A trip to Macha

It seemed as though we had started out on the wrong foot, or feet. Boots are supposed to keep your toes dry, but obviously I’ll need to purchase some thigh high waders in the near future. The rain was pouring down in buckets, wind whipping right through the very fibers of our clothing. I had to smile at the irony of our umbrella which covered and kept dry approximately one square inch of the top of our heads and not much more. (I find myself noticing and smiling at these sorts of oddities often). We waited in vain for 2 hours, which left plenty of time for wandering thoughts and reflection. My mind regularly dawdles through a series of deliberations which don’t follow any particular order except my nomadic brain firings.

We shared the corner leading to Macha with a pack of goats and their owners. It incited the notion that they could come in handy for milk or meat depending on how long we lingered. Good company, I thought. It’s always a fun sort of escapade to try and hail a willing and empty vehicle for a ride, but our efforts seemed wasted, so eventually we nodded our heads down and saunter back into town. It wasn’t all for lost though We found a bus that would take us almost all the way to our destination. Score.

I was eager to get there. The town of Macha is a place the houses quite a number of amazing institutions and people. The Macha Hospital is internationally known and supported, and more recently, an attached Malaria Research Center has been getting a lot of attention. There are frequent out of country visitors who stay for short stints or for longer terms of service, so compared to many other places in Zambia, it’s a hotbed of activity.

After visiting I realized it was perfect. The perfect place for my students to explore and use as an inspiration for what they can become. Since I’ve come to Zambia, I have been burdened by the thought that Nakeempa’s children have no models. There are only 1 or 2 people in the area who have completed a grade 12 education (besides the other teachers). And even the chairpersons and headmen have very little education. So who will the students use as their example? Who can they look to as a guide, or as a person they strive to pattern their lives after? Where can they visibly see the yield of their educational investment?

It was after discussions with others that I came up with the idea of a field trip. Planning has now begun, and we’re forming the schedule of an “educational tour” through Macha from April 13-15. 30 students will accompany the 5 other teachers and I to the hospital grounds, the research center, the radio station, and the nearby girls school. Not only that, we hope to give a few lucky kids the opportunity to take flight at the neighboring air strip. The Director’s of each institution in Macha are preparing lessons and activities for the kids, and we’ll try to feed them well for a few days too.

The prices add up quickly when travelling, but thanks to a number of family members who decided to come together during Christmas and donate an unbelievable amount of money, we’ll give these children the chance of a lifetime. (For those of you who gave to my parents, I’ll fill you in with a more personal update very soon. I can’t thank you enough for entrusting to me, and providing for so many families. Your gift is greater than you may know).

Most kids that will go on this trip have never seen anything beyond Nakeempa, and if they have, they’ve only ventured to the nearby town of Choma. Their experiences are so lacking, and their knowledge of their own surroundings is so limited. So as we take to the road, we’ll hopefully impart a sense of curiosity, a vision of what education can do for them, and a hunger to work hard and improve their lives. As the dates come closer I’ll try to inform you about the latest events, so stay tuned to find out more!