What I’m doing and why

I'm Pota Kalima, a proud Zambian living in Edinburgh for almost 20 years. I'm embarking on a cycling challenge in my home country to raise money for a cause which really matters to me. Setting off on 16 July 2019, I will be cycling 642 miles from Mbala in the north of my homeland, Zambia, to the capital city, Lusaka. Why? Inspired by Mark Beaumont, a record-breaking, long-distance Scottish cyclist, who undertook the same route as part of his massive African cycle from Cairo to Cape Town, I took up cycling a year ago and began training. From the beginning, I was motivated by giving something back to the area where my father was born and grew up. Learning more about the needs of the local community and as a medic myself, it made sense to focus my efforts on building a new healthcare facility.

What I’d like you to help with

On the banks of the Zambezi River, where crocodiles and hippos are common, sits a small, four-room clinic, built in the late 1880s by French missionaries. This clinic serves around 8000 families who live in the surrounding five square miles; Nalolo is a rural community which subsists on small scale farming and fishing. In years gone by, the local residents visited the clinic for common medical illnesses, basic children’s healthcare and antenatal care. But over the past 130 years or so, the building has gradually fallen into disrepair; this has accelerated in recent years because of worsening flood damage, to the point where the building is now almost unusable. Visits by healthcare assistants from the nearest town are now rare, and the ever-growing flood plain during the rainy season makes it almost impossible for local people to travel to the nearest district hospital, some 25 miles. And so, I want to build a new health centre for this community.

How your donations will help

My aim is to raise enough money to build a new health centre on a different site above the flood plain and I need your help. Access to basic healthcare is a major challenge for the local people of Nalolo, but with a new clinic this could be vastly improved. A better facility would mean healthcare professionals, from the nearest hospital, would visit more regularly; there would be storage for medicines as built-in solar panels could power a fridge-freezer; this would make a huge difference to the health of local children as vaccines could be stored. Better antenatal care for expectant mums and care for the elderly, means that all ages in this area would benefit. It’s common for health centres in rural parts of Zambia to be owned and managed by the local community and we’ve set up a community group in Nalolo, chaired by Mr Mukubesa Namanga, to do this; I will be treasurer and make sure the money is carefully spent. Plans have already been drawn up and for the first stage, to erect the building and make it watertight (important in this area as there’s lots of rain!), we need to raise £10,000. Construction will begin in 2020.

Thanks for supporting me and helping the people of Nalolo in Western Zambia!