Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Students from Garden Community School praying
before their snack

Today was the first day visiting and teaching the children in the Garden Compound and I think I speak for everyone when I say it was a very exciting experience. Working with these children really is so different from what we are used to back home. They are so eager to learn and so excited to have us come to teach them, just as we are excited to teach them.

The theme for the day was "alphabet." We started the morning by making nametags for all the kids and singing songs. Although there may be a language barrier, we have found that singing really brings everyone together and is a great way to start their day. Next, we read "alphabet" books, "Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom," being their favorite. During snack, the kids loved having their pictures taken, as usual, and seeing their faces on the camera when we showed them. Sometimes it's hard to have to put the cameras away because they just keep wanting more!

Overall, teaching in Garden today was very fun, exciting, and an interesting experience for some of our new travelers. Tomorrow we will be going back and teaching colors!

Post by Jen Shaw

Women for Change & Angels of Mercy

Lise Johnson, Anna Mahango, Emily Sikazwe, Dick Bail

We felt fortunate to spend significant amounts of time with Emily Sikazwe and Anna Mahango this evening.  Women for Change is an impressive NGO with a 22 year track record and a variety of different interventions to help women.  They also have a network of 90 rural schools, which while they are in rural locations appear to be very well managed.  We hope to visit one soon.  Angels of Mercy have now been working with us for about 6 years in keeping students healthy so that they can attend school.

 

Written by Dick
 

Our conversation with Emily also found another similarity between our organizations! We have implemented a psychosocial, narrative therapy workshop to children of all ages called the Tree of Life, which was designed by a program called REPSI. We have incorporated this type of workshop to children and women of all ages for the past four years.The focus of the therapy is to support those who participate in the workshop and have them create a tree that walks them through their history, discusses where they are in life now, their strengths, their hopes and dreams, and gifts they give others. Each part of the tree represents one aspect of their life. Emily mentioned how she has developed a similar therapy which she has used with the women she works with. In the therapy, she also uses a river to allow the women she works with to discuss the events in their life that have played a factor in their life (good and bad). The "river" symbolism helps create an additional dimension to the workshop so that the women come to the realization that the factors that have impacted their lives are behind them and they can start their future with a positive light. It was very reassuring by hearing from Emily, a Zambian who has worked for women in need for so many years, that these types of therapy are essential to supporting people in need.  We have two Tree of Life Workshops planned for the trip, so I hope we will have some pictures to post of that activity in the next few days.

 

~Amy

 

 

 

Dubai/Arrival

Hi Everyone,

We have arrived safely to Zambia! What an eventful trip-we were unfortunate to have troubles during our departure due to a miscommunication about luggage. Luckily, we had our best bargainer, Lise Johnson weasel Emirates Airlines to only charge us for an additional seven suitcases. We will be looking to be reimbursed for the cost of the suitcases at a later date.

We stopped over in Dubai for a night, which was great fun! Eight of us ventured out in the middle of the night to see the beautiful sights. We saw many hotels that could be televised on the Life Style of the Rich and Famous, dipped our feet into 100 degree beach water, and saw the tallest building in the world (The Burj Khalifa). Oh, did I mention that we also found an ice cream shop open at 2 a.m.?! Thanks Maria for the delicious treat.

We all made it back to the hotel with plenty of time for a quick rest, hot shower, and then off again to the airport to make our final flight to Zambia. We arrived this afternoon to a warm welcome by our Field Operation Manager, Jessie Phiri, along with two of our drivers we have had on previous trips. We had a great evening eating dinner with the two teachers from Garden (Carol and Mumbi). We are off to bed for a good night’s rest and will be up early tomorrow to attend a church service. Can’t wait for the days ahead!  

Part of our group arriving in Zambia

All of us before our departure from Dubai

Our Schedule

Our schedule :) Can't believe we leave today!

Summer Trip 2014

June 26, 2014 to July 11, 2014
Thursday, June 26 *Please plan on arriving at the airport three hours before departure (8:15)	Leave Logan Airport Emirates Airlines Departure: 11:15 PM *Remember your passport! *Pack an overnight bag as your carry-on. Remember flight regulations for all liquids. Medicine for malaria should be with you in your carry-on as you are supposed to start the medicine one to two days prior to arriving in Zambia.
Friday, June 27	Arrive in Dubai: 7:25 PM Hotel overnight
Saturday, June 28               *Shop for snacks/cookies/water *Transportation needed	Depart Dubai: 9:25 AM Arrive in Lusaka at 2:25 PM   Travel to Kaliyangile Guest House http://kaliyangile.com/ Explore/drive/walk around communities Unload and sort supply suitcases Go to Arcades to exchange  money Dinner at the Guesthouse: invite Mumbi and Carol from Garden and Jessie Phiri, our field operation manager
Sunday, June 29   *Transportation needed	Church in local communities (Garden church service) Lunch/Craft Market  at Arcades Mall Prep for teaching in Garden
Monday, June 30             *You will need to bring your passport with you for identification for the US Embassy. We will also be going through security to get in. Leave all electronics at the Guest House.   *Transportation needed	Teach in Garden   *Plan on having lunch at the Guest House each day unless other arrangements have been made   1:15 Leave Guest House 2:00 Afternoon activity: Meeting with the US Ambassador Ms. Ky Lam:Chief of the HIV/AID Multi-Sectorial Team US Embassy Subdivision 694/Stand 100 Ibex Hill Road Lusaka, Zambia Email: KLam@usaid.gov Phone: 260-211-357-441
Tuesday, July 1               *Transportation needed	Teach in Garden   Fountain of Hope Health Screening: 4-5 volunteers   Afternoon activities: Tree of Life Workshop at Living Hope-2 groups with 4-5 CWB leaders   Visit to N’Gombe Health Clinic
Wednesday, July 2         *Transportation needed	Fountain of Hope Health Screening: Everyone   Afternoon activities: 2:00 Basic School/Secondary School visit: Olympia High School (Get Jessie to schedule/confirm) Tree of Life Workshop-2 groups with 4-5 CWB leaders
Thursday, July 3       *Shop for snacks, food, breakfast foods for trip *Transportation needed	Health Screening in Garden Compound (no teaching)   Evening: Pack a bag for Simukanka/Livingstone and pack up your suitcases to put in trip leader’s rooms (we cannot keep our rooms occupied without having to pay the daily rate)
Friday, July 4  *Special transportation for our trip to Simukanka/Livingstone: to fit 14 (with room for food, snacks, and luggage)	Depart for Simukanka: 8:00 am -We eat lunch on the way in our vehicle (s) -We stop to pick-up supplies for our dinner (rice, tomatoes, etc.) Arrive in Simukanka in the early afternoon
Saturday, July 5 *Special transportation for our trip to Simukanka/Livingstone: to fit 14 (with room for food, snacks, and luggage)	Spend the morning in Simukanka 10:00 Departure for Livingstone/Victoria Falls   Check-in to Natural Mystic Lodge for two night stay http://www.naturalmysticlodge.com/
Sunday, July 6   *Special transportation for our trip to Simukanka/Livingstone: to fit 14 (with room for food, snacks, and luggage)	Early breakfast at Natural Mystic Lodge   Morning: Safari/Game Park   Livingstone Craft Market (if time) Lady Livingstone Boat Sunset Tour
Monday, July 7 (Zambian holiday)   *Special transportation for our trip to Simukanka/Livingstone: to fit 14 (with room for food, snacks, and luggage)	Depart Livingstone at 8:00 am   Drive back to Kaliyangile Guest House   Stop for lunch on the way home   Dinner at the Guest House
Tuesday, July 8 (Zambian holiday)   Dick-10:00 visit to PaKachele School Zambezi Road, Foxdale   *Transportation Needed	Teaching in Garden   Linda Certificate Ceremony: 2:00 Kabwata Craft Market
Wednesday, July 9   *Transportation Needed	Teach/visit communities: Garden   Afternoon Activity: 2:00 Garden Certificate Ceremony
Thursday, July 10             *Transportation to airport for 12 travelers plus luggage	Goodbyes   Munda Wanga: Botanical Garden and Zoo Reflect on trip   -Early Dinner -Depart Guest House at 6:00 *Arrive at airport at 7:00 PM Depart Lusaka at 9:25 PM
Friday, July 11	Arrive in Dubai: 6:40 AM Depart Dubai: 9:15 AM Arrive in Boston: 2:45 PM

Anticipation

Bright smiles like this one await our arrival in Zambia. I am so excited to be traveling with 13 other individuals to Zambia. We had our potluck luncheon today and it was such a great opportunity to share stories from past travelers with first timers. I'm so grateful to have such a great group of travelers! All our suitcases are packed-28 bags are filled with school supplies, toys, clothes, medical supplies, and so much more. Each bag weighs 50 pounds, so in total, this year we are able to bring 1400 lbs. of materials to support children in Zambia. What an accomplishment! Many thanks go out to all the different organizations that helped supply donations. The supplies will go a long way and I'm sure you will see your supplies being used while we are in Zambia. Looking forward to having our travelers post on our blog daily starting on June 28 when we arrive in Zambia.

Greetings ...

I just wanted to get this blog setup and tested before the Communities Without Borders trip to Zambia this summer (2014).

Although I am not traveling with the group, I do plan to stay informed about their trip through this blog.  I know that Amy will recruit travelers to recount their daily experiences so that we too can applaud their successes on this trip.

If you are new to the CWB community, I urge you to take a look at their website:

http://www.communitieswithoutborders.org/

There are blogs from previous years located at:

http://cwbzambia2012.blogger.com
http://cwbzambia2013.blogger.com

Bon Voyage travelers, we will be excited to hear of your endeavors.

Tom Murphy
tjm