Introducing The Interns

Two recent school leavers from London, Tom and Noah arrived in Zambia a few weeks ago and, after a short time travelling, came up to Ndola to volunteer with Beyond Ourselves.

So, Tom and Noah, what brought you to Zambia and to the Beyond Ourselves' doorstep?

T - I came out with my school (Cranleigh) in October 2014 and loved it. Once was not enough, I had to come back! The people I spent time with were so warm and friendly and I really wanted to get to know them and the culture better, so I jumped at the chance when I heard about the internship.
N - Tom told me about the internship with Beyond Ourselves and it sounded like a great opportunity. I am keen to experience different cultures from the one I am accustomed to. Although I’ve been to Africa (Egypt) before on holiday, I knew that this would be a very different experience and was keen to immerse myself in Zambia’s culture.

After arriving in Zambia you went travelling before heading up to Ndola to be with us. What highlights would you like to share?

T - Falling off a 111m high cliff! Deliberately - I’m not that clumsy!
N - Perhaps you should also mention the safety harness?
T - Yeah, that was definitely an influencing factor in my decision to do the gorge swing!
N - We spent a few days at Victoria Falls and it was stunning.
T - We also went to Chobe National Park, which was amazing!
N - I enjoyed seeing the wondrous wildlife (A little bit of alliteration for your more discerning blog readers).

Tom Falling

Thanks Noah. What are you looking to gain from your time with Beyond Ourselves?

N - I’d like to gain a better perspective on life and learn about and from the Zambian Culture.
T - Yes, perspective is a good word for this. Having spent the last 5 years living at a fairly prestigious school, I’m hoping to gain some real life experience of the wider world.

Thanks gents. Have you got a fun fact for the blog readers? Something to gain insight into your psyche?

T - If I were a colour, I’d be black.
N - Tom, black’s the absence of colour.

Black, not a colour.

There it is folks; Tom and Noah, our interns.

New Partnerships!

As we shared in last week’s blog, the new term has now begun in Zambia, and for Beyond Ourselves this term ushers in the start of two exciting new school partnerships!

We are thrilled to be partnering with both Maureen Vincent School and Kapumpe Christian Primary School. Both of these schools carry a similar heart to the three schools Beyond Ourselves officially partner with already; a desire to offer good quality education to orphans and vulnerable children in their communities and to be a part of long lasting community transformation.

Both of the schools have a strong network of support in the UK who encourage and fund the schools and staff in Zambia. We’ve enjoyed getting to know them over recent months and years and are really looking forward to working together to further resource and develop the schools and deepen their impact on the communities they are in.

This term the team in Zambia will spend time getting to know the staff at each of these schools, developing relationship and working together to see how best we can support the schools in their educational and professional development. Over these past seven years in Zambia we have learned many lessons and gained a lot of experience (and hopefully wisdom too!) so we’re delighted that we can share this with others and be a part of their journey. And we know that working alongside these schools will benefit us as a team too, bringing fresh insight, ideas and inspiration for us and those we partner with.

1st Day Back To School

Monday was the first day back to school for all Zambian schools and as usual the children spent the first day cleaning out all the classrooms and getting them ready for the week ahead.

It’s great to go in and see them happily sweeping the floors, wiping the desks and picking up the rubbish outside. It’s all part of going to school here in Zambia. With all the dirt and the wind the classrooms get very dusty during the schools holiday and the first day after every holiday is spent having a good ‘spring’ clean.

Here are some of the children at Janna working away…

Teachers were also busy taking down old displays, putting up some new ones and of course catching up on all the latest news. We have recently had 2 new staff babies during the holidays. So congratulations’ are due to Barbra and Katherine who both had baby boys.

Zambians are big on relationships and the 1st day back is a great day to witness this in action - children are chatting and playing as they clean, teachers are chatting and catching up as they wait for meetings and prepare for lessons and the kitchen staff are also catching up and discussing the food for the week.

Although there is hardship in this community, when you enter the walls of Janna community school on the 1st day of term it is relaxed, it is fun and it is happy and it all makes for a joyful and safe learning environment right in the hub of the community.

Toxic Charity

I'm currently reading (and not for the first time) a great book called ‘Toxic Charity’ by Robert D. Lupton. If you are in any way involved in charity work, missions/ministry or serving others, or are serious about how your giving is spent, this is a highly recommended read.

The author feels that charities and churches should operate much like doctors, who take the Hippocratic Oath. Lupton offers an interesting suggestion for those in compassionate service:

"Drawn from the collective wisdom and experience of veteran servants who have spent good portions of their lives among the less fortunate, these principals provide a starting point for service. Just as the Hippocratic Oath provoked vigorous and sometimes heated debate among physicians and has required repeated modification to remain contemporary, this Oath for Compassionate Service will likely stimulate healthy discussion and adaptation for particular settings.”

The Oath for Compassionate Service

· Never do for the poor what they have (or could have) the capacity to do for themselves

· Limit one way giving to emergency situations (chronic need and crisis should be responded to differently)

· Strive to empower the poor through employment, lending, and investing, using grants sparingly to reinforce achievements

· Subordinate self-interests to the needs of those being served

· Listen closely to those you seek to help

· Above all, do no harm

The heart of what Lupton is saying really resonates with us as a team and is something we fully believe in.

We continually examine how Beyond Ourselves operates here in Zambia, checking that we are not being ‘toxic’ in the way we partner. When we were forming the Strategic Plan for 2016 we deliberately spent time viewing all projects and practices we’re involved in through the filter of “Is this empowering?”.

As we’ve always said, Beyond Ourselves is no hand-out, no quick fix. It’s about journeying with these churches and schools to see them empowered and their communities transformed.

By no means do we think we’ve got everything right but we know that to see true community transformation, that brings sustainable and long lasting change, we need to listen to the wisdom of Lupton and live and work by the oath for compassionate service.

And above all, do no harm.