Dávid from Zambia – VI. Blog Post

Good morning! And of course, the usual high-five to everyone! Let's dive into what we're going to be up to in the next 4-5 months here in Zambia.

A bit about the project – DAPP Zambia:

DAPP (Development Aid from People to People) is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1990. It works in partnership with local populations to implement development programs. The projects are community- and people-centered, and their execution always involves the active participation of local residents. The organization achieves this by creating spaces for community ownership of the projects, mobilizing people to find community-based solutions to daily challenges.

DAPP Zambia is currently running more than 40 large-scale projects across Zambia in areas such as agriculture, child aid and schools, healthcare (with a focus on HIV/AIDS and malaria eradication), self-help groups, small farms for local producers, and of course, education – and that's where we come in!

Youth in Action is a fresh project aimed at providing education and supporting local youth in leading self-sustainable and effective lives. The project also encourages the youth to acquire new skills and professions to effectively contribute to the socio-economic growth of the country.

As development educators, our task is to provide a platform for young people (ages 13-18) where they can share their experiences, ideas, and challenges with one another, and most importantly, receive support and motivation from us and each other. Our other responsibilities include continuously supporting, developing, and promoting the project, coming up with new ideas, and overseeing the youth and the ongoing project.

We received a 14-point list of goals that we need to achieve during our 6 months here. Naturally, we accepted the challenge and promised ourselves that we would give it our all.

Within Ndola, there are three main communities where we work in collaboration with DAPP: Nkwazi, Kawama, and Chipulukusu. The past weeks have been spent visiting these communities and assessing the actual needs of the youth.

Additionally, we've met with all the people we'll be working with in the coming months, including leaders and directors of educational and community institutions, healthcare workers responsible for the districts, and even the local police stations. By the way, at the police station, we were given our first Zambian names (since here, everyone has an official registered name and a Zambian one). Mine is Kandu, which means a thoughtful, helpful, and strategic person. It fits me perfectly, so I'm quite happy with my "new" name, haha.

I'll be back with more updates soon!

The photo was taken on one of the community access roads (after the rain).

~ February Highlights