Gobal Citizenship Twinning Project
8th Oct 2022
FoCH Chair/Founder Dr Jo Vallis and Trustee, Dr Bridget Innes, were greatly honoured to be invited to the Lanarkshire Global Citizenship Twinning Project meeting at the David Livingstone Birthplace, Blantyre, Scotland, on Friday 30th October 2022.
This included a welcome to a delegation of doctors from Zambia and Malawi. From Zambia, these included Dr Rosemary Mwanza Banda, Director for Quality Assurance, Zambian Ministry of Health (MOH), and Ms Clevinah Mizanda, Quality Improvement Officer, MOH. Dr Jackson Phiri, Chitambo District Health Director, also attended remotely.
After introductions, and interesting presentations from NHS Lanarkshire, Education and other staff, those who wished were invited to visit the David Livingstone Birthplace Museum.
Dr Mwanza and Ms Mizanda were amazed to see the small room in which Livingstone was born and, further on, the panels referring to Chief Chitambo's village, in Zambia, where he died and Chipundu where his heart was buried under an mpundu tree, now marked by a well kept marble monument. Dr Mwanza has long experience of medical leadership in Central Province, Zambia, including Chitambo District, so this was meaningful to her.
The museum visit was followed by heart warming singing by Lanarkshire primary school children and a hearty lunch.
This was an enriching and 'bonding' day. Lanarkshire and Chitambo are bound together, historically, through the life of David Livingstone. The twinning promises real potential for future collaboration and mutual exchange between the 2 communities.
Thank you to Lanarkshire Global Citizenship Co-Leads, Kate Bell, Head of Service Change and Transformation and Dr John Logan, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, NHS Lanarkhire, and to Magda Henderson, Twinning Project Manager, for the invitation, and to the David Livingstone Birthplace for their hospitality. We look forward to seeing the partnership develop and flourish.
In Livingstone’s words, ‘Do you carry on the work which I have begun? I leave it with you.’
FoCH has worked to put historic Chitambo District on the global map. This partnership seizes the baton and will carry the work forwards.
