license. The pandemic paused her schooling, but the program was recently reopened online. We have provided Ms. Nachimata with a new smart phone and internet access so she is able to continue her education online. She is the third teacher we have sponsored.
The Ministry of Health streams live updates every few days on Facebook. These updates are live talks by the health minister himself broadcasting the increase or decrease in cases, recoveries and deaths. Here is a LINK in case you’d like to follow these updates.
Right now the soft lockdown we have (businesses are still open except for public places where people gather, churches, bars etc) has been extended…. Food and the necessities are still available, but I only go out once every few days to get food and a breath of fresh air.
Ministry of Health report on May 4:
When the award-winning and internationally known 
Michelle LaCourse has appeared as soloist and chamber musician on four continents, and has released two highly acclaimed CDs of works (all world premiere recordings) for viola and piano. She was formerly a member of the Lehigh Quartet, the Delphic String Trio, and the Aeolian Trio, and has performed at numerous festivals such as Aspen, Bowdoin, Skaneateles, Musicorda, the Heifetz Institute, Campos do Jordão (Brazil), and Positano (Italy) and in major musical centers around the world. She currently teaches viola and chairs the String Department at Boston University’s School of Music. 
Soprano Deborah Selig’s voice has been described as “radiant,” “beautifully rich,” “capable of any emotional nuance,” and “impressively nimble.” She performs repertoire spanning music from the baroque to contemporary in opera, oratorio and art song. She has degrees from University of Michigan and Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and she serves on the voice faculties of Wellesley College, Brown University, and the summer Boston University Tanglewood Institute. 
Boston-based mezzo-soprano Britt Brown has performed with Boston Midsummer Opera, Boston Opera Collaborative, MetroWest Opera, the Boston Lyric Opera, Odyssey Opera, Guerilla Opera and the Boston Pops. She premiered several pieces with Juventas New Music Ensemble. Britt is a graduate of Stetson University and the Boston Conservatory and continues to teach and perform locally as a sought-after new and sacred music singer. 
Praised for his fine musicality, “glowing intensity,” and “clarion tone,” Gregory Zavracky maintains an active performance schedule on concert and opera stages, including Boston Lyric Opera, American Repertory Theater, Chautauqua Opera, Opera Saratoga, Opera in the Heights, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Utah Symphony. His compositions include several song cycles, three operas, and a number of choral and chamber works. He has a DMA in voice performance from Boston University, and teaches at the University of Connecticut, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and Brown University. 
Baritone Ryne Cherry is an opera, oratorio, and ensemble singer based in Boston. He has premiered numerous new works. In the summer of 2017, Ryne enjoyed his second season as a vocal fellow at Tanglewood, the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer home. “Baritone Ryne Cherry has a voice of real beauty and his velvety tone was well-suited for Pietro’s legato passages.” (Examiner.com) 
Anne Watson Born is the Music Director of the Nashoba Valley Chorale. She is also the Director of Music Ministry at the First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton. She is the Board chair of the Music Leadership Certification Committee for the Unitarian Universalist Association. She has been a faculty member at Roxbury Community College and at Bristol Community College. Ms. Watson Born holds a M.M. degree from New England Conservatory. 
