News

Giving aid and hope to children in Zambia

By Jeff Kurowski
Compass Assistant Editor

	Zambia Project: More information To make a donation, request a Zambia Project speaker or for more information, contact: Corday Goddard, Office of Residential Life, St. Norbert College, 100 Grant St., De Pere, WI 54115-2099, (920) 403-1351; e-mail: corday.goddard@snc.edu.

DE PERE -- Economic inequality in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, is striking, said St. Norbert College senior Tony Shimek.

"You see such a stark contrast in the city," he said. "Where gated neighborhoods end, the slums begin."

Shimek, who is from Green Bay, traveled to Lusaka in May of 2006 as part of the St. Norbert College Zambia Project. The student organization, founded in 2001, raises money for Zambia Open Community Schools (ZOCS).

Economic inequality has created education inequality in Zambia. Impoverished children do not have the means to attend government schools, so without ZOCS, they would not be able to get a basic education.

More than 20 St. Norbert students involved in the Zambia Project have traveled to Africa to see firsthand the impact of the organization's financial support, which has been used for books, classroom supplies, construction materials for schools, salaries and training for teachers, hammer mills for grinding maize, and boreholes to provide water on school grounds.

Senior Nicole Been of North Prairie, Wis., who was also a part of the 2006 travel group, said the schools vary in development.

Some classes held outdoors

"There was a wide range of classrooms," she said. "At one school, there was a class held outside. Some had classes in bare rooms. Others actually had desks and a supply of books."

No matter the conditions, the students appeared happy and hopeful, said Shimek, an international studies major.

"One of the main things I noticed was their hospitality and their love," he said. "They gave us tours and danced for us. They don't have much to give, but they gave us gifts."

Zambia Project members bring one suitcase containing their personal belongings and one suitcase with school supplies to donate. Shimek said he enjoyed playing soccer and volleyball with the children. Been said the students also taught their group some new games. The St. Norbert students also had the opportunity to teach a class at one of the schools.

Many of the students in the 19 schools in the ZOCS program are orphans because their parents died of AIDS. All live in impoverished conditions. Unlike government schools, the ZOCS program promotes education for female students.

St. Norbert's role is unique

St. Norbert is the only U.S. college with a student organization that directly supports ZOCS. Linda Clay, former director of career services at the college, took a year's leave to teach in Zambia in 1998.

"When she returned from Africa, she wanted to raise awareness and do something where students could learn outside the St. Norbert bubble," said Corday Goddard, director of residential life at St. Norbert and Zambia Project advisor. "She has taken several groups to Zambia. The students see the work being done with the money they raised. They come back and talk about what they had seen and experienced a half a world away."

Zambia Project members not only make presentations to raise awareness and funds, but also to recruit new students to sustain the organization.

"Before visiting the schools, I would do fund-raising because it was for a good cause," said Been, a math major. "Now it's more tangible. I'm doing it for the children I met. You feel an obligation to share your experience."

Education offers hope

"Educating the children in Zambia is how to make a change," said Goddard. "We hope these children can be the generation to figure out how to address poverty in that part of the world. The students get to see this notion of sustainability. It's money beyond putting food in people's mouths. They get to see another layer of hope."

All money raised by the group is donated to ZOCS. Students pay their own travel expenses. Fund-raisers have included a dance with a silent auction, brat sales, T-shirt and mug sales, and working concessions at Lambeau Field. The organization has raised approximately $145,000 since its inception.

Goddard and five students will travel to Zambia this spring. Clay, now retired and living in Minnesota, arranged the trip and remains connected to the group.

"I'm proud of what this group has accomplished," said Goddard. "What I love about the project is it fits the mission of St. Norbert College. It's service oriented, has education at its heart and it's international in its orientation."

Shimek said he would like to go back to Zambia, but there is an inner conflict after seeing the needs of the children.

"Now that I've made that connection, I question spending that money on a plane ticket when I could donate it," he said. "It's a life-changing experience. I am graduating this year, so I soon will no longer be part of this group, but in whatever I do, I will still live out the values the Zambia Project embodies."

"The Zambia Project has been a big part of my college experience," said Been. "Some of my best friends are from this group. We've been able to make a difference for hundreds of children."