About Us
In June 2005, Optometrist Jill Gillanders, a team member of the Vision Aid Overseas team, visited Zambia to do sight tests and provide spectacles.
In rural areas the clinics were held in schools and it was while at LIBALA Basic School that the Head Teacher Mr Ng'andu Raphael Muleya asked if a twin school could be found in the UK to correspond with.
The first twinning arrangement was set up in October 2005 between Libala Basic School and Thurlbear CEVA Primary School in Somerset. In 2006 three more schools were linked up.
School Twinning Friends (Zambia-UK) was registered as a charity in July 2007. At present there are 3 Trustees.
Pauline Drake, LLB (Chair), Alison Horsey, Accountant (Treasurer)
and Jill Gillanders, FCOptom (Secretary).
In July 2008 the charity applied to register as an International charity in Zambia and the Trustees felt a more concise name was needed. In Sept 2008 the Charity Commission approved the new name for the charity ZEST-UK.
To date (September 2008) there are 13 pairs of schools twinning. In Zambia they are in Southern Province, near Livingstone. In the UK they are in Somerset and Yorkshire.
The Zambian twinning schools were visited in June/July 2008 and Jill Gillanders and Optometrist colleague, Caroline Hemsworth, vision screened all the children and staff, providing spectacles where necessary. These were made to full prescription, posted to the Pastors who then delivered them to the patients.
"It is difficult to visit the Zambian schools and not be touched by how few resources they have and how hard the teachers, who are often volunteers, work to educate the village children.
A relatively small amount of money can go a long way in Zambia and large improvements can be made with just a few pounds.
There is no Benefits system or NHS in Zambia. As one young Zambian man told me - "Life without work is nothing"
An education, even a basic one, will make quite literally ALL THE DIFFERENCE to a Zambian child and their life ahead.
I feel passionate about trying to support the teachers there, to help them improve their schools and resources, giving as many children as possible a good start in life.
Please do help us: "YOU REALLY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE"
All donations received are used for the benefit of the Zambian Schools and their pupils. Administrative costs are kept to a minimum and funded wholly by the charity's trustees who are unpaid volunteers.
Jill Gillanders FCOptom