aboutBaraka Canada was conceived in 2013 by a small group of enthusiastic travellers, several of whom had already served on the board of Baraka Community Partnerships in the UK. The original goal was to support medical trips to Zambia by building a working relationship between Peace Arch Hospital in White Rock, BC and Kabwe Hospital in Zambia.
Over the last seven years, Baraka Canada has broadened its scope beyond medicine. As well as sending out teams of doctors and nurses to Zambia on a biennial basis, we have become increasingly involved in fund-raising activities, working with sponsored children, and providing financial aid for a learning centre and other educational projects in Zambia. With the support of a small group of Canadian ladies we are also now focusing our efforts on funding the New Dawn Safe House in Maamba, for vulnerable teenage girls. For the time being, our efforts are focused exclusively on Zambia. Thanks to a generous Canadian donor - every penny or cent donated to us impacts the children and families in Zambia with no administration or other costs taken out. One of the many aspects of our small charity that means we can punch far above our weight as an NGO. |
|
If you would like to support the vital work we do in Zambia please click here
medical trips to zambia
|
In October 2023, Baraka Canada completed its fifth successful medical trip to Zambia. Over the course of these trips, we have seen more than 7000 patients at various rural locations and dealt with a multitude of ailments, including malaria, HIV, intestinal parasites, infectious diseases and even crocodile bites.
The group travels to Zambia with a large supply of medicines donated from Canada. Clinics are set up in schools and our Learning Centre in economically challenged areas where patients are triaged before being examined by doctors and nurses. A makeshift pharmacy is on hand to distribute prescribed medicines, while extra help is offered in a special treatment room where some of the doctors perform minor operations. Serious cases are referred by the medical staff to local Zambian hospitals. All medical trips are supported by a slick on-the-ground team of locals who ensure everything runs smoothly. Our indispensable Zambian colleagues help organise everything from medical licenses, the importation of medicines to lunch-time sandwiches. |
|
|
Rod and Marie Trentini, Baraka medical volunteers 2017 and 2019
Medical tripsIn tandem with our UK counterparts, Baraka Canada works to encourage local communities to come up with their own sustainable solutions. Our medical trips are excellently supported by Baraka Zambia’s on-the-ground staff, including beneficiaries of our sponsored kids programme.
These young adults act as translators for the doctors and nurses and, in some cases, help out with wound dressings, pharmaceutical distribution and surgical assists. We are proud to be involved in what has become a real Canada-Zambia team effort. |
EducationThe Canadian team has become increasingly active in Baraka Community Partnerships' sponsored children programme in recent years. Young Zambians lacking the means to pay for their own education are sponsored by donors in Canada who contribute to their college fees and other basic needs.
We currently have various ongoing projects with Canadian donors including the building of a science block and the development of our sports area at our Learning Centre. We are also building a new Safe House for girls here. |
"Baraka is a collaboration between on-the-ground staff in Zambia and volunteers and donors in the UK, Canada and beyond. Using our skills and experience to identify important areas of need, we channel our resources into projects that foster long-term sustainability and community development."
Brendan Sainsbury, Baraka Canada Chairman
Learning CentreIn 2019 and 2023, the Baraka Canada medical team hosted clinics at the Zambian Learning Centre near Kapiri-Mposhi. More money has been raised to support various initiatives at the Learning Centre, while other funds have been used to buy desks for local schools and provide aid during the Covid-19 pandemic and distribute medical supplies to local clinics.
Fund-raising events in Canada are held annually and we help spread the word of our medical trips through videos, talks and presentations. Past events have included pub nights, painting parties, school visits and book clubs. |
|
If you would like to support the vital work we do in Zambia please click here