It's unlikely that most Bigfork residents could pinpoint the remote central-African nation of Zambia on a map, but thanks to the work of a few Bigfork Rotarians, more than $20,000 is on its way to help a small village there.

Local rotary club members Marilyn and Gordon Graham were at a district conference in Hot Spring when they met Prisca Kambole, a group study exchange member with Rotary International from near Kitwe, Zambia.

"From that moment on, my life was changed," Marilyn said.

A friendship blossomed between the retirees from Texas and the African villager as Kambole told the Bigfork couple more about her dreams of helping create a better life for women and children in her village. Immediately, the Grahams realized they could help.

For starters, Kambole already had a fund raising project in her native village where a group of elderly women fashioned beadwork to sell to support a non-profit organization. Marilyn arranged for Kambole to send some of those goods back to America, in hopes that they could fetch higher prices.

"This project garnered about $500 over the course of a year," Marilyn said. "But so much more was needed."

Kambole's non-profit, called Pro-Life Advancement and Education Program, carries a much different connotation in Zambia than it does in America, where "pro-life" is a divisive buzzword.

"It's totally different over there," Marilyn said. " It's about bettering people's lives."

Next, the Grahams started collecting and buying used coats and shoes and clothing and shipping boxes full of them to Kambole to distribute to needy children. But it soon became clear that to provide a stable lifestyle and sustainable income for the village of Kitwe, a larger-scale solution was needed.

"We decided that the Rotary Foundation and a Matching International Rotary Grant could be the answer to our prayers," Marilyn said.

Once it was decided to apply for the grant money, a massive undertaking was required by Kambole to compile a budget by getting estimates for everything from digging wells to purchasing gardening supplies.

"It took hours, weeks and even months," Marilyn said.

But the work paid off, and on Dec. 3 2008, Bigfork Rotary President Joanne Knutson got a call informing her that the grant had been approved for $23,188.50.

That money — barely enough to buy a late model car here — will fund two water wells, three toilet blocks, 375 mosquito nets, a rash of gardening equipment, books and shelving for a library, jewelry-making tools for local entrepreneurs and training material on everything from marketing and selling techniques to proper maintenance of the sanitary facilities.

But it wasn't all smooth sailing. Though the grant was approved last December, the shaky financial markets had the Rotary Foundation taking a hard look at grants and for a stretch, Marilyn said, it was unclear whether the funding would actually come through.

While the money was in limbo, the Grahams took a vacation to the African coastal country of Namibia, not exactly close to Kambole's home in Zambia, but a lot closer than Bigfork.

Kambole braved an arduous trip with multiple difficult borders to cross and rutted, washed out backroads to spend a day with the Grahams.

"They drove over 1,000 miles just to see us and talk about the grant," Marilyn said.

Though their visit only lasted a day, plenty went on. Unbeknownst to Kambole, she and Marilyn had been presented with the Paul Harris Award for exceptional service to others by Rotary International. Marilyn had brought the certificate and pin with her to Africa and was able to present the honor in person.

Joyful though the meeting was, a cloud loomed over it, as the money was not yet guaranteed for the grant. The unlikely friends bid one another farewell the morning after Kambole arrived, and just hours later the Grahams received an e-mail telling them the grant had been filled.

The money was officially released in June and has been making a difference on the ground since.

"It's like I made a footprint on this world," Marilyn said. "Prisca and I made a footprint together."

To get involved with the Grahams efforts to help Kambole and her village, contact them at 756-9801.