St. Paul’s Trip to Zambia, Summer 2018

Article by James Hawes, a pupil at St Paul's School

The summer 2018 trip to Zambia was one of education, inspiration and cultural immersion. Three teachers accompanied 15 Paulines to the northern Copperbelt region of Zambia where we experienced the education work of the charity Beyond Ourselves, for which we had been raising money during the school year. During our trip, we also learned firsthand about other development initiatives in the country. We visited seven schools during the 10-day period, doing volunteer work at most of them, which ranged from the administration of PE activities with limited resources at Nsobe School at the beginning of the trip, to assessing literacy and phonics at Mwabombeni Primary School later in the week. The trip involved visiting the Beyond Ourselves-funded schools as well as others, and the disparity in funding between the supported and unsupported schools was shocking. Seeing Grace Community School in particular, a newly established school where lessons were taught in a roofless building, was especially touching and helped us to realise the importance of the charitable work of Beyond Ourselves.

The religious presence in Zambia is strong, and the overwhelming majority of the schools were set up by a local church. On the first full day, we attended a Sunday Service at a village community church, which was an open air service in the bush, and gave us a sense of the importance of the Church in Zambian culture. The first few days gave us the opportunity to learn about specific Zambian customs, such as Zambia’s unique three-part handshake and some basic Bemba words. Mr Block was the only member of the group who had previously travelled to Zambia, so the rest of us needed some education in the particular cultural nuances. The group spent the first two nights at Nsobe Game Camp, which is part of the Nsobe Company - an organisation with a fascinating development model which included giving all employees a stake in the company to keep the local community supported with economic growth. Learning about development as a process was a major ingredient of the trip, and hearing from the manager of Nsobe gave the group an insight into a method of stimulating economic progress. Taking charge of PE at the Nsobe School was a memorable part of the trip, which involved teaching the whole school together how to do a Mexican wave. After the days at Nsobe Camp we were ready for the week ahead.

We then stayed in Ndola, capital of the Copperbelt region, visiting and doing work at several schools in the area. Of these, Janna School was the largest and the one where we spent the most time, being the first school to develop a partnership with the Beyond Ourselves organisation. We sat in on a science lesson, assisted in a lesson of arts and crafts, and taught a course of First Aid and netball during our two days there. We also led games during the lunch break and taught all the children the Macarena, which went down especially well. During one of the afternoons, we visited a Zambia-based Italian ice cream company with a charitable focus, called Gigibonta, which supports technical colleges for locals as well as accommodation for orphans. That same day we learned about the Wiphan company, which provides jobs for widows and education for orphans. The trip as a whole taught us all about the different ways of bringing about development in Zambia, learning of the importance of the access to education that Beyond Ourselves is helping to provide, complemented with the support and opportunities offered by the other companies like Nsobe and Gigibonta.

Our final few days saw us carry out assessments of literacy and phonics at Mwabombeni Primary School, host the sports day at Greater Joy Community School, and do chores at local people’s houses, just to name a few things that we did. We were staying in the city of Kitwe, where we witnessed some of the worst poverty on the trip, and where the problem of alcoholism was most evident. On the way to Kitwe we stopped at a honey farm, which was another example of a small business set up with charitable development at its core. Despite Kitwe’s extreme poverty, Greater Joy School had a lively atmosphere, and we helped out a visiting company in leading a reading session. We visited two of Kitwe’s markets during our stay, and learnt a song in Bemba with a local group. Following our three nights in Kitwe, it was time to head back to London.

Following the trip, we now have a much better understanding of how overseas development charities, like Beyond Ourselves, function. We had the opportunity to do some volunteer work ourselves as well as hear directly from the Beyond Ourselves staff and the schools that benefit from their support. We have been inspired to help further the reach of the development provided by Beyond Ourselves, as well as the other development initiatives that we met with. This was a fantastic trip and we are grateful for Mr Block, Mr Taylor and Mr Young for making it happen.

FUNdraising!

Greetings Beyond Ourselves followers! We've had a little gap in our blog writing due to a very hefty work schedule for all, but we're back! And what better way to start than by updating you on the wonderful fundraising that has been going on!

Those who know me will be aware that I do like to have fun, so for me some fundraising has to involve that word!

In mid June we held our 9th Beyond Ourselves Golf Day! We had a change of venue as we moved to Crews Hill Golf Club where Lee and Dan Fickling have moved to (the pros!)

The weather was fantastic and has been ever since! There were 23 teams out on the course, with their usual stop at the Pimms marquee which Jodie and I sacrificially manned - with the assistance of our able helpers, Mel Jones and Jan Atkins. 

 
Congratulations to the winning team - Andrew O'Donnell, Jordan Clarke, Ed Benson and Ben Collins.

The golf day was followed by an evening party including our raffle and auction with the infamous Ben Collins. Thanks to the generosity of those present, the day raised £11,500 which is brilliant and will greatly help with our costs in Zambia.

A big thanks to all those who played, contributed raffle or auction prizes, bid for said auction prizes and made it a fun day!

Special thanks to Ben for auctioneering, Lauren Knight of Hype Branding for supplying us with items for our goodie bags, and Lee and Dan Fickling for all their help on the day.

Stephen James BMW has chosen Beyond Ourselves as their 'Charity of the Year' this year. So far this year they have raised over £3,500 through various means - the Central Functions Department have raised over £600 by making and eating lots of cake! Every Friday without fail somebody makes cakes. Such a great way to raise funds.

Jim O'Donnell, who was Head of Business at one of the Centres at Stephen James, has just very successfully completed the Camino de Santiago pilgrim walk across northern Spain. He completed 500 miles in one month. An amazing feat and raised £2,600 for Beyond Ourselves. Thank you Jim!

Two of the UK schools that we partner with have also been busy fundraising. St Margarets primary school in Barking raised over £900 for their Lent appeal. Jodie visited their assembly and shared some stories of the schools in Zambia which the children got very excited about.

Pupils from St Pauls School organised a sponsored walk in March and raised over £32,000! Amazing! Thank you to both schools for their wonderful support.

If you are able to undertake some fundraising for Beyond Ourselves, however big or small, we'd be so grateful! All this is to contribute to transforming the lives of the children we partner with in Zambia.

THANK YOU for your partnership with us. Have a great summer!

Karen

Introducing Ireen Kunda Mwanza, the New Headteacher for Janna Community school

Ireen Kunda Mwanza is the new headteacher for Janna. Ireen born from a family of seven (7) is married with two children both schooling at Janna community school.

Smiling Ireen

Ireen and her two children

Ireen who has been working for Janna for 12 years got her inspiration of becoming a teacher way back when she was appointed as sunday school teacher at church. It was then that she had a conviction of making a difference in the lives of children and just become a mentor through teaching. 

She is very excited about her elevation as head teacher and appreciates the confidence that people have shown in her. She adds that, ‘sometimes it feels like no one notices your hard work.’ She believes that all leadership comes from God and is excited to see how she will work with other staff members in her new position. She was quick to add that the new role entails a lot of learning which she was willing to do as she is always looking at making herself better with excellence in all she does.

Asked about how she feels about the high score that the school recorded in last year’s grade seven exams, she attributes the success to every teacher’s effort. She hopes that people will begin to appreciate the positive difference that the community schools are making in the educational sector in Zambia.

Asked where she sees herself in the next 5 years, she responds with a smile and says ‘definitely a better teacher and head than I am now, as am always looking at ways of becoming better each day that comes.’

In her spare time away from school, she loves to spend time with her family and teach her children how to bake.

Ireen's Daughter

Ireen's Son

Her favourite food is Nshima and Chicken.

She dislikes people who are always complaining because complaining has never changed a thing on its on without action.

By Linda Kaluba

Delicious Donut Fundraiser!

Every year Beyond Ourselves awards secondary school bursaries to our former primary school graduates so the most academically gifted and the most financially unable students are able to continue with their education. We currently award 120 bursaries each year.

This year we took a look back on how some of the bursary students have grown since their time in our schools. It’s lovely to see the way these former pupils are maturing and it’s exciting to see them continue to pursue their academic dreams. Just this year one of the students we support had such high exam results that he was chosen to go to a more prestigious government school!

The bursaries given cost £75/$130CDN. They cover school fees to attend local government schools as well as help with costs of books and school uniform. These bursaries don’t come under our child sponsorship programme so we always fundraise for them separately.

Over the last couple of weeks a small group from Canada have been making donuts and selling them to raise money specifically for these bursaries. They made over 70 dozen donuts (840+ donuts!) and raised just over $4300CDN! Wow!! This $4300 provides the means for 33 students to attend secondary school! Amazing!

If you didn’t get a chance to eat any delicious donuts and make a donation but would still like to help support a secondary school student continue their education, you can make a donation by clicking here. http://www.beyondourselves.co.uk/donate/alternative-gifts/item/3/28/secondary-education--annual-/?a=sl

Thank you to those in Canada for making and eating so many donuts and for giving so generously!!

A Big Thank You & The Beyond Ourselves Golf Day

Thank You

Well thank you so much to all those who supported our Christmas text book appeal. Many of you bought much needed text books which will be so helpful to the children at the schools we partner with. We hope that the cards we sent you instead of a physical gift were well received.

As much as dogs aren’t ‘just for Christmas’, alternative gifts are also definitely not just for Christmas. We have honed our Alternative Gifts page down as we have recently evaluated how best to partner with the community when it comes to Alternative Gifts and endeavoured to find a better way to resource and empower those in need.

To this end, we will be working in even closer partnerships with the schools to identify the most vulnerable individuals and families who are in a crisis situation, and resource them accordingly. Any donations that we have received for Alternative Gifts that have as yet not been distributed will be placed in this crisis fund for the community. If you have any questions about your previous Alternative Gift purchases then please do contact us.

Please do Click here to visit that section of our website for any alternative gifts you may like to buy. It’s great to send gift cards to those ‘who you can’t think what to buy for’.

Beyond Ourselves Golf Day

The days are getting lighter and that means that the fair weather golfers will start brushing down their clubs. We have the perfect occasion – the annual Beyond Ourselves Golf Day. We have changed the venue to Crews Hill Golf Club. Please save the date and either come as a team or an individual. Full details will be out shortly. 

Please contact Karen@beyondourselves.co.uk for more details.

If you’re not a golfer, please come to the post golf party/BBQ. Always good fun and a great fundraiser.

BBQ, Kazza’s cocktails (!), great raffle prizes and an auction.

Tickets will be out shortly. 

Introducing Sheba

At the start of this year we welcomed a new member of staff to the Beyond Ourselves team in Zambia. Sheba Kafwimbi Moyo is a Zambian Headteacher who has been working in Community Schools since she graduated in 2005.

Sheba is taking over as Education Empowerment Co-ordinator from Emily Pearse, who leaves Beyond Ourselves at the end of February after three and a half years in the role.

We asked a few questions of Sheba for this blog in order that we can all get to know her a little better.

Sheba, tell us a bit about how you came to become a teacher.

"I come from a family of teachers. My mother is a teacher of English and Religious studies and my late father was a lecturer at a Bible college for most of my childhood. In a way, they both inspired me to become a teacher.

When I completed Secondary School I received a scholarship to study as a Early Childhood Teacher Trainer at a college in my hometown, and I've never looked back since. Teaching, training and supporting teachers is my passion, and something that I see myself doing for the most of my career."

Tell us a bit about your family/home life.

"My husband, Donald, is a Pastor and also works as an accountant. Together we have three beautiful girls, Rhema, Lusako and Tikondwe who are 6, 4 and 2 respectively. We also live with 3 other girls, an adult and two teenagers whom we look after as part of our extended family.

Our home life revolves around parenting, serving as assistant pastors in our church and work. So as you can imagine, life can get quite busy!"

The Moyo Ladies

Sheba and Donald

Why have you joined Beyond Ourselves?

"I joined Beyond Ourselves because I have a passion for education, more especially literacy in disadvantaged communities. When I came to know of Beyond Ourselves, I discovered that the organisation had a similar passion. I feel that through Beyond Ourselves I have the opportunity to have a greater impact in improving literacy levels in Zambia.

This past week we've conducted literacy training with teachers and representatives from the Ministry of General Education as part of the Jolly Phonics Pilot we've been commissioned to organise. It's been quite an experience meeting the teachers and headteachers and seeing their enthusiasm and willingness to learn how they can be more effective in teaching reading and writing. These are the types of experiences that energise me and that I can look forward to being a part of through Beyond Ourselves."

What do you do for fun?

"I enjoy family outings, going for picnics and family road trips. My hobbies include reading, listening to music, cooking and baking. I am also a singer/songwriter."



By Dan Whitcombe
- Dan and his wife oversee the work of Beyond Ourselves in Zambia and have been living in Ndola since 2013.

Happy 2018!

It seems impossible to start a new year without thinking ahead to what that year will all entail. As I look at our 2018 wall calendar in our office here in Zambia, I see the school terms mapped out and the dates of teams and visitors and am aware of the work and planning that needs to be done, I have a sense of expectation of the various training events that will take place, I already feel the sadness of a colleague and friend who will be moving back to the UK, I anticipate the excitement of another colleague having a baby and so much more…

The first exciting event of the year has already happened for us as a team. We have had a new member of staff join our Zambia team as of the beginning of the month, Sheba Moyo. Sheba will be involved in improving standards at the schools we partner with but will also be facilitating the Jolly Phonics pilot this year. We are excited about what she will bring to our team and to the schools we work with.

As we embark on the Jolly Phonics pilot this year, we feel we are sailing into new territory for us as a team. We are well versed in mentorship and in the teaching of literacy but expanding this to 22 schools is a big project for us. But, we are convinced Jolly Phonics is a fantastic resource and with the right training and mentorship, this resource could impact thousands of children in Zambia. It’s worth venturing into unchartered territory when we consider the potential positive impact of this.

The ongoing mentorship and support we give to the three community schools we partner with, couldn’t be closer to our hearts. Every year the head teachers we work with grow in their roles and we have a sense of anticipation as we look ahead to this coming year as we think about their leadership. They continue to raise the standards in their schools and be leaders in their communities.

We plan on investing time and energy into making some culturally relevant reading resources this year. This is something we’ve chipped away at for a couple of years now but feel like this is the year we will put our heads down to get this done. Together with the Jolly Phonics resources, these reading books could really impact literacy. It is energising to think about this potential.

We have four secondary school teams visiting Zambia this year, two from schools who have never sent a team here before. Between the four teams there will be about 65 young people that will visit us. We look forward to seeing these pupils engage in new experiences and have their eyes opened to new ways of doing things but also have their worldview's challenged.

All that said, this year hasn’t started as we had hoped and planned! There has been an outbreak of cholera in Zambia. The outbreak has mainly been in Lusaka but there have been confirmed cases throughout Zambia, including the cities in which we live and work. The latest numbers are that there have been at least 2700 people infected with cholera. Because of this, all schools (nursery to tertiary) have been ordered by the government to be closed for the month of January and there are also restrictions on public gatherings of people for events such as weddings, funerals and church. With these measures in place, as well as several others, it is everyone’s hope that the outbreak will be contained quickly.

All of the schools we work with are closed for all of January and we had seven days of Jolly Phonics training planned for this month which have needed to be postponed. As a team we are continuing to work with the head teachers this month and are focusing on writing up some school policies as well as doing additional planning for the term ahead. We are also taking a bit of time to homeschool our own children who are also not in school this month!

If you are one to pray, please pray this outbreak is contained quickly so people stay well and so schools can resume in February. Thank you!

Here’s to an exciting and adventurous 2018!

By Melissa Whitcombe

Buy The Book

The teachers at the schools we partner with daily commit themselves to teaching their classes despite facing challenges of limited classroom resources. In 2014 the Zambian government made significant changes to the Zambian Curriculum and over the last few years the government have rolled out a wide range of textbooks to assist in its implementation. Unfortunately, textbooks are expensive for schools to purchase so teachers often only have one or two textbooks per class for up to 45 pupils. This means that children either crowd around textbooks that are available, or the teacher ends up using significant portions of the lesson copying large bodies of the text, including diagrams, onto the chalkboard for children to gain access to the exercise the teacher wants them to complete. 

 

This Christmas, Beyond Ourselves is running a campaign especially to help schools in Zambia purchase these most valued of resources.

One textbook for just £5.00 (http://www.beyondourselves.co.uk/donate/alternative-gifts/item/3/57/text-book/?a=sl)

A set of five textbooks for £25.00 (http://www.beyondourselves.co.uk/donate/alternative-gifts/item/3/25/text-books/?a=sl)

This Christmas, would you gift a book to Zambia?

Do it, Buy the Book, Change a Life.

The Huge Potential of Jolly Phonics

We could be on the cusp of something significant.

In the last 18 months Beyond Ourselves has grown links with Jolly Phonics (a literacy programme based in the UK which has had significant success worldwide). In the past Jolly Phonics has given us some resources to use in the schools we’re working with, but last February the founder, Christopher Jolly, came out to Zambia to explore the potential for how Zambia could benefit from Jolly Phonics.

Long story short, in September 2017 Christopher and myself presented to the Permanent Secretary for General Education, who then commissioned a couple of pilots of Jolly Phonics in 9 schools in Ndola and further 9 in Lusaka. Beyond Ourselves is taking on the role of managing these pilots, making sure they happen and trying to ensure that the pilots are as effective as possible.

Meeting with the Permanent Secretary for Education about the Jolly Phonics Pilot we're overseeing in Zambia

           Chris Jolly explaining how Jolly Phonics could transform literacy levels across Zambia        

If things proceed on schedule (and that’s a big IF, the road to success is often bumpy and potholed here) we could be in for a significant year as we see an impact in the literacy levels of these schools.

Jolly phonics has already travelled this journey in Nigeria where it is now part of the National Curriculum after proving itself in a number of successful pilots. Therefore it feels as though it is not unreasonable to be excited about the potential that we could be involved with raising literacy levels of the nation.

As I said, we could be on the cusp of something significant.

By Dan Whitcombe
Dan and his wife oversee the work of Beyond Ourselves in Zambia and have been living in Ndola since 2013.

Joy At Kawama As The New Classroom Block Is Built

“The building is finally complete!” says teacher Florence (baby class teacher) with a huge smile on her face. Kawama Community School has not had an early years classroom since its inception in 2008.

Both the baby class and reception class used to use the church hall as their classroom and it used to be a lot of work because every morning the teachers had to set it up, put posters and pictures on the wall as well as all their teaching aids. After knocking off, the teachers would remove their teaching aids off the walls. This process was time consuming and every time she set up the posters, teacher Florence always hoped for a more permanent class for the early years classes. This was not good for the teaching aids as their life was reducing at a quicker rate.

Using the church hall as classrooms was hard as sometimes the church building needed to be used for some other church programmes during the week. The babies didn’t have a permanent place to call their own.

With so much delight, teacher Annie (reception class teacher) shares how happy she is with the completion of the new classroom block and she is thankful to all that made it possible for this building to be complete. She adds that the teachers have proudly displayed all the pictures, posters and teaching aids and these aids will no doubt have a longer life span. Now the children have big classes with their own storage area.

Mary (the Head teacher) was filled with so much joy and gratitude for the completion of the early years class. Cephas (the School Director) could not hide his joy as he shared his delight and gratitude on the completion of the early years classroom block. He was thankful to Beyond Ourselves and its partners for making it possible for the completion of the building and making the babies’ dreams become a reality. He also thanked the community for their contribution by supporting the clothing sale that helped raise some money for the building.

Indeed, there is nothing more fulfilling than putting a smile on a little child, it gives hope that the future is not as dark as they may have thought. Thank you to all our partners.

The Admin Team Trip To Zambia

Thoughts from Sue and Nicole who came on our admin trip in October...

"My recent trip to Zambia with the Beyond Ourselves team was an education beyond anything I could have imagined.

Our days were kept very busy visiting the various schools where we interviewed the children and their parents/carers. It was such a pleasure to meet and learn more about the families and their culture. They are so grateful for their education and the opportunities they have been given. The children are full of smiles and very proud in their school uniforms. They’re always ready to have their picture taken!

I found the visits into the local community homes particularly humbling where the adults are imaginative and industrious in their mission to provide for their families. They go about their day with calmness and peace despite the many challenges that they face.

I’d heard a lot over the years about the great work the Beyond Ourselves team do in Zambia and felt extremely privileged to experience it first hand. You guys are amazing. Your dedication and commitment to making a difference in Zambia is something to be very proud of."

- Sue Coates

"The October Admin Team trip was my first time to Ndola, Zambia, and my first time to Africa! It was a pack-full week with new and different experiences I have ever come across. We interviewed students with their families and were graciously welcomed by local Zambians, from various communities, into their homes, both of which put life into perspective and reminded me to be grateful and humble for everything I am blessed with. At the interviews, what quickly became apparent to me was the joy the students felt in attending their respective schools, the dedication and passion the teachers have for their profession, and just how much the schools have helped improve the lives of many vulnerable children and the community as a whole! Overall, the trip was an important learning curve for life-lessons and it made me aware of all the good hard work Beyond Ourselves carries out, always striving to enable the locals to feel powerful and self-sustainable. I am so thankful to have been part of something that is bigger than myself."

- Nicole Thomas

Royal Parks Half Marathon

Another beautiful sunny morning for the Royal Parks Half Marathon which took place on 8th October.

This year we had 10 brilliant runners – 6 from Cranleigh School, 3 from Citi Bank and Ollie from Christ Church Cockfosters – all with the aim of getting round as fast as they could AND raising funds for Beyond Ourselves.

Well done to:

Sam Cooke, Melanie Hill, Amanda Reader, Claire Lock, Annie Seargent, Alex Forsdike, Tim Tilley, Josh Mulley, Alan Oakley & Ollie McGahon.

And a big THANK YOU for raising over £4,000!

Tim, Jerry (supporter this year) and Alan

Sam, Alex, Claire, Amanda, Melanie (Behind) and Annie

Ollie McGahon

If anyone is interested in running the Royal Parks next year, let Karen know.

karen@beyondourselves.co.uk

International Teachers' Day

International or World teachers day is celebrated on 5th October every year.

It is a time to celebrate the many great achievements of teachers from all around the world.

                              

In Zambia we call this day ‘Teachers appreciation day’ and teachers are often acknowledged in some way for the great work they do.

The theme for 2017 is ‘Teaching in freedom, empowering teaching.’ A theme that is perfect for the relationship we have with our schools. Our head-teachers work hard to motivate and empower the teachers in their schools and love to celebrate their successes, as do we. 

Here is teacher Patricia celebrating the children’s efforts with her grade 1 class:

According to the UNESCO Institute of Statistics, the world needs 69 Million teachers if we are to achieve universal primary and secondary education by 2030. But the challenge is more than just a number problem it is also about ensuring good quality of teaching and learning within schools.

The school we work with are community schools, which means they have been set up as a community need but do not receive government funding for salaries. Beyond Ourselves pays the wages for 31 different teachers and we would love to ensure the teachers salaries continue to be paid each month.

So this month we’d like to ask you if you would consider making a contribution towards these salaries to help us continue celebrating and valuing the hard our teachers do. 

The link below will take you to our gift page. You can make a one off donation, commit to sponsoring monthly or even pay a years salary

http://www.beyondourselves.co.uk/donate/alternative-gifts/

Thank you on behalf of the Zambian teachers we work with - we are so grateful for all the support we receive.

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

We Welcome Linda to the Beyond Ourselves Team!

Hi, My name is Linda Kaluba Zimba and I am pleased to be the newest member of the Beyond Ourselves Zambia team. I was born and grew up in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, and come from a family of four siblings in family of 4. My father died when I was 9 and my mum passed away a year later. I understood then that education was very important to enable me to look to the future. The four of us moved in with our Auntie and she made us all continue with schooling. Today I thank God for my auntie because without her maybe my story would have been different today.

In 2009, I married Archie Zimba and moved to Ndola where I started studying for my Law degree (long distance education) whilst working for an Organisation called Seeds of Hope International Partnerships (SHIP). I worked with them for 8 years and rose to the position of Administration Manager, before I left to join Beyond Ourselves in February of this year.

At Beyond Ourselves, am proud to say am the first Zambian employee and I do Administration and also community work. I have always had a passion for helping people in my own little way because personally I have also benefited from people that have assisted me through my life. My role at Beyond Ourselves connects me to many others I really enjoy having an opportunity to work within the schools. My goal in life is to leave this world a better place than I found it. With my experiences as a child and losing my parents I would love to inspire even one child in a similar situation and help them.

When not working, I like to spend some time with my family at home and visiting relatives. I take advantage of my free time to be with my 3 children playing and creating memories with them. 

I also love travelling and one day I would like to see other places in the world and especially visit UK, USA and Japan. I would enjoy seeing and appreciate other people’s cultures and learn from them. So far I have only visited South Africa and certainly enjoyed my time there.

My other interests are listening to Gospel music, watching movies and reading.

I don’t really have a favourite food but I do enjoy eating Nshima (Zambia’s staple food) with Ifinkubala (Caterpillars), something I am sure many of the people reading this would not try. When we all go out as a family on an occasional dinner out we really enjoy pizza.

One of my pet hates is when some one is filled with self-pity and to such I always encourage them to look to their dreams because no matter how tough life is, the sun will eventually shine in one way or another.

For me God has been the centre of my life and he has surely seen me through it all and for that I will forever be thankful for the kindness and mercies he has shown me. Hard-work and focus have also kept me going and wanting to learn more and more has helped me in life.

Linda Kaluba Zimba