The charity Rainbow Trust Africa helps children in poverty in Zambia to get the education and healthcare they need and helps build more schools. Remayah Tulloch-Hunter finds out from one volunteer just how he helps more children go to school and get the education they need.
The enduring image of children’s happy, smiling faces despite them living in severe poverty is one of the reasons why Mike Smith from Leicester has been supporting a school in Zambia for more than 15 years.
The 63-year-old is a volunteer with Rainbow Trust Africa, which has been running for 30 years, supporting a school and community in Livingstone, a town in Zambia. His dedicated support includes having been part in a sponsored cycle to raise money for the charity.
But Mike’s favourite memories come from when he went to Zambia in 2018. During his time there, he was given practical jobs, including fixing the school and bathrooms, but he was also able to meet residents and the children he had been supporting.
One thing which surprised him was to see how happy those he was helping were to meet people from other countries – it was a good feeling, he says.
“I was kind of surprised that you could see those people, living in poverty, but when we met them, they seemed happy and pleased to see you, and smiling,” he recalls.
When he wasn’t helping with the school, he was able to go on a safari in Botswana, another experience entirely. Flying across Africa, he saw the legendary Victoria Falls and ‘the steam’ [clouds of water spray] rising from them.
“We went on a one-day safari in Botswana, so that was really nice. It was the first time I’d been to Africa, it was quite a different experience,” Mike says
For almost two weeks, making new memories in Zambia, he was with other women from the charity, and one thing they got involved in was creating curtains for the schools and residents’ houses.
“It was very hot in Africa, and you put curtains at the windows to keep the shade out, but the sun is so hot that the curtains don’t last very long,” he explains.
Mike has been supporting Rainbow Trust Africa for 15 to 20 years, and has sponsored a child for £30 a month to get an education to help them escape from poverty.
Rainbow Trust Africa, based in Livingstone, was established in 1995 and for more than 30 years has supported vulnerable children and families through providing education, healthcare and communication support. It has now grown to 50 local staff, on top of its volunteer supporters.
The charity was started as a small project and has grown into a thriving community, which includes a sponsored children programme supporting 100 children in getting an education.
“It is set up with the trustees in the UK; they don’t get paid by the charity, so all the funds go to the project in Zambia itself,” Mike says.
“When you live in poverty, things like education can be very difficult, and without education, you’re kind of stuck in a cycle.”
As it developed, the charity now operates two funds for separate projects, with one sponsoring individual children through their education.
Individuals back in Britain can get involved by donating £30 a month, and get regular updates on the child they are sponsoring and how they are doing in school.
“The charity likes to get individuals to sponsor a child because then they get their annual school reports, photos and kind of feedback on how the children are doing,” explains Mike.
The other fund is for the Granny Project in Zambia which supports the grandparents of children who have lost both parents. Although they take their grandchildren in, low income levels make it extremely hard for them. However, there is a limit on the number of families that the charity can support at any one time.
The funds for the Granny Project currently helps 17 grandparents who are raising their grandchildren due to the impact of low life expectancy in Zambia.
“It would be nice for me to support them all, so more income coming in helps more families be supported,” says Mike.
One way he helped was by joining ten other men from across the county who took part in a 100km or 207km bike ride around Leicestershire in May to raise money for the charity.
Mike has always had a passion for cycling, so he happily took part, meeting new people and riding all over the area.
He admitted the ride was a challenge, including long distances and big hills in Leicestershire, such as Beacon Hill, Bardon Hill and Borough Hill. At the start, only six people were involved but it grew to 11.
“We tried to make it a tough ride, so there’d be a sense of satisfaction at just being able to finish it,” says Mike.
“In a small way possible [for the cyclists], but in a real way to help people’s lives, particularly young people, children, so that they have a better life.”
Mike plans to take part in similar events in the future with the charity and to try new things, especially as he is not a runner, and he urged more people to support Rainbow Trust Africa.
“I would certainly do things for this charity, and I would be happy to do things for other charities as well,” he says.
“If you can make a difference to just one person, then you can have a big impact both in their lives and also help the world.”
