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Julie Oakman, 33
Zambia Medical and Orphan Programme
 Zambia Medical and Orphan Programme
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I am lucky enough to be taking a 6 month career break, my company had just brought in the policy and I thought if I didn't do it now I never would and I'd probably regret it. A motto that a friend of mine said to me has stuck in my head ever since….”you regret the things you don't do not the things that you do”.
My Zambia project took me to a community on the top of a hill in the middle of nowhere. In the distance its possible to see the spray of the Victoria Falls and this is where I would be staying for the next 8 weeks - It was amazing…I loved it!
The children that go to the school are all from the local community, and are very poor. The school provides the children with food before they go home to help encourage them to attend…..but still many do not come. |
Within the school there were only 3 classrooms so the morning children had to ‘hot seat' as in the afternoons another group of children arrived. The teacher that I worked with was really nice, Mildred was aged 26 and had been teaching for just 2 years. She spent a lot of time with me telling me about local life, customs and traditions.
In the mornings I taught at the school, there were 14 in my class - grade 6 - and they varied from 12-16 in age. The kids were really keen to learn English, bit still found reading and understanding a little hard.
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I really feel that my time there helped them a lot. In the afternoons I was involved with renovating the school - it hadn't seen paint in over 10 years! Myself and 4 other volunteers helped to paint the outside - it now looks amazing.
The weekends are lovely and relaxing - sipping gin and tonics on the terrace of the 5* Royal Livingstone Hotel, overlooking the Zambezi at sunset, hippo watching, the local Livingstone museum and even skydiving over the falls. |
I also went on a 5-day trip to Zimbabwe for some game viewing in Hwange and Matopos National Parks, and visited a lion-breeding project in Antelope Park. The highlight was walking with 6 month old lion cubs….amazing….they were so gorgeous!
In my last week at the school I wanted to give the children a treat and took my class to see Victoria Falls. Only 2 out of 16 had ever been before, even though every day they could see the spray rising up - Mad! |
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The big truck picked us up and took us there and the kids loved it. It was so brilliant to see them jumping around and their smiling faces - they loved getting totally wet by the spray. At last now when they see the spray from their classroom they will know what it is like there.
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It was hard saying goodbye on my final day. I made all my class goodie bags, which went down a treat and then gave them all a small piece of card to draw me something and their name as a memento of my time there. They were all so sweet saying thank you for their presents and they loved me and would miss me.
I shed a few tears as the children sang their National anthem to me and as I said goodbye to Mildred. I had made so many friends amongst my fellow volunteers and it was so hard to leave as I had had such a brilliant time in Zambia. |
BUT……my 6-month career break is not over yet! I am now heading down to South Africa on a Baz Bus Tour, then off to South East Asia where the next chapter of my adventure is about to begin!
Zambia Medical and Orphan Programme
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