Wednesday, June 27 – Today we visited two unique organizations that focus on health awareness. The first site was called Chikumbuso, located in the Ngombe compound out the outskirts of Lusaka. With the compound being only minutes away from urban life, there were drastic changes in the roads and architecture. Roads in the compound were unpaved and houses were built very close to one another. When we arrived to Chikumbuso we were welcomed by a group of gap year students who are strong, smart, and open-minded individuals with big dreams and goals for their future. Our overall objective with the group was to teach the gap year students more about sex education and create a safe space to allow students to share their own questions and perspectives on the topic of sex.
Being in the Chikumbuso school, it personally hit me how privileged I am because students there really put in their best efforts to work towards their futures despite the lack of resources available to them. I believed that the students gained insights from our visit. A couple of questions and beliefs I found interesting were that they believed that taking all the birth control pills in one day would cover the same amount of time as taking one pill a day. Misconceptions like this one were interesting and really made clear why sex education is so important. Sex education isn’t just important in Zambia but in America as well. I witnessed some misinformation from my America peers as well. When walking back from the compound we met some hardworking families and children playing. Throughout the day I witnessed a state of poverty that was an eye opening experience. That alone was an experience that I will never be forget.
Today was the day that signified I had accomplished one of my goals, teaching students more about healthy relationships and sex, and I think I really made an impact. Specifically, I made an impact by providing knowledge about condoms and how to properly use them to prevent pregnancy and sexual diseases.
Another site we visited was a nonprofit organization called Grassroots Soccer. This particular group was special because their motives focused primarily on living healthier, living productively, and becoming advocates for change in the community. We partnered with them today to have a cross-cultural exchange on the topic of sexual relationships and the ideals of sex. We taught them how to properly use a condom, and I found it interesting that the people I was working with didn’t know how to properly put on a condom. From my experience there, I learned that cultures teach students different sexual behaviors. Today helped me to understand that being opened-minded and looking through another lens in a cross-cultural setting is extremely important when leaving your own comfort zone.
Jordan A., School Without Walls