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| ● PROJECTS ►► |
| VOLUNTEER WEEK IN ZAMBIA |
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VSO Media releases > Footballers' Wives star does extra time for VSO MAY, 2006 For the original footballer’s wife, Tanya Turner, an invitation to visit a HIV & AIDS project in Zambia would have been dropped faster than a fake Gucci bag. For Zoe Lucker, however, the actress behind one of British TV’s most infamous characters it was an opportunity she just couldn’t pass up. “My parents did VSO back in the 1970s and I grew up listening to their stories about Zambia and how great the Zambian people were. So when VSO approached me and asked if I’d like to go to Zambia to film a piece for GMTV’s Volunteers Week I couldn’t say no.” Zoe has just returned from filming in Lusaka with GMTV and international development charity VSO where she spent a week visiting some of the charity’s projects including VK Home Based Care, a HIV & AIDS project and Bauleni, a school for children with special needs. Zoe’s trip to Zambia will be featured on May 30th as part of GMTV’s Volunteers Week. On her time with VK Home Based Care Zoe says: “Almost one in five people in Zambia are HIV positive. When the carers from VK took me to visit some of their patients I was a little nervous at first as I really didn’t want people to feel as if I was intruding on them. But everyone was so incredibly welcoming and friendly; they just wanted to share their story with me and to tell me about the problems they face. VSO supports the project with grants and a volunteer to help a lot of people to access the drugs they need to stay alive. But one of the biggest problems facing a lot of the people is that they just can’t afford enough food. Taking the medicines when they are hungry makes them very ill, so they stop taking them, and get even sicker, it’s a vicious circle.” At Bauleni Community School Zoe met Sister Elizabeth, originally from Newcastle, who set up the school eight years ago. “Sister Elizabeth believes that every child, abled or disabled, is valuable and deserves a quality education. It was great to see how she’s making the school self sufficient, and she gave us a fantastic tour around the school’s farm, bakery and piggery. Without the school a lot of the children would be neglected and ignored. Sr Elizabeth is really challenging what people think about disabled children and what they can achieve in life. My Dad and I were texting each other everyday I told him that he and Mum had been so right about Zambia and I could tell he was chuffed. I’d love to go to Zambia with them one day.” credit: WWW.VSO.ORG.UK |