Local charity volunteers take water to Zambia

Last Month volunteers from the Thirsk and Easingwold area made an epic trip into the heart of Africa to deliver the gift of fresh water to a school and village community in Zambia.3 volunteers made the 10 day trip to the village of Simatobolo where they worked with locals to commission a bore hole funded by Zest-uk. During their visit they also helped to restore the sight of a young boy by taking him to hospital for vital eye surgery.Zambian Educational Support Trust, or Zest-uk, is a small charity based near Thirsk. It links schools in the UK with schools in Zambia and encourages ongoing communication between teachers and pupils from these two very different cultures. Several local schools have already been linked to schools in Zambia through the charity. The charity also provides practical support to Zambian schools and the wider community by providing teaching materials and helping improve facilities. Zest-uk Founder and Trustee Jill Gillanders of Little Thirkleby said “Rural Community schools in Zambia are set up by the local villagers to try to provide a basic education for the many orphans and vulnerable children who otherwise would not have an education. The villagers make the bricks with their own hands and teachers are usually volunteers. These communities receive very little, if any help, from the government and yet are very dedicated to educating their children. It is wonderful to see what a relatively small amount of money can do in supporting their aims.”October is the hottest month of the year in Zambia with temperatures reaching in excess of 35°C and travelling on the badly pot holed roads in dry and dusty conditions is exhausting, but this didn’t stop the volunteers making the most of their time in this amazing country. Volunteer and dentist Pat Ludiman did some dental checks on children and adults in Simatobolo village and retired teacher Margaret Murfitt visited some of the twin schools. “The bore hole will provide fresh water for a community of over 500 people” reported Jill Gillanders “previously, the villages fetched their drinking water a long way off from a shallow stream used by animals.”


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