A Day about Progress
Hi again all! Yesterday we had another day of beautiful weather, enthusiastic kids and new experiences. The main stop of the day was at Hope’s former school and orphanage, two rented buildings that Hope used before it built the Shelby Goldstein Schoolhouse and the new orphanage. It was amazing to see the difference in size and basic usability in the old facilities and the new ones. At the old school building, we found out that there are now actually two schools operating there.
In a somewhat sad yet somewhat hopeful experience, we found out that the schools now in the building were set up by an individual donor who then lost interest in the project. Now the school is in the same place that Hope was when it first connected with Spark: too many children and too few teachers, inability to pay the teachers on time or at all, the desire but not the resources to give the children better education.
In the afternoon, we got to hear about how Hope made it from those circumstances to where they are now during a Q&A session between the teachers and the trip participants. We learned about everything from the content of what children are taught, how the teachers and students stay motivated to how each teacher’s salary is impacting the numerous children and relatives they have taken into their homes. For me, these are the best moments of our trips: speaking with the Hope staff and learning the truth about the circumstances here, both the good and the bad.
We are now looking forward to our final day in Ndola before we head to Lusaka tomorrow to see the poultry farm. I can’t wait to share with you our upcoming adventures!