Where it all began….
Hey I’m Dee and I’ve always wanted to visit Africa. I had no idea where in Africa, but I’ve always wanted to go. I was blessed with the opportunity to do a little tour with my hubby and we visited Cape Town, Botswana and Zambia.
To get on and off the resort we were staying at in Siankaba, Zambia meant we had to travel for some time through the village, and I was shocked at my lack of knowledge that: kids walking for miles in the stifling heat in their full school uniforms and some with no shoes; and mud huts and shacks still dotted along the way. I was almost ashamed that I didn’t ever acknowledge this way of life before now.
It changed my life beyond anything I ever imagined. When we visited Zambia, my heart strings tugged like they’ve never tugged before. I know we see just how little people have on TV and we feel something - for a moment.
This feeling was different, I felt compelled to give something, and not just a few pennies, I felt compelled to give something of me.
There’s a little school in Siankaba, Zambia (the village we went through every day) and long story short, I managed to get a meeting with the headmaster - Headmaster Malindi. When we drove up to the school there were so many children gathering with enormous curiosity: staring, pointing, whispering. They were overwhelmed and we were overwhelmed. These kids walk for miles each day because they want to be at school, they want to learn, they want to live. They do this in temperatures of 30 degrees plus - nothing will stop them.
Headmaster Malindi spoke passionately about his school and the children within it. His heart was their heart; their needs were his needs. I’ve never seen anything like it, he is so invested.
Some kids turn up at school having not eaten since the day before, so the school makes sure they eat. Many children don’t have the ‘luxury’ of shoes, but they get to school anyway. Many of the girls don’t have access to sanitary items as they journey through puberty. This short time with Headmaster Malindi cemented my gratitude for the life that I have, and I learned the answer to the question so frequently asked…..”what’s the meaning of life?”. I’m more sure now than ever - we are here to serve each other.
I believe that I’ve been gifted this awesome and abundant life so that I can serve others.
Our wonderful and dedicated Headmaster Malindi
They say “charity begins at home”. That’s just too narrow minded for me - this whole beautiful and diverse planet is our home. We have to serve and plug the gaps wherever it’s needed, and I believe I was shown the way through my trip to Zambia.
I promised Headmaster Malindi that I would do something (I had no idea what) to support his beautiful school. What I didn’t know - until I fulfilled my promised and went back - was that he’d heard that promise so many times before.
As soon as I arrived back home, I set about raising money for Siankaba Community Trust School.
My dear friend and colleague, Oksana, was keen to get involved and at that point it became real. We booked flights and accommodation and together we raised money from any and everyone.
We bought cameras, crayons, pencils, pens, colouring books, stickers - the whole lot. We had T-shirts printed with our newly designed logo - my lovely friend and brand designer Matt Ollive did a marvellous job for us. We were excited to get over there and teach creative skills. We were eager to make a tiny difference to the lives of these kids.
If you’re reading this page, we are deeply grateful for your time. If you’d like to make a difference to the lives of children and families in Siankaba, please donate, it doesn’t matter how small. And we encourage you to get your kids to donate just a little of their pocket money. Bring them on to the site and let them hit the button to donate. We are ‘Kids4Change’ because we know the world will be a better place if we get our children to understand the contrasting lives of other children around the world, and contribute to the change. Lots of love!
