LearnServe International

LSZ ‘09 students on the last day

It is hard to believe that just 18 days ago, 15 students and 9 teachers from the DC area were heading off to Zambia together for the first time with some having never even been on a plane before. Not too many of us can say our first time on a plane was a flight to Africa!

We hope you have enjoyed reading our blog. Its main purpose was to give voice to the many different experiences and perceptions that both teachers and students alike were having during our trip. Some expressed the feeling that being in Africa was like “coming home”… as if it was a place they knew well or were supposed to be. Others were struck by the warmth and friendliness of the people and how happy so many seemed, despite having so little.

LSZ ‘09 teachers on the last day

On our last day in Lusaka, the group shared some of our more meaningful and memorable moments. Although this was not something I shared with the group, our daily reflections played a role in what struck me most. Although the process of journaling and reflecting at the end of each day was not always met with the utmost enthusiasm, our reflections unfailingly transformed into very thoughtful and meaningful conversations. The onset of hunger pangs with dinner time approaching was not enough to keep the conversations from lasting an hour to an hour and a half with everyone feeling comfortable enough to share their insights from the day and even gently debate something that had already been said. You could see various people scribbling in their journals as others spoke because something was said that they had not thought of or noticed in the same way. For me, the beauty and power of the group was that each person was able to experience things for the first time not just through his or her own eyes but through the eyes and ears of 23 others.

There are so many things to be shared that a daily blog cannot even begin to capture it. Some of the things that stick out in my mind from both my own experiences and our reflections are as follows:

• The ease with which teenagers, no matter where they are from, can form quick bonds and friendships. I do believe that age played a part in how quickly our 15 students bonded with 15 David Kaunda students, allowing a 2 hour dinner and movie event to lead to never-ending hugs and tearful good-byes. Although I can no longer count myself as a member of this generation, I have already been “friended” by a D.K. student on Facebook… you have to love the internet and its power to instantly connect people halfway around the world.


Walking with Chikumbuso students

• Feeling like the outsider and, yet, not feeling uncomfortable. I always enjoyed walking through the dirt roads in the N’gombe compound as we were greeted with finger points and a rising chorus of “Muzungu!” from the small children that came running to line the roadside, smiling ear to ear and waving, as if “spotting” the foreigner was a rare and treasured find. Although, traditionally reserved for white people, we laughed when we realized that everyone in our group received the finger point and “muzungu” call, clearly a term used for a foreigner of any skin color.


Dance lessons

• The ability of human interaction and play to cross any language or cultural barrier. I loved watching the LearnServe students run around the Malambu School with a balloon in hand, closely followed by a growing pack of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders, laughing and shrieking and in hot pursuit of that balloon held just out of reach. The LearnServe students were inevitably caught and the entire group would collapse into a pile of giggling children with the LearnServe student buried somewhere at the bottom and often laughing the hardest.


Soccer balls at Chikumbuso

• This was highlighted as well at Chikumbuso as the children, wearing the same tattered clothes day after day and running around barefoot on a dirt field filled with rocks and garbage, never once complained as we all ran around in our Asics or Nike running shoes. These kids were as happy to play soccer with a ball made of plastic and twine as they were to play with the fancy soccer balls we brought with us, as long as we were playing with them.


Presenting gifts at Malambo School
on the last day

• The heartbreaking exercise of distributing clothes to the double-orphaned children at the Malambu School. Realizing that the clothes we had considered not worthy of keeping were viewed as prized possessions by these children helped create some perspective that would be hard to experience any other way. By no means was there any pushing or grabbing… these children stood in line, hungrily eyeing the clothes but never once taking something that someone else had picked out and being completely honest as to how many items they had taken. Children who were not double orphaned were outside at the windows, clambering to peek inside to see what the lucky ones had gotten. The rest of the clothes we brought were left to the school to decide who needed them the most.
• Realizing how well these children will remember you. Having been on this trip last year, I was astounded by how many of these children remembered my name after having spent only 3 days with me almost 12 months ago. Some would come forward with something they had been given a year ago to remind you that they remembered exactly who you were.


Rachel milks a cow

• The ability to have so little and yet be so generous. We all made home visits in the rural area of Monze where we each of us had the opportunity to spend time with a family in their hut, learn how to make the traditional meal of n’shima and have a chance to ask questions about life in Zambia and on the farm. Any hesitation to do this was quickly washed away by the irreplaceable experience of comparing and contrasting our many cultural differences and traditions while eating a delicious meal. These families, who have so little, welcomed us into their homes with open arms… a highlight of the trip for many.

Gaby enjoys n’shima at dinner

The people of Zambia taught us that we have much to learn about hospitality and human interaction, about appreciating what we have, about having perspective with regard to what is truly important in life, and about how far a smile can go.

During our reflections, we unanimously agreed that we would walk away from our experience with much more than we were giving, regardless of how many clothes or donations we brought. We also understood how important it will be to continue the work we started by building awareness of the issues facing the people of Zambia, issues that face many countries in Africa such as HIV/AIDS and clean water. Hopefully, the action plans we created at the end of the trip will help us start to meet the needs of people who, although halfway around the globe, are no less deserving of the many things we have, especially life’s basic necessities, and with which we have been blessed here in America.

Gaby, a teacher at Sidwell Friends School

Today was field day for the children at the Malambo School. This was yet another example that the joy of children is universal, regardless of social and economic status. Each grade, first through seventh, had to rotate among seven stations, doing various games and races. I led the soccer station, where they had to dribble a ball between cones in a relay race. It was rewarding… and exhausting. There were about forty 1^st graders. As I reflect upon my time with them, I’m struck at the patience and organization their teacher, Ruth, must have in order to work with such a large group of small children at one time.

Nina organizes kids for relay races

Although I worked with all grades today, 1^st grade is on my mind. The children didn’t understand much English. I tried my hardest to explain the rules, demonstrating to them that they had to dribble in and out of the cones then run back and tag their teammate, but it was obvious they weren’t particularly concerned about the rules. They just wanted to kick the soccer ball and have fun—and that’s exactly what they did. They were absolutely adorable as they ran around with the ball, almost completely ignoring the cones set up. They laughed and cheered and demonstrated to me just how precious childhood is. These children do not have many tangible items to entertain them; they do not play on the Internet; they do not have a room full of stuffed animals; they do not have Baby Einstein toys to teach them the alphabet at an early age; most of their clothes are tattered and held together by a single safety pin; most do not have shoes; they may or may not be able to attend school past 7th grade. Nevertheless, what these children do have is a nurturing community, a safe environment, caring teachers, very sweet spirits, and the most beautiful smiles.

Elizabeth teaching math

I must say, our three days at the Malambo School have been fatiguing—working and trying to communicate with students where there is a strong language barrier is difficult. However, I am so glad to have had this experience in getting to know them and their teachers. We’ve taught the teachers different teaching styles that will be helpful in their classrooms, and our interaction with the students was definitely positive and exposed them to things they have never experienced before. But our group ended up learning and receiving much more than we gave. I have learned so much about community and the pureness and simplicity of rural life here in Zambia. It’s been a very different experience than the two schools we visited in Lusaka; urban and rural life is seemingly different everywhere in the world. But it is obvious that despite the apparent poverty, people here are happy. People here are appreciative of what they have and are very supportive of each other. This was the case in Lusaka as well, but with a totally different environment. I am exhausted from field day today. It was a great day, but I’m now looking forward to traveling to Livingstone tomorrow…

Rashida, a teacher at Hyde Leadership Public Charter

Today we did something really interesting; as you may already know we taught at a school in Monze called Malambo. After our lessons today, we were invited and escorted by some of the students to their homes to cook a Zambian dish called N’shima. My partner was Ms. Briggs from my very own school. I remember my escort’s name but, for the life of me, I cannot spell it, so instead I will call him by his nickname, Scorpion.

Lauren pounds pine nuts

When we got to his house, we were greeted by a woman name Georgina who invited us into her home and spoke to us for a while abut her life, family, etc. We met her daughters who were 3 and 4, spoke with another student from the Malambo School, and also learned some Tonga. Next, we started to prepare a sauce for the N’shima.

Gaby eats n’shima for dinner

She started to grind peanuts and pumpkin seed leaves together in a mortar and pestle; I also gave it a try and got a picture. It was called Mundiyoli, and I noted the recipe so that I could make it when I got back. Next, she put it into a pot a let it sit for a while. She then put a powder called mealy-meal into a pot which we had to stir. This was the traditional N’shima, one of the most popular dishes in all of Zambia. The kids at Chikumbuso get most of their nutrition from this dish. With the N’shima done, we were ready to eat. This was my first time tasting it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Afterward, we talked with her for a while more but soon it was time to leave so we left and walked back to the camping grounds for dinner.

Marshall, a student at School Without Walls

Yesterday (June 30), LearnServe Zambia ‘09 left Lusaka to travel 3 hours south to Monze where the teachers and students will be staying on a community farm and working at the local rural school, The Malambo School… a school that is short on resources but eager to help raise its children out of poverty. For the first time in the history of the school, two graduates recently passed the national exam that will allow them to attend high school, something LearnServe Zambia plans to celebrate with the community. LearnServe Zambia will also be working with the local students and teachers in the classrooms.

Students at the Malambo School.

While during the drive to the Malambo School I had a lot of thoughts that were going through my head. The biggest thought was whether or not the kids here would have more enthusiasm than the children at Chikumbuso. Before I even arrived at the school, I got my answer and is was “yes”. The reason why I thought this was because to me all the children that we saw before we even got to the Malambo School were happy and eager to say hi just like they were at Chikumbuso. Though my mind was set for kids running all over the place having an amazing time, my thought was quickly erased as the children I saw at the school quickly hid or tried to quickly go into their classrooms. Although at first I thought it was because we were American, I realized that it was more because they were shy. As I got off the bus and got to the classroom I felt a little bit better as the students were eager to get to know my partners and I. While in the classroom as I was about to start our lesson dealing with electricity, the teacher, told me my dad, who is also on the trip with us, wanted me. I was somewhat mad because I really wanted to start this lesson and get to know the children. But, when I went and found my father, I realized that he was in front of the mural he had started last year when he was here. I realized that my name was underneath a quote that he had painted. Probably the best moment of the day was when my dad told the students and the headmaster of the school that the name underneath the quote was me. After that, everyone was eager to know me, which made me feel happy.

Ayinde, a student at School Without Walls