Mystical rainbow at Victoria Falls

One of our majestic views at Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It's amazing to think that these falls were formed millions of years ago and have produced the most breathtaking views. The fall's nickname is Mosi-o-Tunya or "the smoke that thunders". The spray from the falls can be seen for miles!

Zambezi River at sunset

Our amazing view at sunset on the boat, Lady Livingstone. This was a perfect way to end our mini-vacation to the falls/Livingstone and provided us a few hours of relaxation, spectacular views, and amazing memories.

*Photo provided by Katie Dodd

Elephant Shakedown

A fan favorite from our trip to Livingstone at the Game Drive. We saw lots of beautiful animals and had a wonderful time learning new facts. This elephant was showing us how strong he was by shaking the tree and he ate the berries that fell. Fun fact: Elephants have the ability to tell which berries are ripe and will only eat those.

*Photo provided by Katie Dodd

Fountain of Hope

Jennifer Shaw and Catriona Kinane playing a game with
some children from Fountain of Hope

 

Everyone had a wonderful time at the Fountain of Hope, a safe haven for street children. It also serves as a community school for the children in the surrounding compound. We spent part of the day on Wednesday helping with a health screening, which included things like taking temperatures, handing out toothbrushes, shadowing the doctor, and helping with vision tests. We also had an informative tour of the grounds and learned a lot of information about the Fountain of Hope. One of the things that struck many of our travelers is when it was explained to us that when children come off the streets, the first thing is that they want to get clean. Unfortunately, Fountain of Hope often lacks the funds to provide everyone with products to clean their clothes and themselves. On a brighter note, we all enjoyed playing with the children at the center and we also got to play football (soccer).

Craft Lady

Maria and Justine

For many years, Maria Haynes of Lexington, Massachusetts has bought crafts in Zambia to sell back in the states. The profits are always donated to Communities Without Borders and she has made over $1000 each year to donate. Here she is buying and negotiating the price of different items with one of the women in Garden Compound. Maria Haynes enjoys using the crafts as a source for fundraising and she loves being able to share the beautiful crafts with others from the United States.

A Kiss for your Thoughts?!

I’m sure many of you watched the US-Belgium soccer game two nights ago. I did not get a chance to post some of our activities since I was so focused on the game (unfortunate we lost!). Last night, we were on Zambian time, since the power went out for the night. So I am playing catch-up! One of the things that we traditionally do with all our travelers is have a few moments at the end of the day to reflect our thoughts and feelings. Being on a trip like this can take a long time to process and reflect so this is one way that we are able to discuss the many different experiences each traveler has. Monday’s theme was “a penny for your thoughts” which I have used to relay some of the information for this blog. While I didn’t have pennies, I did have Hershey kisses and everyone enjoyed getting a “kiss for their thoughts.” Monday was a busy day for us-we taught for the first time in Garden and then we met with Ky Lam, the Chief of HIV/AIDS Multi-Sectorial Team at the US Embassy.

Here are some of the thoughts from some individuals about the teaching experience:

Lucy Boyle with a student from Garden

Danny Flanagan found the teaching experience “really cool, because even though most of the kids are not fluent, they knew some words. We were able to communicate with them despite the language barrier. I saw how important education is and the contrast compared to America is so profound.”

Lucy Boyle was amazed and taken back by the circumstances, and how kids could hardly move but were eager to participate under such rudimentary circumstances. She thought the first day flew by! She found the experience to be quite rewarding but was shocked about how tight the space is for the children.  

Susan Dodd said that “as a teacher, I felt it was a natural thing to go to the school today. Children are children wherever they are around the world. It was a wonderful experience! I loved it!” 

Maria Haynes found that “it is such a universal theme for kids to want to learn.  It was nice to have everyone in there (the travelers)! It was nice to have enough people to share the experience and the duties with. Maria Haynes has been part of Communities Without Borders for 8 years and has had such a positive impact on teaching children in Garden.

Audrey Reuman found that she expected to have an experience that was very different from being home. However, she found that her time teaching felt like babysitting back home. Audrey also felt comfortable singing the songs and remembered her own childhood when she sang similar songs. She reflected on the education she had growing up and how lucky she was to have a great education. She connected with the children we taught and how they need the opportunity to read books and play with legos.

Jennifer Shaw had a great experience at Garden. This was her second trip with CWB and she was quite impressed with the positive experiences that happened at Garden. She also found the visual aids created by the teachers to be a great additional to the learning environment. She wondered that if it had not been for CWB if the teachers would have been aware to use those types of visual aids to support student learning.

We had a great experience teaching for the first time and can’t believe how cute the children are-we are looking forward to being in the community to teach some more!

The Difference of a Year

2013

2014

Wow-the difference of a year in Zambia is so amazing! As I return to the community I have been connected to for so many years, I am thrilled with the positive changes that have been made. There are so many children that I have remembered and have the opportunity to reconnect with. One particular girl is Mutafele. She has been at the school for three years, and she is now writing her name, coloring in the lines, learning her alphabet, and using/understanding lots of English words. Here is a picture of her last year and then this year!