Rachael Shipopa in Zambia has been named our African Mother of the Year for 2026.

For Mother’s Day, she and her family received a special gift from Africa Imports. Here is her story.

Rachael has three children of her own, three adopted children, and 19 Boys who have been living on the streets who she now houses, feeds, mentors, and educates. She does this with the help of her husband and other brother, but they have a very busy life. They do not receive any money for doing this other than the little that Rachel earns as a school principal, and a small amount that Africa Imports donates to help with meals for the street kids.

Rachel and her younger siblings were orphans at a very young age. At 14 years old, Rachael needed to find food in the forest to feed her brothers and herself. They were adopted however by a very caring family Who helped them with physical needs, education, and healthy home environment. Rachel is now the principal in a school for children from difficult homes in Zambia. One of her brothers is a doctor. Each of them has dedicated their life to helping children in need in part because of their experience growing up.

For all that she does, Rachael received $10.00 for each order placed on Mother’s Day this year. There were 102 orders on Mother’s Day. So the total amount sent to her was $1,020. Before this prize money, most of the street boys still had only one full set of clothing which was left over from their days living on the streets. This was normally in very poor condition.

So here is what Rachael was able to receive with this prize money.

- 19 boys' school warm jerseys.
- 3 girl's school track suits
- 1 girl school warm jersey
- 1 girl school uniform
- 19 boys' T-shirt and Trousers
- A nice meal for the entire household
- For Rachael, a full body massage, pedicure and manicure (a special treat)

The photos here show Rachael and some of the kids with their new clothing, and some real happiness.