What was the highlight of your time here?
Dulson’s: This is so hard to say as everything was a highlight. For us spending time in the orphanage was amazing as it was so wonderful to see the babies smiling and laughing. We really were blessed by being part of Ndola Christian Fellowship Church and we felt honoured to be included in the Beyond Ourselves family. Seeing Zebras and Giraffes on their turf was also pretty cool and we were also very fortunate to see Victoria falls - Gods creation at its finest!
Tom: My highlights of my time in Zambia cannot be put into a few lines. The experience is just amazing. One highlight that really shines through for me is Victoria falls, the whole area has a sense of greatness and it’s a really beautiful part of Zambia. I also got real pleasure from working alongside Zambians. We had a lot of laughs, mainly at my expense. In the schools especially, the staff brought a huge amount of joy and dedication to their work.
What did you think about the work Beyond Ourselves does in Zambia?
Tom: Beyond Ourselves provide so may benefits for the community schools, whether through professional support or through helping to empower the local community. For example, at Kawama, Beyond Ourselves have worked with the community to build classrooms, toilets and a borehole, not only benefiting students and teachers but the entire community, allowing fresh water access for all.
Dulson’s: We were impressed at how Beyond Ourselves are valued and included into the communities they work with and to see the varied projects they are working in to see the lives of Zambians enhanced. We love the fact that the Beyond Ourselves team don't just come in and takeover but instead empower the Zambians and work alongside them.
What was the biggest challenge during your time in Zambia?
Dulson’s: This is a tough question but we suppose it would be resisting the urge to see a need and instantly take over and feel we could meet that need, which then may not be sustainable. It was also a challenge not to bring one of the orphans home with us!
Tom: My biggest challenge whilst in Zambia was the fact that there are not very many people there that are my age who were in the Beyond Ourselves Zambia social groups. I also missed playing cricket!
What do you miss most about Zambia?
Tom: I miss the people of Zambia and of the Beyond Ourselves Zambia community, I love the relaxed and happy lifestyle, that you just do not get in London.
Dulson’s: Oh we miss everything. We miss the people we met and especially the Beyond Ourselves team and their friends, who made a real effort to include us and made us feel instantly like we were part of their family. We greatly miss the Zambian way of life and the friendliness of the people there. We hope and pray one day God will ask us to return!
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