We have lost a leader, a husband, and a father. Benjamin Parker was the Chairman and Co-Founder of Tongabezi and he has moved onto brighter adventures after a courageous fight against cancer.

In his time in Zambia Ben changed hundreds of lives for the better. He promoted sustainable tourism and focussed on uplifting the local community, but more than that he had a genuine interest in individuals and in helping people with their personal hopes and dreams. In this he was helped by the love of his life, Vanessa, who has run the Tongabezi Trust School on a volunteer basis for the last 23 years.

In the last few days we have received so many wonderful requests about where to send donations in Ben’s name and it got us thinking. We want to use this momentum and outpouring of love to do something that Ben would be proud of and continue his legacy of making Zambia a better place for Zambians. We are going to set up a “Mr Ben” scholarship and this Just Giving Page is just the start of our funding.

All donations raised will go towards the scholarship and each year (or as often as we can) one ex-Tujatane pupil who has completed secondary school will be funded through college, university, or an apprenticeship.

Please give as much or as little as you wish. Every single donation will be one step forwards for a Zambian child and a giant leap forwards for this country which he loved so much.

Anyone who donates is invited to send us their email address so that they can follow and be a part of each child’s life as it is changed for the better.