Get Involved:

I’m setting up a non-profit that will help deaf children and adults in Zambia, but it will take a little time.  In the meantime, here are some links to people and agencies doing great work with the deaf in Zambia and Sub-Saharan Africa.  Please visit their sites, send a donation, spread the word, get involved!  And check back here often as this page will be updated regularly.

Godisa Technologies, a company in Botswana, doesn’t have a website, but they have one of the most exciting products I’ve heard of.  Godisa has developed a cheap hearing aid made specifically for hot and humid conditions that runs on solar charged batteries.  Most notably, they are doing everything possible to enable anyone who needs their hearing aid to get it free.  They have declined to pursue a patent, have offered their technological expertise to anyone who’s interested and are relying on donations to cover the cost (about $100) of each aid.  Also noteworthy – most of Godisa’s technicians, salespersons and other employees are deaf themselves.  Truly an amazing undertaking that deserves more attention and support.  You can read more about it here and here.

Unfortunately, the Godisa website does not appear to be up and running yet, but there is some contact info (including email addresses) at www.nextbillion.net.

The Christian Blind Mission has been helping people in developing countries with disabilities for almost a hundred years.  Currently, they have around a dozen programs in Zambia, including several, such as this one at The Magwero School for the Deaf, which are geared towards helping deaf children get better services and better education.  I have spoken with Holland Webb, the director of CBM-USA several times – a great guy and a great organization.

Population Services International is another large multi- national development agency.  Their main focus is on programs in malaria, reproductive health, child survival and HIV.  They have extensive programs in Zambia where these health issues continue to be paramount.  PSI is extremely open about how it obtains and disperses revenue and has an incredibly low administration overhead (just 6 percent), which makes it a model aid organization.

Winstone Zulu is one of the most famous Zambians in the world today.  Since being diagnosed as HIV positive in 1990, Winstone has dedicated his life towards spreading knowledge about HIV and Tuberculosis treatment (four of his siblings have died of TB).  He has traveled the world extensively and helped raise millions of dollars in funding for disease prevention and treatment.  You can find out more about him here www.healthdev.org and can contact him here.  He is also the star of an inspiring video produced by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation called “Winstone Zulu is Alive.”

Tribe of Man Project: One way to help out Zambia's children and buy some great art while you're at it. NYC-based photographer Klaus Schoenwiese is helping the children at Chishawasha Orphanage in Lusaka help themselves, one photo at a time.

Living Water International:  A great organization dedicated to providing clean water around the globe.

Seeds of Hope International Partnerships:  A wonderful international NGO dedicated to doing whatever it can, where the need is greatest, Seeds of Hope already has several projects up and running in Zambia's Copperbelt.

If you represent a charity or aid group and would like to be listed on this page: please send an email to joshswiller (at) gmail.com.