Our Ambassadors are an integral part in the CommonAge network, and their support is vital to our campaigning.
As a recipient of our scholarship fund to enable our professional colleagues from developing countries of the Commonwealth to join us in Perth at the IAHSA/ACSA conference, 30 August – 3 September, 2015, Anderson Simfukwe is our Ambassador for Zambia.
Anderson gave up his full-time job as a head teacher to pursue his passion for social justice for people with dementia. He founded Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias in Zambia (ADDIZ) in 2016 and joined the ADI Membership Development Program the same year. The association is based in Nakonde, Zambia and is also represented in Ndola, Lusaka, Kapiri Mpishi, Kanchibiya, and Senga Districts.
We are delighted to hear he is to receive an Honorary Doctorate Degree by the Academic Council of the Commonwealth University of Business Arts & Technology.
This award is in recognition of his exceptionally meritorious contributions and proven track record as Executive Director, Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias In Zambia, Zambia.
In his invitation to receive a Master-Class Certificate in Leadership and Management from the London Graduate School and the Honorary Doctorate Degree from the Commonwealth University of Business Arts & Technology at the Dubai Leadership Summit, December 14-15, 2022, it states:
‘The honorary doctorate of the Commonwealth University is conferred upon illustrious personalities who have distinguished themselves in society through service, selflessness and other outstanding contributions. The selection criteria follow a rigorous process initiated by our alumni, who identify potential candidates with the requisite credentials. The candidates are then screened by the Alumni Peer Review Committee and potential awardees forwarded to the Academic Council for the final decision. It is, on this basis that you were selected and invited.’
Anderson has pioneered dementia care and education in dementia in Zambia. Through our scholarship to attend the 2015 ACSA/IAHSA conference in Perth, Anderson met Jane Verity, Founder and Hilary Lee, President of Dementia Care International, and in 2016, he and a colleague attended its innovative Spark for Life Master course.
As well as caring for the person living with dementia, the programme has enabled them to educate their own teams of volunteers, family members, health professionals and communities on how they can care for people with dementia using the Spark of Life Philosophy.
In their every day they are implementing the Spark of Life Core Principles with a deep heart-to-heart connection, the basis for dementia. Such connections have the power to enrich the lives of people with dementia, their families and entire communities.
Anderson points out ‘in the African context, there is an intersection of old age and witchcraft that needs urgent clarity and comprehension.’
In a recent article entitled ‘Older Persons versus Witchcraft vis-a-vis Dementia Under the Spark of Life Philosophy’, he highlights:
‘Older people are mainly associated with the practicing of witchcraft due to the fact that as people age their mental capability is compromised due to various brain health conditions that include Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of Dementias. The witch finders target wealthy older men and women who are unable to defend themselves during interrogation. And dementia is at the centre of such witchcraft accusations and the witch finders take advantage of the people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other brain disorders to accuse them of practicing witchcraft. The accused are subjected to all forms of abuse including brutal killing in cold blood.’
Anderson’s vision is for a state-of-the-art multigenerational neighbourhood that cares in Zambia, where people with dementia are acknowledged and properly cared for.
For Anderson, the ACSA/IAHSA Conference was incredible and memorable. “I will remain indebted to the warm and fantastic Australian hospitality we received in the Greater City of Perth,” he says.
By bringing knowledge and experience together across the Commonwealth we can support sector leaders in developing countries, and contribute to making positive changes to people’s lives.
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