Project Sites Part I

Project Sites part II

The Need for the Project

Hi All,

Here's a video we've made giving you an idea of the need for projects like this to exist. Thank you for your continued support and for helping to make a difference.

Back to work and battle of the titans

Hey PZ followers,
After an incredible weekend in Livingstone the team were back at our project sites around Lusaka on Tuesday morning. It was an especially important week for Tom and I as the match between our football teams was drawing ever closer!

The eagerly anticipated contest finally took place on bank holiday Monday as my boys from the mighty Wembley Delta travelled to the home of Socehaz FC NRDC community ground in Mutendere. The game definitely lived up to the hype as both teams were keen to show off their footballing ability in front of the gathering crowd. Tom’s side settled first and had the better of the play as both sides grappled for superiority in the opening minutes. However, it wasn’t long before Wembley got to grip with the pace of the game and started stroking the ball around in a manner that has been rumoured to have inspired the likes of Pele and Maradonna to the beautiful game. Their dominance soon got it’s just deserts as Chilufiya latched on to a wonderful through ball from Raul “Loreno” Bravo to stroke the ball home for the opening goal.
This dominance lasted for much of the first half but, as one would expect from a team coached by someone whose so headstrong he’s been known to walk around the cold streets of St Andrews in nothing more than a pair of Speedo’s, Socehaz came storming back. And, their usual style which itself has been rumoured to have inspired the likes of Vinnie Jones and Robbie Savage to the ‘beautiful’ game led to the ball being bundled over the line in the dying moments of the first half.

The second half panned out in a remarkably similar way as the first however, Wembley struggled to convert their chances and as the game went on Socehaz grew and started to look the more likely to come away with a win. As extra time beckoned the younger members of the Wembley Delta side began to struggle and a lapse in concentration led to a forward galloping midfielder from the Socehaz being left unmarked and driving the ball home from some 25 yards. There was pandemonium in the crowd and on the pitch and with Wembley desperately charging forward to get a late equalizer Socehaz wrapped up the victory with a flowing counter attacking move.
Obviously, I was devastated by the loss but it was an incredible game and the boys thrived playing in a more intense environment from their usual games. I only wish that I’d gone for the Chelsea style of play like Tom as, even in Zambia, Arsene Wenger’s beautiful football doesn’t produce the necessary results!

Anyhoo, Matt, Harriet, Sheila and I have packed our bags as we leave on Wednesday for ten days in the rural village of Chongwe living off insects and relieving ourselves in a hole in the ground...the other four will face a similar fate when they head off to Liteta on Thursday! I know it’s going to be hard to live without any updates on this little blog but stay tuned as Ailsa has been sent home with two videos that should give you more of an idea of what we’ve been up to out here!

Love to all,

Kyle and PZ x

Time for a break... well kind of.

Morning PZ Lovers!

Last weekend the PZ massive plus our staff member Ailsa ventured to Livingstone- the Zambian side of the Victoria Falls. We started off from a very hectic Lusaka Bus Terminal, being mauled by over-eager coach salesmen, at 6:00, for a departure time of 6:30- but being in Zambia we were doubtful of leaving before 10:00. Alas it turns out the only thing that runs according to British standards here in Zambia is the Bus system: so we left promptly at 6:30. After a 6 hour journey south, accompanied by Westlife, Backstreet Boys and the massive phenomenon Celine Dion, we arrived at our destination, enthusiastic to throw ourselves off bridges, down rivers and into whatever strange scenarios we came across. Our first hiccup came when we appeared at Jollyboys Hostel reception to find no booking under our name- just one twin room for Ailsa. After negotiating to negotiate in the morning, we settled in our dorm and left for the natural wonder of the world Livingstone is famous for. After being told by Mel (the new SIA sport ambassador) to be prepared to get wet, we rocked up in shorts and t-shirts-some less suitable for a drenching than others. We ventured across the knife’s edge bridge to find the only rainfall in Zambia. The spray from the falls was incredible, reaching at least the height of the falls again (111ft in case you were wondering) above the gorge height. After a good ol’british photo session we took the bus back to town for a nice meal at a restaurant ran and staffed by local youth workers- being trained on the job.

The next day was the big one, rafting down the Zambezi River. After nervously meandering our way down a sheer, wooden ladder system we reached the bottom of the gorge, split into Team Zambezi (Harriet, Lyndsay, Sheila and I) and Team Awesome (Ailsa, Siena, Tom and Kyle) and started our journey through rapids 10-25. After several capsizes- some purposeful, some not – we safely made our exit to lunch served alongside the river- watching the Lions test. After, we made our way on to the sunset cruise to have dinner and drinks under the twilight of the Zambian moon.

The next day began bright and early for Tom and me, with micro lighting over the Victoria Falls. The feeling of flying over such an incredible sight – the locals call it Mosi o Tundra (The Smoke that Thunders) - was indescribable. We flew over herds of elephants, giraffes and zebras, hippos snoozing upstream in the Zambezi, deserted hotels in Zimbabwe as well as circling the falls several times for some excellent video opportunities. Meanwhile the rest of the girls and Ailsa went on the hunt for the “Big Five” on a game drive through the national park. Seeing the majority of the animals in the natural environment was an experience definitely worthwhile, and the chance to see some giraffes doing what animals do best was, I’m sure, an everlasting memory.

Our final day kicked off with breakfast on the edge of the falls, and when I say edge I mean about half a metre away, on a slippery rock, with a random Zambian holding your hand as a ‘health and safety precaution’. This was where Dr Livingstone saw the falls for the first time and for us, a breathtaking encounter in the morning sunshine, with rainbows framing the falls. Lyndsay and Siena, inspired by Tom’s and my adventures, also took to the skies micro lighting in the afternoon. In their opinion “The scariest yet most amazing experience of their lives!” I (blowing my entire life’s savings) decided to gorge swing over the Zambezi- involving a jump similar to a bungee jump, except not upside down, facing forwards with a freefall of 55ft, (check out the jump at Abseil Zambia on Facebook –an innocent plus that I promised) which was completely exhilarating. Everyone was far too scared to even watch let alone take part (just kidding). Tom also went on his lion walk, which consisted of distracting the rather sizeable lions with a stick so that you could stroke them.

All in all a fantastic weekend and an awesome break from the hustle and bustle of Lusaka and a deserved break after five weeks of hard work even if Kyle and Matt did miss out on seeing the British Lions.

Lots of Love

Katie (and the PZ team)
xxxxxxxx

Matt and Siena Hold A Tag Rugby Tournament

Dear PZ Followers,
Last Wednesday we held a tag rugby tournament for the children (aged 9-14) of three schools within which I have been working with Siena. The tournament involved approximately 100 children and provided a fun filled afternoon during which their skills could be showcased against fellow peers. The high skill level shown by the children was a real testament to the dedication that many put into their training every week, and also clearly showed the natural talent and flair of the children we work with.
The tournament was like no other I have experienced there were well over one hundred spectators and this made for a competitive, friendly atmosphere, there was also a real carnival vibe from the singing and dancing that took place pitch side.
The day was a great success and enjoyed by all those in attendance, including the national news broadcaster ZNBC! The level of interest was such that we hope to organise another tournament for the children during our final week in Lusaka.
Best Wishes,
Matt and the PZ Team

Half way there...

Dear PZ followers

Today we were all invited to a press conference to announce the involvement of St Andrews with Sport In Action, as well as announcing that Mel Marshall as their Sports Ambassador. Various journalists were there- including the Times and the Post, alongside TV news crews. Amongst guests of honor was the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Sport, the President of the Sports Association and a member from the Ministry of Education. The proceedings were quite formal, with speeches from the top table - including me - followed by questions from the press and guests, leading to discussions into the politics of sports in Zambia.

Later in the afternoon we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit a hospice - Our Lady's in Kalingalinga. The hospice is for victims of AIDS, catering for both inpatients and outpatients. When we arrived we were all struck by the peace and tranquillity of the surroundings - the buildings were like clinics in the UK and ahve all beeen sponsored by different countries such as Denmark and Ireland. The hospice has 5000 registered patients and 30 beds for inpatients. As there is currently a nurse's strike the hospice is full with patients from the main hospitals in Lusaka.

We were shown round a as a small group by an inspiring nurse who had worked thetre for over 20 years and invited us to be shown around the wards and meet the patients and their carers (usually whom are family). It was a very moving experience to meet the patients - some of which are terminally ill, in particular a 16 year old boy suffering from meningitis, TB and a severe chest infection. The doctors gave him only days to live. We were made to feel very welcome by all staff, patients and carers. This was a surprisingly positive experience as patients were treated with compassion in dignified surroundings. The sad thing is that this is one of only four hospices in Lusaka and their funding is in jeopardy. At the moment medication such as ARV's, anti-biotics to outpatients is free- but this may have to change.

The visit really did hit home the reality of people living and dying with AIDS here in Zambia.

Ailsa

A busy week for PZ...

I hope everyone’s well and that Wimbledon is gracing lots of television screens (hoping that there hasn’t been too much rain yet!?) Everything is going really well over here in sunny Zambia, and Britain definitely feels like a million miles away; the Zambian culture is really sinking in! Last Friday saw the intrepid PZ group (along with new additions Ailsa and ‘VIP’ Mel Marshall) venture out of the securities of Lusaka into the second rural placement Chungwe. After an arduous off roading expedition (the site is situated half an hour drive off the main road along a very rough and tumble road!) we arrived at Chungwe school. Whilst the sporting team got to grips with Chungwe’s Sports Day and the Zambian High Jump, the counselling four gave a workshop to the Sport in Action Peer Leaders based in the Village. Definitely more challenging than Litete due to difficult language barriers, we focused on listening skills that would help the peer leaders in one to one situations with children. With the help of Lusaka based peer leaders, the language difficulties were overcome and it was definitely a hard, but rewarding day. However, Saturday was no day of rest for the PZ group, Tom had his weekly football match with the team he coaches (they won one lost one) and the counsellors held an intense workshop to the site coordinators and peer leaders based in Lusaka, which was really beneficial in highlighting the issues and difficulties peer leaders on site are dealing with on a daily basis. After a tiring day, the PZ group had a quiet Saturday evening, and a relaxing Sunday morning before watching Kyle’s football team (Wembley Delta t FC ) secure two successful victories in the afternoon. Another relaxing evening meant that everyone was well prepared for their busy Monday mornings. Katie and I spend our Monday morning at Chainama Special School leading a PE session, then on to Tionge Community School for a Grade 6 PE Lesson, where our focus was on HIV/Aids knowledge, which we incorporated into the lesson via a relay competition. Safe to say, we’re working hard, (in bed by 9 most nights no joke!) having fun and missing you all.
Love Lynds and PZ xx

PZTV

PZ does MTV Cribs. We'll be living here in Liteta for 10 days in a few weeks time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1o5C6EraL4

Liteta Village

Here's some footage of us in Liteta Village, we spent a day there last week and will be back here soon to take sports and counselling sessions for the local community. This time we'll be living in the village as well!

PZ Goes Rural

Since our last blog update there have been some revolutionary occurrences in the PZ house. (Mummy) Chris and (embarrassing uncle) Stephen have left us to return to sunny St Andrews, and Ian Gaunt and his new structured regime have arrived. All the teachers in our government schools are on strike over pay, so some of our classes have been entertainingly chaotic, as we turn up at our placements not knowing whether we’ll have 40 or 140 children to teach.

The highlight of our week came on Friday when we went to visit the rural village of Liteta. As we left the big smoke of Lusaka, shanty market shacks began to be replaced by rustic mud huts and the green expanses of banana and coffee plantations. Upon our arrival it seemed as if we had been greeted by the entire village, all of them so welcoming and friendly. We split up into two groups, with Katie and the boys leading football and netball sessions with the children, whilst Sheila, Lyndsay, Siena and I led a counselling workshop for the village peer leaders. Later on we travelled down the lane to the village chieftain’s collection of houses where his wife had provided lunch for all of us outside under the trees. This gave us a second opportunity to try out traditional Zambian cuisine.

Liteta is one of the two rural villages where we shall be spending two weeks at the end of our project. The chieftain took us to see where we would be living which was idyllically peaceful and guarded by two enormous turkeys, which were quickly named Paul and Ringo. Sheila rather unenthusiastically attempted to conquer her terror of birds, but the menacing turkeys proved too much for her.

As I write this the power has suddenly gone out all over our area and we have been plunged into darkness. So in the interests of saving power, its over and out from the PZ house.

Lots of love,

Harriet and PZ x x x

End of week 1...

Hello everyone,

Things are continuing to go well here in Zambia! We are well settled in now and began projects on Wednesday. We are grouped in pairs working at schools throughout Lusaka so everyone is having very different experiences. Zambian time (adding on at least two hours) and long days in the sunshine, with some of us starting our placements at 7.30 a.m. (unheard of for students) have become the norm! The sporting members have begun their coaching, and Tom’s football teams have already won two matches! Meanwhile, the counselling students have perfected our knowledge of traditional games and songs, whilst integrating messages about issues such as drugs, alcohol and HIV/AIDS. We are becoming increasingly aware of the challenges that communities here are facing. This has been shocking in parts, but has given us the motivation to work hard to try and help in any way that we can.

On Thursday, we celebrated Chris’ birthday with a highly successful top secret surprise party. Entertainment came in the form of a musical group formed by street children with home-made drums and kazoos and a traditional Zambian dance group which involved audience participation, much to our embarrassment! The weekend brought some welcome rest and a chance to visit a water park and cool off!

We are now looking forward to our first full week of projects!

Thanks for all your ongoing support!

Lots of love to you all!

Sheila & PZ

Xx x

Training Day

Hey Guys *in typical Lyndsay high-pitched voice!*

Well here we are after almost 5 days in Lusaka, and it already feels like we’ve lived here for months! We’ve just finished our two days training, and what a few days it’s been! After a slight change of plan due to a power cut (yes we didn’t have power for two days) we spent the first day having a tour of the placements on the back of a truck, which was amazing...and we met some incredible people that work for Sport in Action. We were made to feel like celebrities after being interviewed for ZNBC (Zambia’s National television station) and several Radio stations. The media coverage has been outstanding since arrival! After a tiring day, we all retired to our humbled abode to be greeted by another power cut, so ambience was found through candle light and takeaway pizza! Refreshed and ready for action, the second day of training was based on site at the Sport in Action office, where the morning was kicked off inspirationally by Pearson, one of the site co-ordinators who was found by chance by Sport in Action when they were short staffed...he was tiling the roof at the time. After teaching us many traditional games and chants, we’re definitely getting to grips with the Zambian passion for singing and clapping! The day continued with other Sport in Action members taking the lead and training us in various sections of their work and teaching us about Zambian culture, what to expect and a few basic Bemba and Nywagee phrases. The training was finished by Kizito, an incredible teacher who spoke excellently on HIV/Aids, helping us understand the Zambian mentality behind the virus.  In the evening we were treated to a traditional Zambian meal, cooked by the Sport in Action Crew. Caterpillars and chicken feet were all sampled (along with more stable potatoes, rice and nshima)! So, after two days of intense training, we are all feeling very excited for the weeks to come.  From tomorrow we will be working in our student pairs in our placement sites along with our Site co-ordinators and peer leaders. We can’t wait to see what the next few days will bring, and hopefully we will get to share our thoughts and experiences with you very soon.

Lots of Love,

Lyndsay and PZ

 

p.s. Katie sends good luck to all the Cricket girls in their BUCS Knockout game...x 

Muzugu arrive in Zambia....

Hey everyone, writing this from our very own house in Lusaka!! The lowdown is – weather hot and sunny, no malaria or sunstroke as of yet (score), house is nice but quite basic (had the first power cut this evening – the first of many I’m sure!), people are lovely and really friendly.  We arrived stupidly early yesterday and have done so much over the past couple of days I think we’re really starting to get a feel for the country. We’d only just put our backpacks down before an impromptu football game with some local children on their way home from school took place outside our house so it was great to get stuck in straight away. Training begins tomorrow at the Sport in Action HQ and we’re all looking forward to seeing where we will be working.

Yesterday we went to visit one of the sites we will be working at which was a great insight into the type of things we will be doing – we saw a local teacher giving a lesson on child rights in between football matches which was truly inspirational. We’ve had a look around a few of the western arcades which are surprisingly modernised with western supermarkets, cafes and even a subway and the local cultural market to suss the souvenir situation. First impression of Lusaka is bizarre – it’s clearly a massive city with a population of millions yet it has a great community feel to each area. We’re in ‘Kablonga’. First impressions of the people is that they are so friendly and have great energy about them – a random Zambian who we met insisted on showing a few of us around the area, then his house and baby son (cuteness). Internet situation is a bit limited so will write a much more detailed blog at a later date to tell everyone about our training. We’re all very positive and excited about starting and so happy to be here!! Hope it’s not raining at home, ‘cos it sure ain’t here!!

Love to all,

Siena & PZ xx

Orion Sportswear supports Project Zambia 09

Many thanks to the team from Orion for generously giving the PZ team some kit to wear whilst we're out in Zambia, and also for providing us with some great stash to give to the Zambian kids!

To check out more Orion kit log on to http://www.orionteamwear.com/... 

Love PZ xx

Getting started...

Hiya

First post of the Project Zambia 09 blog, pretty impressive eh? Just a basic update for now...

Fundraising is going well... but £22,000 is a massive target and anything/everything helps, so keep on giving by donating through the website (WWW.PROJECT-ZAMBIA.ORG).

We've also been told that as well as living/working in Lusaka we will have the amazing opportunity to stay in one of the villages with host families for a period during the end of our stay. What an experience!

Well that's all for now.

Take Care, Love

Katie (PZ) xxx