Since arriving in Katete, a small town in the Eastern Province of Zambia, over 13 years ago, Elke has continued to provide a loving attitude and positive outlook to all she encounters. Born in Germany, Elke has had quite the international life story. After earning a scholarship to study Cross-Cultural Psychology in London she met her future husband and moved to Sydney, Australia, where she lived for the next 13 years

Sadly, she lost her husband Jack in 1984. She then began to work with the Aboriginal community- something they had hoped to do together - and was eventually presented with the opportunity to train as a registered nurse. Like everything else Elke pursued in life, it was a time of determination and hard work. She specialized in ophthalmology (the study of the eye) and in 1993 she became aware of a job opportunity at St. Francis Mission Hospital in Katete, Zambia. She educated nurses and soon started literacy classes which where restricted to St. Francis staff. Tikondane, which, is located right next to St. Francis, began as a place where local villagers could also partake in literacy programs in order to promote a higher level of education throughout the district. Elke has no plans of returning to Australia or Europe, as she has now happily become an honorary Zambian!