Friends of Chitambo

12/05/2026

Friends of Chitambo wishes a very happy International Nurses Day to all fellow nurses. Please celebrate your achievements and the big difference that you make to many lives.
You are a blessing and a God send.

14/03/2026

Iseni ku shop!

Many thanks again to our window dresser/designer, ba Agnes Ngulube-Holmes, for refreshing our Friends of Chitambo stall at the Storehouse here in Penicuik, Scotland:
https://penicuikstorehouse.org/
We sell beautiful Zambian goods sourced for us by Karen Edwards in Lusaka, Zambia and transported by flying doctors Alberto Gregori and Trish O'Connor.

Supporting health projects in Chitambo District, Central Province. Zambia.

We are blessed.

20/02/2026

Friends of Chitambo flags are flying at half mast just now. It is with a heavy heart that we bring you the sad news of the passing of Mrs Lily Musk, one of Chitambo's most longstanding friends. MHBSRIEP

Lily was the wife of Dr Chad Musk, who served as a doctor at Chitambo during the 1960s. Dr Chad passed away many years ago but Lily lived on in a very positive and outward looking way, surrounded by her 5 wonderful children (some of whom were raised at Chitambo) and her many grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

Lily loved her time at Chitambo, and always retained a good heart for the place and the people. She was a major contributor to the purchase of the Chitambo Centenary Ambulance (2008).

Lily passed away peacefully, at home with her family, on Wednesday 17th February. She was aged in her mid 90s.

A rich life well lived and a peaceful passing... isn't that what we all want?

Rest in peace Beloved Lady. You will always be remembered for the love you shared so freely. XX❤️❤️

15/02/2026

What a wonderful and historic day at Chitambo today, Saturday 14th February, our first ever whole board AGM to be hosted from Chitambo.

Massive thanks to our guests for coming, and to Dr Sydney Chabala, Medical Officer in Charge at Chitambo Hospital, and his dedicated and capable team, for all their hard work in hosting the meeting.

Also huge thanks to our board members, Mr. Levi Chifwaila, Chair of our Zambian board, and Mrs Ida Waddell, who is based at Mwandi Mission Hospital in Western Province. They travelled a long distance on hazardous, rainy season roads to be there. Both are extremely busy people. Levi is Head of the new Nursing Department at the Kwame Nkrumah University in Kabwe, Central Province, and is in the process of launching the first nurse training there. Ida is a very experienced Theatre Nurse and is Mission Partner for the Church of Scotland (CofS), at Mwandi Mission Hospital. She was, formerly, Health Secretary for the United Church of Zambia (UCZ), and knows Zambian health issues inside out. She is now on the board of the prestigious Churches Health Association of Zambia (CHAZ).
Ida has only just returned from CofS furlough in Scotland, but made the huge effort to travel, physically, to Chitambo to help facilitate our AGM and bond our already very close team even further.
Thank you everyone. You are the glue that makes the difference.

After a PowerPoint presentation, and formal AGM business, we were taken on a live stream tour of our projects, including the Mothers Waiting Shelter, Maternity Unit, Oxygen Generator, Centenary Ambulance, and Nurse Training School.

It was amazing to be at Chitambo for the morning and see how all these developments are coming together, and what else is needed.

Thanks to all our friends and supporters for making our activities possible.

04/01/2026

Happy New Year Everyone.
Friends of Chitambo (FoCH) starts off on a happy note with these lovely photos from Chitambo partners. They show baby clothes, donated through FoCH, being distributed to mothers and mothers to be in the hospital and Mothers Waiting Shelter, as New Year Gifts.

Here is what Sister Ketra Mubita, Nursing Officer, said:

[1/3, 06:04] Sr Ketra Mubita:
How we spent part of our New Year..gifting mothers with gifts you sent us.
[1/3, 06:05] Sr Ketra Mubita: We parked them in baby layettes
[1/3, 06:09] Sr Ketra Mubita: We also shared with paediatric ward and insaka yaba wesu
[1/4, 18:10] Jo VALLIS: These were the baby clothes gifted from various sources including Dr Marion Taylor in New Zealand, and Drs Bridget Innes and Jo Vallis and in Scotland. The latter were provided by the main maternity unit in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Some of these were transported in a container provided by Padre John Mbayo, who recently facilitated the renovation of the hospital's paediatric ward. Padre Mbayo, who is Zambian by origin, is a Chaplain in the Royal Air Force in England.

24/12/2025

Happy Christmas and a very good New Year to all our friends and supporters.

It has been quite a year for Friends of Chitambo and partners. Read all about it in our Christmas newsletter:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/187Jb5Y1lzotGNAnSokURIZsL6rB3cBG5/edit?usp=drivesdk&ouid=117203193786790426465&rtpof=true&sd=true

Thank you for all your support, which has made our progress possible.

Friends of Chitambo Newsletter 2025 We bring you glad tidings of joy this Christmastime 2025 has been busy and eventful year for Friends of Chitambo, and includes exciting news for the year ahead. Mothers’ waiting shelter Expectant mothers inside shelter. Co...

14/12/2025

Chitambo has many friends.

On Saturday December 6th Lusaka Indian Ladies Association (LILA), held their annual charitable giving ceremony. Friends of Chitambo Hospital were again the recipients of a very generous donation of paediatric medical equipment (equipment). This will be ideal for the newly renovated paediatric ward.

This donation was facilitated by our Zambian -based member, Karen Edwards, who initiated the contact with LILA.

Heartfelt thanks. We feel very privileged to have been so fortunate as to receive these vital items and our heartfelt thanks go out to the Indian High Commission and the ladies of LILA

11/12/2025

Greetings everyone, We hope you are getting in festive spirit for Christmas and the New Year?

We are way behind on our updates! It has been such a busy time with a major grant application in progress.

A recent highlight includes another flying visit to Chitambo by Flyspec Drs Alberto Gregori and Trish O'Connor, who were on their way north to Mbala, to initiate the Makanda Neonatal Training project.

They had Australian Paediatrician, Dr Anne McGeechan, in tow. She sat with Chitambo Hospital staff and shared some of her resources (pictured).

Dr Trish O'Connor is an Emergency Medicine Consultant, specialising in Neonatology.

The Makanda project trained over 150 staff in Mbala and Mpulungu, as well as in Mchinji, Malawi.

We hope that Chitambo will also benefit from this and other Neonatal expertise in the future.

Stay blessed.

08/11/2025

Great good news! Friends of Chitambo SCIO extends huge CONGRATULATIONS to
Dr Sydney Chabala, Medical Officer in Charge at Chitambo, and his wife, Mrs Diana Zulu Chabala, on the birth of their 2nd child, a little girl. She was born in the newly refurbished maternity unit at Chitambo Hospital!
Mother and baby are doing well and the family are very grateful to the Chitambo maternity team.

What a tribute to Dr Chabala's great leadership, and the skill of the Chitambo maternity team, as well as the efforts of FoCH Board Member, Dr Annet Dekker, who raised the funding to enable renovation of the maternity unit. Well done everyone you are making such a difference to quality improvement of Mother and Newborn Care in Chitambo District.

Again, congratulations and warm wishes to the Chabala family as they welcome their newest little arrival. May you all stay forever blessed.

24/10/2025

Friend of Chitambo SCIO wishes everyone a Happy 61st anniversary of Zambian Independence.

The national anthem of the Republic of Zambia.Lyrics in English:Stand and sing of Zambia, proud and free,Land of work and joy in unity,Victors in the struggl...