2 fundraising talks

A HUGE thanks go to 2 speakers for their amazing support:

1. Mr. Callum Christie, author of 'Goodbye Colonialism, Farewell Feudalism' donated all proceeds from his recent talk to the Penicuik U3A club (book sales and donations) to Friends of Chitambo. He has also offered further support since. We thank you for your immense generosity Callum. It is making a difference.

Details of Callum's book:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Goodbye-Colonialism-Farewell-Feudalism-Barotseland/dp/1526202352

2. New Zealand medical doctor, Marion Taylor took timeout of her hectic European tour to speak on our behalf (Saturday 19th May 2018, St. James Church Hall, Penicuik, Scotland). Marion, author of 'Livingstone's Hospital, the story of Chitambo', talked on 'Dr. David Livingstone..an unlikely hero?'....the character of the man.

The talk was followed by a sumptuous afternoon tea and particular thank you to Friends of Chitambo (FoCH) Trustees, Margaret and Gillian, Marion M from St James congregation, and FoCH member, Ed, for helping with this. Thank you too, to St. James Church for hosting and supporting the event and to all those who participated and gave generously in support of Chitambo. THANK YOU, you really do make a difference.

We were particularly honoured to have 5 members of the Moffat family present at the event. They are direct descendants of Livingstone's wife Mary's family and it was their ancestor, Malcolm Moffat, who founded Chitambo Hospital in 1908. Fitting that they won all the raffle prizes including the basketwork tray from the roadside at Serenje!

Dr. Marion Taylor (R) with organising team

Setting up for the tea

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Books delivered

Mission accomplished! Medical textbooks requested by Chitambo Hospital colleagues have come full circle. In February 2018 some departments at Chitambo Hospital (laboratory and radiography) reported the need for books on Sonography and Parasitology. Friends of Chitambo purchased these from Health Books International in the UK. They were taken to Zambia by a contact from Vision Aid Zambia, transported to Chitambo by a member of the hospital team and are now in safekeeping of Matron. Thanks to all who helped to make this happen.

Book handover

Books in Matron's safe keeping

Monitoring and recording book usage

Matron with books

International Nurses Day (12th May 2018)

Chitambo students were amongst those contributing to the Nurses' day celebrations at Kapiri Mposhi, Central Province.

Chitambo students

Solar power

Fantastic news! The new solar power installations are completed at Chitambo Hospital and its 2 remotest 'hard to reach' rural health clinics (Gibson and Chipundu).

At Chitambo Hospital, the panels have been placed on the roof of the hospital laboratory. They will provide vital backup during all too frequent power outages.

Sincerest thanks to Scottish Government for funding this life saving initiative and to First Aid Africa for driving it through in collaboration with our local FoCH Project Coordinator.....and of course the Chitambo team who proposed the need in the first place.

Panels on Chitambo Hospital lab roof

Batteries

National Health Week (7-11th May 2018)

The Chitambo Hospital team was out and about in the community promoting health and also setting a good example by participating in healthy activities themselves.

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Chitambo health team setting good examples (See below too)

Wheelchair sagas

Thanks to amazing teamwork and wonderful connections a wheelchair is on its way to Chitambo Hospital physiotherapy department.

Sheffield medical student and founder of the new charity MedAid Sheffield, Yun Xin Koh, left for Zambia on Saturday 1st June, with it in her extra baggage allowance. She is heading off on her Medical Elective in Zambia.

Top Sheffield eye surgeon/medical trainer, Dr Zanna Currie (who grew up at Chitambo) linked us with Yun Xin, who is her student.

Chitambo man/Friends of Chitambo (FoCH) Trustee, Mr Chola Mwelwa, lives in the Sheffield area, where he manages a Nursing Home. He obtained a batch of perfectly serviceable wheelchairs which would otherwise be scrapped, and saw the value of these for Chitambo.

Zambian FoCH Trustee, Mr Consider Mudenda, met Yun Xin's flight and collected the wheelchair from her, for onward transport to Chitambo, along with a consignment of office equipment donated by FoCH.  

Yun Xin also gave us 4 recent copies of the British National Formularies (BNF), for donation to Chitambo. We hope to find a way of transporting these and more wheelchairs to Chitambo as soon as possible.

Thanks to all who have helped us to make a good start on this initiative and, in particular, to Mr. Chola Mwelwa who initiated this venture.

Mr. Chola Mwelwa, with his consignment of wheelchairs

With Mwelwa family and friends

Chola with medical student Yin Xin

Yin Xin delivers the wheel chair to Consider Mudena at Lusaka airport