Quality Education: The bigger picture

Over recent months you might have picked up that we have made the important shift from meeting the immediate needs of the children and the infrastructure of the schools to focus on the quality of teaching and learning being offered.

We recognised it as an important part of the schools’ development and our colleague, Dan, moved over to Zambia last year to lead this work. Dan is currently supporting the schools in the teachers’ professional development and helping provide a literacy framework to improve the levels of reading and writing.

Although for us it felt like a natural shift and the next step in our partnership journey with the schools, it is being reflected in what is happening on a wider scale across the globe, particularly within developing nations.

Goal 2 of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) seeks to, “Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course in primary schooling”. 

Encouragingly, primary school enrollment rates have increased substantially in sub-Saharan Africa. However, many experts argue that this push to achieve MDG2 is a major cause for deterioration of quality at all levels of education. There is growing concern that low quality education translates into decreased competitive advantage; basic education is simply not enough to secure a successful future.

There is also evidence that the chances of a child moving through the primary education system and receiving the significant benefits of secondary and higher education have actually worsened since 2000. Increased class sizes and resources being shared amongst more students along with a lack of trained teachers has led to increased absenteeism and drop out; in the least developed countries (which includes Zambia) only 61% of children who begin primary education remain for 4 years.

A recent UNESCO 2013/4 Report, ‘Education for All’, “makes a powerful case for placing education at the heart of the global development agenda after 2015”.  It is widely noted that mere enrolment in primary education is not enough, and that quality education is the key.

So we’re encouraged to keep on moving forward in this area, to see real change in the teaching and learning at the schools we partner with. We know it won’t be a ‘quick fix’ but it’s something we are committed to over these coming years and know it will be something that truly makes a difference. 

Time to reflect...

August brings with it sunshine and a few weeks of quiet. The summer trip has been and gone, our link schools here in the UK are closed for the summer holidays, and our partner schools over in Zambia are shut for August too.

Time to breath, think, reflect and look ahead to the rest of the year.

Today, I was looking back on my recent trip and thinking about the things that stood out to me, the moments that I remember now in the quiet of this month. It’s been interesting (but maybe not surprising if you know me!) to note that these moments all carry the heart of our partnership with the schools in Zambia.

Maybe it’s because I heard the High School Musical song randomly playing when I was in Lusaka last week but I can’t stop “We’re all in this together” going around my in my head! (Apologies that it is now in your head too!)

When Beyond Ourselves began, we wanted to make sure that we worked in partnership with local people, churches and schools in Zambia, that we didn’t “own” anything but that we would support seeing local people’s vision and dreams for their communities become a reality. That together we would see lives changed and communities transformed. We knew it wouldn’t be a healthy relationship if we created a dependency on us; instead we want to walk with the schools as they journey towards self-sustainability in the future.

And so the times that stand out to me over the recent weeks are when I have seen moments of the “future” happening. They are the moments that could perhaps go unnoticed by others but are significant all the same; the steady repayment of a business working loan we gave a few years ago, the free use of a vehicle (plus money for diesel!) for several weeks when the one I was using broke down and gave up; the school and church community working together to repair the fence around a school or to complete the new wall they need without Beyond Ourselves being involved physically or financially, the unprompted offer from one partner school to another to donate their water tank , or to provide the timber the other needs for their new kitchen area…

They are the moments when I can see five years of relationship gives us not only a strength in the present but a shared commitment to the “future”.

Dipo receives a new wheelchair!

Some of you may have seen the short video we posted on Facebook or the photo on Twitter a few days ago which showed young Dipo getting a new wheelchair. It’s had a great response, so we thought we’d share with you how it all happened…

When the Roding Valley High School team was over a few weeks ago, we went with a few of the children from Greater Joy School to visit their homes. It was at one of these homes we met Dipo and his family.

We heard that when Dipo was four years old he caught malaria and got very sick. Since then he has been unable to walk and unable to talk. He is now seventeen years old. Dipo is taken care of by his Grandmother as sadly, but not unusually, both his parents have died. It is clear to see that he and his Grandmother have a very happy relationship, when she comes near him his face lights up!

It’s not easy taking care of Dipo and getting the support they need. On most days for the past few years Dipo has been sat in a contraption that is a plastic garden chair set in a metal frame. It once had wheels but they have long stopped working.

All of the Roding team who met Dipo were moved by his story and wanted to be able to help the family in some way. A wheelchair was top of the list, but we didn’t know how we might get one. A couple of days later, just before the team were heading home, we heard that a container had arrived for another organisation and that in the container were some wheelchairs. After a phone call or two and with the generosity of the Roding students, Dan went to pick up Dipo’s new wheelchair.

So, this week we went to Dipo’s home and delivered the wheelchair to him this was the moment the Grandmother received the news!

And this is the moment Dipo was wheeled outside for the first time in a very long time:

Even though I am writing this a couple of days after it happened I am still moved as I recall the moment Dipo came outside; the smile on his face, the happy noises he was making, his Grandmother’s obvious delight and the celebration from friends and family! Life for Dipo has changed.

To the Roding team, in the words of Dipo’s Grandmother “Thank you, you don’t know what you have done.” 

And in case you missed the video, here it is! 

An update from Zambia

Being here for a longer amount of time means I get to do things I don’t always have the time to do on shorter visits. With the teams gone, life is a little less hectic for us here in Zambia now.

I’ve had time to hang out with my colleagues, Dan and Melissa (and their boys), and time to catch up with each of the schools reviewing the past few months and looking ahead.

In those conversations when we think about the future for the schools and communities it can sometimes be overwhelming thinking about how far we still have to go with the schools, and how much resource it will take to see those things happen. Thinking of doing it all alone can be daunting!

So it’s great to connect with people who want to journey with us in some way. This trip I’ve met a mix of people; individuals, organisations and businesses, who make the future look less lonely:

• A local South African lady who has lived here 13 years and has a heart for her local community turned up at one of our schools offering to support the feeding programme there.  Within the week she had organised providing and serving a nutritious lunch one day a week. She hopes to get more of her friends and church involved in the weeks ahead.
• Over the weekend we were introduced to a Kiwi who is working with other community schools in the area. It was great to share ideas and we plan to visit each other’s schools early next week.
• We’ve continued to be connected with another organisation who also have a craft social enterprise here in Ndola. Again it is so encouraging and helpful to share our experiences.
• Next week we’ll be meeting a large craft business/enterprise that has been working in Zambia for many years. We’re looking forward to learning from those who have gone before us!
• And finally, before we fly from Lusaka next week we will be meeting the Public Relations Officer of a large Zambia based corporation who have supported us in the past and are keen to continue this relationship in to the future.

The saying, “together we’re stronger” really does apply when it comes to seeing transformation in the communities we love here.

On the ground In Zambia - Changes for the better

Being a part of the UK based Beyond Ourselves team means that there are sometimes moments when I can feel disconnected from the work on the ground in Zambia. In the midst of administrative tasks, raising awareness, raising funds, and nurturing relationships with schools and businesses which support us, it can be surprisingly easy to forget the ‘why’ of Beyond Ourselves and get stuck in the day to day ‘what’ of the work.

An amazing part of my role is that I get to visit Zambia three times a year and what’s even more incredible to me is that these trips always come at the perfect time.  Times when I need to remember ‘why,’ when I need to reconnect with our friends and partners in Zambia face to face rather than over email, when I need to get re-inspired by the vision and re-energised for the days ahead.

Now is one of those times.

So today, on my first day back in Zambia, I visited Janna School and was encouraged to see some of the recent developments there; a repaired and completed boundary fence, two new classrooms that now have a roof and are being plastered, the Early Years outdoor learning area making progress, and plans being made for the ‘ntemba’ shop that will be set up as an income generating activity for the school. 

But the moment that encouraged me the most, the moment that (as my friend would say) made my heart sing, was when I walked past the Grade 7 classroom and looked in at them through the window.  Sat in that classroom, well-fed, healthy and concentrating on their studies, were children who I first met back in 2009 when they were in Grade 2. Children who started at Janna School when it had no classrooms but was one of the few schools in the area offering education to those in the community who wouldn’t otherwise have access to school.

These children have seen great changes at Janna over the past few years and as I looked at them today I realised they are both the reason for and the beautiful product of that change.

They are our ‘why.’

Observations of a Janna Student

The three Mzungus[1] have been digging holes and planting poles for quite some time now. They’ve been working here once a week for about a month and a half now – I reckon a Zambian could have finished the job in two weeks. To be fair to them, they’re also busy at two other schools in Kitwe during the week, and they do work hard here. You should see these guys dripping with sweat in the midday sun, it’s great fun watching them shovelling dirt, lugging around tyres and nailing wood together. My mates and I love to help out during break, fetching water and rocks and checking out the toolkit, although for some reason, Alex and Charlie don’t let us play with the saw.

It’s been slow progress, but I have to admit it’s all looking pretty awesome. Dan seems to be the mastermind behind the Outdoor Learning Area (OLA), although I have seen him digging alongside Alex and Charlie now and then, getting his suit trousers dirty. They’ve finished the pretend ntemba[2], made sand and water play areas, dug in tyres for us to jump around on, and have also created a pipe telephone which means we can whisper to each other from across the OLA. At the moment they’re finishing off a wooden hopscotch, and planting some balance beams. Soon there will be a mural with phonetics, numbers and the alphabet too – the teachers tell us that all of this is going to be great for early learning, particularly for Baby Class, Reception and Grade 1 & 2.

The boys try to speak Bemba with us, which we find pretty hilarious. They appear to love the nshima at lunchtime though, and are actually alright at football – for Mzungus. Alex even scored two goals in a 3-1 victory. Now we’re just waiting for the Outdoor Learning Area to be completely finished. Maybe there will be an opening ceremony… if the boys could get a special guest along like Wayne Rooney that would be cool.

[1] Bemba for “white person”

[2] Wooden roadside shop, often selling snacks

The meaning behind the Zambian flag

Looking at the various timelines and news feeds on my social media this week I’ve noticed an increase in England flags being paraded around, in anticipation of cheering on our team in the World Cup!

Us English love our St George’s cross and the Zambians are no different with their national flag.

This year Zambia will be celebrating 50 years of independence, and their flag tells their story. The colours used are rich in symbolism. Green stands for the nation’s lush flora (land), red for the nation’s struggle for freedom (blood), black for the Zambian people, and orange for the land’s natural resources and mineral wealth (copper).

Additionally, the eagle flying about the coloured stripes is intended to represent the people’s ability to rise above the nation’s problem.

So there you have it, a few facts about the Zambia flag, not that you’ll see it waving in Brazil this month! Maybe one day…!