The brains
18th Feb 2022
FoCH Trustee, Mrs Ida Waddell, is the brains behind the Chitambo oxygen generator plant. It was her concept note which was adopted by the Scottish and Zambian governments. Ida originally wrote the concept with Mwandi hospital in mind. This is the hospital which she founded and supports in remote Western Province.
However, Scottish Government only supports developments in Central Province and so Ida agreed, big heartedly, for her concept to benefit Chitambo instead.
Kieth and Ida Waddell are Scottish by origin but Zambian by choice. For years they have worked as Education and Health Secretaries, respectively, for the United Church of Zambia (UCZ). They retired recently from those roles but remain Mission Partners for the Church of Scotland, in Zambia. Ida was also recently appointed as Vice Chair of the Churches Health Association of Zambia (CHAZ).
The couple's Church of Scotland role brought them to Scotland recently, on Furlough. They were over for 3 months, from late November 2021, speaking at churches and garnering support for their work in Zambia.
They just returned to Zambia on to 13th February 2022 but not before joining Jo Vallis, FoCH Chair, in raising a toast to the successful arrival of the oxygen plant at Chitambo (pictured).
The Waddles are a remarkable couple and how satisfying for Ida to see her oxygen generating idea come to fruition at Chitambo! Hopefully, the same will be possible at Mwandi, too, before too long.