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Hi Trevor,
Just to let you know we have arrived fine and are settling in well. Both
Lameck and Jim have been fantastic and we can't wait to get started at the
school. Jim said you'd want regular reports so we'll do our best to keep you
posted. The hostel is lovely. We have been exploring the town and chatting
to the locals - this must be the friendliest country I've been to. The UK
will seem hostile on our return!
Louise Murray and Edd Stobbart
* Trevor was Travellers UK Senior Desk
Officer for Zambia
* Kelly was Travellers UK Desk Officer for Zambia
* Lameck is Travellers Zambia Organiser
* Jim is Travellers Relations Officer
Hi Kelly,
I'm just writing [to say] Zambia, so far, in general, has been really good.
Livingstone is an amazing place to be, there is so much to do. Jolly Boys is
really good accommodation, I think it is seen by all here as the best place
to stay. And the atmosphere here is great, really laid back and sociable,
and Sue, Kim and Bex on reception are so helpful with organising trips and
giving advice.
The food is also really good, very nice and really big portions,
which is just what you need after a day out! Queen Victoria School has been a good experience. It has been
really nice meeting all the kids and they are so welcoming and interested in
us.
Thanks very much
Lyndsay Black
Hi Trevor,
We are all fine and having a lovely time. We started teaching yesterday and
although it was hard to wake up so early the kids love us and we are readily
accepted. After school we all make some lunch and rest by the pool together,
today most of us napped. The hostel is wonderful (honestly, the picture
online did not do it any justice). It is perfect and so gorgeous.
We plan on going to Victoria Falls tomorrow and maybe do some
activity there this weekend. Our wildlife sighting has consisted of two
lizards and the residential cats that roam the hostel and we are so anxious
to see some elephants.
This is so amazing and we love it.
Thanks!!
Verity, Shona, Harriette, and Wanda
Hi Kelly,
Just a quick email to say that I'm having a fantastic time so far! I went to
the school on Wednesday morning after having arrived Tuesday afternoon. it
is so depressing to see the state of the School - the ceilings are falling
down, holes in the walls etc., but the people there are so friendly and
brilliant!
I am starting teaching properly on Tuesday- I'm just observing for
the time being, earlier on today in one of the lessons, Mrs Mumbita, a
fantastic and helpful teacher, got me to teach for half of a lesson, after a
little while i soon got the hang of it - well, apart from writing on the
chalkboard! Then I had to mark what they had done - around 40/50 kids
holding their hands up/holding their books in your face will take a while to
get used to!
The other volunteers here are so nice and have done their best to
help me fit in, for which I am so grateful! I will keep you updated on how
I'm getting on. Best wishes,
Matt Riddell
Hi Naz,
I just wanted to express my thanks for the very brief but wonderful
experience I had at Tongabezi. I really enjoyed being in the classroom with
the children and I hope I made a small difference. I was so touched by their
assembly in honour of my leaving and I have taken a lot of photos to remind
myself of the days spent with you all.
I would like to send a donation to the school, so please could you let me
know the best method of sending it to you.
Thank you again. Kind regards to everyone.
Christine Rabbets
Dear Lameck
Now that I am back home safely, I wanted to express my appreciation of your
care of me while I was in Livingstone.
Thanks to you all the arrangements were successful and I very much enjoyed
listening to all your local knowledge and information. I am sure all the
volunteers are very fortunate to have you as their co coordinator. Thank you
again
Christine Rabbets Feedback:
What experience do you feel you are gaining?
I gained the experience of living and working with a varied group of
people in a different culture.
So far what is the best thing about your placement?
Tongabezi school was great. The staff and children were so welcoming
and they were very accommodating to us.
Lameck, the Zambia Organiser, was very good. He was a lovely man who did
his utmost to help us all out in any way he could. He was always on call
and visited us regularly and provided support when our group experienced a
few problems, such as someone becoming ill and someone getting mugged.
The two drivers our group had were both very reliable and it was good to
know they were on call for us.
All the staff at Fawlty Towers were so friendly and helped us out so much
it made the project even better.
Would you recommend this placement to anyone else?
I think Zambia is an amazing country and that Livingstone is a very
safe, friendly place. The locals were very good to us and appreciated what
we were doing as volunteers. Tongabezi school was beautiful and I loved
working there. The children and staff were inspirational, surviving on
what they had and by funding the school entirely through donations. The
experiences I gained from volunteering in Livingstone are priceless and I
hope to one day revisit the school and town as we made so many friends and
memories.
What type of person do you think this placement would suit?
I think most people would love the placement, especially if you like
children and working in challenging environments which lack valuable
resources. But most of all for people who would like to see a very
welcoming country in Africa and help make a bit of difference in an
amazing setting, only a few minutes from the stunning Victoria Falls.
Can you describe a typical day? (e.g Start time, morning duties, lunch
hours, afternoon duties, any other duties.... )
We would generally be picked up at 7.15am by our driver Watson. Watson
drove us the 17km out of Livingstone to Tongabezi school, which involved
driving through the local game park, so giraffe sightings were a regular
occurrence.
The school was next to Tongabezi Lodge and the Zambezi River. The
children had to be in school at 7.30am, although teachers didn't arrive
until 8am as the children would read with the assistants till 8am. If we
arrived in time I would go to the class room and help with the reading.
The duties varied between the different grades but were mainly assisting
the teacher. I was asked to take a lot of the English lessons for grade 6,
as well as marking and working with the slower learners.
All of the lessons were planned and used text books so we didn't
have to do any planning. Lessons would sometimes take place outside in the
morning as it was too cold in the classrooms. We would have break at
10.30am for 30 minutes where we sat in the library/ staffroom with the
teachers and had bread and tea. Lessons would then continue until
1pm.Everyday grade 6 would have English and Maths, then a mixture of
French, Tonga, Science, Religious Studies and PE.
At 1pm we had lunch for 1 hour, when we went and ate our lunch in
the lodge canteen. At 2pm the children were meant to come back to school
for afternoon activities, although not all of them did! The activities
ranged from sport, although this was mainly clearing the field and marking
out a track, art, poetry and performing arts. We set up an art club and a
music club where we taught recorders and keyboard. It was great teaching
the kids something new and seeing them develop from your teaching. We also
did cricket and football with the older kids, and games with the younger
children. Afternoon activities ended at 3.30pm.
Christine Rabbets |
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Christine Rabbetts
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