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THE BEIT TRUST - 1906-2012
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SECRETARY’S VISIT TO LUSAKA 27 November – 5 December 2011 Every year at least two visits to the mandated beneficial territories are undertaken by Beit Trustees and/or the Beit secretary, as these are essential for quality-control of ongoing projects, assessment of new requirements, and analysis of long-term benevolent strategy. The Beit Representative organises and accompanies these intensive visits, which sound so much more glamorous than they are. Fascinating and fun, certainly, but usually a Beit tour involves weeks of early starts, long hot days, and hundreds of miles on poor tracks, to very worthy small rural schools, clinics or missions, deep in the dusty African bush. In April, Trustee Robin Byatt and the Representative visited Harare and the Kariba area of Zimbabwe, and attended the bi-annual grant allocation meeting of the Correspondents’ Committee. In September and October Trustee Jonty Driver likewise travelled extensively around all 3 Beit beneficial countries before going on to meet Beit-sponsored undergraduate and postgraduate students studying at major South African universities. This will lead to more focused help on restoring universities and teacher-training colleges in Zimbabwe. In December, the Secretary made a relatively brief visit to Zambia, primarily to attend a meeting of the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA) which is a young medical initiative aimed at improving and extending the numbers and quality of surgeons working in Africa. Every year, the Beit Trust offers full 5-year surgical scholarships to three young doctors as they start their long training, based upon selected teaching hospitals in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Secretary also participated in the selection of a further six Zambian postgraduate students to undertake Masters or PhD studies in UK, Ireland or South Africa. Two also benefited from shared sponsorship from the Chevening programme administered by the British High Commission in Lusaka. In between these commitments, the Secretary visited old friends at Matero School, where the Trust is building four new homes for teachers and their families, as shown below -
Below, from left, is Marianist Brother Carmine Annunziata; Headteacher Friday Talimi (who has taught at Matero for >20 years); Deputy Head Emil Mulawa; and ex-Matero head of PTA Timothy Chiumia, now an accountant with two sons at the school, who said “it is time to put something back”.
Timothy Chiumia explained the maths: a secondary teacher is paid about 1.5m. Zambia Kwacha per month, and renting a very modest 2-bedroom house in the crowded Matero area costs the same. So 9 teachers rent far away, and have a grim commute across increasingly busy Lusaka – Mr Talimi said the system was “in crisis”, so the four Beit houses will be very much appreciated.
Our Lady’s School, Lusaka (above) is a large and increasingly important primary/secondary co-ed day school, newly built on a green field site east of the Zanzibar Road. Deputy head Sister Auleria Mvula (below), in front of the Beit classroom block constructed in 2007 complete with science lab for her growing number of A-level pupils. She stands where a new duplex house will soon be built to house two of her 19 teachers. As at Matero, decent houses for teachers are a prime factor in retention of key staff.
Five miles south of Lusaka’s city centre lies bustling high density Chawama, where the Chawama Community School, administered by the Sisters of the Holy Family is part of a big Polish mission that includes 13 teachers, 150 nursery school, 600 primary school, and 80 secondary pupils, plus 17 resident orphans, care for 150 street kids, and a hospice with a resident population of 17 plus more in day care. Sister Mari Krupinska (left) with some of the 17 resident orphans and (below) Sister Judith stands in front of the beautifully-decorated Beit-built convent house which can house six nuns.
Orphans are educated free. The sisters are sad that the Government of Zambia does not provide the mission with any teacher salaries at all (why not? No one seems to know).
The sisters, on right (above) with Engineer Sebastian Malumo of Sebco watch the building of a large new Beit four-classroom block for secondary pupils, complete with toilets and teachers’ offices. When the classroom is finished, the holy sisters really want a library, where children would learn to enjoy reading in their spare time. There will be more Beit support in future years to this remarkable institution.
Beit-Chevening Scholarships Selection Board The all-day Zambia Board was held on Thursday 1 December. The Board lacked Beit Fellow Professor Mulla, who was engaged meeting international COSECSA surgeons; and Ms Liseli Bull, absent on UN duties in the Gambia. But Beit Fellow Professor Mary Ngoma was well able to assess the medical candidates and Mr Fred Mtamwera was a welcome new member. The Board was as usual chaired by Mr David Phiri, and assisted by the Deputy British High Commissioner Mr David Pearce. In general, the girl candidates outstripped the boys; and the top 3 young women were a notably strong act. The final choice included three excellent candidates wishing to study MSc Nephrology at the University of Witwatersrand;, MA Social Development & Sustainable Livelihood at the University of Reading; or MSc Water sanitation & health engineering, at the University of Leeds. All scholarships will start in 2012. Saturday 3 December Beit Trustee Professor Lavy and the Secretary hosted a well-attended and successful reception to celebrate the Beit COSECSA partnership. The guests included: Hosts Professor Chris Lavy Maj-General Angus Ramsay COSECSA Guests President Professor Frederick Mutyaba (Uganda) Vice-President Professor Chris Samkange Registrar Professor Krikor Erzingatsian Dr Yusuf Kodwavwala Professor Steven Ogendo Professor Eric Borgstein (Malawi) Dr Wakisa Mulwafu (Malawi) Mr Laston Chikoya (Zambia) Professor Mohammed Labib Professor Steven Ogendo Peter Stanczyk COSECSA (Arusha) Mr Jim Cohick, CURE neurosurgeon; visiting COSECSA FCS examiner Mr Paul Marks, Leeds university neurosurgeon, ditto Professor Deepa Bose, Birmingham trauma surgeon, ditto Georgio Lastroni, surgeon & director BeitCURE Lusaka Peter Kyalo, manager BeitCURE Lusaka
Professor Yakub Mulla, Beit Fellow (UTH Zambia) (above centre, holding book) Dr Kelvin Kaseke (Zimbabwe 2010) Dr Faith Muchemwa (Zimbabwe 2011) (below right in red dress) Dr Enock Soko (Zambia 2011) (below right)
Dr and Mrs Kabisa Mwala (Zambia 2011) (above left)
Among several speeches, the COSECSA President sent a warm vote of thanks to the Beit Trustees, followed by Professor Yakub Mulla who said how grateful he was to have been awarded a Beit Fellowship, some 20 years ago. Finally Dr Faith Muchemwa from the Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare spoke graciously on behalf of the Beit-COSECSA scholars, and promised that they would be a credit to the Beit Trust.
On Sunday 4 December the Secretary briefly addressed the full COSECSA Council, whose President made a gracious introduction about the Beit Trust. Liaison having been successfully achieved, both organisations look forward to a fruitful relationship. The Secretary returned to Beit House in Woking.
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Chawama township
has a government-run Basic school but no Secondary. The large spotless
Polish-run Chawama school + orphanage + frail care hospice, in the midst
of a very poor area, has been strongly supported by the Beit Trust for
many years. 4 Chawama girls went on to university in 2011.
