Sir Stewart Gore – Browne had many visions
of how Shiwa should and could be responsible for those that helped
to create, and continue the day to day work that this vast estate
required.
Previously a very poor and under utilized area of Zambia, with
a very high infant mortality rate and low life expectancy. Gore-Browne
brought first hospitals and then schools to an area that up until
that time had no access to even the most basic of requirements.
There is no doubt that following the death of Gore-Browne and the
slow decline of the Estate and House in a terrible economic climate
that the local people suffered enormously, and were slowly transported
back to the era when there was very little if any education or medical
support.
When Charlie & Jo Harvey took on the challenge of restoring
Shiwa, they were adamant that the restoration would extend to the
farm, re instating the hospitals and schools and once more creating
employment for the local community. It was a daunting task but one
that they tackled readily to once more continue Gore-Browne’s
vision for his beloved home and estate.
Today, over 11,000 people living around the Shiwa Ngandu area rely
on the services of the local Rural Health Centre and the schools.
All of these institutions are Government owned and run but due to
its rural locality, there are many areas of these services that
are still severely neglected.
In 2004 Shiwa Ngandu Rural Development Project (SNRDP) was formed
as an NGO that could cover these shortfalls by raising funds to
employ extra staff and help with the renovating of existing buildings.
This has been very successful. The NGO has also provided an official
body that can lobby the government to improve services. This has
been very effective and HIV/AIDS awareness, mother and child care,
education and agriculture have shown marked improvement.
The NGO now also provides a crop buying service, has raised funds
to build a community centre equipped with satellite dish for education,
raised funds for and purchased a hammer mill and has one of the
most modern maternity delivery room’s in the area. The NGO
provides clothing for new born infants, holds bi weekly anti and
postnatal clinics and an under 5's nutrition awareness club. It
undertakes the feeding of over 100 orphan children. Many of these
donations come from our clients. The Haberdashers Livery Company
of London sponsors and is into its second season of providing computers
and three volunteers to teach computers at Timba School.
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