Revd Royston Smith, from All Saints, Ashover, sets off for Zambia for a two-week volunteer adventure working with needy and vulnerable children in one of the world’s poorest countries.
The Church of England
Diocese of Derby
Media Information
For Immediate Use
13th April 2009
From Derbyshire to Zambia
Revd Royston Smith, from All Saints, Ashover, will set off for Zambia later this month for a two-week volunteer adventure working with needy and vulnerable children in one of the world's poorest countries.
He is making the trip as part of the Transform programme run by Tearfund, a Christian development charity.
An Assistant Director of The Children's Society and ordained minister within the Church of England, Royston will be working with children at a rehabilitation centre and community school, including their farm and garden, participating in community-awareness programmes and engaging in spiritual outreach in Zambia's capital, Lusaka.
He will be joined by ten others from around the country as part of the Transform Team.
Mr. Smith said: "Zambia is one of the poorest countries in the world and is severely affected by the consequences of HIV/AIDS, malaria, food insecurity and the arrival of tens of thousands of refugees who have fled the fighting in neighbouring countries.
"In Lusaka I shall be working with the growing number of street children, child prostitutes, orphans, children forced into slave labour and other oppressed youngsters".
He added: "The opportunity will enable me to share my experience and skills from my work within The Children's Society, a national charity working with the most vulnerable and marginalised children and young people in our country, and local churches in Derbyshire to improve the lives of children in the developing world".
Royston has undertaken an intensive two-day orientation training programme to prepare and enable him to get stuck into the team's tasks from day one. The orientation covered everything from how to avoid contracting diseases whilst overseas to how to be culturally sensitive.
Royston is self-funding the experience but has agreed to accept donations to benefit the children and help finance the work he undertakes in Lusaka.
Donations can be sent to him at PO Box 560, Chesterfield, S40 9DB.
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Notes:
Tearfund is one of the UK's leading relief and development agencies, working with Christian agencies around the world to tackle the causes and effects of poverty. Tearfund is a member of the Disasters Emergency Committee. http://www.tearfund.org/
The Transform Programme enables Christians to spend from two weeks to four months working hand-in-hand with Tearfund's local partners in Africa, Asia and Central and South America. Transform teams turn their hands to a wide range of work, from building houses for widows and orphans from Rwanda's genocide, to working with children orphaned by AIDS in Thailand and working with street children in Brazil.
Last year, Tearfund dispatched 35 Transform Teams - over 400 people - to development projects in 27 developing countries throughout Africa, Asia and Central and South America. All travellers must be over 18 years old.
For more information about Transform please contact:
Abby King, Tearfund
020 8943 7936
http://uk.mc870.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=abby.king@tearfund.org
www.tearfund.org/transform.
For other information, please contact:
Revd Royston Smith
01246 590975
roystonandcaroline@btinternet.com
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