Beth

Elizabeth Rachel Bowers

(April 5, 1979-March 6, 2002)

Beth was a child of light, an adventurer of the spirit, and a seeker after world peace and understanding. Her death as the result of a bicycle accident in Zambia during her tenure as a Peace Corps volunteer marked the culmination of a vision of service and global awareness.

A Brief Accomplished Life

In her short life, Beth had many accomplishments:

  • Graduation valedictorian at Sprague High School, Salem, OR
  • Black belt in Shito-Ryu karate
  • Accomplished fly-fisherwoman
  • Shakespearean scholar
  • B.A. in Japanese Studies from Earlham College, Indiana
  • Junior year at Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
  • Phi Beta Kappa

The Peace Corps was the perfect way for Beth to fulfill her commitment to "give back" to others less fortunate. Her assignment to the fish-farming program in remote Zambia was a perfect fit. The donation of her organs and tissues to 22 South Africans was the ultimate "giving back" of her full, rich life to those in desperate need.

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EBZEF Video II - Bringing Light and Literacy to Lumwana West.

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About Elizabeth Bowers Zambia Education Fund

To honor Beth, to continue her work, and to sustain her vision of global peace and understanding, a memorial fund was created by her family and friends to educate the girls where Beth served. Today, going to school is the best chance Zambian women have to take control of their lives. An educated population is essential if Zambia is to combat HIV/AIDS, gender inequality, and the overwhelming problems of poverty.

Scholarship Fund

With Peace Corps’ help, a scholarship fund was established for the education of Zambian women from Beth’s village in Lumwana West in the NW Province. Today, with World Vision Zambia acting as agent for the Elizabeth Bowers Zambia Education Fund (EBZEF), the scholarship is funding 93 village girls from grades 8 through 12 and beyond for an education they would otherwise not receive. Many of these young women from the village knew Beth.

Beth’s Peace Corps aquaculture instructor, Zambian Mary Lundeba, having completed her master’s degree at the University of Malawi supported by an EBZEF scholarship, has now completed her PhD in Fisheries Science at Penn State University in August 2009. EBZEF’s first high school graduate, Prudence Masanyinga, has completed a Certificate and an Advanced Diploma in Rural and Urban Management from Chalimbana Government Training Institute in Lusaka. She plans to return to the village to help other Beth’s Girls continue their education.

Memorial Library

To increase literacy for Beth’s Girls and for the village of Lumwana West, EBZEF has completed a Peace Corps Partnership Program to build a library/learning center next to the Lumwana West Basic School as a gift to the community from Beth. With the help of partners Books for Africa, the Caritas Foundation, World Vision US, and World Vision Zambia, EBZEF has sent 22,000 lbs. of books to stock the new Memorial Library. The current Light and Literacy for Lumwana West program plans to answer a challenge grant of $5,000 to work on supplying solar power for lights, computers, and communication in the Memorial Library.

The success and momentum of Beth’s memorial scholarship clearly indicate that we must continue her effort in Zambia.

Help Contribute to Beth’s Vision

The Elizabeth Bowers Zambia Education Fund is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt non-profit organization. Every dollar of your support, 100% of your tax deductible donation, will go directly to Beth’s Girls and their community because EBZEF’s Founding Supporters pay for our overhead.

So little money goes so far:

  • $35 books
  • $70 uniforms
  • $172 sponsors a student in grade 8
  • $113 sponsors a student in grade 9
  • $172 sponsors a student in grade 10
  • $228 sponsors a student in grade 11
  • $366 sponsors a student in grade 12
  • $2,500 funds a two-year college degree
  • $5,000 funds computers and equipment
  • $20,000 funds library solar power system

(2010 estimates include tuition, school fees, books and supplies, and uniforms, plus a small stipend for high school girls. High school and college are boarding schools. Grades 9 and 12 also receive tutoring and exam fees)

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Perfect Partnerships for Education

The Elizabeth Bowers Zambia Education Fund contracts with World Vision Zambia to manage and distribute funds locally in the Northwest province. World Vision is committed to the well-being of children worldwide.

A Peace Corps Partnership Program has helped EBZEF build the Library/Learning Center in Lumwana West for Beth’s Girls and the community. Peace Corps promotes world peace and friendship through global understanding and support for developing countries.

Books For Africa has helped EBZEF send 22,000 lbs. of books for the new Memorial Library. The goal of BFA is to end the book famine in Africa.

Contact Us

To contribute to the Elizabeth Bowers Zambia Education Fund, click here. To contact us, click here.