YBL Girls Clinic - A great success!

On Saturday 3rd of September, the 2nd YBL girls clinic of the 2011 took place at Napsa sports complex. There was a good turnout of girls with17 participants from 5 different teams (Jamlek, Hurricanes, Spartans, Magic and Bull-Dogs). Guest coaches Florence Glen and Ella Hewton led the clinic with help from local coaches Mwape Konsolo, William Sikapanda, Levi Chikoti, Nelson Sibanda, Alinafe Mwali, Ricky Mwanza and Bright Lengwe. The purpose of these player-based clinics is to improve the fundamental skills of the girls, share basketball knowledge and experience with the girls, and most importantly for the girls to enjoy learning from the coaches and from each other.

The clinic lasted just over two hours and important parts of basketball were covered such as: shooting, footwork, communication, dribbling and defending. Everyone was a bit nervous at the start of the session, overwhelmed by all the different coaches around them, but by the end of the morning everyone was at ease and the improvements were already noticeable.

One of the major challenges the YBL faces is the lack of girls participating. It is hoped that events such as these clinics will help boost the girls’ confidence and empower them, as well as encouraging more girls to get involved with sport.
It was a great day for Zambian basketball; one from which everyone benefitted, both coaches and players. YBL looks forward to our next coaching which will be in October.

Week 2! Getting used to the Zambian way of life, friendly matches and birthday celebrations!

Week two for group three saw the students begin their placements, getting used to the various bus routes and places to eat lunch- if they got a chance-! The weather has definitely been getting hotter which has meant lots of sun cream and water and unfortunately a fair share of sickness bugs!

After getting to know their teams, a few of the students organised some friendly matches between the different placements on Friday. Fountain of Hope challenged Chawama in under 12, under 14 football and under 12 basketball. There was not much to choose between the two teams, which could clearly be seen in the under 12 football match that ended 1-1. Chawama then took the under 14 football whilst fountain the under 12 basketball.

Elsewhere Munali girl’s netball and boy’s football took on Kalingalinga teams- who had an enjoyable walk to the event working on their team chant with support of their new coach Lucy. A younger Munali boys team were thrilled with only a 1-0 loss against k-town and the k-town girls also enjoyed their match despite a loss against a strong Munali girls team.

The past week also the saw the first of three birthdays of students in the group- a lot considering there are only ten! Flo Glen turned 19 on Wednesday, the group had a BBQ and watched a film to celebrate whilst she chewed through here 50p fruit slab present! Today Olivia Howard turns 22 and the group are going for their first meal out of the house to celebrate and the end of next week Lucy Bell turns the big 2-1! Happy Birthday girls!!

This week, the schools are back and so not only are the students coaching, they are now teaching in the classrooms about HIV and AIDS. It is set to be a busy week ending with a Zambian themed evening on Friday…watch this space!

IDEALS Students Experience Basketball Zambian Style

On the first weekend of their stay in Zambia, IDEALS students Ella Hewton from Loughborough and Florence Glen from Durham University were invited to play for the Rim Oilers basketball team.

Both girls are valuable members of their respective University teams and have been sharing their expertise at their chosen placements since they arrived just over a week ago. Ella has been concentrating her efforts towards the Fountain of Hope which is a boy’s orphanage, central to Lusaka. She has been taking basketball, netball and football sessions. Flo has been taking basketball sessions and working with the Zambian Basketball Association, this is equivalent to a National Governing Body in the UK. She is also coaching teams in the youth league, which was set up by Mwape Konsolo who is the programme and development manager within the charity Sport in Action, which works closely with the IDEALS project. It was set up as a free league for young people, who could then feed into the ZBA.

After their first week of coaching both girls were invited to play as guests for the women’s basketball team, the Rim Oilers, who are a team within the ZBA. As they arrived at the centre both their excitement and nerves were increasing. Unsure what to expect the girls found their coach and changed into their new uniforms, hand made by their team mates. Once rivals, the girls now had to work together in their first African basketball experience.

Inside the hall there was an electric atmosphere with many young men and women turning out to watch the game. The opposition was to be the Green Buffalos, an army team who have a reputation for being a very strong squad. The talk around the hall was that the Oilers wouldn’t stand a chance…

I spoke to the girls before the match to find out how they were feeling…



It was a very physical game and was closely fought, right up to the last quarter. Unfortunately the girls finished behind at 59-65, however with only a 6 point difference it was a good achievement for a team that wasn’t expected to challenge their opponents. The girls will continue to play for the team during their remaining four weeks in Zambia and share their knowledge and experience across the local area. Both were great ambassadors for their Universities and the IDEALS project.

Group 3- Journey, Inductions and the first week!

With group three being the smallest with just 10 IDEALS students, it was not long before they found each other at the airport. There was a buzz of excitement amongst the students about what to expect, as well as anything important they may have forgotten to pack! After a long flight the plane touched down in Zambia at six in the morning, slightly earlier than planned, meaning the group had a brief encounter with group 2 students, who were in floods of tears! Thinking they were all a bit too emotional group three headed off with Tom and Sarah to the IDEALS house! Considering the excitement and noise the students had previously been making, the bus journey to the house was relatively quiet, with the students awe struck with what they saw, needless to say it was a bit of a culture shock for all!

The first few days of the teams stay involved basic introductions into Zambian life. Including getting used to the bumpy roads, the crazy buses, the money and the heat!

After a two day induction including a group visit to all the different sites, the students began their placements. Straight away they had to overcome several obstacles; limited equipment, varying group sizes and an adaption of their sessions as children arrived for training a good hour after it had begun! Next week the students will have to adapt again as the summer holiday cease and school starts back again in Zambia!

However, all of this aside, the Zambian peer leaders have been really supportive to all students and the children appear to be enjoying every minute. The weekend saw a mixture of activities taking place amongst the students, some visited the rural village, others coached sessions or attended tournaments whilst a few relaxed in the sun and caught up on sleep!

Monday has come back around again and the students begin another week of hard work, what lies in stores nobody knows, we will be back soon with all of group 3s adventures…

East Africa Cup - Volleyball Success

A Sport in Action volleyball team has had great success in coming third in the East Africa Cup.

The under 16 team of 5 girls and 4 boys travelled for three days to get to Tanzania where the tournament was held.

The team, who had only three weeks to prepare for the cup, gained their place despite changes to their usual playing habits.
Coach Tila explained that the team usually play outside, however adapting to playing indoors was no challenge for them since their basic skills are sound.

Markina, a team member for two years, is proud of what they achieved:
“When we got there I was nervous but also very excited, it was my first time at a tournament. I love playing with the team, it helps you to understand team work.”

The three day journey may have been long but Markina said that being with her team made it fun.

The team usually trains twice a week, offering training to both boys and girls in volleyball.
Markina said her favourite part of the experience was travelling and playing with her team.

The benefits of team work to both their success and the happiness of the team are evident.

The IDEALS students have been learning that there is not much for young people to do when they are not in school and it can be very easy for them to get in to trouble or bad situations. Being part of a sports team and active within their communities means the young people have something to keep them busy.

Sport is not only a way to keep fit and have an active lifestyle but learning to work as a team and having positive hobbies can really positively affect the lives of young people.

The volleyball team certainly have used such involvement in sport to their advantage- not only having a fun hobby, but showing their sporting prowess in tournaments.

The team also takes part in the Youth Challenge games, held once a month at the Olympic Youth Development Centre.

Coach Tila’s hope is that over the coming weeks they can start to develop a programme for games for children with disabilities.

If that team train as well and work as hard as the current team, volleyball tournaments all over Africa better watch out for the Sport in Action volleyball teams!

IDEALS students meet with the UN

IDEALS team leaders Tom and Sarah and media student Gemma met with a representative from the United Nations in Zambia today.

The students discussed the work the IDEALS project carries out with Sport in Action and Edusport, while also learning where that work links in with the work and aims of the UN.

It was beneficial for the students to see what kind of work the UN are doing as a lot of their aims and goals are similar to that of the IDEALS project’s: those such as the empowerment of girls and women and combating HIV/AIDS.

The staff at the centre seemed keen to work with the IDEALS students, Sport in Action and Edusport. This will be a great opportunity for the students especially, giving them the chance to link in with an international organisation and add another level to their Zambian experience.

The benefits to both Sport in Action and Edusport could also be fruitful since the centre showed great interest in offering help and support in any way to both of the NGOs.

The students were interested to learn of the different programmes run by the UN centre- some of which work in the same communities as the students.
One of the most impressive projects was a computer literacy project which aims to equip pupils near school leaving age with sufficient computer skills to apply for jobs or university.

The computer area was packed with pupils practising their work- some were from Munali where two of the IDEALS students are placed. Others were in the library studying and browsing the books.

The level of involvement with young people from communities across Lusaka was impressive, something which the students respected greatly.

The relationship now established between the centre, IDEALS students, Sport in Action and Edusport should develop to be mutually beneficial to all parties. In turn, we hope it will lead to the further improvement of the projects’ abilities to positively impact on the lives of the children and communities they work with.

Disability no barrier to sports

University Teaching Hospital Special School, Lusaka, has around 150 pupils who are also joined by some from the school for the deaf and hard of hearing. The school caters for pupils with a variety of disabilities ranging from mental to physical conditions. Teachers at the school have been happy to see improvements in their physical education programme with the involvement of volunteers.

Lilian, a teacher at the school, has noticed the positive changes in the pupils through participating in P.E lessons. Some of the children have shown particular developments in their physical, emotional and mental health.

“Some of the children get very frustrated in class but as soon as they come outside for P.E they are happy. When they see the students coming they run out of their lessons and shout ‘Teacher! It is time for P.E!’ ”

The children greeted the IDEALS volunteers with hugs and handshakes and were very excited about starting their lesson. What was immediately obvious was how all of the children were keen to get involved despite their disability. Every child was eager to take part and no one was left out.

Lilian also explained that the games the children play have been helping them cope with their disabilities. A pupil who was once unable to use his hands can now catch and hold a ball and join in with games. The combination of physiotherapy and encouragement to participate in sports has been instrumental in the boy’s increased use of his hands.

Some of the children had been having problems with anger- lashing out at their peers and teachers but since becoming active in their P.E lessons their actions have calmed. Through games and playing together the pupils have learned to act respectfully to each other and work together in games.

Ifiok Archibong, IDEALS student, enjoys helping at the school and has also noticed the effect on the children:

“Some of the children found it hard to join in with the games to begin with but they soon joined the group when they saw how much fun their friends were having. What’s good about the games we play is that all of the children can take part no matter what their disability is.”

Making the games inclusive has been an integral part of the P.E lessons as it is the children who struggled most to begin with who have shown the biggest improvements. Lilian named a number of children who never used to interact with the others and may have felt isolated but who now are the most enthusiastic about the P.E lessons.

What’s evident in the P.E class is that the children really enjoy the class and love spending time outside of the classroom with their peers. The grounds the children play on may not be the best but they don’t seem to mind as long as they get to participate with their peers and the volunteers.

All Saints School- The positive impact of sports

Edusport and the IDEALS project students have been told of the difference they are making to the children in All Saints School in N’gombe.

Peer Leader, Susan, explained that Edusport have only just begun working with the school recently but they are already seeing a difference in the children attending the sessions.

As the sports session got under way with Jordan Kenny and Laura Dormans of the IDEALS project, the children were noticeably excited and eager to get involved in the activities.

The head teacher remarked that the children have become very enthusiastic about sport and look forward to going out with the students to the community playing fields.

He also said:
“Since the two students from the UK have been coming the children have been paying a lot more attention in their English lessons and seem more eager to learn.”

The benefits of such involvement in the N’gombe community is invaluable to the children and their health.
Nasi, an intern at Sport in Action, described how beneficial it is for the children to have a safe place to play.

“Children play a lot less now than when I was younger. It’s because sometimes it is not safe for them to be out on their own so their parents prefer them to stay indoors. But this means they don’t get a lot of exercise.”

Sessions like the ones Edusport and the IDEALS students have been delivering ensure that the local children have structured exercise and a safe place to play.

The Head Master was also pleased that the involvement of the IDEALS students had encouraged the children to learn English and pay more attention in class.

The positive impact Edusport and IDEALS have in communities is evident in the happiness and enthusiasm of the children at All Saints school in N’gombe.

Zambia Project 2011

The IDEALS Project Zambia is under way once again this summer with the arrival of the first group of students from the UK. The students, from the Wallace group of universities, arrived last Sunday and have settled well in to their placements around Lusaka.

After a lovely welcome and induction from Sport In Action and Edusport the group learned how to make their way around their placements and the local community. The truck ride through Lusaka got off to a bumpy start when the truck broke down with steam billowing from the engine. After some pushing and a bit of quick thinking the journey continued.


Each placement welcomed the students who met teachers, peer leaders and some of the children they will be working with. The second half of the week saw the students start coaching at their placements.

James Dickinson of St. Andrew’s University has been coaching football at Kalingalinga basic school:

“I’m loving it so far, the kids are amazing and so eager to learn. We’ve been working on their agility and fitness levels. The peer leaders have been showing us the ropes and helping us to deliver our sessions.”

The students are working with peer leaders from Sport in Action and Edusport who have experience of coaching in the communities. Their help and guidance has helped the students prepare the lessons and coaching sessions they are delivering.

Some of the students have also been teaching in local schools, Holly Smith of Stirling University helped teach an English lesson at Sylvia School in Kalingalinga:

“It was a bit daunting at first but once we got going it was nice to see the children enjoying themselves and learning something new.”

This will be the first full week of coaching and lessons for the students. All are looking forward to applying their skills to deliver lessons and experiencing life in Zambia.

Chawama Routine Continues.

Tuesday 14th was the second visit to the afternoon sessions held at Chawama. The IDEALS students coach sport at the Little Woods School to a variety of ages.

Kelly Mullings held a session in Netball. The normal group is just girls but due to a missing volleyball net she informed me that the group has now also included a team of boys for the last few days! This is no distraction for Kelly who was adamant to proceed with her coaching and help the girls prepare for the WALLACE tournament this Saturday! The session included many drills to improve the girls technique and spatial awareness. The girls clearly needed to improve the preciseness of pass and the ability to use all the space in the court. It is clear that Kelly is having a positive impact on their ability to develop in the sport.

Becky Lilley coached the U12’s boys basketball. The lesson began with dynamic stretches to get the boys warmed up. Elements of this were able to aid skills which are necessary during a game, such as, high jumps and pivots. There is definitely a reoccurring challenge when coaching in Zambia that was very clear in Becky’s session; large decreases and increases of class sizes! Boys would become distracted or wonder off and then new additions may join the drills too! This can be very challenging for a coach who will wish to build on the skills taught throughout the lesson. Becky handled this very well but it is a clear area that needs to be improved so students who attend the lesson can get the most potential out of them. The final part of the day allowed the boys to practice drills that taught them to better control the ball. This is an issue an is contributed to by the uneven floor! Becky also had to explain to the boys the importance of playing as a team and supporting each other so they can fulfil their potential on Saturday at the tournament.

It encouraging to see the students continuing with the skills they having been implementing at their placements as consistency is not something that is the norm in schools inn Zambia. This routine will allow students to really master the skills of their sport and develop into good athletes.

Sensory Workshop

Darren Maccabe held a sensory class at Chipata community school this week for children with learning difficulties. The class was extremely fun due to the materials which were provided and activity that commenced! Darren, who is studying to become a learning disabilities nurse, had brought over from the UK five cans of men’s shaving cream!



The lids were popped off and he then encouraged the children to squirt the foam all over the desks! The activity was then to engage with the foam by touching, holding and squeezing the cream in their hands. The children visibly loved the game! It took no time for their confidence, after some slight confusion at such a different classroom task, to soar. This led to them spreading it on their faces, hair and soon on each other. This is important as children need to touch a variety of textures and play with them to develop normal tactile processing. The interaction and happiness between the children was fantastic to see. The teachers also could not contain their curiosity and it was not long before they too had white foamy beards and smiles!




Darren explained that this is an extremely effective way to engage children with learning disabilities. “Children just think they are having fun when they are actually working strenuously at building essential skills with their bodies and better neurological systems”.

The variety of sensory integration activities is endless... only limited
by your creativity and imagination!

K TOWN CUP!

The ‘chimpomba’ tournament was held last Friday at Kalinglinga. A chimpomba is the ball that was used…which is made up of recycled plastic bags and paper! At the tournament football, volley and netball were played. The teams fought for a place in the finals and the winning trophy!



The boy’s U12’s football displayed fantastic skills and ability which led to a final between Ghana and Barcelona. It was so close that even penalties could not differentiate between the two and Barcelona took the prize after they knocked out Ghana in sudden death. The ‘Player of the Tournament’ for the U12’s boy’s football was John from Ghana who played extremely well and fair.





The boy’s in the U15’s also played incredible football and the effort and stamina in the heat was impressive. The final was between Club 9 and Portugal with a clear 3-0 win to Club 9. The ‘Player of the Tournament’ was Goodson who led his team and performed well.

‘Hunters’ smashed the volleyball by winning the first three sets by 25 and easily taking the prize. The ‘Player of the Tournament’ was Kelly.



The netball also displayed the fantastic ability that some of the girls in Kalinglinga hold and the prize went to Fox Girls after a match on the new court in the compound. The ‘Player of the Tournament’ went to Chimunwa for her team spirit and skills. Hayley, the netball coach and IDEALS team leader, explained “the standard was high and the game was very close…there were hardly any fowls at all which is great”.



It was great to see that the organisation of the student’s and peer leaders led to such a great day. Matt and Rianne also pulled in Marc and Hayley for their refereeing skills which added to the effectiveness of the day. Poi’s were also brought along to provide additional entertainment for some of the children who were not participating in sports that day! Despite the immense heat and long hours the day was a huge success and was immensely enjoyed by all who attended.

Britain’s Top Sports Students Coach at the Olympic Centre!

The Olympic Youth Development Centre in Lusaka, Zambia, welcomed several of the IDEALS students last week and requested that they use their expertise to further the Zambian athletes’ skills in specific sports.

Becky Lilley first met the national athletics coach, who is responsible for taking athletes to the Common Wealth Games (CWG). She then sat down with each individual athlete to discuss their PB’s, SB and their programmes to date. This allowed her to identify initial weaknesses which were apparent in their present programmes and she went on to amend them in preparation for the CWG. In her next session she sat down with the national coach to discuss ways in which progress could be aided leading up to CWG. This included ways to create various programmes and how to implement them before the games in order for their athletes to see their progress and thus peak at the right time. Using her own athletic experience, having been in the sport for over ten years, she introduced British ideals, for example, strength and conditioning, which have led to an increase in medals. Becky explained that there were “aspects of a programme which would be the norm in UK but are vacant here” and she was “shocked to see athletes attending training four weeks before the international competition who didn’t have a comprehensive programme in place”. Ms Lilley highlighted the importance of a personalised programme saying “structure and encouragement is necessary so they are able to see their progression and remain motivated”.

Matt Guy, coached the boy’s U18’s football at the OYDC. The head coach, who is the ex Zambian international coach, allowed Matt to draw on his four years of coaching experience and take the session on his own. The group was formed of high performance players who would feed into the Olympic and national team, some of which already have had trials. He started with a fitness session concentrating on reactions, speed and agility. This led onto Plyometric training where he taught how to successfully use low contact with floor, jumping, hopping and other explosive material. The challenges he faced were that they needed extra work on spatial awareness and the impact that movement has on the game. Therefore he went onto expand on technical aspects such as dribbling, passing and heading – touch related drills and on tactical aspects explaining different areas on the pitch. The impact was evident when the boys played a game the following Saturday and Matt could clearly identify the drills he implemented in coaching. He said “ their play demonstrated spatial awareness, movement and support, which led to a fantastic header and a goal!”




Rianne Hunt coached Hockey to girls aged between 10-16 years of age who did not have much experience. This began by teaching basic skills of hockey, which Rianne establish during her nine years of training, which focused on how to hit and pass. Rianne was asked to lead the session as the girls wanted and needed a female coach who could demonstrate to them that a female can be successful in this sport. The challenges she originally faced were that they were unaware of basic hockey skills and thus she had to start from the very beginning with the language barrier too! However Rianne explained the impact “was huge because initially they did not respond well but by the end of first session I could see their own progress and they asked me to return!” At a subsequent match she could clearly see the girls using the skills that she had previously taught.



Matt Dochniak coached the U12’s boy’s football. He took two sessions where the head of football, who was the ex assistant for the national team, left him with sole responsibility for the group. He taught short passing and moving and then set the boy’s the target of five passes before a goal was scored as they previously struggled to pass the ball around as a team and were just kicking it with no direction. His intended impact was to drill in the importance of passing. Matt said it did “change the way they think about football, rather then just running around, it introduced direction and technique”.



Kelly Mullings used her nine years of netball experience to coach a group of girls aged between 12 and 20…in one session! Originally bad organisation of the session was a struggle but Kelly adapted and met her new demands well. Firstly she worked on fitness, which included reaction time with the ball, coordination, incorporating footwork, good ball handling skills and explosive strength via plyometric training. Secondly she introduced agility and speed using cones which players had to dodge around. She introduced new components which the students were unaware of and also provided a crash course in fitness for the coaches which they can build on. Kelly’s coaching has such a positive impact on the group, as she explained “they improved so much…the second day I could see the benefits for the athletes”. Despite having such a wide age group and varying level of abilities she overcame this by adapting and changing her drills to suit every level and age simultaneously.



The sessions at the OYDC will continue whilst the IDEALS team are in Lusaka. The staff at the centre were very impressed with the students and they have all been invited back to hold further sessions in their sports.

Performance Nutrition Workshop

Thursday 2nd September

Marc Briggs, a lecturer from Northumbria University, held a day long workshop for the national coaches of Zambia at the Olympic Youth Development Centre (OYDC). This type of theory is vital for the enhancement of their athletes if they are to compete on a national and international level.

The day began with an informal quiz to break the ice! There were five questions relating to nutrition and child malnutrition. Then Marc moved onto the goals of sports nutrition and common misconceptions in the area. This reinforced the OYDC’s goals of providing positive lifestyle opportunities for their athletes and coaches which will enhance their performance in their sport. The morning session ended with an interactive activity where Marc distributed paper plates and various foods (unfortunately not edible but of the paper variety!) and the coaches were asked to create the perfect meal for their athletes in various situations. Marc explained the purpose of this activity is “to see the level of knowledge they hold beforehand and then it allows them to learn from their mistakes”. He went on to say this type of activity is especially important as “it puts the theory into practice”.
After a long Zambian lunch the coaches returned for the afternoon practical session. Marc delivered this on the fantastic new out door basketball courts in the baking afternoon sun. The messages he wanted to communicate were the importance of dynamic stretches and the use of circuit training to warm up and exercise.

The Zambian coaches clearly benefited greatly from the theory in the morning and were very reciprocal to the new information they were been given. It was also clear that they learned new techniques from the practical session in both of the key areas. As stated it is vital that the coaches are informed on these areas. It was highlighted that they do have athletes who will be competing in the Common Wealth Games and the impact that the workshop had will hopefully contribute to their success in that and future international events.

IDEALS PROJECT 2010

Since 2006, IDEALS Zambia has seen many young people working together from Zambia and the UK, forming strong bonds, learning from each other, and having positive experiences. This year is no different!

EduSport and Sport in Action, the two sport for development NGO’s working in partnership with UK Sport and the Wallace Group (Durham, Stirling, Northumbria, Bath, UWIC and Loughborough Universities), provide placements for approximately 40 students per year. The students work with other national volunteers in communities and schools across Lusaka to deliver sports, leadership and health awareness sessions.

Travelling to Zambia as an IDEALS student is a daunting experience. Getting used to life and work placements requires a lot of adapting, which is part of what makes it so rewarding for the participating students. Hayley Barr was a student on UK Sport’s IDEALS project in 2009. This year she is back as a team leader, staying in Zambia for four months during the whole project. She is more than happy to be back.

“In my opinion it’s the best country in the world,” says Hayley. “The people are so amazing – you just feel so welcome.”

Life in Zambia certainly takes some time to get used to and Hayley recognises this from when she first arrived in Zambia.

“It is a little bit of a shock – the harsh life that we are protected from at home. Here you are very exposed to it and I think that’s quite hard to get used to.” Hayley says.

Planning can be a bit of a challenge for the IDEALS students who never know if they are going to get five or fifty children for a session, or if they will have access to the space or equipment. For Hayley, this is part of what makes it a useful experience. When back in Britain, they have a new perspective on things.

“It makes you more flexible and adaptable. You realise that it’s not a matter of life or death that everything goes as planned.”

Coming back as a team leader, Hayley has the opportunity to observe the project from the start. She appreciates the organisation a lot more this year, while she also sees the impact the organisations, along with the students, are having in the communities they work.

Kelvin Chasuaka has been a peer leader and role model to the community of Kalingalinga for well over 5 years, an astonishing figure considering he is just 17. According to Kelvin, a peer leader “is someone that mobilises, organises, educates, empowers and inspires young people to achieve all they can. They act as a role model to fellow peers and those in whatever community they’re operating.”

Kelvin has been involved in the IDEALS programme since it started and has learnt a lot from the students from the Wallace Group. “I was privileged to be part of the first ever IDEALS project. I was initially involved as a peer leader and later as a site coordinator for my community of Kalingalinga.”

“The project has benefitted me in so many ways academically. Firstly, in the most direct form, I’ve learnt a lot from the students and their coaching abilities. Their specialist knowledge in various sports has helped me develop my own knowledge which I’ve been able to pass on to those who want it. I’ve also learnt about British culture and engaged in cultural exchange. Finally, I was last year sponsored to complete my senior year at school, which was a massive milestone for me.”

As Kelvin indicates, the IDEALS project is not only about the advance of international development through excellence and leadership in sport, but also about cultural exchange between Britain and Zambia. As one student, Joe Dale, who has recently returned from Zambia put it:

“I have had the time of my life. Within a day of the placement I started to appreciate the extent of the difference between Zambia and the UK. Only with the translation of peer leaders and site coordinators could we have any impact other than just the children’s excitement at seeing a ‘Mzungu’. With time however we’ve started to be able to increase our control and understanding with the children through physical actions and simple English and Nanja.”

Joe also talked about his learning experience, “I learnt from my site coordinators and peer leaders to improve my input when delivering life skills messages through sport and in P.S.H.E classes. I hopefully combined this with providing enjoyment for the children in the PE lessons to give them a physical and mental escape from every-day stresses.”

IDEALS Zambia will continue to provide a valuable opportunity to students, staff and all those involved with Sport in Action and EduSport.

English lessons at Fountain of Hope

Tuesday 31st August 2010 English lessons at Fountain of Hope

This morning David Jones, with the assistance of Scarlett Brannigan, taught his third English lesson to his new class at Fountain of Hope. Alongside sports the community school aims to teach English to the street children aged between eight and twenty two years of age.

David and his placement partner Chris Savage began the programme by reciting the alphabet, explaining vowels and including games such as eye-spy which engaged the class and gave use to the information they had just learned.

The class today allowed David to recap on the previous days work and expand to the use of adjectives. This was achieved by using English newspapers and asking the children to highlight first the vowels and then the adjectives. They were then encouraged to say a statement about themselves describing an attribute to them with an adjective.

The challenges included a lack of stationary such as paper and pens to write with. The boys attending today were also a range of ages and abilities so some would progress much quicker than others, however, it was excellent to see that the boys helped and encouraged each other to conclude the objective.

Jackson is a peer leader at the Fountain of Hope, which is run through Sport in Action, one of Zambia’s leading Sport Non-Government Organisations. He explained that the children really enjoy the English lessons as “it allows them to take the papers with them and they will use that to practice their studies”. He also described how the lessons aid the peer leaders themselves; “we may attend school but this is revision for us too”.

The IDEALS students will continue to assist in various schools throughout their project teaching sports, English life skills and other activities.

Olympic Youth Development Centre Visit

Monday 30th August 2010

Olympic Youth Development Centre Visit.

The students arrived at the impressive centre on Monday to meet with the team there and see how they can collaborate. The Olympic Youth Development Centre (OYDC) was opened in May 2010 and provides the best sports facilities in Zambia. The centre is the first of its kind in the world and will allow the national teams to develop their skills.

Bessy, the director at the OYDC, chaired the meeting and invited the IDEALS students to introduce themselves and their sport. This gave everyone the opportunity to meet the Zambian national coaches who they will be working with.

The students then took a tour of the centre and saw first hand the quality of the facilities on offer. The athletics track also needed a little try out so the students practiced their long jump, one-hundred meters and the competitive streak in them could not resist a relay competition!

The final part of the visit gave the students a chance to meet with the coaches from their sport and arrange when and how the coaching sessions will take place. This grants an extraordinary opportunity to the IDEALS students to work alongside a national team and develop their professional skills.

Educate you, Educate me has arrived!

Educate you, Educate me has arrived! The first week was full of adventure, greetings and meetings which have made Zambia feel like home to the newest group of IDEALS students.

The team could not contain their enthusiasm and before unpacking ran across the street to play a game of football with the local children. The following day all attended the national Go Sisters tournament and watched as girls from around Zambia participated in Netball, Football, Volleyball and Basketball.

The beginning of week one was the perfect induction which allowed everyone to meet their new colleagues and see their placements. The team jumped on the back of a large truck and were shown around Lusaka and the various sites that Sport in Action and EduSport had placed them in. The students also experienced lunch Zambian style; nshima with BBQ chicken…which was delicious! David also delved into an assortment of bodily parts once belonging to the chicken including liver, intestine and claw!

Toxy, a peer leader from Chawama, introduced some of the team to Crystal on Friday at the local clinic. This allowed them to spend a day at the centre and get involved in the day to day work there. Becky was keen to visit the child nutrition area which led to Matt and Marc seeing more than they’d bargained for when they witnessed a woman in labour in the maternity ward! Darren, Kelly and I took a tour around the hospital and then helped with the physiotherapy of patients who had had a stroke. The last duty of the day involved putting a plaster on the leg of a little girl who had fractured her leg. All this before lunch! Then it was back of to placement for the afternoon’s sports activities.

The weekend was spent at the magnificent Lake Kariba. It is the largest lake in Africa and Zimbabwe can been seen across the vast stretch of water. After an attempt at free diving the team hopped aboard a speed boat and rode across the beautiful lake. The sunset was stunning and the night that followed was just as dazzling! The next day, before returning to Lusaka, team leader Hayley showed us the splendour that is the dam and we crossed it together and entered into Zimbabwe! It was the largest dam in the world when built but now stands second to one in China. The group were happy to hear that the drop from the bungee was greater than the frightening height they witnessed on top of that Dam!

The team returned to the house for an early night and recharged their batteries for the next full week ahead.

Sub-Sahara Africa is the poorest region in the world and was ravished by the outbreak of the HIV/AIDS virus. The only continent to have become poorer over the last three decades, Africa suffers from mass unemployment. 64% of Zambia’s 12 million population earn less than the equivalent of one US dollar a day – which in turn causes a whole series out various problems relating to social development. However, there is one company is that is determined to offer its workers well above minimum wage in good working conditions. Alive and Kicking is a football (and netball and volleyball) production company, offering disabled and HIV/AIDS infected workers the chance of decent income and an escape from their desperate situations.

I came to find out about Alive and Kicking through the two Sport NGOs I’m working with out in Zambia. EduSport and Sport In Action both purchase their footballs from Alive and Kicking. Our equipment cupboard at the house is packed to the rafters with their products. Each ball proudly displays their logo, a warning of the dangers of malaria and their real signature, the writing ‘Against child labour’ around the ball’s air supply.

A massive fan of their ideals and interested to find out more, I managed to organise a meet with their Managing Director, Chad. True to most communication in the 21st century Chad and I originally conserved through SMS, therefore, I was caught offguard when we eventfully met in person. Chad is a American, and white – an important factor. I must admit, my first reaction was that of cyncialism. I was wary that perhaps everything I had heard of Alive and Kicking had been created for intentional marketing purposes. I guess that’s just a product of living in a Western society.

However, it didn’t take me long to realise I had been massively wrong. Almost immediately after we had passed our introductions, Chad offered me a cup of tea (after I told him I was English). One thing that struck me straight away about him was how passoniate he was about his job and how thoroughly he believed in it. Although he had only been in his role since September of 09, you’d think the way he spoke about the company, it was his own.

We spoke for a while, about Alive and Kicking, and also about the IDEALS project I was proud to be apart of. He was genuine and although he stated how manic his past week had been, he had made plenty of time for our meet. I was given a tour of the stitching rooms, which were spacious. I was told of the process of making a ball and shortly learnt of the skill required to be able to stitch.

Each stitcher has the aim of making 3 balls a day – which doesn’t sound a lot, but Alive and Kicking balls are of the highest standard. Even in the terrains of the compounds the IDEALS students operate, the Alive and Kicking balls are hard wearing and do not fall apart – something more famous production company’s products could be accused of.

I sat with Chris, one of the stitchers (pictured below). He told me about his average day at the stitching centre, located at ZamLeather, Zambia’s biggest producer of leather.



All of the stitchers seemed to enjoy their job and enjoyed a good standard of living, all of which is of course relevant to the country in which they live.

It was a pleasant environment to be around and seemed nice enough to be working in. There was a good atmosphere and additional activities were encouraged by the management. The workers were very enthusiastic about their work football team, playing every Saturday morning in a league.

Chad treated me to lunch – nshima, chicken, tomatoes and cabbage. I can quite comfortably say I’ll miss Zambian food so much when I return back to Britain.



After lunch, we returned to our conversation about the organisation – I call it an organisation because it stretches well beyond the definition of a business – offering a decent standard of living for those that would ultimately struggle otherwise.

There are reasons to remain optismistic – since their company’s birth, they’ve created over 130 jobs for Africans. Despite their American managing director, they stay true to their roots boosting of the fact their products are: made by Africans, in Africa for Africans on their company t-shirts. Through their work, they’ve targeted over 25,000 children with the intention of educating them about the dangers of HIV/AIDS. They’ve distributed 250,000 footballs, netballs and volleyballs all together. After today, they will have distributed 250,001. You can order personalised footballs or organisations such as EduSport and Sport In Action can have a specific design for their required desires.

Friend of EduSport, a UK charity supporting the work of EduSport last week created a formal partnership with Alive and Kicking. Supporting their work and ordering ten footballs for their Go! Sisters world series to be held next year, Friend of EduSport are more than happy to give Alive and Kicking business.

Made in Africa, by Africa, for Africa – Alive and Kicking.

You Only Get Fatter In Chipata

To any Muzungo unfamiliar with the Nyanja language, to say to someone that they are getting or look fat, or ‘dumbo’, would seem fairly rude. However, in Zambia, to tell someone they look fat means that they look healthy and should (mostly) always be taken as a compliment. The staple food all over Zambia, nshima, is a national favourite and very filling, making everyone feel ‘dumbo’ afterwards. Made from just maize and boiling water, it comes out like a bland variety of mash potato – I know, it doesn’t sound appealing but it tastes fantastic, especially when typically served with cabbage and meat.
And this was the challenge for Laura and myself when I went with Laura to her placement in Chipata. After delivering PE lessons in the morning, we found ourselves with an hour to spare and at a bit of a loose end in the afternoon as the exam period meant some classes weren’t available. So we found ourselves willingly dragged into cooking and preparing a meal for all the teachers, which of course included nshima. Zambians are very keen to get you involved in anything, but are also very keen to make sure you do things properly; no sooner had Laura and I picked up a spoon and started stirring, we had them taken off us and shown how to stir properly.
The moral of this story – never argue with a middle aged Zambian woman in her kitchen.
Despite causing a stir in the kitchen, the nshima went down very well with the teachers, though, not as well as the game of softball we played with class 6B in the morning. As you can imagine, the schools we go to don’t have much if any PE equipment, so any equipment that the student coaches plan for in their sessions, must be taken from what they brought with them to Zambia. Laura brought a softball bat and tennis ball to Chipata and it was an absolute success. They’ve never played softball before, and even the teachers were intrigued, saying they had watched baseball on the telly but had never played.
The class picked it up pretty quickly. Laura’s session focus was not about winning, losing or getting people out but instead on something much more important: teamwork. It’s life skills like this that the student coaches are trying to get across in their sessions; yes, they want the kids to have fun as that is and always should be the point of any sporting activity, but they also want these kids to learn such life skills to use off the pitch.
Discipline and communication also featured heavily in Laura’s sessions, especially with the younger children. At this age (6-7 years old), their English is not as good as the older children, so doing a PE session and without a Peer Leader to help translate as was the case on this day, is challenging. However, Laura coped impressively well, her PE teacher background coming to the fore as she easily made it clear at all times for them all to ‘watch!’ (pointing to eyes) and ‘listen!’ (cupping ears) to her as she went through each activity. She wasn’t taking any nonsense either; if there was any sign of pushing or squabbles amongst the kids, she stopped the activity immediately, sending the offenders to the back of the line and threatening to leave them out all together for re-offending. Perhaps it was the Scottish accent that scared them stiff into obeying, but either way they soon realised they had to play nice to play at all.
You can see from their reaction to Laura that the kids have really taken to her, and she has really loved her time at Chipata Open Community School so far. ‘Everyone is so relaxed here, I love it’ she said. ‘You just have to go with it. If your taking a class for PE and another class wants to join in, that’s fine. You regularly get a class of 20 grow to 100 very quickly’.
Like Chawama, Chipata is a long way from Group 2’s base, taking about an hour and a half by bus. Being on her own without a placement partner as well, it is arguably the most difficult placement to be at. But calm as ever, Laura takes it in her stride, casually claiming ‘I don’t mind. There’s usually Chiko (the peer leader) around to help and there is usually always someone free in the group to come with me everyday.’ On this particular day it was me, and I can definitely say I will be visiting again.