THE UK CONNECTION

In 2008 Grace and Jastin Sholoma (brother and sister) came to UK for two years to study health and nutrition. They stayed with John and Judy Barnard throughout this time, and developed their plans for helping very needy people in a remote part of Serenje District. When they returned to Zambia in 2010 they gathered a team together and formed the charity “Pilgrim - Salt in Community”. The local Chief, Chief Kabamba, kindly allocated 250 hectares of land on a 99 year lease to create the “resource village” and he has been a long term supporter of the project ever since.

John and Judy visited the project in the early days and were highly impressed with the vision and energy of the team, and the commitment of the local villagers who saw the potential for lifting themselves out of their desperate poverty. As one said “You are offering us the end of a rope of hope. It’s up to us to grab it”.

Returning from their visit John and Judy, together with Jenny MacKenzie, set up a UK charity called “Growing Communities - Zambia” to support the project by raising funds and maintaining contact with the team in Zambia.