MYP Gr9 I&S Students' Field Trip to World Vision Site in Chipapa Was a Tremendous Learning Opportunity

This past Monday the MYP Gr9 Individuals & Societies students together with teacher Edward Chow Worn and secondary librarian Terry Maguire travelled to Chipapa Primary School near Lilayi for an up-close look at high quality, long-term, sustainable development projects. This trip formed part of a unit on poverty interventions that students have explored over the past month. 

Mr. Alfonsias Haamanjanji & Mrs. Pamela Chama of World Vision visited AISL several weeks ago to answer students' questions related to World Vision projects and goals. The World Vision staff then organized an incredible program for our students during the field trip that included a visit to the Chipapa Primary School to hear the Gr5-7 girls perform their spoken word piece about ending child marriage, to see how the school's WASH club (water, sanitation, and health) promotes hygeine and water safety, and to learn about the school's literacy approach and commitment to a text-rich environment. Following the school visit, students went by bus to the nearby community of Makangwe to hear testimonials (through a translator) of how the well established in 2017 has transformed the local economy, health, and the safety of children who would otherwise be quite vulnerable travelling long distances for water.

For many of our students, this trip provided an intimate look at how development shapes individual lives. It also gave students a much deeper appreciation for the challenges many rural Zambians face on a daily basis. We will be looking at ways to contribute to the communities we visited as a show of our appreciation for what was one of the best learning experiences many of us have ever had. Huge thank you to Mr. Alfonsias Hammanjani, Ms. Agatha Mali, Mrs. Barbara Sampa, Mrs. Pamela Chama, Mr. John Hasse (AISL parent & World Vision National Director for Zambia), and Headmistress Barbara of Chipapa Primary School for organizing this valuable experience for our students.