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JAMES CAIRNS, OBE FRCS, formerly Director, St. Francis Hospital, Katete, and now Chairman of the Trust, explains in his Annual Report for 2001 that the Trust is a small charity but with a clear focus and close links with small self-help groups in Zambia. At present the Trust only makes small grants totaling £15,000 per year. Dr. Cairns says its first objective is to
Zambia's predicament Dr. Cairns points out that Zambia is a very poor country despite huge natural resources. Its debts totalled $7 billion until, after 5 years' pressure from the Jubilee 2000 Campaign, the IMF and World Bank reduced them to c. $4 billion. "But it is feared that the IMF conditions made to effect that reduction have meant less jobs for ordinary Zambians and more poverty", says Dr. Cairns. The IMF insisted that Zambia should open its doors to foreign goods and stop subsidies for local industry. Unfortunately, there had been high hopes that the annual interest which Zambia had to pay would have been reduced but it has remained the same ($140-200 million every year). Hopes that more Zambian money would have been released to go into health and schools have been dashed as they still have to repay huge sums to rich creditor nations.
says Dr. Cairns. The effects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic are devastating with 20% of adult Zambians infected. There are 550,000 orphans, the great majority of whom are not infected with HIV. The Trust is trying to increase support, especially to projects which help orphans receive primary education and at least one good meal a day, but living with related families. Orphanages are unaffordable except for a few. With a population of 10 million, one in 8 children are orphans. Current life expectancy is 54 years, but by 2012 it is expected to fall to 39 years. The Trust with its limited resources is giving priority to orphan support, education and the acquisition of skills by the young. "These
children of Zambia are the hope for a better future," concludes
Dr. Cairns.
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