"There can only be total freedom if people are well looked after"

This weekend is a rare long weekend for both our US and Zambia team members – Heroes’ Day and Unity Day in Zambia and the Fourth of July here in the US.

Heroes’ Day in Zambia is meant to honor citizens (heroes and heroines) who sacrificed everything for the independence of their country in 1964. One such freedom fighter is Alexander Grey Zulu, born in Chipata not too far from where our schools operate. He is one of the longest-serving political leaders in Zambia who has held various leadership positions during the country’s most defining moments. Grey Zulu was the first Minister of Defense and a key architect of Zambia's civil control of the military, and also served in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Lands and Co-operatives, Power Transport and Communications, Mines, Home Affairs, and was secretary general of United National Independence Party (UNIP).

Grey Zulu has noted that in the struggle for independence, the freedom fighters were aimed at achieving only one goal – freedom. And recently, Grey Zulu has pushed for African governments to improve the standard of living for its citizens, noting that this was easier said than done. He said “There can only be total freedom if people are well looked after”, advising that the Heads of State now have the challenge of eradicating poverty – freedom was only half of the battle. Now that Zambia is independent and relatively peaceful – the task at hand is one that we all play a role in. By educating a new generation of 6,000 Zambian citizens, we can help eliminate poverty in the communities that we operate in and create the new leaders for Zambia’s future. As the sign at the turnoff to Joel / David Seidenfeld Community School states – the school’s motto is to eradicate illiteracy, poverty, and discrimination. We can only achieve this by working together, strengthening our school, and including our entire community in the process. This weekend especially, we are thankful to the freedom fighters such as Grey Zulu who helped guide Zambia to its independence over 50 years ago.

Alexander Grey Zulu during an interview at his home in Makeni, image from Lusaka Times.

-Reshma