Back to School - Part 1

Today the kids in my neighborhood returned to school.  It is a beautiful, sunny day, the giggles and excitement were fun to hear.  They catch their bus just outside my driveway.   As I pondered on my next blog topic this mornings activity decided it for me.

While in Zambia we dedicated two new schools!  Two!  Schools that Hands of Hope built because ladies here helped to raise the money a dollar at a time.  Schools that their government should have built but would not.  The new schools are in very remote areas where children would have to walk many miles to attend a school closest to them.  Now in these two villages school is accessible.

I am bouncing emotionally  between our two cultures.  Our neighborhood children climb on a bus and go a beautiful school about one mile away.   Their school has electricity, plumbing (toilets, drinking fountains, sinks), supplies and beautiful surroundings. The schools are clean and neat!  For my neighbors and grand daughters  I am glad.  They have highly trained teachers and for that I am glad.  Even with classroom sizes fuller than we might prefer the education our students are receiving is superior to most of the world. 

The schools that we dedicated in Mongu are new with fresh paint and newly shaped  cement blocks.  Hands of Hope provided desks and black boards.  (Oh yes, Smart Boards are not even in the vocabulary listing and computers are so out of reach that even the teachers do not have them. )

The desks are simple and made locally.  Many times when a school is built there are no desks or black boards.  These students, poor as they are starting out well.  


School supplies as we know them do not exist.  Backpacks are not needed as there is nothing to put in them.  Pencils, notebooks are pure luxury but education does go forward. To read and to write are the beginnings of a changed life.  Knowledge opens doors that ignorance shuts.

This school is a gift for many generations to come.  My prayer and with the work and efforts of Hands of Hope we can help these villages to become communities that can sustain a quality of life that helps to break this cycle of poverty and ignorance.  We do not come in giving hand outs, that method has proven time and time again to not work.  It does not work in our country and it has not worked in Zambia.  So education and walking beside them, teaching them to stand on their own is a slow process but one that will stand the test of time.

I LOVE giving gifts and when I choose a gift I spend a lot of time thinking about the receiver and the joy the gift will bring.  What a  thrill to be part of the gift giving in this particular village!  Hands of Hope brought an 'unheard of' gifting for the school. These gifts were over the top exciting.  The bestowing of new soccer balls, two different colored T-shirts and soccer shorts for their 'team' were the most delightful part of my time at this celebration.  It was pure joy to see these boys faces light up.  Soccer uniforms, a luxury beyond comprehension.  Added to this, two trophy's were included.  The trophies will travel between the winning teams so others too will benefit, should they win. :)  This school has bragging rites that will spread to other schools and villages.  This excitement will bring encouragement and hope at the same time.  It does not get much better for these villagers who live in the bush. 

.  "And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive."  Acts 20:35 (Bible)