On October 16, 2024, 15 excited Year 8 students and four staff members embarked on a Zambian adventure. Here, Mrs Munnelly recounts some of the incredible highlights from the trip.

"After two long overnight flights, we finally arrived at the American International School in Lusaka, where we were warmly welcomed and treated to a delicious lunch. During our stay, we had daily access to the school’s fantastic facilities, which included a wonderful pool and basketball courts.

Our first outing was a visit to the Lusaka Museum. Pupils enjoyed dressing up in traditional attire and trying their hand at pottery. Though our handmade bowls didn’t quite measure up to the local craftsmanship, we all had a great time learning about the skills involved.

Another highlight was our visit to Kalimba Reptile Park, where we marvelled at adult and young Nile crocodiles and even got to hold a lively rock python! Lunch was enjoyed outdoors, and many students were brave enough to try crocodile meat for the first time.

Our trip to Mukalya Game Reserve was equally thrilling. We enjoyed a sunset cruise on the Zambezi where we spotted hippos, a pride of lions, crocodiles, and baboons. That evening, we were treated to some pre-dinner entertainment by local villagers who performed dances and songs around a campfire. The village leader shared stories about the land’s history, explaining how the original border with Zimbabwe lay 10 miles on the other side of the Zambezi River.  An early morning game drive rewarded us with breathtaking sightings of giraffes, zebras, warthogs, and antelope—a true safari experience!

After leaving Mukalya, we visited Namoomba School, which, with just three classrooms and a small outdoor cooking area, operates without electricity. Many of the children walk up to two hours to reach school each day, some even barefoot. We hope to be able to support this school in the future and in the meantime were able to give exercise books, pencils and crayons with the heartfelt promise that we will return. 

Another memorable moment was a visit to GRO’s Elephant Orphanage Program set in the National Park where orphaned elephants are cared for before being released into Kafue National Park. We watched Kasunga, Mataya, Bupe, Chikumbi, and Ndewa enjoy their morning milk bottle and splash about in the sun.

At Kabwata Cultural Village, the children eagerly put their bartering skills to the test, negotiating for beautifully crafted local goods. It was impressive to see how adeptly they managed to barter and stretch their Zambian Kwacha!  

During the trip we made four separate visits to our partner charity in Lusaka, Twende Education for All, a charity that supports the education of children undergoing long-term hospital treatment. Heath Mount staff were delighted to be reunited with Twende’s founder Andrea Mwualua and four of the Twende teachers. We were welcomed with joyous singing and dancing and were in awe of the energy and skill of our hosts. Year 8 delighted everyone with renditions of the Hokey Cokey (a hit from last year’s visit) and the Macarena! During visits to the children in the cancer and sickle cell wards, friendships were quickly made and all the children joined in with the crafts and games.  Together, we created a fabric collage of Africa and Zambia and learned to play a traditional Zambian board game called ‘mancala’.

On our final day, we said goodbye to our friends at AISL and Twende. The Twende patients were presented with thoughtful gifts, including bags of toys, stationery, and football shirts donated by our pupils. Twende staff kindly presented all the Heath Mount children with handcrafted bracelets made by the parents on the ward. There were smiles all around, but also a touch of sadness as we boarded the bus to leave for the last time.

This was an unforgettable experience that will stay with both pupils and staff for a lifetime. We look forward to visiting again next year and will continue our fundraising for Twende and Namoomba village school and health centre.