Lydia Maonde starb am 21. November 2023 im Alter von 88 Jahren. Sie war von 1966 bis 1975 Lehrerin an der Namwala Secondary School. Ihr Ehemann Simon Maonde war der erste Schulleiter der Schule in Namwala und der erste sambische Schulleiter überhaupt. Lydia pflanzte in dieser Zeit die Bäume auf dem Schulgelände und spendete später, von 2006 bis heute, regelmäßig junge Bäume, die heute das Bild der Schule prägen. Lydias Bäume sind das erste, was man sieht, wenn man die Namwala Secondary School betritt. Mehrere Bäume säumen den Weg zum Hauptgebäude und wurden im Jahr 2006 gepflanzt. Sie sind sehr spektakulär, besonders wenn sie im August blühen. Letztes Jahr besuchte sie trotz ihres hohen Alters die Schule in Namwala zusammen mit ihrer Tochter Lily und ihrem Sohn Arthur.
Lydia und ihr Mann Simon haben die Twitti-Grundschule in Lilayi, einem Vorort von Lusaka, mit Hilfe ehemaliger Namwala-Lehrer aus Kanada gegründet. Die Schule hat sich nicht zuletzt dank Lydias unermüdlichem Einsatz einen hervorragenden Ruf erworben.
Lehrer Fred Chikwanu sprach an ihrer Beerdigung im Namen der Namwala Secondary School und unser Verein:
I would like to begin by thanking everyone that is here today and those who sent their condolences. We have received countless phone calls, messages, thoughts and prayers. They have been both comforting during this difficult time and reminders of the impact that the deceased had on the school and Friends of Namwala.
The deceased had a strong connection with our school and Namwala District dating back to the period 1966 till 1975 when Mr. Maonde (her husband) served as the first Zambian Headteacher. It is during that time that her passion for the green and healthy environment developed.
Documents and records have been erased by the tides of time but her passion has remained strong seen in the tress that are as old as 51 years.
The past 5 years has immensely witnessed her extended passion and deep love for the school by donating over 400 tree plants which have since been planted in the school orchard and the central campus.
It is this passion I tapped as I took over the responsibility and tree planting at Namwala Secondary School.
With her support, in 2021 Namwala Secondary School emerged among the best 3 schools in Zambia in environmental stewardship at the National Environmental and Climate Change Award (ECCA) organised by the Zambia Environmantal Management Agency (ZEMA).
Now she is no more, we are especially proud that:
- Her efforts created tree planting skills among learners and teachers inclusive.
- The green and healthy environment she inspired has made our school even more attractive to learners beyond the province.
We however, mourn that even before she could fullfill her promise to give us an additional 200 shade tree plants, she is no more.
Dear mourners many are the words we can give. But we can only say…..
- Go well mama.
- Go well Education Champion.
- Go well true Climate Change and mitigation Anmbassador.
- You will always remain a giant and a point of reference in our hearts.
- May your sweet soul rest in eternal peace.
