Former US President George Bush to visit Zambia

EARLY next week, Former US President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush will travel to Livingstone to continue their commitment to the people of Africa through the work of their global health initiative at the George W. Bush Institute. 

While in Livingstone, President and Mrs. Bush will work alongside local Zambians, U.S. embassy officials and Bush Institute staff to renovate a clinic that when completed, will serve as a cervical cancer screening and treatment centre.

This is the second time President and Mrs. Bush will travel to Zambia for this purpose. Last July, they renovated and opened the NguNgu Health Center in Kabwe, Zambia.
The work is in direct support of the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon partnership – spearheaded by the Bush Institute, PEPFAR, UNAIDS and Susan G. Komen for the Cure, along with other private and public partners – which combats cervical and breast cancer in the developing world.
In December of 2011, the partnership launched in Zambia, and in July of 2012, it expanded to its second country, Botswana.  As part of the initiative, PRRR relies on private and public partners with the expertise and local networks to reach women who might otherwise die of these cancers.
Work on the Livingstone clinic began last week by volunteers from Dallas, including a group of students from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, where the George W. Bush Presidential Center is located.
The clinic in Livingstone will open to the public on July 1, 2013 and begin screening women that day. Following their trip to Zambia, President and Mrs. Bush will travel to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to host the Bush Institute’s African First Ladies Summit,Investing in Women: Strengthening Africa, supported by ExxonMobil, which highlights the critical role First Ladies play as advocates for women and girls, spotlights success stories and best practices, and discusses public-private partnerships that lead to sustainable results.
And Heads of State, current and former First Ladies, government officials, academics, and representatives from non-profit and private sector organizations around the world will gather at the George W. Bush Institute’s African First Ladies Summit, “Investing in Women: Strengthening Africa” in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to focus on effective investments in women that lead to greater stability and prosperity in countries. The Summit will highlight the critical role First Ladies play as advocates for women and girls, spotlight success stories and best practices, and discuss public-private partnerships that lead to sustainable results.
In addition to keynote addresses by President and Mrs. Bush, participants will include Mrs. Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States; Mrs. Cherie Blair, Founder, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women; the Honorable Nancy G. Brinker, Chair, Global Strategy, Susan G. Komen for the Cure®; U.N. Goodwill Ambassador for Cancer Control; the Honorable Mark Dybul, Executive Director, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; Dr. Martin Fisher, Co-Founder and CEO, KickStart International; Dr. Julie Gerberding, President, Merck Vaccines; Ms. Suzanne McCarron, President, ExxonMobil Foundation; the Honorable Leslie Rowe, Ambassador, Office of Global Health Diplomacy, U.S. Department of State; and the Honorable Michel Sidibé, Executive Director, UNAIDS, Undersecretary-General of the United Nations.
African First Ladies expected to attend include Madame Chantal Campaore of Burkina Faso, Madam Roman Tesfaye of Ethiopia, Madam Maria da Luz Dai Guebuza of Mozambique, Madam Penehupifo Pohamba of Namibia, Madam Sia Nyama Koroma of Sierra Leone, Madam Salma Kikwete of Tanzania, Madam Janet Kataaha Museveni of Uganda and Madam Christine Kaseba of Zambia.