Patricia Napier working with children in Zambia
One of the eagerly awaited occasions at this time of year is the New Year’s Honours list and amongst the Surrey names for 2021 is Patricia Napier who has been awarded an MBE for her work with communities in Zambia. Patricia, who lives near Rudgwick at the southern border of the County with her husband Robert Napier, first worked in Zambia fifty years ago as a VSO volunteer and later established a charity whose aim has been to improve lives in remote areas, an aim that has certainly been accomplished having changed the lives of thousands of people and provided a better future for generations to come in 18 rural communities.
In order to help fund these support programmes Patricia set up the ‘Baynards Zambia Trust’ (BZT) in the UK which raises funds solely for ZRDF and along with support from other organizations they have funded ZRDF for the last 25 years.
The success has been largely due to the holistic approach of the Zambian Charity – Zambia Rainbow Development Foundation (ZRDF), an operational charity based in the Mkushi and Luano regions of Zambia which helps very isolated Zambian communities become self sufficient by way of improving access to education, including the building of schools and facilities, teaching farming practices to provide more nutritious food and generate income, creating village banks run by members of the Community, most especially women, and establishing HIV and AIDS programmes.
BZT has been part of the BIG GIVE initiative where the generosity of the British people funded a classroom block, hand washing facilities, toilets and teacher’s houses in two schools, Kamimbya and Chibombo. These are two very typical communities that were cut off from society and struggling with poverty, health and poor education – new schools change the lives of the entire community leading to a much brighter future for generations to come and whilst the support of ZRDF is ongoing, the long term result is that the people themselves become self-sufficient and have longer and healthier lives.
Patricia adds, “I am of course delighted to receive this recognition, which is a reflection of the hard work by a great many people both in Zambia and the UK. ZRDF and BZT could not have achieved so much without the considerable expertise and hard work of ZRDF Director – Brandy Mungaila and his team in Zambia, the hard working Trustees of both organisations and the generosity of our supporters and friends. Our 2020/22 programme is well underway which involves expansion into yet more isolated communities and the ability to improve the live chances of many more people.”
For more information on the work of BZT or to make a donation please go to: www.bzt.org.uk
