Secession and Zombies

I'm back in the office after another great and busy day. After heading back to the office from the school yesterday, I did some work on financial forecasting for the poultry farm before heading home to find the four North Park students that will be staying with the Mulandos hanging out with Mama Lillian and Nkhongono, her youngest son. We had a delicious dinner and got to hear the North Park students' stories from the long trip over to Zambia.

Dinner gave way to a great discussion with Uncle J (Mama Lillian's husband) about African politics and the future of southern Sudan, where there will be an election in January that will decide whether it will secede from the north. Uncle J is an accomplished journalist and always brings an incredible (and hilarious) perspective to the news of the day. On a much less serious note, I was excited to introduce Nkhongono to Plants vs. Zombies, an absurb yet shockingly addictive game that I have on my iPhone. With that, we called it a night, off to dream lovely dreams about secession and zombies. :)

This morning has proven a success, with further discussions with Teacher Ng'oma about the enrollment process and school in general. A brief conversation about the poultry farm with Charles and Sandie, the chairman of Hope Ministries' board of directors, has me ready to finish up the forecasting and continue to think through the training and work I have ahead of me. It's been great to have time to talk through the processes here and see where I might be able to add value to an already extraordinary organization. Here's to two and a half more weeks of productivity and success!

Good Start, Great News

Hello again! I made it to Ndola! (I can't say the same for one of my suitcases though...here's hoping it shows up soon!) I have been in Ndola for almost a full day now, and it has already been a busy and productive time. After getting settled in last night at the home of the Mulandos, my host family, we had a wonderful dinner, and I got to catch up with the family on how they've been since my last trip in July.

After a good night of mosquito net protected sleep, I got up early this morning to prepare for the day, which started with a meeting with the headteacher of Hope Community School, Teacher Ng'oma, as well as a couple of the new teachers, Teachers Janet and Silvia. We discussed the enrollment and attendance record-keeping processes, and I was excited to see how ready they are for the new year. I'll be spending some time over the next week or so helping to ensure that the first couple weeks of school (when enrollment/registration occurs) go smoothly, but the staff here seem to have a great handle on it already. That should free up some time for my next exciting task: accounting processes!

I visited the school briefly to review some of the enrollment and attendance records from this past school year and got to say hello to most of the teachers, who were waiting to meet about the new school year and the North Park students' trip. It's always so great to see the staff here again after a few months apart. Just their warmth and happiness at seeing you again make the four flights worthwhile!

When I arrived at the school, there was a group of children waiting outside the headteacher's office for their Grade 7 exam results. In Zambia, to qualify for Grade 8, which is the beginning of secondary school (like high school), you have to pass a government exam. An official happened to show up while we were at the school to deliver the results, and I am thrilled to announce here that 20 of the 21 Grade 7 students at Hope Community School who took the exam passed!* That's a 95% pass rate, and a rate almost unheard of at community schools! A big congratulations to the Hope students and staff...their ability to overcome the odds is truly incredible. I hope the following pictures show you a little bit of the sheer, complete joy these students seemed to have at hearing that they would get to graduate to Grade 8.

 The staff have been very busy today (and I'm sure for the last few weeks) preparing for the North Park students, who arrived about an hour ago. I'm looking forward to meeting them myself and sharing great memories with them over the next couple weeks!

* There was a correction to this blog post. It originally indicated that 25 of the 26 students who took the Grade 7 exam passed. In fact 21 students took the exam and 20 passed, giving a 95% pass rate. Yay!

One Flight Down, Three to Go

I'm currently waiting in London Heathrow airport for my next flight, which will get me onto the African continent, dropping me in Johannesburg, South Africa before another flight that will take me to Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. From there I take a short flight to my final destination of Ndola. The idea of three more flights is a bit daunting, but after sleeping off and on in Heathrow, I'm feeling more rested and ready to take on the rest of this travel (as well as a bit of work along the way!).

As a side note, I find that airports are always such great places for people watching. My most hilarious people-watching moment so far this trip: seeing a grown woman (my guess is early 30's?) staring for a good five minutes at her exposed navel for no apparent reason. Couldn't figure that one out.

Well, on I go to tackle the rest of these flights. I just took my first malaria pill (a bit late since you're supposed to start taking them two days before you arrive), so it is really sinking in that I'll be in Zambia soon. Talk to you all again from Ndola!

Another Year, Another Trip!

Hello All! This is Joann, Program Director of Spark Ventures.

As we approach the New Year, I am heading off to Zambia to work with our partner organization, Hope Ministries, on issues ranging from accounting practices to poultry farming. I'm excited to share my trip with you on this blog, and I'll be working hard to blog at least every weekday while I'm away.

Despite wet tennis shoes from all the snow in Chicago, the trip is off to a good start as I bop around listening to my iPod while waiting in O'Hare airport for our flight to board. (Given my complete lack of rhythm, I think the lady next to me thinks I'm having seizures.) Rich was upset that I made fun of his musical tastes on this blog during our first trip together in February, so to even things out, I'll share that I am listening to the Glee version of "Teenage Dream" on repeat. (Happy, Rich? :) )

Thinking about the coming year and this latest trip (my third this year), it's hard not to reflect on my past year at Spark. I started at Spark in January of this year, and it has been a truly spectacular 11 months so far. I've gotten to help plan the launch of a Zambian poultry farm, I've met some truly incredible Spark investors who give not only of their resources but also of their time and I've already spent almost a full month in Zambia, working with the dedicated and ever-generous staff of Hope Ministries.

I suppose this is all to say that I'm thrilled at the idea of what 2011 and this trip will bring. It will be an adventure to see what we can do for these kids together!