Zambia’s Scholarship Fund at USU, a club only a month old and ten members strong, is hoping to raise money that helps students and teachers in Zambia.
“In Zambia, the government only pays for free education through seventh grade,” Jeff Merrell, the club’s president, said. Merrell is a sophomore in business administration and political science.
The new club has ties to a charity founded in northern Utah, Zambia’s Scholarship Fund, which is a registered charity with the IRS, and has 501(c) status, he said.
Merrell and Carlee Berry, senior in speech language pathology, went to high school together, and were the presidents of the National Honor Society. As part of the organization in high school, Berry said the two of them were told about the charity and put on a benefit concert.
“When we were in high school not a lot of people knew about the event. We are from a small town,” Berry said. “We want to do more.”
The conditions in Zambia can’t be called good, as Amanda Brough, junior in social work, can attest.
Brough has been to Zambia to do humanitarian work, and said the country is poor, and doesn’t have the ability to export anything to other countries.
“Zambia is the world’s pauper,” she said.
When Merrell came back from serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he and Berry decided to begin a club
at USU together to help those in Zambia.
“The literacy rate is falling, and so is the life expectancy. What the fund does is make it so people can sponsor a student for a year in Zambia,” he said.
When these sponsored students graduate from high school, the fund hires them to be teachers in other villages, Merrell said.
“We’re not asking USU students to sponsor kids in Zambia, but we’d like to get the word out, maybe get some people from Cache Valley to sponsor them,” he said.
Not only does the fund sponsor students to go through high school, but it also has other projects to help teachers and students Zambia. Merrell said in Zambia, it can sometimes take a teacher days to walk to get their paycheck and days to walk back.
“We’d like to help by maybe paying for bicycles so teachers don’t have to cancel school for a week at a time,” Merrell said.
The fund at USU is planning two main events to raise funds, Berry said. A 5K race in September and a benefit concert in April.
Berry said the 5K will be held on Sept. 25. Registration will open at 7:30 a.m. and the race will begin at 8 a.m.
“It’s 5 dollars, and all the money we raise goes to the fund,” she said.
The benefit concert, called Zambia Fest, will be held April 30, called Zambia Fest, is shaping up to be a big event, according to both Berry and Merrell.
“We’re going to have Keith Stubbs, from (radio station) 101.5 The Eagle, be our MC, and he said he was excited to help,” Berry said.
Stubbs has won awards for being the best talk show host on the radio, and Berry said he owns Wiseguy Comedy Club in Ogden, UT.
Merrell said the club is growing, and he hopes it continues to do so.
“We’re looking for help, to give people opportunities,” he said.
To get more information on events and the scholarship fund, you can visit www.Zambiasscholarshipfund.org or email them at [email protected].
[www.usustatesman.com]
Much as the scholarship means to do good but I think the situation described in the article is exaggerated! I quote “Brough has been to Zambia to do humanitarian work, and said the country is poor, and doesn’t have the ability to export anything to other countries.” Is this a realistic statement? Please if you want help just do it but do not insult us! It reminds of a story I read in the post about a Zambian student studying in South Korea. The media in S.Korea reported that the boy comes from such a poor family that he was not able to communicate with his family because no one owns a cell phone! These are the people that make people think of Africa as an uncivilized jungle with alot of illiterates.