Today we complete our 19th year supporting orphans and rural communities in Zambia and tomorrow brings hope for people in new districts. Since first visiting Zambia in 2006, with the exception of 2021 when I was unable to travel due the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been fortunate enough to have travelled to Zambia twice a year to oversee existing projects and to initiate new ones. What was so special about my recent trip was that everywhere was lush and green. Seeing the mighty Zambezi River once again cascading over the magnificent Victoria Falls was spectacular, especially after seeing only a trickle of water running down the rocks in October. To quote David Livingstone ‘scenes so lovely they must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight‘. The worst drought in Zambia’s history finally broke in November and it was wonderful to see crops flourishing and an abundance of fruit and vegetables growing in the villages. Thanks to the support of our generous donors, in addition to distributing emergency food relief, we donated food security projects with water systems, seeds, and fertilizer so that people could grow crops. We also donated 30 boreholes last year to schools and communities that had no source of water other than polluted shallow wells or had to walk long distances to obtain drinking water. Apart from malaria prevention programmes the majority of our work has been done in the Kazungula and Livingstone Districts in the Southern Province of Zambia. This year for the first time we are working in Kalomo and Mulobezi Districts, the latter is in the Western Province of Zambia. This area has a high prevalence of malaria and last year recorded one of the highest numbers of malaria cases in the nation. Thanks to the Angus Lawson Memorial Trust we are about to distribute almost 3,800 mosquito nets to school children and teachers with the aim of reducing new cases of malaria. This is a the first phase of a vitial three-year grant programme. While I was visiting Simonga Rural Health Centre, where we donated equipment as well as recently completing a facility for under-five clinics, family planning and HIV testing, I saw three children recovering from malaria. After identifying where the children lived the next day we visited their community and donated mosquito nets to all the children and teachers at their pre-school and primary. This will help to prevent further transmission. We have stepped up our HIV prevention workshops and the booklets we produced on Girls’ Empowerment and Boys’ Allyship are now being used in schools and football clubs all over Zambia. We continue to promote football as the main sport for young people to participate in to prevent the spread of HIV, and to reduce teenage pregnancies, early marriages, alcohol, and drug abuse. Thanks to two generous donors more girls’ football teams received kits, and 175 footballs have been given out to schools and community teams, to empower more young people. Read More →