Described as ‘Soldiers of development’ the latest army of sports coaches, media students and construction workers armed with footballs, cameras and hard hats touched down in Lusaka Airport, Zambia. Rivals on the sports field, students from four of the UK’s top sporting universities put their differences aside to achieve success beyond a Wednesday BUCS fixture.
Greeted by friendly faces of the Edusport and Sport In Action teams, our hosts welcomed us to Zambia and would soon show us the relevance of the endless bucket collections, fancy dress fun runs and charity sporting events which made our journey possible.
‘Muli-bwanji’ – a Zambian greeting was a phrase we became well acquainted with just hours after our arrival, as street kids and bus drivers sought our attention. Our desire to learn the ‘Zambian way of life’ meant we quickly engaged with the community and shadowed the local’s day-to-day life. Invited into a Mother’s Day service members of the group experienced a traditional church morning whilst others challenged the neighbours to a football and volleyball match.
Coinciding with the aims of the sport organisations, students aimed to empower communities through sport by sharing knowledge and implementing coaching schedules for the future. With the help of peer leaders and staff members solutions to potential problems were created and our expectations discussed.
After meeting site co-ordinators and finalising placement schedules, the IDEALS students boarded a truck and visited the four placement sites. Travelling in the truck was a unique and enjoyable experience. The peaceful background of Zambia was reiterated by older members of the communities, whilst children enjoyed the presence of the white visitors, termed ‘mzungos’.
As we passed through the gates of Fountain of Hope - one of the Sport In Action sites - children chased the truck before proudly inviting us to play basketball on a court previously funded and created by The Wallace Group. Our next visit was to an Edusport placement in Chiwama, followed by a trip to the second Sport In Action placement, Chipatta. At Chipatta the truck rapidly attracted the children’s attention who fought to carry our bags and hold our hands. We were then met by an enthusiastic head teacher who thanked us for our fundraising efforts and showed us the schools sports facilities. Once retrieving our bags we prepared for our final placement visit to Kallingalinga.
Kallingalinga, home to some national netball players, exemplified how sport can unite communities and encourage social interaction. The contagious positive attitude towards sport held by the children, quickly spread, and students soon became involved in activities. The netballers amongst the group underestimated the prowess of the Kallingalinga girls who demonstrated that high standards of netball skills exist, despite the lack of facilities, equipment and footwear. With the Mzungos experiencing their first devastating match defeat, the students realised what the IDEALS project has already achieved and hoped the positive impact would continue.
