The Bells pay it forward for children in Zambia

Larry and Ellen Bell with Emmanuel (in green) and his family. The Bells sponsor Emmanuel and all his siblings in Zambia.

Larry and Ellen Bell’s daughter, Amy, was unstoppable when she wanted to do something.

When Amy graduated from college and decided she wanted to work for child protective services, they couldn’t talk her out of it. When she wanted to travel far from her Texas home to see the world, no one’s worries – even her own – could hold her back. And when, in her late 20s, she decided to sponsor a 4-year-old boy in rural Chongwe District, Zambia – Emmanuel – her parents knew she’d already made up her mind.

“I remember the day she walked in and said, ‘Dad, I think I wanna do one of those ChildFund things that you and Mom do,’” says Larry Bell. Philanthropy had always been one of their great passions as a family, and Larry and Ellen had sponsored children for decades. “I said, sweetie, here’s the card, it’s got an 800 number on it. You call ‘em.” And just like that, Amy and Emmanuel began a lively exchange of photos and letters.

“We tried to encourage and support her wherever we could,” Larry says.

When Amy passed away unexpectedly from a pulmonary embolism at age 33, it was like the ground had been ripped out from underneath them.

“After we lost Amy, we were in a very dark, difficult place in our lives,” Larry says. Yet in the haze of their grief, they discovered in Amy’s last will and testament a very specific set of clear instructions that felt like guidance for the way forward: Take care of Emmanuel, his family and community.

Sending love around the world

In the decade since Amy’s passing, the legacy of her compassion for children has grown in ways no one could have imagined. Through their nonprofit Amy Bell Charities, Larry and Ellen have become critical partners to ChildFund Zambia, providing funding and guidance for multiple philanthropic projects that have transformed children’s lives.

It all started with a $100,000 project to build new classrooms for Emmanuel’s school – a life-changing gift for a community that used to pack 80 students into one classroom. The Bells also built three new boreholes to improve access to clean water.

“Then the local community came in and added another school block, then we added teacher housing, then the community added a couple other supplementary water points,” Larry explains. “It’s been so synergistic, for lack of a better word. It’s been this ongoing, evolving system. We’ve had the chance to learn how they work and what they need to provide support to the entire community.”

That system has been defined by deep, continuous communication – and punctuated by emotional visits to Zambia. The first visit was in 2016, when Larry and Ellen got to meet Emmanuel for the first time. Emmanuel was so overcome with joy that he ran to give them a hug before their vehicle had even stopped.

The latest trip was in August 2024, when the Bells traveled to visit the new teachers’ quarters they had just built at Emmanuel’s school.

Teachers in Zambia welcome the Bells to Emmanuel’s school, where they recently helped construct safe, durable teacher housing complete with functioning toilets. When teachers can live where they work, it prevents long, dangerous commutes on foot and incentivizes dedication to their profession.

They also got to see the construction underway on their latest project, an expansion of a community center where young people are learning practical skills like gardening, sewing, butchery and more.

“We realized the community center was an important place,” Larry says. “It teaches youth life skills, something that somebody can do to earn a living, but it also provides important resources to the community. For example, the butchery: They’ve got the equipment there. They train them in safety. But they’re also helping the community to acquire quality protein. And all while making a little money to bring back to the community center and to the children.

“Water, health, education, food aid. That builds the foundation of what it takes for these children to exist and excel. That’s our goal.”

Students in the community center’s sewing program show off the stunning garments they’ve created.

The level of support the Bells have provided, however, has even allowed ChildFund to tackle issues beyond basic needs – issues of safety and personal empowerment. A recent $35,000 project raised awareness of the dangers of child marriage, a common practice in the community, with Emmanuel’s school serving as a hub for the activities.

Larry says that teamwork and relationship-building is at the heart of the positive changes they’ve been able to make for and with children. Communities know their own needs deeply and then work with the Bells on a plan to best meet those needs, creating an effective partnership of local knowledge and international resources.

“Through ChildFund, we’ve built such a quality relationship with the community that local leaders are helping us. They are supporting and reinforcing some of these programs that we’re introducing,” Larry says. “Every place we go, every group we meet with, we say: Thank you so much for the caregivers and the people who are organizing and making this happen. Because no matter how much money or support we give, if we don’t have those caregivers and administrative teams who are there to enact it, nothing is possible. I tell the same to the ChildFund Zambia office, who are just dear, dear friends – highly skilled and professional people who deeply care about and have passion for looking after the needs of children.

“That’s Amy. Amy would have been all over being a part of that, what they’re doing.”

Amy’s legacy lives on

At least 5,790 children in Chongwe District receive educational support from ChildFund, thanks in part to the Bells' ongoing commitment. Emmanuel is now 19 years old and soon to begin college.

“We call it pay it forward. Amy called it pay it forward,” Larry says. “That’s what Amy’s heart and passion was – her love for kids.
After all, he says, “We don’t have any choice: We all start as children. It forms the basis of who we become, and therefore it influences the world. We think we’re blessed to be a blessing to children.”