In July 2025, I was lucky enough to travel to Zambia in Africa with Spark Ventures to represent LPP. I traveled with two other LPP teachers and experienced the trip of a lifetime. Before the trip, I worked with Sean and Geory and we discussed what lessons we wanted to plan and prepare for the Preschool at Hope Community School. We chatted with LPP teachers who had visited the year before and heard how wonderful the teachers and students at Hope were but nothing could have prepared me for the overwhelming warmth and happiness I felt when I experienced it for myself. Once all of the school materials were delivered to LPP, we worked together on organizing them into suitcases and adding donations of our favorite books and materials our students here love to engage with. It was amazing how much we were able to pack in six large suitcases. The three of us teachers were very excited when we said goodbye to our classes and headed to the airport to start our adventure.
It was a long journey to get to Zambia but during our travels, Sean, Geory, and I quickly became close as we shared common interests and our excitement for our trip ahead. When we arrived in Ndola, we were greeted by Margaret, the Co-Founder of Hope, and were driven to the school where we were welcomed with a ceremony from the students. The students at Hope were very welcoming and full of laughter. Throughout our time at the school, children of every age were saying “muli shani” and showed us around the campus. There were many moments of celebration while we were there, one being the donation of solar panels that help provide electricity throughout the school. These celebrations involved dancing and singing together. I felt honored to share the happiness with the staff and students as they shared their gratitude.
The school is beautiful and you would see students outside playing games and dancing between classes. One area that I saw students spend a lot of time at was the Library, which was donated by LPP. This library was full of books that were organized by topic. I would watch the Librarian help students find books in their reading level or on certain topics. This space was a calm and quiet area at the school where you could see a love for reading happening. During our time there, we did Reading Buddies activities each day and got very close with one or two students at Hope. We had language lessons where our Buddies taught us Bemba and we read together. These were special moments of the day where we built relationships with our Buddies and held conversations where we got to know more about their lives at home and what they love most about school.
Each teacher I met at Hope School shared a story that showed how much the school impacts the community. It is hard to put into words how much love and work is put into the school to provide a strong education and life for its students. We visited the school farm, where food is grown to provide meals at the school, as well as be sold at the local market for a profit that is returned to the school. The school has a tailoring center where students are taught how to sew items that are sold at the markets, as well as making the school uniforms. These sustainable skills and practices directly support the school.
My time at Hope school is something I will never forget. The immediate connections I made with the Preschool and Reception teachers and students allowed me to fully jump in and play with them. I am so thankful for the opportunity to continue building our relationship between LPP and Hope schools through our regular Zoom meetings.
After our week at Hope Community School, we traveled to Livingstone, where we experienced a dream African safari trip. As a group, we jumped into Jeeps and saw elephants walking past us, lions roaming, giraffes, zebras, and many other wild animals. We put parkas on and got drenched at Victoria Falls and spent the whole morning laughing at how crazy it was to view one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. This trip blew me away day after day, and I am forever thankful to be a part of LPP, where opportunities to build community and share our love for learning are encouraged.
