First Report

First month Report

by Madelene Kjellgren at DAPP Child Aid, Serenje District in Zambia

When I first started working here in Serenje for DAPP, everything was very new so as our introduction we were mostly following our great companions Jafet, Mebin and Stanley out on the fields to meetings. To learn how you work, were you are needed and learn the roads so we would be able to find by ourselves. So the first two weeks we attended for ex seed distributions, youth clubs, stove building, meetings for chicken allowance and two days of teacher training…At the teacher training both me and Lucie prepared presentations for the pre-school teachers. Lucie talked about the body and me about the mind. Lucies topic was about safety, nutrition and the First Aid. She did really well and I think the teachers were learning a lot from it. My topic was about self-confidence, what it means, why it is important and how you can improve it. At the youth clubs we introduced new games and participated in their sport. Otherwise, at most of the meetings I didn’t feel very needed, because they were talking in bemba so I didn’t understand much. Then what we did mostly was to introduce ourselves, say some encouraging words and a couple of times I did some exercises with them to make them laugh in the middle of the boring meetingJ. We also attended general meetings at the office which was interesting for me because then I got a bigger view of how the project works. But after this two weeks I was really tiered of feeling un useful so then I started taking the work in my own hands. I discussed my ideas with our dear project leader Kenny which was very supportive. One of the ideas I had was to organized Hip hop and RnB – party for the youths between 12-17 years to inform them about HIV and Aids. For this party I worked hard and I spend pretty much of my own pocket money to make it as I wanted. I bought prices, lollipops, golden balloons and so on. I made the decorations by myself which came out good! The office looked very cool! I also went to the hospital to get broshyrs about HIV and free condoms to give out on the party. This was a bit complicated to get at first because they didn’t really make much of an effort to help me but I managed. And for the condoms I also put up a poster with condom instructions. I made a poster about the effects from marijuana and one for instructions for the competition about HIV.Kenny arranged for loudspeakers and microphones. I also went around asking youths if they new any artists here in Serenje and I managed to four of them to come and perform. I went around putting up posters for the party and the entrance fee was five answers to questions about HIV. The list with people coming was full. I also made a deal with a shop to buy a lot of drinks and sweats from them and what was not sold on the party I could give back and get the money. The party came out okay, I am not pleased. But it was my first time to organize something like this, and I saw many things I can improve for next time. The performances were very good, the competition came out just as I wanted and they were really fighting for the prices, all of the condoms were taken, we made a dance competition were we gave 16 hats to the winners were they had a lot of fun. I think that they really did learn something from the HIV and Aids competition and the way we were making it made them interested. A couple of days before the party me and Lucie went to Area 2 with the area leader Susan, before we had mostly been working in Area 1. When we arrived after bicycling 20 km to a school and pre-school we planned the day together with Susan. We were first going to attend a meeting, then we decided that I was going to organize my first Picture-club with the pre-school and that me and Lucie was going to attend a lesson at the school. After the meeting we went to the pre-school and watched the teacher go through songs, animals, numbers and similar. I thought he was a very good teacher for the children!Then I started my Picture club and with the teachers help I explained to them how we were going to do it. They made groups, two children in each. Every child choosed an animal they wanted to be, then me, Lucie and the teacher were painting their faces as this animal an sometimes used some leaves for rabbit ears and so on.Then I took the pictures of each group and tried to make them pose like the animals they choosed. Some children were very shy, others were really into their roles. We had a lot of fun and with my first picture club I am very pleased, of course I saw things to do better next time but I think I did good. Then I will print the pictures which will be given to the children. This pictureclub I will also introduce to Youth clubs but I will then make it more serious and difficult. The lesson at the school was not so good. It was short and I don’t think the pupils learned much from it. They were also, as ususal, scared of the teacher. Scared of answering wrong and so on. The following two days were planned pretty much the same, but then one day we joined a Youth Club and introduced some new games to them and so on. At the next pre-school we went through the colors and numbers and taught them two new songs with dances and a new game for them to remember the colors in a fun way. We attended a lesson at another school were I was positive surprised, it was a good teacher which seamed to know his subject and he involved the students in a nice way. I enjoyed my staying in Area 2 and it was nice to again be living in a beautiful home in the bush. Susan took good care of us and we had a lot of fun with her and had nice conversations. Lucie has been preparing a very good income generaiting activity. She has been practicing to make baskets, toys and of course many other things is possible, out of corn leaves. They are for free and very available. She organzed a workshop and the day before we were going she teached me how to do it so I could help her. In the village Kebumba 30 people had registrated and more came that was interested. Together we prepared the leaves and then we splited in two groups. Lucie taught baskets, which is harder and I taught how to wave maths. It all went very well and we had a lot of fun! When I had teached my group I started teaching curious children who really enjoyed trying and a managed to explain with a mix between, bemba, English and body language. They got the math and very afterwards very proud. After this Lucie is organizing exhibition were the people can come and sell their baskets and so on. She has been doing a very nice job!This month we also went back to Lusaka to extend our VISA which went fine, we are lucky to get help from a guy name Paul that knows people at the immigration, it took us 10 minutes but for others it can take hours, even days.

I have really been enjoying my time in Zambia, I like our house, I love this little town Boma, I really enjoy meeting and talking to the people here and it is so beautiful it can make you speechless!I am looking forward to the rest of my time here and hope I will be able to give and receive a lot!