Zambia Priests Catch Up With Friend

Fathers Patrick and Deo, Brother Joseph and Billy Beddor had a chance to catch up with their friend and professor, Fr Jude Rochford who has been in Zambia for over 40 years! Fr Jude is recovering from health issues at St Gertrudes in Shokapee, MN. It was a wonderful time for them to see one another again and talk about familiar people and places.

Welcome Celebration

On Friday evening many of the host families, partner staff and the Zambian team members were welcomed at River Dance Ranch, hosted by Mary and Mike Meuwissen. It was a wonderful time to get to know one another and talk about the purpose and excitement around the project. The Zambian team shared about their work at home in Zambia and showed everyone a clip from a video about their country. Guests were treated to drumming and singing presented by the Zambian team. Music is clearly the universal language as the children who were at the event were totally focused and engaged in the music.

Thanks so much to Mary and Mike for hosting such a generous and fun evening.

The Zambian Team Arrived Safely

Welcome to Minnesota and the United States! Everyone on the training team is so pleased that you arrived safely. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow night and beginning our leadership training in disability services and policy on Monday. We have worked hard to bring together many people from many organizations to share and learn together with you while you are in Minnesota. Rest, recover from jet lag and get ready to enjoy your trip and all of the experiences we will have together. - Amy Hewitt

"The Zambian Team in MN"

Meet the Zambian Team

The Zambian team will be arriving in the United States the end of March. Their training program will begin March 31st and run through April 12th. We thought it would be great for you to begin to match faces with names and experiences. Here are your Zambian colleagues:

NAMA

1.When I come to the States I would like to be called by my original name Namangolwa or simply Nama.
2. I come from a family of 18 six girls and 12 boys and am 10th. Non of my brothers or sisters have Special needs but we do have one boy from my extended family who is deaf/dumb/mentally retarded.He is a son of my first cousin and his name is Hector..
3.The most difficult part of having him in the family is lack of proper communication skills with him within the family aswell as among the community.Sometimes one just feels helpless in trying to give him the best out of society so as to make him more independent and accepted since he is laughed at and teased so much by most people when they meet him alone.This has really been heart breaking.
4. The best thing about having Hector is that he has taught me and some other family members to be more patient in life childlike trust. He has also taught me never to take life for granted but always thank the Lord for making me whole thus thank him at all times.This implies that I should give the best service of my ability to the people I live with, work with and have committed my life service to.
5. My highest level of education is Diploma in Special Education at Zambia Institute of Special Education in Lusaka.
6. I have been outside Zambia and was Ireland for a month.
7. Am very open to this training we are coming to and have my attitude is to let God take charge or be in control of whatever is to come. As the saying goes "Let go and let God" At the same time I feel it will be a challenging training busy time of hard work and some fun of course. We will also build strong family bonds among ourselves and between our two countries.
8.While in MN I would like to learn; a) How the people there are able to make life easier for children with learning disabilities; b) Culture of the people, thus its effect towards children with special needs; c) What the country "government" is doing for these children with special education needs in short the support it renders to them.
9. I have no major fears about this journey but hope to meet friendly people and come
back safety home.

MIKALA
While in States I would like to be called Mikala.

I had my uncle who was blind and his daughter was both Hearing Impaired and Intellectually disabled.

The most difficult part is that here in Zambia service provisions of children with multiple disabilities and also with Intellectually disabled lack the necessary programmes and people don't seem to have a know how on the programmes and parental support services are not there.

The best thing is that you learn a lot while you are trying to help through try and error and you also learn to be patient.

I am a Special Education Teacher with a degree in Special Education obtained from the University of Zambia.

I have been outside Zambia to England and France for a week in each country.

I expect to observe and learn from what I will be exposed to at the same time I would also like to share what I know with the people there.

The three things I would like to learn about is advocacy concerning children with Special Needs. How to work with autistic children and the outreach programmes conducted but I would also be interested in whatever is there so that we adapt the programmes to our Zambian situation upon coming back.

I dont fear anything may be missing the terminals but i will be among other people so that is dealt with. The phota attachment will come later.

God bless,
Mikala

PATRICK

This is Fr. Patrick Chisanga, ofm conv.- better simply called Patrick.

We were born 11 in my family; we’ve since lost 5 and were now 6, that is one sister- a religious nun (Franciscan) and 5 guys. Lost dad almost 5 years now- he was 72. I can simply describe my family as a happy, united and religious one. We have an adopted sister, Gift (34), a single mother, living on her own with her kid. I’m not aware of any member of my family with special needs.

I was ordained priest in 1999 and served as parish priest for 2 years plus a year as formator (trainer of future priest) before going to Rome for specialised studies in clinical psychology (masters) at the Gregorian University. I returned home in August 2006 and have since returned to formation work and assistant pastor.

People with special needs are a reality we encounter regularly in our ministry in parishes as priests. My main expectations as I come to the training program is to learn more about this reality, especially with regard to the mentally challenged persons, and how such can be integrated in our parish communities. I hope to come back and share with the young men preparing to become priests and sensitise them about the pastoral care to person with special needs. I also look forward to meeting different people, the inter-cultural exchange and enrichment as well as the fun.

A bit worrying still after clearing the hurdle of visas: the looong trip, different time zone and weather? hope not too harsh. However, looking forward to the experience.

AGNES
Greetings!
1.The name to be used while there is Sr. Agnes.
2.We are three (3) in the family
- My mother of late had a stroke and is now finding it difficult to move about and she is undergoing physiotherapy.
3.Though it has been a month ago the most difficult thing is to go to the hospital for physiotherapy and also collecting drugs.
4.It has been very difficult but at the same time has made us close to her and want to find solutions to help her to be independent once more.
5. I am a grade 12 and a Zambia Enrolled Nurse.
6. I have been outside the country before
- Rome Asisi for one month
- Kenya for 6 weeks
-Malawi for 3 weeks
Swaziland for 2 weeks
-Tanzania for one week
7. Expectations-
To learn more about children with special needs and how to find ways of improving there lives and see them live better lives
8. (a) How to help the family be involved in the program of rehabilitation
(b)To find means and ways for the children who a growing and need a skill for there livelyhood
(c) How to get the community be involved to give their services freely and improve the lives of the Children with Special Needs.
9. My biggest fear is the weather how cold is it?

JOYCE
1. Sr. Joyce Phiri

2. in my family one niece and one of my religious sisters are with special needs

3. to misinterprete their needs

4. they keep me in check to see that I include them in my life. I have to make a decision and an effort to do this.

5. certificate in General Nursing at the Nursing School

6. I have been to Italy, Assisi for 4 weels and Kenya for 11 days

7.to learn how to go about people with special needs and how to influence change in their lives and influence the community to accommodate them.

8. a) how to advocate for people with special needs

b) how to influence policy makers
c) in case of change, (we religious are often on transfer) how to start in a new place
9. missing due to illness like malaria.
DEO










1. l want to be called Deo
2. no one in the family with special needs
3. not applicable but it is a sad experience. l witnessed that when l worked at Cheshire homes
4. you come to know the mystery of life. They are also human beings like us
5. Bachelor of arts at St. Dominics major seminaery affiliated to Urbanian University - Rome
6. no!
7. you come to know more about them better
8. a) the difficulties they go through
b)how can l help them
c)to change the mentality of people
9. the place and new people


GRACE
l have been to Japan for a short training and to the UK to visit my sisters. there are three sisters and five brothers in my family my daddy passed on but my mum is still alive.I have four children one girl and three boys married my husband is pursuing his Phd in Manchester. Two of my boys completed grade twelve daughter is doing her last grade and my last son is in grade
nine.their age range is 15 to 22.One of my sisters who is in the UK has a son who has speech and hearing problems it took time for her to accept but with my help she accepted and the child is in one of the special education schools in the UK. My mum lives on a farm.last year l lost my Grandma who was 79 years old.I like traveling, reading and writing.

ALICE

I would like to be called by my first name "Alice".I come from a big family of thirteen siblings.I have five children and my youngest Namposhya (known as poshya) is a special needs child.

The most difficult part of having a child with special needs is the lack of general information and advice on the best way to help my child achieve her full potential despite her disability.This has resulted in feelings of frustrations.

Having a child with disabilities has enriched my life through working with other children with special needs, which has helped me understand poshyas difficulties.

As for my education I did a three year diploma in Agriculture business management in Zambia and a diploma in business studies in the U.K.

Yes I have been out of Zambia.I have traveled to the U.K,Italy,U.S.A as well as most central and Southern African countries.

I hope to learn as much as possible from your experiences in working with special needs,so that we can also be empowered to advocate,take control and make life as rich and fulfilling as possible.

The three things I would like to learn while there are-

1.Advocacy-The best strategy to use in order to advocate for improved public as well as government awareness.To promote the implementation of all legal rights for persons with disabilities to ensure equal opportunities.
2.Empowering-the care unit and their children.
3.How to monitor and evaluate specific interventions.

Finally I have no fears but will put everything in Gods hands and pray for a safe journey and a fruitful stay.

JOSEPH

1. To be called Joseph
2. 6 (2 brothers and 4 step sisters)
3. I have an auntie with special needs. Taking care of her, seeing her going through pain, to find time to be with her.
4. It teaches patience, it reminds meof my own fragility as a person, it challenges me of how to handle my own needs and those of others
5. Grade 12. Doploma obtained at St Boniventure College in Lusaka
6. yes I have
England 1.5 years
Italy 2 weeks
Poland 2 weeks
Kenya 2 weeks
Tanzania 2 weeks
South Africa 2 weeks
Ireland 3 weeks

7. I expect to learn practical ways of dealing with people with special needs. I need the KNOW HOW
8. 1. Relationships with people in general, 2, Relationships with people who are with special needs and 3, How to be efficient in my work and how to plan and how to make my plans succeed.
9. My fear is I don't know how I will cope with my work for I am ignorant of your computer world! And how I shall cope with the people I will work with.

Preparing for the Zambian Team

Representatives from Arc GTC, Fraser, Opportunity Partners, St. David's Children's Program, and the Institute on Community Integration met today to discuss and plan for the upcoming training of the Zambian Team. Dates that the team will be in the United States are March 28 to April 11. the training schedule is coming together for the formal training they will receive. Topics will include (but are not limited to): history of disability in the U.S. and Minnesota, core values of services in the U.S (valued social roles, social justice, empowerment, inclusion), overview of management and fundraising in non-profit organizations, employment and residential service, special education and early intervention, faith based initiatives and the role of church in service development and delivery, disability and arts, children with special health care needs, and autism.

The basic training methodology will include a combination of lecture, discussion and on-line training each morning that is focused on a specific topic. Each afternoon the group will then complete site visits that assist then in applying the information they learned each morning with the real world application in the afternoon. In the evenings participants will spend time at disability cultural events, civic events, organizational and parent events as well as learning about what typical American families do in the evenings.

Each partnering organization is now seeking volunteers to serve as host families for one or two members of the Zambian team.

More to come. Amy

Reflections on Zambian Trip

I have been home now and in the hustle and bustle of life here in the U.S. for nearly two weeks now. Not yet fully unpacked nor organized and caught up from having been gone. Yet, definitely back into the swing of work, home and American politics!

It is sometimes hard to reconcile the need I saw from every aspect of life in Zambia with the privilege we all have in the U.S. We talk about poverty and we talk about need but it nearly trivial when compared to a country like Zambia.

This weekend I had an opportunity (thanks Sandy!) to attend the Arc GTC Arcacdemy gala. It was a lot of fun and a huge success. Many people at that event were asking me about Zambia and I thought to myself that just with the money I spent on my outfit and my husbands suit we could have rented a building for the Hidden Voices School for nearly 12 months. If you took all of the money spent and raised at that event it is nearly unimaginable how far it would go in the right hands in Zambia. I am not at all saying we should stop having galas or that we should stop spending money - I am merely pointing out that there is much human perspective to consider when you think about the resources we have at our fingertips in this country.

I have also been thinking a lot about the intellectual capital we have. We take this for granted I think in the U.S. The number of people in the U.S. with and without disabilities who have become experts on this topic is amazing. This knowledge is so needed and so valued in Zambia. To give you perspective, I spent a lot of time with young men who were studying to become priests. They were working on degrees in philosophy, accounting many areas. They had no access to an on line library system. Imagine your children, yourself or your grandchildren going to college today and not having access to a complete on-line library system. For us, this is unimaginable. For most Zambians in college having limited access to library resources is the norm.

The children in the picture above go to school in a freight container that has had some windows cut into it. You can only imagine how hot it was. But, each of these children were pleased to have a school to attend. They walked for distances of over miles to get to and from school each day. Teachers had chalk boards and chalk. Children had small notebooks on which they wrote on every square inch of paper. Children with physical disabilities more often then not used adult wheelchairs and/or adult crutches that had been cut off. Custom fit - not on the radar of experiences for nearly all of the children I met.

We are a rich nation. We are have so much at our finger tips. Do we all really know, appreciate and understand this? - Amy

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