Jasmine Bennett's Visit to Zambia
Jasmine Bennett went to Zambia on a trip partly funded by the Church of St Peter and St Paul and its parishioners
In the first two weeks of July 2008, myself and seven other students from Holy Trinity Church Cambridge traveled to Ndola, Zambia to work in partnership with the Jubilee Centre, a Christian organisation that seeks to empower churches, communities and their leaders to grow spiritually, flourish physically and have a voice in the world.
For two weeks our team took part in the various projects the Jubilee centre is involved with. This included giving many assemblies to local schools, where we were asked to talk specifically about HIV/AIDS awareness, and running youth clubs which involved giving short presentations, and playing sports with the children. As part of these presentations we were also asked to give testimonies about our Christian faith, and teach the children about God.
We were also asked to take part in Church services and lead Bible study groups. We were constantly encouraged by the faith of the people we met despite the poverty many of them were living in. The majority of the time we felt we had a lot more to learn from them than they from us, and we were so uplifted by the many stories they had of God's faithfulness to them.
What I found most challenging about the trip was the extent of poverty that we encountered in many places. The Jubilee Centre has a large ministry to the sick people in the parishes of the local churches, training and empowering over one hundred carers to visit and encourage the sick, the majority of whom are dying of AIDS. We took part in a morning of visiting with the carers, taking food and encouragement to those we visited, sharing Bible verses and praying with them.
We were privileged to see how the Jubilee Centre is helping many orphans in the local area. For many child-headed homes, the Jubilee Centre is able to provide a sum of money to help them set up a business, and then supports them through this, ensuring they have enough money to buy food and pay the rent on a room.
We were also struck by how many people were affected by HIV/AIDS. Nearly everybody we met was affected in some way, and had people in their family who had died. This has left many orphans who have nobody to care for them. However, we were really encouraged by the work the Jubilee Centre is doing in the local area and how it is empowering churches and their leaders to take responsibility for the orphans in their parish. One project we took part in was a feeding program that provides three meals a week to orphans and vulnerable children, and for the majority of children who come this is vital for their health and well being.
A further highlight of the trip for me was our visit to one of the two universities in Zambia, where we took part in their Christian Union meeting. These students were so passionate about their faith, and we were able to share testimonies and experiences of university life with each other. While in so many ways our circumstances were very different, on many levels we connected and had so much to talk about with them. They all had great ambitions and plans and were so enthusiastic about their studies. It was also challenging to hear about the corruption in the Zambian education system, and how so many students don't get places at the two universities despite deserving a place academically.
I feel I have learnt a great deal from my experiences this summer in Zambia, and I felt we gained a lot as a team as well as helping the Jubilee Centre in the work they are doing. It is one thing hearing about poverty, but it has only been made real to me now I have seen it for myself, and met and spoken to people who have a daily struggle to live and survive. I know that having returned to England my attitudes towards many things have changed and I am starting to take fewer things for granted. I am also seeking to change the way I live with regards to money, banking and shopping in order to benefit and not hinder the lives of the people I have met and people like them, and to seek God’s heart concerning justice for the poor.