An Excellent Adventure in Zambia

Wow! What a wonderful trip traveling with Amy Hewitt and with Beth Metzler. I cannot imagine accomplishing all that was accomplished without the enormous help and technical assistance from both.

I have traveled to Zambia a few times during the past 3 years. Each time I learn so much. Each time something never changes and that is the heart of the Zambian people. This has not changed. It amazes me the capacity of the Zambian people to welcome strangers, to be hospitable, and to genuinely want to get to know us. In this picture Amy is learning how to eat Nshima (national food) with one of the seminary students at a friary we were welcomed at.

One of our most promising visits was to Bouleni, a residential and day school which has classrooms for both special needs and children without disabilities. This is a classroom with autistic children. In just a few minutes, Beth worked with one of the boys with jumping up and down and helping the child to focus more on the tasks at hand. In this school, there were many more toys and therapeutic equipment than anywhere we saw previously.

As Amy and I work our way back to the freezing temperatures of Minnesota and Colorado, I can hardly wait to move forward with our new friends. We have so much to learn from each other and to discover different approaches and how cultures impact our learning.

Sandy Beddor

Zambian Team Forms

The Zambian team came together yesterday in Lusaka for an initial meeting regarding the Disability Partnership. Sisters, Priests, Family Advocates and Disability Professionals were all in attendance. It was the first time that many of them had ever been together in the same room and the first time they had learned of the important work one another did. There were 12 people in attendance from all over the country.

Each team member shared their story about how they got into disability services and about their work and personal experiences in working with people with disabilities. many shared that they had family members with disabilities.

The team includes individuals who provide in home family support, parent-to-parent networking and support, special education, skill training and also government officials involved in disability policy work and special education.

Sandy did a few team building exercises with the Zambian team and they began to meld as a team. They will meet a few times together in person before they arrive in the United States. We gathered names adn contact information and one of the members agreed to facilitate this meeting and do the logistical coordination.

This initial meeting was very helpful to me as I think about pulling together proposals for funding and the training program for the Zambian team. I was able to get ideas about priorities and more importantly have greater understanding about many aspects of supports to Zambians with disabilities that I want them to share with the U.S. team. I have also been able to visit and interact with staff from most of the programs they represent.

Once we have returned to the states we can share photos with you and profiles of each of the Zambian team members and the services they provide to people with disabilities.

I leave tomorrow morning and return on Sunday to Minnesota. I am not sure where the time has gone and there is so much more to see and do in this country. I have had a life changing experience.

See you all very soon. More later. Amy

EDPA 5356 Students

EDPA 5356 Students

Hello from Zambia. I am so sorry to miss our first class of the semester but you are in excellent hands with Marijo and Maggie.

Have any of you traveled to Zambia before? I will be curious to talk with you about your African experiences when I am in class next week.

If you read this “blog” you will begin to hear about some of my experiences and travels over here. I have been unable to put into words much of what I have been thinking about as I observe and experience what this trip has offered me. I have now had a chance to see and observe many programs for people with disabilities. I am struck at what best practice means here and what it means in the US and how these compare. More importantly thinking about why these differences exist and what the similarities are is critical.

I am invigorated by the opportunity to host a group of disability professionals from Zambia in April in the US. I am hoping they will all be able to join one of our Thursday evening classes as a part of their training. Enjoy your first class and I will see you next week.

Amy

Arc GTC Board Meeting

Hi Everyone,

I tried to post this yesterday before the Board meeting. I had it all written and when I was ready to hit "send" the power went out. for the last 4 evenings the power has been out in the entire country. Anyhow, after the fact, here are some comments intended for the Board meeting:

Hello from Africa

Sorry to miss the Board meeting but Kim has me on assignment in Zambia. I truly wish that you were all here too because the only way you can understand the need and the relevance to our work is to be here and see and feel what I have had the opportunity to experience over the past many days.

I had hoped to upload a lot more photos and perhaps video but the internet connection here is fragmented at best and extremely slow – though high speed for Zambians. I promise to prepare a short slide show for you to watch at an upcoming BOD meeting.

I can tell you that the hard work of the Arc and its leadership over the years has truly paid off for persons with disabilities in our country. We have made remarkable progress over the years. Yet, the reality of services in the US and the many frustrations we all feel over them and discuss at Board meetings is simply irrelevant in the Zambian context. These children and adults merely want an opportunity to exist, to be fed, to have a place to call home and to be seen as a person. Any child in Zambia is thrilled by the opportunity to be educated and only a few children with disabilities have these opportunities. The schools and services I have seen are institutions, mostly residential schools. The children receive some education (but they only have teachers if the government recognizes the school and assigns teachers).

We certainly worry about the many things in the US that are simply not issues here in Zambia – liability, litigation, regulations, supervision, qualifications. Yet we both seem to worry about funding……. This is ironic to me and I am having a hard time reconciling it in my mind and heart. The enormous wealth of the US and we still never feel we have enough money.

I am recognizing each day that there are many lessons we can learn from the Zambians. The church as the “community” for Zambian people is essential. Church communities and extended families take care of the needs of their family members. The Zambian missionaries and lay people that are serving others seem to recognize the risk of entitlements and how often entitlements can create unnecessary dependency. Interdependence among families, extended families and among the children with and without disabilities has been ever-present in every situation I have observed and experienced.

Amy

Copperbelt Services

We drove up to the Copperbelt area on Monday and will spend Monday and Tuesday here touring and visiting with the few disability programs in this area. Yesterday while Sandy was at Mission Press I went to visit three programs. One was what they call a "hostel" for about 6 women with disabilities who are able to "support themselves" by making goods and selling them. Another program was a residential school for young adults ages 15 - 30 and then the third was a program for children, again a residential school.

One woman I met, Helen, who was selling chips and sweets at a stand outside her house asked me, "How do people with disabilities live in America?" I was stumbling to answer that. Because, if I were in the US I would answer it differently then in the context of how this woman was living in Africa. She has challenged me to think about the cultural relevance of services and the context. As we think about the training for the Zambian team it will be important to challenge the way we think about disability services in the US.

I have been heartstruck by the way in which children and adults with disabilities live in Zambia. You have to think about the worst of possible services in the US 30 years ago and that is best practice here now. There is hope but there is little money and no empowerment of people with disabilities.

Our work together is hope for the future. More later.

Amy

Cawama

Today is Sunday and we we went to Catholic Mass in Cawama. Cawama is a "compound" community outside of Lusaka. The priests, friers and sisters are in charge of the church and then also work in missions; some of which help children with disabilities. 5000 families are served by this one catholic church. There was not an empty seat in the church and people were lined up. the choir was amazingly beautiful.

One of the priests that runs this church is perhaps one of the Zambians that will be identified to be on a team to come to the U.S. this Spring. It was good to meet him and we are stying at the friery this evening so I will get to talk with him more and with his students about the disability services and what they see as their biggest needs.

Tomorrow we head up to the Copperbelt area to meet with a number of people there who are working with children and adults with disabilities. It will be good to see their programs and what they are trying to do.

Sandy's cousin Beth left today. She works at St. David's and was with Sandy all last week doing interviews and trying to identify people from Zambia who are interested in joining a team to evolve advocacy leadership among the many missionaries and family members in Zambia. After observations and interviews in the Copperbelt on Monday and Tuesday we will then host a pre-meeting on Wednesday and a more formal meeting on Thursday with possible team members to learn more about what they see as their needs and their ideas about how a mutual exchange program and leadership training could support their needs.

Look for posts from Beth and Sandy soon. More later - Amy

Cheshire Home for Children With Disabilities

kers
My first visit to a program was at Cheshire Homes in Livingston, Zambia. This program is designed to serve children with physical and intellectual disabilities. They provide special education to about 20 children (although it is difficult to understand the number because they do not keep accurate records) and physical therapy to about 60 children. These children are dropped off and only served during the day - there is an emphasis of keeping them connected with their families. The children attend school only M - W. On Thursday and Friday the workers (Sisters) follow the children to their homes to see how their families are doing. Cheshire Home also serves children out in their communities.

When they talk of services you have to think of it in a totally different way then you think of it in the U.S or at Arc GTC, Opportunity Partners, Fraser and St. David's Child Development and Family Services. My impression is that services usually means feeding programs (giving these children food to eat) and physical therapy and some very basic education. One of these photos illustrates what the therapy room looks like. Supplies are seriously lacking. They have a new building and are going to have two trained special education teachers assigned from the "Zambian Ministry of Education" which means these two teachers will receive a minimal salary for teaching (most special education teachers are untrained and volunteers). The new building will have two rooms for special education. Sustainability is an issue for all of these programs. This program raises chickens and has a guest house that they are trying to rent out to obtain resource to provide their services.

The more I see and the more I learn the more I think that empowering some Zambians who are enthusiastic and committed to helping people with disabilities to learn and develop is a very worthy and much needed effort. I also wish that every CEO who has ever complained about not having enough money (I mean this in the best of ways) and every Direct Support Professional who works with people with disabilities and has African immigrants as co-workers could see and experience the little that I have so far. More to come later - Amy

Arrived in Lusaka and off to Livingston

I arrived safely in Zambia as planned a few hours late due to weather in London. Sandy Beddor was at the airport waiting for me just as promised. Lusaka was much smaller and far more remote then I had anticipated. The man behind me on the plane was asking where the radio tower was at the airport. I have never landed at such a small airport.

I had just enough time to get to the guest house at the Italian Orthopedic Hospital which is managed by the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi. Sandy and Beth had stayed there overnight and I was able to shower and get a cup of coffee and then we headed back to the airport to go to Livingston. The children and adults in Zambia come to this hospital for physical therapy and for orthopedic surgery - it looks nothing like an American hospital or even clinic. Very primitive.

While in Livingston we were able to see the Victoria Falls (one of the seven natural wonders of the world) and went on a river boat on the Zambezi River where we saw hippos, giraffe and crocs. We also walked to the Victoria Falls and then down the gorge so we could be on the Zambezi River by the Falls. Brad would have found the trek down and up adventuresome. Sandy talked me into going on an ultralight that day too!!!! Kim watch out - there is A LOT of Sandy's type of adventure in Zambia! we also were able to go to a few markets and get an understanding of the community and the role of the many missions and the various sisters.

This was a time to get settled and get over jet lag. Sandy said is was to be the only "fun time." The work began the following day for me. - More later, Amy

About Zambia

Victoria Falls

This post is designed to give you an overview of information about the country of Zambia so that you have an idea of the demographics of this country. Zambia has approximately 12 million people; 7 million of these people are under the age of 12. while children and adults with disabilities depend on extended family, extended family between the ages of 30 - 50 are not typically available to most of the country's children. The most common cause of death for Zambians is Malaria and then HIV/AIDS. It is not known how many children and adults with disabilities live in Zambia and there are no systemic services to support these individuals.

Zambia is one of the poorest countries in the world (usually in the bottom 5 - 10 countries) and is dependent on outside assistance from other countries for sustainability. It is one of the most stable countries in Africa and is considered a democratic country.

Twin Cities Zambia Disability Connection - Purpose

Arc Greater Twin Cities, Opportunity Partners, Fraser and the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota have joined with advocate, Sandy Beddor, to explore a possible development project with advocates, educators, missionaries and government officials in the country of Zambia, Africa regarding children and adults with disabilities. This project will build on a leadership training program developed by Sandy Beddor to train non-governmental organization employees in Zambia. However, the focus and purpose of this project will be the preferences and needs of children and adults with disabilities and their families.

The leadership model currently being explored involves identifying a group of partners in the United States and a group of partners from Zambia and promoting a cultural and professional exchange. Arc Greater Twin Cities, Fraser, Opportunity Partners and the Institute on Community Integration are working together to pull together the U.S team. Amy Hewitt from the Institute on Community Integration and Sandy Beddor will be spending time in Zambia in January 2008 to meet with various possible partners, listen to their needs and preferences and then to identify a potential team to travel to Minnesota and the U.S. sometime in 2008 on a learning and leadership exchange.

This blog has been developed to provide information, visual illustration and exchange between the potential partners in both the United States and Zambia. Amy Hewitt and Sandy Beddor will provide information and commentary on their travel to Zambia beginning in mid January 2008.