A Sound International Investment

In 2007 the Rotary Club of Taunton, in collaboration with their partner the Rotary Club of Lisieux in France, jointly embarked upon a project to support a young Zambian boy’s ambition and dream to become a teach. This was to celebrate 50 years of international exchange with our two clubs. His name is Oscar Sitali and he recently joined a club meeting alongside members of the Lisieux Club to up-date us on how our support has helped him and his community.

With financial support and encouragement from the Club, Oscar was able to further his education at Livingstone University and train as a teacher. After qualifying around 2011, Oscar works as a teacher of mathematics and integrated science in a secondary school in southern Zambia in the town of Macha. He also now holds managerial responsibilities and actively takes part in extracurricular support in sport and religious education. Eleven years on, Oscar is still dedicated to developing himself and his community, gained a second a second degree in mathematics and science and is also instructing other teachers.

He is now married to Moono and has two sons, Timothy (11 years) and Rafael (7 years). The Club is delighted that the initial financial support has resulted in so much benefit, not just for one man and his family but for those he teaches and the community in which he lives and works. 

The Club continued its support for education in this small rural Zambian community by financing the building of a new classroom and living accommodation for the Head Teacher of the local school. In 2009, additional help was also provided to sink a borehole and bring water to this small community. The financial help also provided the school with a Zambian flag and the Club is delighted that our help continues to assist the community.

Oscar up-dated us that there are 800 students in the school where he works and classes are made up of about 50 students. He was assigned to the school by the Zambian government and lives near to the school but many learners have to travel quite a distance to study. As well as teaching Oscar is a committed Christian and is an active preacher in his community.

Oscar is just one of many education projects supported by the national Rotary organisation and individual Clubs in the world and across the UK. These include projects to eliminate Polio, Malaria, support for disaster relief, helping communities access clean water and more recently assisting the education of young people in Ladakh.