How it all Started--Take Three

This has been a pretty amazing journey--even though it's just getting started.

I grew up at Mwami Adventist Hospital in Chipata, Zambia where my parents served as doctors from 1982-1989. I've always wanted to go back--but how? And what do I have to offer?

A Bit of an Overview

What people in Kitwe saw: A dirty, intoxicated, pickpocket causing problems. What Friends of the Street Children saw: A boy named Clifford who is now finishing his final years of school and has plans to serve as a doctor in the rural areas of Zambia. What people in Kitwe saw: just another girl on the street. What Friends of the Street Children saw: A young woman named Milika who caught up with her schooling, passed exams with flying colors, re-united with her family, and wants to become a lawyer. 

These are two of the many children FSC has served. Through Street Outreach (Literacy, Numeracy and Medical Services), Rehabilitation, Reintegration and Advocacy, FSC envisions a community where every child grows and lives in a supportive family environment. This mission directly stems from a belief that all children are children of God, and that FSC has a special mission to care for those who have been labeled irredeemable and worthless.

Originally, I hoped to work at FSC as part of a Fulbright Scholarship where I would collect qualitative data in the form of former street children's stories to add to the quantitative data documenting the causes, and possible solutions, to the rising number of children on the streets. During this process, I would also run a reading group and newsletter for the more advanced students to give them, in addition to an opportunity to hone their literacy skills, a platform to make their stories, thoughts, and dreams known.

I was disappointed when I did not receive the scholarship, but as I prayed about it, the phrase: "I will give you the desires of your heart..." kept coming to mind. I told God, "This isn't a need, but it is a desire of my heart. If this is a desire that You placed, and it is in Your will that I go, please make that clear and provide a way." I contacted the director of FSC, Christopher Mulenga, to see if he was onboard for me to come volunteer at FSC. He was. So, I have stepped out, and it has been amazing to see the way that everything is falling into place.

I will stay at Cibusa House, the rehabilitation center for girls, and also assist in early and remedial literacy instruction. In preparation for this trip I have taken classes specifically target at teaching English. Additionally, I have coordinated the donation (or significant discount on) a large number of books and maintained communication to ensure my project will be of use. During this process I also hope to facilitate a pen-pal project between the children at FSC and the Junior and Earliteen students at Bonita Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Costs...

Okay, so I touched on costs a bit in the air fare blog entry, but I thought I’d actually give everyone a breakdown. Early on in the preparations for this trip, I realized that, while things were expensive, they weren’t nearly as much as they might have been. With this in mind, I’m going to give you two columns—“Potential Cost” and “Actual Cost”.

Believe it or not, the difference between the two columns is $6,829 (though there are still more purchases that need to be made).

Books

From the get go, I have wanted whatever time I spend in Zambia to be of use to the people I encounter. With this goal in mind, I want the books I bring to be more than vampire sagas, the trials and tribulations of Captain Underpants, and fluffy little princesses. (My apologies if I have offended anyone--I just believe there are more substantive, equally engaging books out there.)

Back to the point, however:

There is a wide range of ages and reading levels at FSC, so I need to be selective about the texts I choose. Below, you'll find the back-story to some of the books I'm taking to FSC as well as the reading group book: Nobody  Will Ever Kill Me by Mbu Maloni (a former street-child).

Airfare

Deciding you are going to go somewhere is great—but how to get there? That can be a bit more complicated. There are multiple airlines out there: Arab Emirates, British Airways, Continental, Delta…you get the idea. Considering the length of my stay, my friend, Sharon, thought flexible tickets would be wise. Well, flexible tickets might be wise, but they aren’t cheap. Check this out to get an idea: Departure April 9, 2013 and Return August 5, 2013. Just in case the link doesn’t work, the total came to $5,952.02.

$5,952.02—can we say cost prohibitive?