Lessons in Collaboration and Grace

I have learned two major lessons from our Zambian hosts in the last few weeks. The first is that collaboration not only improves the lives of the Zambian people, but it also saves the lives of the Zambian people. One of the organizations that we have worked with is called RAPIDS (Reaching AIDS Affected People with Integrated Development and Support). They are the umbrella group that works with private, government, non-profit, and faith-based organizations to deliver care to people infected in rural areas.

Giving a bike to a caregiver

For example, they help World Bike Relief streamline the process by which caregivers are identified and given bikes. They go into each of Zambia's nine provinces and identify the organization that has the strongest network in a specific region and use them to distribute the bikes. In the Southern province the Salvation Army is the strongest and they were a big part of our bike distribution last week in Monze.

Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel in each province, RAPIDS works to make existing programs stronger. They do not get caught up in the competitive political antics that diminish the amount of money and services that can reach the community that is meant to be served. As a result, the Zambian government and relief organizations are able to do a decent job of reaching people with HIV/AIDS. While they are in dire straits by western standards (the average life expectancy is for adults is 37 and babies who are born with the virus rarely make it past their second birthday), they are able to counsel and reach more people than they would if they did not use collaborative ways to bridge the gap in the cultures of the African people and western doctors and aid workers.

At the Moorings campsite, we met with Thea, a Dutch doctor, who runs a small clinic for her 300 employee farm and is in charge of coordinating HIV/AIDS programs for the Southern province. She said that when she first started trying to test and counsel the workers on her farm, she was met with resistance. Her first obstacle was convincing the community that they needed to be tested. Her second obstacle was that she had to learn how to deliver the news, once people were identified as being positive. She was able to overcome the first barrier by providing ARV's (anti-retroviral medication) to the farm community. Once members of the community understood that the medication could improve their health, they were willing to be diagnosed and treated.

AIDS is real

She was able to overcome the second obstacle once she understood the culture of the Zambian people. She said that her western understanding of the disease led her to make a rather dramatic delivery of the news. The Zambians, however, are not a dramatic people. Once she started to use Zambian counselors, she learned that her patients simply wanted the news and time to be sad. Once they had time to adjust to their new circumstance, they picked up the pieces and moved on with their lives. They did not want to wallow or lament, they simply wanted to move on to the best of their ability. The number of people infected on the farm is significant. Thea estimates that 30% of her 300 employees are infected. The national is average is said to be 15%, but this statistic is thought to be low due to the high number of people nationwide who have not been tested and identified for treatment.

This ability to overcome obstacles and live life to the fullest despite personal circumstances is the second lesson that I take away from this trip. I have never met more gracious people in my entire life. In a country that has an average per capita income of $921 and a 50% unemployment rate, the educators and community builders with whom we have worked have made a difference in their neighbors' lives. They care for ailing family members, work hard as seasonal farm labor to provide for their families, teach under tin roofs and on dirt floors, and welcome strangers from afar into their world. Although they are grateful for the teaching items we have carried in our suitcases, I think they are mostly happy that we wanted to share a small piece of their life. While I came bearing teaching materials and lesson plans, I leave with a heavy heart knowing that I should have done more and need to do more to help. As I sit in my last night in a developing country that is losing an entire generation of people to a brutal virus, I cannot help but wonder what my own industrialized and healthy country could accomplish if we only fostered a community spirit that was more collaborative and gracious.

Students on the last night in Zambia

So, in the final blog posting written in Zambia, I would like to begin my personal exit goal of collaborating with my neighbors and community more by saying how much I have enjoyed working on the blog with everyone who participated in LSZ '08. Unlike most of the program participants who have yet to see the blog, I was able to spend some time each night with the writers as they worked on providing a snapshot of what we experienced that day. It was a great experience and I enjoyed seeing how our diverse group of students and teachers interpreted and described each day's activities.

Teachers on the last night in Zamiba

Finally, I would like to say that Rachel Johns and Ambria Archibald had the enormous task of sorting through hundreds of pictures each night to provide the images to share with all of you. They deserve big Zambian thank you for the hours they spent providing the complete picture!

by Stacy Yule, a teacher at Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School

First Time Camping: In Africa

Who knows what day it is! I have lost track. We arrived in Monze in the Southern province of Zambia and because I have no sense of direction, we made a series of turns and arrived at the Moorings Campsite. In their places, and already set up were tents. Yes, I said it. Tents.

Rolanda with her gear

This city kid, who has only stayed in the finest of digs, has to now pick a TENT. It's yellow and made by the North Face company. Some of the kids and teachers nicknamed it my condo.

So the first night rolls around and at this time of year in Zambia there is no evening dusk. At 7 PM it's completely dark and your body feels like it is 1 AM. I get in my condo, situate things as best I can debating what can be in and what can be left out. When I say left out I do mean the suitcase standing guard at the rear door of my condo.

After peering up at the stars for about an hour—they really are brilliant. I settle in for the night, thinking to myself: I've never camped before, I've never been in Africa, and you guessed it, never camped in Africa.

I got a thrill! For four consecutive nights thrill after thrill after thrill. My highlight at the top of the list is my first time camping in Africa.

by Carlton Ashton, Cesar Chavez Public Charter School

A Day at Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls is a wonderful place. When we arrived at the Falls we saw a lot of tourist and the merchants making deals with the tourists. I went down into the Falls and I got soaked and wet. I did not buy a poncho or an umbrella at the entrance because I wanted to get wet - that was the fun part.

Victoria Falls

While in the Falls I saw some monkeys, I walked across a high wet bridge while the mist was splashing me in the face. I also saw a beautiful rainbow and the sound of the water crashing down was amazing. The water sounded like thunder and the mist looked like smoke rising to the sky. The people in Livingstone call it Mosi-oa-Tunya, which means "The Smoke that Thunders."

I had a great time at Mosi-oa-Tunya or Victoria Falls. I will never forget this experience I had at the Falls, and I will go back to the Falls one day in the future.

by Kelvin, a student at Kingsbury Day School

My Monkey Encounter

"Soaking it up at Victoria Falls", you would have thought it was raining, but soaking in a good experience left me with marks. My entire body was soaked with the falls water.

As I arrived at Victoria Falls all I saw were monkeys. It was like monkey heaven, they were just roaming without caution. This is how our encounter started, Reneka, Francis, and I were coming to the van to take a break from shopping. I guess the monkey was watching us ever since the van door opened.

Mother and child

We were sitting in the van for about 5 minutes when a female monkey and its baby approached the side door. The first thing to be noticed: one little furry arm reaching in, then I saw a monkey's head. The female monkey stared me directly in the face while rampaging through a plastic bag that contained food. Once that was a going on I wasn't really sure what to do. So I didn't have any choice but to grab the bag. So the monkey and I were having a competition of tug-of-war for about 25 seconds. I am going to admit that monkey was pretty strong and managed to maintain a piece of bread. It was scary because I wasn't sure what to do when the monkey was only a couple of inches away from me.

By David, a student at SEED Public Charter School

The Mural in Monze

I have to say it felt really good to create something that would bring joy to a child's face, and that is exactly what we did in Monze. We created a map of Africa with Zambia highlighted in metallic gold. We painted the mural in the side of the Malambo School in Monze.

Beginning the mural

The mural consisted of the continent of Africa, a motif border, and a quote in calligraphy.

I worked on the mural everyday while on the farm. Day one we transferred the stencil of Africa on to the wall, along with that I also transferred the motif design for the border. Day two we started to paint Africa, I painted Ghana and Nigeria, the countries of my ancestors. Later that day the group started to paint certain shapes in out of the design in the border. Finally on day three we finished painting the border and started to use a sponging technique to fill in the space where the calligraphy would be placed.

The finished mural

In the end we finished the project with great success. We used a polychromatic color scheme, which is using the shades and tints of many colors. I hope that our mural will bring happiness and joy to all the children at the Malambo School and on the farm back in Monze. I finally now believe the quote "It feels better to give than receive."

by Yaayaa a student at Anacostia Senior High School

Kicking it off at Malambo

We arrived in Monze yesterday after a long day of ceremony with World Bicycle Relief, and lots of driving. The group managed to settle in nicely, and after our first cold night in Zambia under a vast canopy of stars, we awoke to the sounds of rural Zambia, and the sounds of a working farm. Some heard and saw the lights of the tractor, while others were awoken by the rooster's crowing and the barking of numerous baboons. After a hearty breakfast, our group was divided into two groups, one which taught in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

The pig pen

While the morning group was hard at work, the afternoon group received a complete tour of the farm, visiting the pig's pen, the field where the cows that are used for breeding are kept, the building where the animal feed is treated, and the seamstress's quarters.

After the tour of the farm, some of us walked through the traditional village, while others stayed behind and enjoyed some rest. Walking through the village was a truly rewarding experience. Everywhere we went, every winding, dusty road we strolled down was lined with spectators, all eagerly waiting to greet and meet the strangers. We were able to practice some of our Tonga, trying to use phrases such as "Mwabukabuti" or "Good Morning", which was answered with a smile, a subtle, humble bow and a polite "Kabotu", the equivalent of "thank you".

Heavy load

We reached the school which consisted of a few whitewashed buildings surrounded by thatched huts, children all dressed in a plain blue uniform, and lots of chickens. The students that were not already busy watching the creation of our mural, our artistic and educational donation to the school, immediately surrounded us. At first they were tentative to interact and with the language barrier it was hard to communicate verbally. However, once we showed them that we knew how to play hand games and tag, we began to play a hand game which they taught us, one in which the loser had to succumb to the tickling of their opponent, which sent them into fits of giggles.

On our way home from the school, we were followed by a large group of children, enthusiastically waving, doing cartwheels and dancing. They all loved looking at the pictures we took of them, a behavior that we have noticed all across Zambia. Many have asked that pictures of them be sent to Zambia when we return home, and everyone is excited to be able to share the pictures we have taken! After we got back to the camp site, we ate lunch and immediately turned back to teach our first lesson. Our greeting turned from "Mwabukabuti" to "Mwalibhihabuti" which means "Good Afternoon" in Tonga and we were answered just as enthusiastically. Teaching at the school was a very gratifying experience.

Afterwards, we received a lesson in working with Tangrams, puzzles in shape form, which we were taught to use to create animals and play various strategy games.

Teaching Tangrams

We arrived in class just after the children had finished an English lesson, immediately distributing Tangrams and animal outlines amongst the students who had been previously separated depending on their academic capability. They did not know why they were separated because in the words of the teacher, Mrs. Loveness, it would "give the more capable students something to hold over the others". All of the students were eager to learn and fill the empty animal outlines and were constantly asking for another to fill. The divide in learning capability was really evident when we were working with the Tangrams, although it was impossible to get frustrated or upset because all of them were constantly smiling. This divide might be attributed to malnutrition among other factors, the presence of which can seriously affect the learning process and brain development, a problem that Chikumbuso was also dealing with and attempting to overcome with daily distribution of food.

After we returned home and ate dinner, there was a movie (Madagascar) set up outside the seamstress's quarters. Not only were the LearnServe students and teachers in attendance, but so was half of the village. Even with the language barrier, the students found the moving picture captivating, and would laugh and giggle at almost everything. Today was another great day in Zambia!

Gabe, a student at Sidwell Friends

"Both Hands"

"Let us receive these bikes with two hands." I heard these words this morning at our World Bicycle Relief bike distribution ceremony in Monze. Two hands indicate cooperation-they suggest great commitment to something. My life has been shaped by my belief that all things good and important should be held with both hands-so it was no surprise to me that the statement of the District Commissioner resonated with me and gave our experience thus far perspective.

Cooperation and commitment, within and among communities has been an ever present theme since our arrival in Zambia. Both hands have been a part of every activity we have participated in since our arrival. In each, we see the importance of community-led responses, as the community knows best what it needs.

Children at Chikumbuso

Let's begin with Chikumbuso-a women's cooperative and school that began as a discussion between two women from completely different worlds. In listening to the heart of the community a group of two turned in to ten and now includes hundreds. The children of Chikumbuso are what draws us there, but the women and their resilient spirit are what makes the experience unforgettable. Women that have chosen to work together to save their families, their communities, themselves. It would be easy to feel sorry for the women there, to take pity on their situation, but their hands work together-at the art of creation-and together they provide the best support for each other and sustain their community.

Breaking ground at Chongwe

Yesterday, the two hands of many tilled the soil and planted the seeds of what should become a wondrous garden full of tomatoes and cabbage at the Chongwe Basic School. In two and a half hours we, the hands of our new community combined with the hands of the local community, planted twenty rows of growth and sustenance for their school and community-the sale of the vegetables will support the construction of the school and the purchase of much needed resources.

Assembling a bicycle

And so it brings me back to this morning and what I will remember as one of the greatest moments from this trip. As the ceremony went on, I thought about how bikes have always been a part of my life-how they had once been a tool for play and now are my lifeline to all the activities I treasure. I never thought of my bike as a luxury or an advantage in life. But in the moments that passed as caregivers were overcome with joy and elation at receiving a simple machine, I recognized the real significance of what we were there to do. Again both hands were at play, the cooperation and commitment of the caregivers-giving of themselves to care for the sick in their communities and their families-and the cooperation and commitment of the community of organizations, local and global, that strive to bring together those that give and those that need.

Seeing differently

In Zambia, when people greet you they do so with both hands and so it is with both hands that I grasp and embrace this experience and continue the journey.

by Julie Caccamise, a teacher at Wilson Senior High School

PS-I had the joy of riding a bike we are donating to the farm in Monze from the highway to the campground-not on the paved bike lanes of DC but the overgrown grasses of fields of maize... and I used both hands!