Could Zedupads be the answer to the challenges which our Friends at Chitambo face, in relation to their children's education?: Zedupad
This versatile touchpad tablet computer contains the entire Zambian primary school curriculum, presented it in a very engaging, interactive way. HIFA-Zambia Network (HIFA-Zambia Network) colleagues tell us that these have made all the differnece to their children's school grades.
Friends of Chitambo SCIO: registered charity number SCO44337 Our primary aims are to support health projects, including the hospital, ambulance and nurse training school. However, we also hope to be able to provide some support to other community oranisations such as the orphanage, schools, and the church, where possible.
Sunday, 22 March 2015
Happy Birthday to our Honorary President
Our Honorary President, Mrs. Janet Knox, celebrated her birthday in style with a Friends of Chitambo Mayo (Mother) lunch at Giovanis Italian restaurant in Penicuik, Scotland Read about Giovani's Bistro here
Giovani's have been generous donors to our Penicuik Street Fair raffle prizes.
They are currently running a photo competition for the most exotic photo location of one of their Giovani Teddy Bears. N'Kundalila Falls, near Chitambo, perhaps? Or could we have a photo in Giovani's Bistro itself, with our 2 Zambian Friends of Chitambo who will be travelling to Scotland in June 2015, for Scottish Government Small Grant business? These Friends are Mr. Levi Chifwaila, Senior Nurse Tutor at Chitambo, and Mr. Consider Mudenda, Technical Lead.
Mr. Mudenda has been to Italy and sampled Italian cuisine, when he undertook a short computer networking course in Trieste (2013). Jo Vallis, Friends of Chitambo Coordinator met him there and, together, they witnessed the inauguration of Pope Francis, the world's first Southern Pope, on a vast TV screen in the restaurant where they dined.
Birthday Girl, Janet (left), with Penicuik Mayo, Margaret (right)
Giovani's have been generous donors to our Penicuik Street Fair raffle prizes.
They are currently running a photo competition for the most exotic photo location of one of their Giovani Teddy Bears. N'Kundalila Falls, near Chitambo, perhaps? Or could we have a photo in Giovani's Bistro itself, with our 2 Zambian Friends of Chitambo who will be travelling to Scotland in June 2015, for Scottish Government Small Grant business? These Friends are Mr. Levi Chifwaila, Senior Nurse Tutor at Chitambo, and Mr. Consider Mudenda, Technical Lead.
Mr. Mudenda has been to Italy and sampled Italian cuisine, when he undertook a short computer networking course in Trieste (2013). Jo Vallis, Friends of Chitambo Coordinator met him there and, together, they witnessed the inauguration of Pope Francis, the world's first Southern Pope, on a vast TV screen in the restaurant where they dined.
Thursday, 19 March 2015
Strategic planning workshops
A huge thank you to Tim Lewis-Nicholson for leading UK Friends in clarifying our Vision, Mission, Values, Aim and Objectives. This is proving extremely valuable. Here is our Vision, agreed by some Friends at Chitambo:
"A healthy Chitambo District"
This is deliberately wide, to encompass health in all its senses, and not just 'healthcare'.
We have drafted our Values an Mission Statement and will post all these on this site in due course.
"A healthy Chitambo District"
This is deliberately wide, to encompass health in all its senses, and not just 'healthcare'.
We have drafted our Values an Mission Statement and will post all these on this site in due course.
Tim is just the man for the job to help us develop these aspects. You will see why from his profile below:
· Worked for the International Red Cross Movement for 7 years across Australia and the Pacific region
· Specialised in the area of disaster management and logistics before, during and after disasters
· Lived and worked for two years in many small Pacific island nations
· Has also work extensively in training, exercising and organisational development across the Red Cross world as well
· Currently works for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in their Response & Resilience Directorate
· Is a Civil Contingencies Officer which focuses on emergency planning, risk mapping & multi-agency coordination across the East of Scotland
View of Edinburgh Castle, from the meeting room window
View of Edinburgh Castle, from the meeting room window
Strategic planning workship in progress
Friends of Chitambo Ambassadors
Great things are afoot!
Firstly, UK-based Friends of Chitambo Trustee, Mr. Chola Mwelwa, is travelling to his home village of Chitambo in March 2015. He will meet with Friends of Chitambo Trustees:
Mr. Mwlewa will also be able to advise two Zambian Friends of Chitambo Ambassadors, Mr. Levi Chifwaila and Mr. Consider Mudenda, on what to expect when they come to Scotland in June 2015, on grant-related business. Mr. Mwelwa has kindly offered to give day of his tight schedule for such a meeting an also to take lots of photos to update us on any changes at Chitambo. These will be very beneficial for posting on this blogsite.
Levi and Consider will make history by travelling to Scotland to meet Friends of Chitambo over here. Their visa applications are underway and a visit programme drafted. We expect that they will participate in joint project planning, visit a range of Scottish emergency care facilities, and hopefully co-present a poster at a Scottish health conference. Such exchange will be mutually enriching and beneficial to our grant-funded project.
We wish all the travellers very well in their journey plans and thank them for their efforts in advancing Friends of Chitambo business.
Firstly, UK-based Friends of Chitambo Trustee, Mr. Chola Mwelwa, is travelling to his home village of Chitambo in March 2015. He will meet with Friends of Chitambo Trustees:
- Dr. Mmamulatelo Siame (Resident Medical Officer in Charge),
- Mr. Kasoka (Principal Tutor),
- Mr. Levi Chifwaila (Senior Nurse Tutor),
- and Reverend Banda (Minister of the United Church of Zambia at Chitambo),
Levi and Consider will make history by travelling to Scotland to meet Friends of Chitambo over here. Their visa applications are underway and a visit programme drafted. We expect that they will participate in joint project planning, visit a range of Scottish emergency care facilities, and hopefully co-present a poster at a Scottish health conference. Such exchange will be mutually enriching and beneficial to our grant-funded project.
We wish all the travellers very well in their journey plans and thank them for their efforts in advancing Friends of Chitambo business.
Saturday, 28 February 2015
Friends of Chitambo is awarded Scottish Government Small Grant Funding!
This project was proposed by healthcare professionals at Chitambo, according to their perceived local needs. The grant will run for 2 years and will entail collaboration on establishing an emergency care resource centre at the hospital and linking it with rural health clinics by mobile phone, for crucial emergency care advice-giving. This should help to save lives in an area where rugged terrain can make accessing hospital difficult.
Monday, 9 February 2015
Amazing snippets of news from Chitambo
There have been several interesting pieces of news:
Firstly, a lady gave birth alone in the bush for want of being able to summon appropriate help. Her husband walked 26 kilometres to reach the hospital and summon the ambulance. This is evidence of the need for the project which Chitambo partners have proposed, to 'strengthen emergency care information and communications in the Chitambo District'.
Secondly, a UK midwife has paid a visit to Chitambo but is unable to practice there, due to government regulations. She would need to apply to the Ministry of Health in order to practice and may need to undertake a related exam.
Finally, some very exciting news of a plan, by a Scottish group, to establish an agricultural university in the Chitambo District. It is not yet known who this group is or where exactly they will site the university. However, Chief Muchinka (an agriculturalist himself) has allocated land. Chitambo District is certainly expanding and is on the global map.
Secondly, a UK midwife has paid a visit to Chitambo but is unable to practice there, due to government regulations. She would need to apply to the Ministry of Health in order to practice and may need to undertake a related exam.
Finally, some very exciting news of a plan, by a Scottish group, to establish an agricultural university in the Chitambo District. It is not yet known who this group is or where exactly they will site the university. However, Chief Muchinka (an agriculturalist himself) has allocated land. Chitambo District is certainly expanding and is on the global map.
Zambia's 6th President
On 24th January 2015, President Edgar Lungu was voted in as Zambia's 6th President: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/24/us-zambia-election-result-idUSKBN0KX0QZ20150124
These were the Presidential elections. General elections take place next year (2016).
Wednesday, 21 January 2015
Chitambo School of Nursing: The final results are out!
The reuslts of Chitambo School of Nursing's first student intake's final exams are out. Mr. Levi Chifwaila, Senior Nurse Tutor, explains:
“24 students sat for exam. The exam was in three parts. Paper 1, that is medicine and medical nursing and paediatrics (that 's the course I teach and all students passed paper 1); paper 2 is surgery and reproductive health. 3 students failed that one and the last one is practical. 3 students failed. 6 failed in total and 18 passed.”
This is pretty good going for two very over-stretched Nurse Tutors, particularly given that 7 of the 27 students who enrolled in the first intake were described as particulraly under privileged.
Zambia votes in the presidential elections
Following the death of President Michael Sata, in October 2013, Zambian's went to the polls yesterday to vote for a successor:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-30891239
Chitambo Friends have been in touch to say that they have voted 'wisely and well'. Other Friends of Chitambo, in Lusaka, have told of heavy rains affecting voter turn out.
Despite this, let's hope that whoever comes to power will continue to have Zambia's (and Chitambo's) best health interests at heart. We are waiting the news with bated breath.
Thursday, 15 January 2015
Chitambo health staff need quality education for their children
A major consideration for skilled health staff and other community members in rural areas, like Chitambo, is how to educate their children. Local government schools can be under resourced and distance alternatives are costly or unavailable.
Chitambo contacts are keen to establish a small, high quality school where they can be sure that their children are getting a quality education whilst living in this rural area. This is not a luxury but a serious priority. Well qualified health staff make a big sacrifice in opting for rural experience. However dedicated they are, they are taking risks both in terms of their children's exposure to serious diseases such as malaria and the quality of their education. Helping them overcome these problems could contribute to their long term retention in the area. They have already established a small pre-school for younger Chitambo children and are seeking the means to extend this to primary school education. There are good models to be seen elsewhere in Zambia, such MICS primary school at Macahworks, Southern Province: http://www.machaworks.org/en/projectwizard.html/project/6/thema/2/locatie/alles/bedrag/alles/budgettype/alles
Chitambo needs help to develop a similar model. Please, if you are a secret millionaire and/or have expertise in the field of education, we would love to hear from you!
Chitambo contacts are keen to establish a small, high quality school where they can be sure that their children are getting a quality education whilst living in this rural area. This is not a luxury but a serious priority. Well qualified health staff make a big sacrifice in opting for rural experience. However dedicated they are, they are taking risks both in terms of their children's exposure to serious diseases such as malaria and the quality of their education. Helping them overcome these problems could contribute to their long term retention in the area. They have already established a small pre-school for younger Chitambo children and are seeking the means to extend this to primary school education. There are good models to be seen elsewhere in Zambia, such MICS primary school at Macahworks, Southern Province: http://www.machaworks.org/en/projectwizard.html/project/6/thema/2/locatie/alles/bedrag/alles/budgettype/alles
Chitambo needs help to develop a similar model. Please, if you are a secret millionaire and/or have expertise in the field of education, we would love to hear from you!
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