A Passion for World Camp

Wonder what it's like to be on-the-ground in Malawi seeing our life-changing programs in action? To get an in-the-field perspective, we chatted with our Country Manager, Solomon Chipingo-Phiri (Chipingo). He filled us in on his love for World Camp's work, what makes Malawi great and some of his passions.

What inspired you to join the team at World Camp as Malawi Country Manager?
I am inspired by the opportunity to contribute to the improvement of underprivileged people World Camp serves and the empowerment philosophy we adopt in our work.

Why are you passionate about World Camp’s mission?
It makes people proactive and strategic actors in the development of their lives and their surrounding communities rather than being passive recipients of development. World Camp has a bottom up approach which is dignifying to the people it works in partnership with.

Why is World Camp’s work so important in Malawi?
The government ministries have good plans, but they are limited by financial resources. World Camp works to complement the government initiatives contributing to the specific development of heath and education. World Camp has a distinction in its work in that it aims at empowering the locals to identify their problems and devise solutions for those problems, while working with them as a partner. This assures the sustainability of our projects.

What’s a favorite memory from Camp Hope?
A favorite memory of Camp is during the Memory Tree activity. This is where campers share what they have gained and are able to recount the treasures they have amassed from camp. I like the true stories because they are honest and come from their hearts rather than from their heads. It makes me cherish the hours that I invest in camp.

What is the most rewarding thing about your job?
To see hopeless lives being transformed and impacted with my contributions.

What do you love the most about your home country Malawi?
It is a land of peace and the people are so lovely. It has a rich culture that believes in family and a supportive structure morally and socially.

What do you do when you are not working at World Camp?
Reading, watching my favorite channels on TV, creative beauty arts and composing songs which I 

World Camp Clubs Refocus

By Managing Director Emily Stallings

Do you remember a teacher who ignited your interest in learning or your passion for a certain subject? I remember teachers from all ages – my kindergarten teacher who would leave the room and come back in as our teacher’s magical sister; my middle school French teacher who taught us songs and encouraged us to use our introductory skills to chat with one another; my high school English teacher whose passion for literature and learning was simply infectious. Great teachers spur us on to learn through their enthusiasm and they can have a significant impact on our interests and development.

World Camp is working with teachers in Malawi’s public primary schools to equip them to make this kind of impact on their learners through our World Camp Clubs. WC has been working with teachers for over a decade to provide supplementary training on child-centered, interactive teaching methods and pressing health topics, beginning with HIV many years ago. Teachers that serve as faculty advisors to our World Camp Clubs (WCCs) are the cornerstone of the program. It is through the passion, dedication and knowledge of these teachers that the program succeeds.

To start off the new school year and a new year of WCCs, World Camp staff Chipingo (Country Manager), Zoey (Intern), and I (Managing Director) met with the Matrons and Patrons, as the faculty advisors are known, of our eleven WCCs on September 10. The meeting was to receive feedback on the previous year’s program and plan strategically for the coming year. The meeting was a wonderful success. Matrons and Patrons expressed the value they see in the WCC program as well as the challenges it faces. The group collaboratively completed a SWOT analysis of the program and moved on to planning for the new year.

I’m thrilled about the plans for the new school year. Teachers agreed that a more developed, shared curriculum would be a big help in implementing the WCC program. The way WCCs work is that WC staff train the Matrons and Patrons as well as the club-elected student leaders and support these individuals in running weekly meetings. The model is decentralized, empowering these individuals but demanding a lot of them, too. The teachers told us they feel capable and invested in running meetings, but also overwhelmed at times.

Together, we agreed having a specific health topic for each month (increased health knowledge is an essential piece of the WCC program) with detailed lessons and activities would provide an enhanced structure for the Matrons and Patrons. Another element of the WCCs is to build up the life skills of club members, so we ensured many weeks incorporate opportunities to flex those life skills muscles. Week 1 of a topic might be heavy on the knowledge component while Weeks 2, 3 and 4 emphasize group work, public speaking and leadership, for example.

So here we are! We’ve delivered the first month’s topic, lessons and activities to the Matrons and Patrons and they’re making their first go of it this month October’s health topic is sexual and reproductive health (SRH), which is a challenging one. We believe in them and we’ll keep you posted on their success!

Staying Connected with Our Kids

By World Camp Intern Zoey Ponder

With the end of Camp Hope comes the beginning of a new year of Camp Hope Follow-Up sessions. Follow-Up sessions are daylong events specifically for the campers that World Camp recruited to attend Camp Hope. These events focus on reinforcing the lessons learned at Camp in a smaller setting that allow campers to grow closer to one another and get one-on-one attention and counseling from World Camp’s dedicated mentors. The first session was all about encouraging campers to dedicate themselves to setting future goals and coming up with ways to achieve those goals. Managing Director, Emily Stallings and I were lucky enough to get to participate in this year’s first Follow-Up. 

The first session, held on September 19th, had two activities to teach our campers how to focus on their goals. One of these activities was a game led by Makhumbo Bwanali, former World Camp staff member and long-time Camp Hope Mentor, intended to help the campers see the importance of focus in achieving their goals. Makhumbo led the campers through a card game to teach them the benefits of focusing on their goals and how to help their fellow campers stay focused. 

For the other activity, I taught the kids how to make an American craft, dream catchers. Dream catchers were an excellent activity to illustrate goal setting and focus because of the significance of dream catchers. The legend of the dream catcher says that bad dreams get caught in the web while good dreams flow through the hole in the middle of the web and down the feathers onto dreamers. The dream catchers serve as a perfect symbol for resilience – allowing the dream catcher to filter out all the negative thoughts while letting positive thoughts filter through. We decided to have the beads of the dream catcher symbolize goals and the feathers symbolize methods of achieving your goals. One feather was made of paper on which the Mentors helped campers write their goals for the future and strategies for achieving them. One girl wanted to be a nurse and a Camp Hope Mentor and asked me how, other than school, she could achieve her goals. Together, we decided she should practice caring for the people she already knows and helping others. She was so excited by this new idea she flashed a huge smile as she wrote it down lightning fast on her methods feather. It was wonderful to see what all the kids want to be when they grow up; many have dreams of helping others by being police officers, nurses, or mentors. 

At the end of the activity the kids proudly showed off their dream catchers and we took pictures of each camper in front of all the dream catchers made by the group. It was beautiful to see all the bright beads and feathers symbolizing all our campers will one day achieve. 

After activities we had lunch prepared by our nutritionist Thandie, who single handedly prepared food for upwards of fifteen people - she was quite the impressive cook! After lunch, she sat with all the kids to talk about the nutritional value of what they ate. I was impressed by how eager all the kids were to talk about their goals and share their knowledge about food groups and healthy eating. 

Last, we had time to hangout and play. Several of the girls were very fascinated with my hair as I had just cut it very short. They ran their hands through it about ten times before they believed it was my natural hair. 

At the end of the day, with healthy snacks and dream catchers in tow, the kids headed home. One girl held my hand and thanked me “for all I had done for her”. She thanked everyone in this manner, the most sincere thank you I’ve seen anyone of any age give in a long time. All the kids were so open and wonderful, always reaching for a hand to be held or jumping at the chance to answer a question. 

The World Camp Rover left the driveway full of waving, singing campers excited about their day and looking forward to the October Follow-Up session!

Reflections on Camp Hope

By Intern Zoey Ponder

As this summer’s sessions of Camp Hope wind to an end and World Camp begins to prepare for our year-round programming, we all take the time to pause and reflect on our time spent at Camp. I was lucky enough to spend four days at two different camp sessions this year and will forever remember how touching this opportunity has been. 

Camp Hope is held in a beautiful setting, sort of off the beaten path about an hour outside of Lilongwe. The campsite lies against the backdrop of amazing rocky peaks and surrounded by quiet villages and farmland. The last fifteen minutes of the drive in is filled with kids yelling “azungu” (a friendly nickname for someone with light skin) and waving at the car as we bounce up and down on the dirt road. The campsite itself has large boys’ and girls’ dorm rooms as well as a huge dining hall in the center. Off to the right of the dorms and dining hall is a soccer field and the main hall and classrooms are over on the far side of that. 

Meal times are some of the silliest times. Kids have three meals and three snacks each day to help teach the value of nutritious eating and to provide valuable nutrition they may not receive at home. It was at Camp Hope that I tried Malawian food for the first time. Everyone is encouraged to eat as much as they want, as it was explained to me by an enthusiastic camper, “This is Africa, EAT EVERYTHING!” Meal times are also utilized to teach campers important food groups, staying hydrated and to celebrate the “Super Campers”. Super Campers are campers who are celebrated for their accomplishments at Camp during “Camp Kawawa” - which is essentially a big party of singing and dancing and giving out awards for any number of accomplishments that can earn one the “Super Camper” certificate. 

Outside of mealtimes the day is filled with loads of activities, special classes on all sorts of topics from the stigma attached to HIV to arts, crafts and campfires. I was very impressed to see the kids memorizing their ART (antiretroviral therapy) treatments and pill names so they can advocate for themselves and understand their treatment. Kids at Camp Hope get the chance to learn a lot about HIV and how they can help keep themselves healthy, like the importance of taking your treatment each day and the value of nutritious food. 

One of my favorite activities was the creation of a goals book. Campers got a picture of themselves taken in front of the Camp Hope sign, which many of them were very excited to share with me—and let me tell you these kids know how to strike a pose! Inside their books, they are encouraged to write what they want to achieve with their lives. Many of them wrote professions like a nurse or an accountant. They then wrote how to achieve these goals, what might stand in their way and how to overcome those obstacles. It was amazing to see kids who very seriously wanted to figure out how to achieve their goals. They were even asking me how to reach their goals and wanting me to share my goal book to them. It was an honor to have them want to share their books with me. 

Camp Hope really is a wonderful place for these kids. I saw so many of them laughing, holding hands, dancing together and sharing stories of struggle and hopes of a very bright future. These kids face a lot every day, but they are brave. Together, I saw them standing tall, whether it be dancing on the stage at Stage Night or in the lunch room receiving their “Super Camper” award. I am very proud of everyone who took part in this year’s Camp Hope and I can only hope that Camp Hope will continue to reach more kids each and every year.

Loving the Warm Heart of Africa

By World Camp Intern Zoey Ponder

It is my eleventh day here in Malawi and I am growing to love “ The Warm Heart of Africa” more and more. In just 11 days, I have experienced two trips to Camp Hope as well as adventures to Dedza and around Lilongwe. Lilongwe is the capital of Malawi and home to the World Camp house, which has quickly come to feel like home to me. Each time we return, I am always excited to get back to our evenings of dinner and chatting and days full of trips to various markets and other spots around the city.

Everywhere you go, there are vendors along the side of the road with all sorts of goods from sugar cane to woven furniture and everything in between. On the trip home from Camp the other day we even saw members of the Gule Wamkulu, a secret cult that performs dances at ceremonies, walking along the roadside.

One of my favorite parts of coming “home” is the men who work around the house. John is the House Manager and one of my favorite people to chat with. Each morning when I wake up John can usually be found in the kitchen and makes my mornings a delight (which for me is no easy task) his big smiles and mannerisms can cheer up anyone’s day; not to mention that he makes one mean shepherd’s pie! Ngoni is the Grounds Manager and he is always bringing in beautiful eggplant and tomatoes that he grows in the yard and greeting us at the gate with the enthusiasm of seeing a much missed friend. He makes coming home feel like a celebration regardless of how long I’ve been gone.

During our trip to Dedza and Camp you get to drive past some beautiful scenery, mountains which stick up out of the ground so sharply it is as if someone dropped them down from the sky. Baobab trees that stand broad and tall against the backdrop of villages with tall grass fences and roofs. Kids drive cattle carts alongside the road and roving bands of goats stress Emily out by always lingering too close to, if not in, the road.

In our trip to see the ancient rock paintings near Dedza we got to hike up one of the mountains to a cave with 2,000 year old paintings of animals and people on the ceiling. There is a chameleon, a duck, a person, a lion, a bull as well as other animals painted in black and white and still very visible after all this time. On the way back down the mountain to view even older rock art, we even saw some monkeys hanging out in nearby trees.

Closer to the village, there is rock art done by Pygmies that is 10,000 years old. The Pygmy rock art is red and reaches impressively high up, the Pygmies used ladders or stood on each other’s shoulders to paint all sorts of scenery including a nearly 20ft tall giraffe which was my personal favorite.

The longer I stay in Malawi, the more I see how beautiful this place is. Whether it is the beauty in the culture of kindness or the incredibly cute kids at Camp and everywhere else or in the breathtaking sunsets every evening, I cannot stop marveling at Malawi. In the next few weeks, I have no doubts I will continue being amazed as we travel to the Lake and as we start work on our different programs that will kick off in September and October. 

Greetings from Camp Hope!

After years of writing about Camp Hope and working to make it possible each summer, I had my first chance to visit yesterday. The experience was as moving and fun as I could have ever imagined. The campers, like all groups of Malawian children I’ve gotten to hang out with, were sweet, excited to meet a new person, and super energetic. I was invited to eat at a different table for every meal, but I barely sat down before the kids were eagerly asking, “What’s your name?”

Camp Hope is a camp that serves specifically youth living with HIV. These children, so considerate and adorable, are all facing a tremendous life-long challenge. Camp offers our newly-disclosed to youth a chance to come to terms with their diagnosis, learn more about their disease, and bond with other children facing similar difficulties. It’s jam-packed with fun activities, but also designed to provide campers with knowledge and skills they will need to care for themselves throughout their lives.
One of the absolute highlights of my visit was meal time. Campers are clustered into Color Groups that sit together at meals and participate in activities together. During meals campers chant songs, break out into dance and celebrate each other’s achievements from the day. Two campers from each Color Group are recognized at every meal, sung to the front by the whole Camp – enthusiastic hands pounding out a rhythm on the tables. Mentors (think Camp Counselors) recognize the success of these campers: Describing their positive contribution, Labeling the attributes this speaks to, and Praising the camper for this behavior.

I was so happy to find that my visit fell on Day 5 of Camp which features Stage Night in the evening. Stage Night is a talent show that really lays clear what a supportive, nurturing environment Camp is. Each Color Group spent much of the day preparing a presentation to share with the rest of Camp. The presentations showcased the campers’ talents while also emphasizing the importance of Camp Hope to our youth. My favorite moments were when campers recited poems they had written about Camp, or the importance of adhering to your HIV drug regimen.

Both World Camp Intern, Zoey Ponder, and I will be visiting Camp again next week. We can’t wait. We’ll be back with more updates for sure!

A New Geographical Focus

A New Geographical Focus

Picture Ideas: map of schools in Malikha zone plus others

Hand-drawn map of the Malikha Zone

History: World Camp has been in Malawi for eleven years now and we’re proud of the progress we’ve made. We’ve worked with over 20,400 students  in over 190 schools. We’ve conducted workshops with hundresds community members and met with countless organizations to learn even more about Malawi and the work being done by others.

What we’re doing: We have added year-round staff to our Malawi office so we can implement a geographic approach in order to increase both our programming and presence in partner schools. For the next few years, World Camp will concentrate solely on one primary education zone that comprises 11 primary schools and their communities in order to create a stronger and more sustained impact.

Why we’re doing it: A geographic focus will allow us to delve deeper into locally challenging issues; we can identify needs and address them individually and specifically. With year-round programming, we can provide more sustained support to students, teachers, community members, and grassroots organizations. We’ll be able to improve our monitoring, tracking, and evaluation processes to more thoroughly assess our impact. 

World Camp Club Mentor, Cyrus Jenda
speaks with stakeholders at the Teacher
Development Center

Where we’ll be: The zone WC selected is called Malikha Zone. It is under the direction of a single Primary Education Advisor, Ms. Elizabeth Kasomekera. It’s located about 45 minutes outside the city, on the way to Salima (Lake Malawi). WC has already visited five of the eleven schools in the zone and is excited to continue meeting new students and teachers as we conduct educational camps and community workshops in the coming years.

What we’ll do: We’ll continue to host volunteers and hold educational camps focused on HIV, the environment, gender equality, and literacy. We’ll establish and support a World Camp Club at each school to foster youth activism and involvement. We’ll support teachers who go through our Teacher Workshop to ensure students continue to receive correct information and interactive lessons.

Who we’ll work with: We’ll continue to work hand in hand with the Primary Education Advisor, as she is directing and giving the final approval on a lot of our programs in Malikha Zone. We’ll meet regularly with schools to check on their progress, provide additional support, and answer any questions that arise as they implement new programs. We’ll meet monthly with World Camp Clubs to encourage youth activism and participation in community development initiatives. Students will remain our focus - they are, after all, the future of their communities!

Benefits for World Camp volunteers and interns: World Camp will give first time World Camp volunteers more information about the schools they will teach in based on experience, data collected, and current community projects. This can only benefit their teaching effectiveness and understanding of the situation of their students. World Camp Alum will hear more about the results of their efforts (and their past students!) as World Camp staff revisit communities, track the successes of clubs, test knowledge, and facilitate continuous learning and community growth.

We at World Camp are excited about this change, and would love to hear your feedback and ideas!

Our Inspiring Visit with a Community Based Organization in Malikha

World Camp Country Manager Michael Kumwenda, Program Coordinator Karen Clark, and Professional Capacity Building Intern Rufus Faggons ventured to meet with the leadership and members of Kasumba CBO (Community Based Organization) near Liwera Full Primary School in the Malikha Primary School Zone.

We were warmly welcomed by the staff, who had arranged nametags on our seats. They dove right into sharing with us the meat of their efforts. The Kasumba CBO membership hovers around 30 and they serve 58 villages! There are over 200 orphans living in their catchment area, but the number is increasing at an alarming rate.

The CBO has been serving the Kasumba area for five years, and when asked why each member joined, they all provided different and very personal responses. One woman’s sister-in-law was handicapped and she wanted to provide support not only for her sister-in-law, but for everyone in her area who faced physical handicaps (both women are pictured right). One man, frustrated that his children couldn’t go to school during the rainy season because the road washed out, has personally vowed to plant 1,000 trees during the year 2012 to combat deforestation and preserve his environment. Another man observed the human rights of youth being abused in his community.  He joined the CBO to learn more about child rights and use the group as a way to educate and sensitize the community to the fragility, resilience, and potential of youth. One woman noticed the growing number of orphans in her community and the fact that they weren’t getting the support they should from their extended families. She’s been at the forefront of Early Child Development Centers and Orphan Support Units in the area.

The main room in the CBO’s office. The sign reads,
“2010: HIV and AIDS Outside the Box: Living Positive with HIV and AIDS.”

So far, the CBO has realized amazing success: they have set up and sustained seven Community Based Childcare Centers, supported school drop outs and orphans through the donation of school uniforms and feeding programs, held weekly after school athletic events and tutoring sessions during the school year, handed out five wheelchairs for those with disabilities, and sensitized the community to the benefits of education and the risks of early

marriages. But there’s still a long way to go. HIV rates are rising, the Home Based Care group lacks adequate training, the CBO shares a building with all other community groups and the church, some of the husbands of the female members don’t like when they go to meetings, adult literacy is low, and funding is a large problem.

Two CBO members show a map and posters
used to log information

Despite the future struggles of Kasumba, we were struck by the members’ openness, articulation of past success and future objectives, complete commitment to positive growth and development, and passion for those living in their communities. Kasumba Community Based Organization is a forum for activists in Liwera to plan and accomplish their dreams for community improvement, and with the passion we saw this week, we have no doubt they will!

World Camp Club: Liwera

“The more we increase the active participation and partnership with young people, the better we serve them. … And the more comprehensively we work with them as service partners, the more we increase our public value to the entire community.”

- Carmen Martinez, U.S. Diplomat

In seeking the active participation of young people World Camp started a World Camp Club at each of the schools we visited this summer. World Camp Clubs are after-school groups that focus on civic engagement and improving community improvement.

Cyrus Jenda, beloved Field Staff and now World Camp Club Mentor, developed the idea for World Camp Clubs and created guidelines for each of our 11 partner primary schools in the Malikha Primary School Zone. Cyrus was instrumental in planning and carrying out World Camp’s first student activism follow-up project this summer.

Liwera Full Primary School was the first we visited during this year’s summer session, staying there from July 10^th through the 13^th. We were struck by the school’s warmness and desire to introduce us to Malawi. We were given sugar cane, taught to make nsima and relish, started a fire, saw our first Gule Wam Kulu (traditional dancers), received Chichewa names, played with our kids well into the dark, and truly felt like part of our host family.

Before leaving Liwera, we set up our second ever World Camp Club (the first was started at Mkhoma Full Primary School this January with hugely successful student-led reforestation projects). The school’s headmaster appointed a matron and patron of the club, and the student body was left with materials to create their own banner. And they surpassed all of our expectations with the end result!

Just two weeks later, in the end of July, we returned to Liwera to hold a quiz competition, challenge students to recall what they’d learned at camp, and dare them to apply what they’d learned to more challenging questions and topics.

The entire WC team was close to tears at the reception we got upon our arrival. The kids were cheering, dancing, jumping, yelling, waving. The Club did their school cheer and the enthusiasm during group songs was infectious. What was even more impressive, though, was the critical thinking and creative responses they provided during the actual quiz. Not only did the students remember how HIV affects the body and how to protect themselves, they knew how to care for someone living with HIV. Perhaps most importantly for a World Camp Club, they could articulate tangible differences they could make in their own community in the fight against HIV!

Zikomo Kwambiri Liwera World Camp Club!!

You impressed us all with your hard work, knowledge, activism, and dedication.
We can’t wait to work with you again!

in the field: last goodbyes

As our last week comes to a close there is an odd mix of emotions stirring in the World Camp house. It feels like the house itself is emitting an emotion of its own, as if it is sad to see us go yet it is still full of energy. The feeling that is the most prominent while everyone is rushing to pack their things and do last minute shopping is eerily similar to our first week in the house when everyone was in, trying to learn as much as they could while getting used to each other, the house, and the environment.  It almost seems as if we have come full circle, except instead of ten strangers trying to get to know each other it is ten close friends saying their last goodbyes to everything that only a short time ago was completely foreign. As a group, we have gone through more together in these four weeks than most friends do in years. Living in confined quarters for an extended period of time with nine people you have never met before is no easy task, now add homestays, teaching, and minibus rides into the mix.

I unfortunately did not book the same return flight as everyone else and am staying a day later. This resulted in a completely unexpected feeling as I watched a group that I have come to know and love leave as I return to an empty house. It was as if the house that just moments before had been filled with so much life was drained of it. The house was quite, startlingly quite. It felt almost unnatural. This only serves to amplify how great our time here in Malawi was. It serves as a reflection - time to think about all of our experiences that we have had together. I feel honored that I was able to participate in this wonderful program with nine phenomenal people. I will cherish the moments we have all had together for a lifetime and I do believe all of us will be lifelong friends.

I’m feeling magical!

- Maysam

in the field: Meet Layne!

Hi everyone! My name is Layne Schwab and I’m a World Camp intern hailing from
South Burlington, Vermont. I am a rising senior at Colby College in Waterville,
Maine with a double major in Government and Global Studies. I’m interested in
pursuing a career in international development and in the past have interned
with the International Disability and Development Consortium and the Women’s
Microfinance Initiative. I absolutely love exploring new places so I’ve been lucky
enough to have a year filled with traveling. I spent this past spring studying the
European Union in Brussels, Belgium. At Colby, I’m a member of the cross-country,
indoor, and outdoor track teams, and serve on the Student Advisory Board of the
Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement and as co-president of
Colby Social Entrepreneurs. I chose to intern with World Camp because I wanted
to learn more about this region of Africa and HIV/AIDS, and to try teaching. I’m so
happy to have spent the last few weeks in Malawi as an intern with World Camp; I
have had such an incredible experience so far and have met so many people that I
will never forget. Malawi truly deserves its title as the “Warm Heart of Africa.”

It’s amazing how fast time flies here. We spent last weekend at South Luwanga
National Park in Zambia camping with hippos and chasing leopards. No kidding!
Our safari trip managed to exceed my already VERY high expectations. We arrived
at the park Friday afternoon. We proceeded to pitch tents – a new skill for some
- while keeping an eye on the food we brought in case the dozens of baboons and
monkeys hanging around the campsite should try anything! Bright and early the
next morning we went on our first group ride in the park. It was an absolutely
beautiful morning despite a little wind. Before we had even arrived at the park,
we had the chance to see elephants and giraffes in the brush. Seeing a giraffe try to
gather his long, wobbly legs and try to break into a run was priceless. As soon as we
entered the park, we had our first lion sighting on the far side of the river. Later on
we also had the chance to see a warthog searching for some lady warthogs and to
stop our car among a heard of impalas who seemed to accept us. We took a break
at the river to drink coffee and tea and watch the sunrise amidst a lovely chorus
of hippo grunts and groans. My personal favorite part of this trip was watching a
leopard casually cracking a baboon skull with her teeth on a tree branch not all that
far above our car. The Saturday evening drive was also awesome. We had a driver
who was willing to go a bit off the road so we could get extremely close to groups of
giraffes and elephants from several angles.

Besides the two drives on Saturday, many of us chose to go on a second morning or
night drive on Sunday. Laura, Andrew, Wynndee, and Maysam all chose to go on
the Sunday morning drive and returned pumped about seeing two male elephants
bashing their tusks (helping each other with some strength training!). For both the
morning and night drives on Sunday we had a very detail-oriented driver Joseph,
who entertained us with fun facts about EVERYTHING that we saw (Did you know
that hyenas are terrible hunters? Or that hares eat their own feces? We didn’t
either). Andrew, Wynndee, Maysam, Windy, Karen, Laura, Donna, and I all went
on the Sunday night drive. I think we can agree that having a leopard crawl under

our car, posing with her head sticking out long enough for us to snap some pictures
before casually sauntering to the middle of the road to lie down in front of us, is an
experience they’ll we’ll forget.

We were fortunate enough to see every animal that we were hoping to see and from
much closer than we thought we would ever be to them. There really is no other
way to describe the experience than as once-in-a-lifetime. However, as much as I
loved Zambia, I was definitely excited to get started with our third group of learners
and to meet our latest homestay families back in Malawi!