Need some inspiration today?

Let us introduce you to Chris Kenessey. Chris is just days away from embarking on a climb to summit the tallest mountain in Europe, Mt. Elbrus. Not impressed yet? Mt. Elbrus towers 18,510 feet above the earth, which is over 4,000 feet higher than our own Mt. Rainier.

Still need some convincing? How about this: Chris is climbing to raise money for Dwankhozi Hope. This is the THIRD mountain he has climbed to support DH. His first two expeditions raised  $11,000 to help construct school buildings, and this latest fundraiser has already reached nearly $7,000!

Check out Chris’ crowdrise page here to learn more about his passion for the Dwankhozi Community, and if you’re as inspired as we are, help him get closer to his goal!

And watch his video below…we’re cheering you on Chris! Thanks for your incredible efforts to support the Dwankhozi community!

For those of you who are sitting in Seattle, worried sick about lil’ old me due to my lack of posting, fear not! Your fearless narrator, and more importantly the rest of the group, is just fine. 🙂

We have arrived in our final Zambian resting place of Lusaka and are just hours away from beginning our journey back home.

As always, I will start with the good news (not that there is really any bad news in this scenario). All 16 of our bags have arrived and are in our possession. That is right, after all that, we finally have all the supplies that are soon to be on their way to Dwankhozi.

Since I don’t have a ton of time or really any pictures to throw your way, I will keep this update brief.

We had a wonderful time at the game reserve. The food was great, the service was top-notch, and other than the bats that swarmed inside of the ladies’ chalet, the lodging couldn’t have been better. We saw pretty much every important animal you could think of other than hyenas, so the actual safaris themselves were breathtaking.

After arriving in Lusaka, we got all of our luggage, got to the hotel and proceeded to transfer all of the supplies (some 10 bags worth) into trash bags that we could give to Bertha later today. We went to Mike’s Kitchen for dinner, which is an odd mix of the Cheesecake Factory (due to their tediously long menu), Chuck-e-Cheese (from the arcade and trampolines), and Red Robin (from overall feel). We watched Argentina win their quarter final game, and then headed back to Protea.

Today we slept in, ate breakfast at our whim, and are soon going to head to the local Sunday market to grab any souvenirs that we may want to bring home.

Really, this post was to let you know that 1) we are all still safe and sound and 2) that our bags arrived and the supplies are soon to be on their way to Dwankhozi. I apologize that the post is not much more exciting than that.

Please continue to stay tuned to the blog over the upcoming weeks. Once home, I will post a link to a gallery of some of my favorite photos from the trip, I will make a couple of different videos, and I am sure there will be more updates as well.

Thank you again for your continued support and wish us luck on our way home.

Cheers,

Ryan

NOTE: This is the second part of a two-part blog. Again, the internet is not really cooperating, so there will be a slight lack of photos.

It began at 3am as we lay in complete darkness. First it was just once, but within 15 minutes it was like clockwork. Every 10 seconds one of the many roosters surrounding the farm would sing his song. I am told that you get used to it, perhaps as I have to the sounds of traffic outside my window in Seattle. Nevertheless, Rene and I did our best to sleep until the time our alarm began to blare at 05:10.

Getting up out of bed, we dressed, attempted to un-dishevel ourselves (or is it just shevel?) and went outside to catch a ride back to the village. CJ and his friend were sleeping in the truck, so a quick knock turned a car-sleeper into a chauffeur. Within 5 minutes, we were back in the village and greeting Martha and her mother.

Martha’s morning chores were similar to that of the night before. She scrubbed the pots and plates, bathed, swept, and put on her school uniform and within 15 or so minutes, we began the 2km walk back to school. During this walk, the groups of students were far less spread out. Martha walked with a group of 5 boys, her friend Gertrude, and her younger sister.

As fast as the sun went down and it got cool the night before, the sun was just as quick to come up and begin baking. I suddenly wished I hadn’t worn my fleece while carrying a 35lb backpack and a dual camera harness.

We got to school at 07:00, right on time, and Martha slipped into an empty desk and prepared for class. Her first class was science with Maurice Masala and the topic of the day was pollination. While Maurice threw pointed questions out to the class, many of which I didn’t know the answer to, Martha proceeded to answer each question under her breath with the accuracy of Ken Jennings. She was called upon a few times to answer a question, each time resulting in the same, correct reply. She was a force to be reckoned with. She proceeded to do the same through both her civics class as well as in mathematics. I was beyond impressed. Martha is just as devoted to her education as she is to her family – the model citizen of Zambia, not to mention the US.

After class let out, Rene and I went around the school grounds and took pictures of other children, the buildings, teachers, and other aspects of Dwankhozi that caught our attention. I couldn’t help but notice that everyone seemed to know Rene by name, and vice-versa. It was obvious that my time behind the camera has somewhat shielded me from those that surround me here at Dwankhozi – a sad truth that I hope to compensate for by continuing to introduce them to you.

Today, I was inundated with students wishing to have their picture taken. This is just one of many.

What would have turned into trash in the US has been repurposed into a backpack. So hipster.

The rest of the group arrived around 11:45 as Rene and I helped Bertha and the rest of the ladies prepare today’s meal. The amount of work going into the meal, and  even just into the creating of groundnut powder, is astonishing. We spent at least an hour pounding and sifting groundnuts just to be left with a small bowl of powder to show for it. Again, a craft best to be left to the masters.

Prior to the rest of the group returning to the school grounds, Rene captures another elusive photo of me. This time, I am sifting crushed groundnuts.

While we prepared, there was a meeting between the women of the community and the PTA that many members of our group participated in. A meeting that was supposed to last 30 minutes proceeded to take at least a few hours, albeit a very productive few hours. In the meeting, they discussed the groundnut program that they started this last year. In the program, they sponsored women by giving them $10 to start, which the women would start a farm with. The women would sell their nuts to the crop manager who would sell the nuts on the open market, the process would restart. They also talked about the adult literacy program. Last year, many of the community members were unable to sign their names, but due to the program were now able to do so.

As the meeting wrapped up, I was called over to help document a dance circle that had formed. The women of the community boisterously sang, full of joy, as the entire circle clapped in unison. Just as with any good dance circle, members of it would jump in at their whim and dance their hearts out. The QAE teachers joined with enthusiasm as smiles and laughs broke out across the crowd. It was truly a magical moment.

We then ate a delicious lunch as a group, recalling the day’s events as well as those of earlier this week. As plates emptied, the group split in two as some of the group left for another nearby primary school and the rest stayed behind at Dwankhozi. The women that stayed behind split off to teach the women of Dwankhozi how to make the bracelets that were so prominently promoted throughout this year at QAE while the males continued to build upon the relationships that they had created this week.

The afternoon finished out with playing a bit of football again, watching nettiball, and, finally, showing the QAE video that we presented during DH week to children and teachers who remained on the school grounds. The volume was a bit lacking, but it was a nice way to end our time together.

This man posed stoically, as his torn pants wavered in the wind.

Saying goodbye was incredibly difficult, even to someone who spent the majority of his time behind the camera rather than interacting face-to-face. Long, meaningful handshakes and hugs abounded as well as well-wishes and “see you soon”s. Soon enough though, we were back in the van and on our way to the Cross Roads Lodge, our Chipata home.

It was a very introspective ride back to the hotel. Looking out over the dark landscape littered with bush fires, one could not help but think about the children of Dwankhozi, some of whom undoubtedly live exactly where we are looking. With the friendships that we have built and the seeming progress the school has made, we can only hope that we can continue to make a difference.

Thank you again for continuing to tune into the blog. Your support is what has made this trip possible.

Cheers,

Ryan

Muli Bwanji! Zikomo for letting me be your guest blogger for today!

The head sister showing us the facilities at St . Margret’s Secondary School

Our Wednesday morning started with our usual talk about our plan for the day while having breakfast at the hotel. Today we scheduled a few stops before arriving at Dwankhozi Primary School. First we drove along the iron-rich, red dirt road to visit St. Margret’s Girls Secondary School. We were impressed by its vast and well-kept campus and comparatively developed buildings. The head sister gave us a school tour which included classrooms, common areas, enormous wood burning stoves with range tops the size an inner tube, and the sleeping areas that house 26 girls to a room. The reason for this visit was to get ideas for the secondary school Dwankhozi hopes to build in the near future. The next stop was at Vizenge health clinic where men, woman, and children waited for checkups and medical care. Beth and Laurie checked the facility and found that the maternity ward (a small building behind the clinic) was finished being built and now needed a furnished interior. This was yet another time we would have loved to have our checked luggage to fill the empty shelves with the medical supplies we packed. The supplies will end up here…eventually. We visited this clinic because in the near future, we are going to break ground on a new clinic in Dwankhozi. This clinic will allow the community closer access to medical care.

The wood-fires that create the gigantic stoves for this kitchen.

Mr. Kaluba teaching about the Voyages of Discoveries

Next we continued the familiar drive to our home for the week, Dwankhozi Primary School. The teachers got right to work observing classrooms and visiting with students. Mr. Kaluba requested we watch him teach and along with the children we learned about “The Voyages of Discovery.” We were in awe how the students chimed along, did group work, and shared their learning in front of the class. They drew their own maps and shared the little paper and pencils they had available. We quickly realized how fortunate we are to have maps, globes, and supplies at home to use for reference. We also realized how carefully the students drew maps of Africa and other parts of the world from their teacher’s initial example.

A student-drawn map of Africa showing the early explorers’ voyages of discovery.

School Motto: Education First

An intent learner

Next we continued our joint Queen Anne Elementary and Dwankhozi project with a few more classes. We have learned a lot about our young friends and are now calling them by name. We are excited to bring their work home to share with our students. During this time, the Dwankhozi-Hope staff was busy meeting with the project manager and Head Teacher to hear the status of the World Reader project that was launched last year.

Mr. Kaluba’s grade 9 history class

We ended the day with a trip to the local market. We were expecting a few food stands and were surprised to see a hubbub of activity and the variety of items for sale. Let’s say it was a one-stop shopping kind of place. It was fun to run into so many familiar faces and people happy to greet us. On the way out of town we only had 10 of the 12 of us packed in the van. We waved from the road toward the villages hidden behind the tall grasses that lined the tarmac. We hoped to be waving at the village that Ryan and Rene would be spending their night and morning in while shadowing the day-in the-life of a local grade-7 student, Martha. We are anxiously anticipating hearing how this experience was and look forward to having Ryan produce this story to share with the world. We watched out the van windows as the striking bulbous orange sun set and the familiar smell of  campfires filled the air. Tikawonane mailo (good night and see you tomorrow)! -Ciara Leckie

Last night we had dinner with Moses Masala (DH Projects Manager), Annie (his wife), and Nchima Nchito (a member of the DH Board here in Zambia); it was a wonderful way to start our time here in Zambia. As always, seeing Moses and his wife was a treat, but it was equally wonderful being able to talk with Nchima. We were able to talk with him about what is going on over here at Dwankhozi and on top of that we were able to pick his brain regarding what he sees as issues, how to solve those issues, and what his views are about education (along with other aspects of life). Unlike most dinners that we are accustomed to in the US, we stayed and chatted for a few hours until finally retiring to our rooms.

Riveting conversation before dinner with Moses, Annie, and Nchima.

After breakfast this morning we had two missions: 1) get the bags and 2) drive to Chipata. Notwithstanding our efforts, only one of those missions was completed. Read more to find out which of the missions was less than successful.

SPOILER ALERT: It was the bags.

The sign tells the story.

After getting to the airport and spending two or so hours figuring out where they were, we have discovered that they are in London. 🙁 So after a quick group meeting, we decided to split up the group and send most of us to Chipata while Beth and Donna stayed behind to wait for the supplies – and our clothes – to arrive. We packed the 10 of us into a van along with the bags that we did have as well as some of Bertha’s (Moses’ sister) and started on our journey.

Joe waits on a very picturesque staircase at the Lusaka International Airport.

The group meets up to discuss the less-than-stellar news at the airport.

The drive through the countryside was magnificent. Blue sky was interspersed with large, puffy cumulous clouds that made the landscape that much more beautiful. Passing through vast expanses of seemingly untouched country, small villages, and a couple of small towns, Moses masterfully maneuvered the van east to Chipata.

With only a couple of small bathroom stops and one stop for gas, we made it to Chipata by 6:45pm, checked into our hotel, and are now awaiting dinner with the teachers from Dwankhozi Basic School. Another day down, another journey completed, and still so much ahead of us; we cannot wait!

Our drive to Chipata from Lusaka was quite arduous, but Moses handled it like a champ. Weaving in and out of pedestrians that riddled the shoulders , potholes which were pervasive, and oncoming traffic, we arrived safely in Chipata this evening.

On the way to Chipata, Moses asked me to stop and take a picture of this sign – the high school he went to as a youth.

Again, stay tuned for more about our trip. I can almost assure you that the stories will only get more exciting.

Cheers,

Ryan

We are finally on our way!

After meeting at Beth’s house and fighting our way through Seattle traffic, we made our way through security and onto the British Airways 777 that promises to take us to London.

Being the first blog post of the trip, allow us to introduce ourselves:

Starting at the top left and making our way left we have Joe Bailey (a 5th grade teacher at QAE), Ciara Leckie (2nd grade teacher at QAE), Beth MacLean (DH’s Director of Programs), Rene Yokoyama (QAE kindergarten teacher). And in the second row starting from the left we have Rachel Marks (also a QAE kindergarten teacher), Donna Verhasselt (DH’s Director of Long-Term Planning), and yours truly, Ryan Ward (concerned citizen and husband of Rene Yokoyama).

We are all so excited to embark on this journey in order to continue building relationships with Queen Anne Elementary’s sister school in Zambia, Dwankhozi Basic School. But before we do anything, alas, we have to get to Dwankhozi (not such an easy task)! Our itinerary is as follows: 9-hour flight to London, 7-hour layover, 11-hour flight to Johannesburg, a small layover, a 2.5-hour flight to Lusaka where we stay the night, and then just a short 9-hour drive in a van to Chipata!

Altogether we have quite the journey ahead of us, but morale is high and the chance to strengthen ties between our QAE teachers, parents, and kids couldn’t be more of a motivation.

Feel free to comment, share the link to the blog, and stay tuned for daily updates about us, our journey, and our friends in Zambia.

Cheers,

Ryan