The History Of The Falconer Home
Lilias Falconer and the Falconer Home
Lilias Falconer was born on the 15th July 1915 in Manchester. At the age of 15 she was telling her family of the call on her life to go to Africa “to look after babies and children”. In order to fulfil her vision Miss Falconer applied to medical agencies for the opportunity to train as a nurse. At first all of her applications were refused. When in 1939 World War 2 came she was accepted into nursing training by the Salvation Army and after a course in tropical medicine sailed for Africa with another lady missionary on board a troop ship in 1946, commencing her nursing career in a leper hospital in Chitokoloki Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) later that year. There she saw the plight of little babies left to die when their mothers died in childbirth. After agreeing to care for one such child, five more were brought to her over the next 18 months. So, with her six babies Lilias left Chitokoloki and with a helper went further into the bush where she established her Children’s Home and Orphanage at another Christian mission station in the small community of Kabulamema in 1947.
Miss Falconer, ‘Mama’ to her family died on 6th June 1998. She only came back to the UK once in the years that she lived at Kabulamema, that was in 1952. During those years at Kabulamema she saved over 600 babies, that is an average of one a month for fifty years.
"God has worked mightily and the home is happy and at one. I could ask for nothing better."
Lilias Falconer, March 1966
Lilias with some of the children in 1972
Lilias Falconer with Simon Samutala, who went on to become Director of the Home
It was Miss Falconers wish that her work would be carried on by her children and the success story of the Home is that some of the children have stayed and that when ‘Mama’ was ‘called to her rest’ they were trained, willing, able and ready to continue the running of the Home. She was succeeded by Simon Samutala, who grew up as a child of the Home, who was Director until his 'home call' in June 2026. He was assited by Miriam Mulyata, who was responsible for the care of the children. Today the general administration of the Home is carried out by Simon's nephew, Clarks Mukuma.
During a visit to the Home in 1999 by Professor Nkuma Luo, the then Minister of Health in the Zambian Government, said “This Home is a unique place”.
The Falconer Home Today
Today a verse from the Bible is still on the welcome sign in front of the Home - ‘Who so shall receive one such little child in My name, receives Me’. No child was ever refused admission to the Home, and although many arrived sick, undernourished and sometimes on the verge of death, Miss Falconer’s nursing skills saw many of them reared to adulthood. Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia’s first president awarded Miss Falconer ‘The Order of Distinguished Service’ in his Honours List in 1969 and In 1984 Queen Elizabeth II granted her the MBE which was presented to her at Kabulamema by the British High Commissioner for Zambia.
Today the Home cares for around sixty children, of all ages from toddlers to mid-teens. Clarks and his team constantly strive to improve the accommodation and level of care for all the children. They also seek to train the children in a variety of skills to enable them to work when they leave the Home.
A Poem - 'In Loving Memory of Lilias Falconer', by Sheila M. Bell
I dedicate this poem in loving memory of a saint,
Who gave her life in service to her Lord, without complaint.
This loving lady who we know as Lilias falconer
Had such great faith in Jesus that no one could deter.
In Kabulamema for fifty-one years she ran the Children's Home,
Rescuing babies from the death that surely would have come.
The mothers died in childbirth so the babies were killed too,
But with her heart of love Miss falconer knew what she must do.
She started up the children's Home with just a babe or two,
Before long so many came, her family soon grew.
In dedication day and night she nursed them in her care,
Watching over them tenderly and seeking God in prayer.
She often went without herself so others could be fed,
She trusted in her Saviour and by His great hand was led.
She was a humble loving soul and gave God all the praise,
For He supplied her every need and guided all her days.
She saved six hundred babies and she taught them of God's love,
She nurtured them in childhood and trained them in things above.
And now the work is carried on by those she has prepared,
Those who loved her greatly and with whom her life was shared.
We thank You Heavenly Father for all that You have done,
We pray for all the family now Miss Falconer has gone.
We rejoice she's in Your presence, forever with her King,
Praising You for eternity while the halleluiahs ring.
Some Inspiring Stories
Lilias Falconer and the Christmas Cake
It was a Christmastime in the mid 50’s, when Lilias had started to gather her family of unwanted children, that Rose Jeffries, one of the middle aged unmarried women in our chapel in Chadwell Heath, said she had baked a large Christmas cake and had paid what people felt was an extortionate sum, to send it by express delivery to Lilias in Zambia. I think there was some muttering that the money could have been put to better use, but the cake was sent off.
It was a couple of months later, that an airmail letter from Lilias arrived, to say that transport bringing essential food to them had completely failed and the children were starving. She said she had even boiled her nurse’s leather belt to make broth, they were so desperate, when, to her amazement, a special delivery came with a Christmas cake! She said she divided it up carefully and each of the children had a tiny piece each day and it was keeping them all alive.
No one was ridiculing the Christmas gift now! Perhaps a lesson from the Lord, that an act of love is always precious. The cost to humble Rose, would have represented a few weeks of her wages, but her sacrifice saved lives, Lilias later said.
I think Henry Webb and one or two others, including my wife’s father Will McKenzie, desperately called various companies with subsidiaries in Zambia to see if they could help but no one offered help until they had a response from Horlicks, who said if we would buy the boxes of Horlicks, they would charter an aircraft and parachute drop the boxes near the home. This was done and the children had nourishing Horlicks to sustain them until new arrangements were made for food supplies.
I have never forgotten this lesson on how much our Lord values and blesses acts of love.
Peter Thompson
