Starting Out in Lusaka
When I first started thinking about my college plan, I didn’t see study abroad in my future whatsoever. My major interests are in domestic policy, so I simply did not feel that my education in this topic would be aided by a study abroad. The reason I decided to go abroad was entirely because of Northeastern’s Dialogue of Civilizations program. It is completely unlike any study abroad program I had ever seen, and once I learned more about it, I knew that it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. What stood out to me about Dialogues in general, but mostly in my specific program, Driving Social Change in Lusaka, Zambia, is their focus on hands-on experiential learning. Of course, you can’t go to any Northeastern orientation without hearing the term “experiential learning,” but I had no idea that a program could integrate classroom learning, close faculty interaction, service learning, and cultural immersion in such a comprehensive way. I saw it as an opportunity to supplement my knowledge of cultural competency while earning credits toward my Human Services minor.
Throughout the interview and orientation process, Lori Gardinier, our faculty supervisor for the trip stressed just how non-traditional this Dialogue was. We would not have consistent wifi, would have to drink bottled water, and would sleep under mosquito nets. It was extremely daunting at first, especially since Professor Gardinier has a policy of working her students as hard as they can work for the 4 short weeks we would be in Zambia in the interest of learning. Having never traveled outside the United States before, a trip to Africa would be a huge leap from normal for me. I expect to return home knowing far more about myself and the people of Zambia. Overall, I expect to have more of an appreciation for the lifestyle and cultures of other countries having experienced all of it firsthand.
As a human services program, the focus of my Dialogue will be identifying the pros and cons of different NGO’s in Zambia, and identify gaps in fulfilling the needs of the Zambian people. My goal is to become more acquainted with the specific issues of the population with whom I will be living for a month. For example, it is easy to say that developing nations like Zambia need help in education, but I hope to go in deeper and identify problems at different levels of educations, factors that contribute to these problems, and previous plans to address them. I want to learn to look at programs critically and identify political, social, and economic forces that have hindered or helped the progress of NGO’s in the past. In the nonprofit world there are many questions and few answers. Many times, we know what hasn’t worked, but what will work is yet to be identified, and I believe there is no possible way to answer these questions without knowing personally the lives of the people facing the problems.
I consider the Zambia program to be so special because we will be given the opportunity to work directly with University of Zambia students and have leadership roles in a nonprofit to actually spend time with many vulnerable populations. By simply interacting with these people, asking them questions, and getting their perspective, one can learn so much about why policy actions, NGO’s, and programs have not worked. Frequently foreign countries come into a developing nation thinking they know what people need without actually speaking with those who will be affected. I feel so lucky to have this incredible opportunity to learn from the people who depend on developmental programs because they are more of a wealth of knowledge than any research, study, or statistic.
The Driving Social Change program has an extremely intimidating workload and schedule. For example, in one month my peers and I will be putting together a capacity building project and applying for a grant, doing 5 hours of service learning a day, and planning a Youth Summit. All of these assignments are unique and such potentially impactful projects, but will take major dedication and teamwork to accomplish in such a short time span. I know I am not going to fix all the problems in Zambia’s NGO’s, but I have the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the lives of many people and the future of a new nonprofit, and I am afraid of not meeting that potential. I have such a special opportunity in front of me, but also a huge challenge, and I want so badly to be able to make the most out of these projects and create something lasting for these people, but I am definitely putting a lot of pressure on myself. It is not every day I am given the opportunity to apply for a grant that could provide a stepping stone for the development of an NGO which impacts the lives of so many people, and although I know I am not a “hero” sent here to save lives, I want to make the most of this chance to do something good.
I can’t even count how many things I am excited for on my Dialogue, but the frontrunners are definitely experiencing a new culture and working at my service learning site, RHO Appleseed. I’m learning more about Appleseed at orientation when we land, but it seems like a truly incredible place. I am excited to ask the University of Zambia students questions about Zambian life, society, government, traditions, etc, and find out what food I have to try before I leave. Mostly, I am looking forward to immerse myself in a culture at such a deep level, and come home with a more open mind and broader worldview.
