Cranleigh and Kawama School Milestone Celebrations

Over 250 staff and students at Cranleigh School have now visited Zambia and have been privileged to witness the development of Kawama Community School and the impact it’s had on the community around it. One member of staff on our most recent trip, who had been on our very first visit back in 2011, was moved to tears to see the transformation that had taken place. I know what an impact these visits can have on young people. It stirs something in them. Maybe they have never considered what poverty really is or means, and for the first time they see that it is almost never self inflicted, that people who are poor lack opportunity and when they do have employment, often work longer hours and in more challenging conditions than most of us will ever experience. Some start to consider the tricky issues such as the role of wealthy countries in contributing to poverty and dependency and how to promote sustainability. Beyond Ourselves encourages all the students who visit the partnerships in Zambia to push themselves in their thinking and to move out of their comfort zone. We want this to be a lifelong journey, one that will enrich and inform people’s lives, one that will make those who have had this fantastic opportunity be more open and questioning and, ultimately, affect how they treat others and how they choose to lead their lives.

Cranleigh School will be celebrating this ‘250’ milestone on Saturday December 16th at a Zambia Celebration Charity Night. If you’d like to hear more about this, please get in touch becs@beyondourselves.co.uk

Becs Gibson
Beyond Oursleves School Partnership co-ordinator and Cranleigh School teacher.

Meet Our New Intern Lydia!

Hello!

I'm Lydia Pytches. I'm 22 and I'll be working with Beyond Ourselves as intern for the next year!

I've been told that maybe a good way to introduce myself is to tell you some things about me.

I was born in the UK but moved to Australia at 11 months old and I've stayed there ever since. I graduated* from high school in 2013 and since then have been doing odd jobs, tried my hand at acting school and have been through a lot of highs and lows in my life. Towards the end of last year leading into this year I went through quite a tumultuous period which affected me for a long time. When it came to figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, I remembered that my wonderful (honorary) godmother Jodie has trips going to Zambia every year, and on a whim, I asked if there were still spots for this coming trip in October. Amazingly she replied saying there was, and that there was a year-long internship on offer! This opportunity was too good to miss, so I packed my bags as best as I could and set sail to London!

The trip to Zambia will be at the beginning of October, in just under a month. Something that I'm excited to be doing whilst over there is to meet and talk to the children and their families at Beyond Ourselves’ partner schools, as well as helping this incredible charity continue to grow and expand. I think it will also give me a better understanding of how local Zambians live in everyday and it'll make me appreciate my life in a whole new way. I definitely don’t want to take anything for granted afterwards.

I cannot wait to see what this year holds, and hopefully you now know more about me!

If you would like to follow my journey or find out more about Beyond Ourselves, give the FB page, Instagram and Twitter a like or follow. You're also welcome to donate and/or sponsor a child, go to http://www.beyondourselves.co.uk/

Emily and Malcolm's Return To Zambia

On Sunday my family and I flew back to Zambia after spending August in the UK. My wife, Emily works for Beyond Ourselves here in Zambia and I am the Deputy Head teacher at Simba International School.

We love our family and friends in the UK and catching up with everyone, but Oh how we love to come back home. Zambia can be the most frustrating of places to live at times but it often feels like best place on earth.

After getting stuck in traffic on the M25 we missed our flight and ended up arriving back in Zambia late on Sunday afternoon and going straight into the new school year on Monday morning. So starting back has been fairly hectic, but between the manic timetabling and staff training sessions there have been moments to stop and breath in the calm and marvel and the sheer gratitude I feel for living in this place.

One particular highlight of our return was walking round our garden and noticing two tiny pineapples beginning to grow two and a half years after being planted. Wonderful!

There’s space to walk and pause and ponder here on the edge of Ndola where we live. Life is still filled with business which can overwhelm but it’s a fine place to stop and stare and replenish the soul. This is one of my favourite poems and it will always remind me of walking in my garden here.

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

W.H.DAVIES


Blog by Malcolm