The background to the forming of this charity is a witness to us all, how God uses situations to bring about help for the poor and needy. A chance meeting brought two people together and from it has evolved something much greater.

A hold-up !

One cold wet windy evening in January 1999, Catriona Kerr was weaving her way through the city of Glasgow's tea-time traffic heading for Glasgow Caledonian University. In the City Centre the traffic came trundling to a stop and there it was for the next three quarters of an hour. As Catriona sat there with many other drivers wondering what the hold-up might be, she realised she would be too late for the canteen, where she usually ate before her class. Eventually the traffic started moving again and Catriona got into the university with only 15 minutes to spare, but with enough time to find a parking space and run over to the canteen and get a hot chocolate from the vending machine.

A chance meeting ?

In the canteen, as expected, only the small dim ceiling lights were on and the chairs were upside down on top of the tables. She got her drink and looked around for somewhere to sit. In a corner behind the vending machines there was a small table with two chairs up on the end of it. Catriona sat down. As her eyes adjusted to the dim lights she realised there was someone sitting diagonally opposite her. It was a dark skinned African lady wearing a dark brown coat and muffler, making her blend in behind the machines. This lady was sitting puzzling over her lecture notes. Catriona in her naivety wondered if she was having difficulty with the language and leant forward and asked.

In perfect English the lady said, "As I read this I am translating it into seventy five different languages, but I am having difficulty with the university jargon". Catriona said "Don't we all" and asked if she could help her with it. The two girls read through the notes, while Catriona helped to untangle it.

 

When it was time to go, both girls went to the same building, same elevator, got out at the same floor and went into classrooms opposite each other.

Getting together

In the weeks that followed they struck up a friendship and Pauline Chabinga as the lady was called, started coming in earlier so she could meet Catriona and they went to tea together before their classes..

Soon the girls realised that they had both been attending that university on the same night of the week to the same two class rooms for nearly two years before that yet they had never seen each other. Catriona had spoken to other African girls in Pauline's class. By now they knew they were both Christians and as Pauline's living quarters were not in the nicest part of the city, and to rest her from that, Catriona invited her home to spend occasional weekends with her and her husband Richard

 

 

A reunion and a celebration

Pauline and her husband Robert and their family were at that time living in Lusaka, Zambia.

In November 1999 Robert came to Scotland with their young son - he was just seven then and really missing his Mum. They were over for Pauline's graduation. Her degree was a BSc in Health Studies (Nursing). She went on the next year to do her Masters degree.  (There is a bit more information about Pauline’s qualifications and experience on page 9).

To help them celebrate this Richard and Catriona gathered a few of their friends whom Pauline now knew and at the weekend following the graduation brought the three of them out for a celebration. They stayed overnight and went to church with them in the morning.

How it began