Friday 18th July

The team arrived safe and sound in Zambia after almost 24 hours of travelling and have set up camp with giraffes, zebras and monkeys all around! Today the team will be buying supplies for a barbecue and then preparing to travel to their project school in Mkushi where they will work and live within the local community.

Tuesday 22nd July

Nearly a week into the trip, the team has arrived at Itala Foundation School and Orphanage and have got stuck in to painting and plastering new classrooms. The Zambian students are in exam season and have tests in maths, English, the local language Bemba and social studies. In between studies, they have found time to play football and netball with the team, and exchange stories and games.

The team are thriving in this very different setting! Even on very cold mornings, they prepare excellent cooked meals and work as a team to keep the camp tidy.

Monday 28th July

The team did an amazing job on the project work at Mkushi! They plastered, painted and laid cement in a block of new classrooms and worked incredibly hard. They were commended by the skilled trades people that they worked alongside and were so efficient that they had to find more work for them!

Whilst taking a break from the hard physical work, many of the team got involved in running games and teaching dances to the children at the orphanage as well as cooking with the local women on open fires. Some of the team were able to teach lessons in the Itala Foundation School. Excellent lessons were planned and delivered in both English and Science to students ranging between 10 and 15 year-olds and class sizes of around 100 students. It was a moment our students should be so proud of!

After a week of project work, we were sent off with a celebration including an orchestra and poems and dancing by students from the orphanage. We arrived back at Eureka camp in Lusaka to reconnect with the zebras and giraffes that roam freely around the camp. The team now moves on to the adventure stage of the trip, with a visit to Victoria Falls and a three-day trek along the Zambezi river.

Monday 3rd August

The team have embarked on a three-day trek along the Zambezi river. Day one involved a steep descent into the gorge. Day two came as a huge physical challenge – clambering over rocks along the river, and on day three, the students took on the steep ascent back to camp. During the night, the team slept under the stars along the river bank and cooked dinner and breakfast on open fire. The whole team showed great resilience and determination and were rewarded with unique views of the river.

The weekend was spent on Safari, a three-hour boat trip to see elephants, crocodiles, hippos and water buffalo. Followed by a game drive to see giraffes, impala, antelopes and lions. Tonight will be a celebration of the end of the trip and tomorrow we will make the journey home. 

The students have shown respect, courage and huge amounts of personal development, whilst making friends and memories that will hopefully last a lifetime.

Ms Frewin, Trip Leader