Jennifer MacKinnon, a librarian at Millwood High School in Lower Sackville, is shown on her last day at her regular job for awhile. MacKinnon has just left for Lubuto, Zambia, where she’ll work in a library for street kids. She’s volunteering with Cuso International. (INGRID BULMER / Staff)

At a time in her life when many parents are helping their older teens get ready for a gap year, Jennifer MacKinnon is taking one herself.

Last week, the 55-year-old Millwood High School librarian headed off to Zambia to volunteer for a year with a special library project aimed at street kids in the African country’s capital, Lusaka.

MacKinnon said in an interview before leaving that she was both excited and afraid. But it’s an adventure that she has been building toward for years.

“I was always really interested in other cultures,” she said. “I did some volunteer work with MISA (the Metro Immigrant Settlement Association in Halifax, now known as Immigrant Settlement & Integration Services) . . . and I’ve always been sort of drawn to people from other countries and always been fascinated and asked a million questions.”

More than a year ago, MacKinnon decided to try to make her travel and volunteer dream a reality and she enrolled in a course to learn to teach English as a second language.

After completing her course, MacKinnon applied for a position with CUSO International of Ottawa to teach English in Tanzania. It turned out that job had been filled, but CUSO called her with an offer.

“They said, ‘We are looking for a librarian in Zambia and we noticed on your resume that you are a librarian, are you interested?’ “

That was months ago, and MacKinnon said she’s been busy ever since.

“It’s a long process — applying to CUSO, then going up for an assessment day in Ottawa and a further week of training in Ottawa . . . and a lot of shots.”

MacKinnon has been vaccinated against polio, meningitis, rabies, yellow fever, hepatitis and typhoid. She’ll also be taking anti-malaria drugs while she’s in Africa.

In Lusaka, MacKinnon will be working with the Lubuto Library Project, and while she is expecting many things to be very different from her work in Lower Sackville, she says some duties will be pretty similar, such as cataloguing, programming and teaching community volunteers about the library.

“And storytime is the same anywhere.”

The separated mother admits she’s leaving a lot behind, including her 17-year-old son, who is finishing his Grade 12. He’ll be living with his father while she’s away.

“He’s got a great dad, but I’m going to miss him.”

MacKinnon is hoping that her adventure will inspire her boy to do something similar one day. For now, he plans to take a gap year next year to do some travelling and work. But MacKinnon says she’s been feeding him information on CUSO youth projects.

MacKinnon will also be giving up a year’s salary but CUSO is covering her expenses and she’ll receive “a very modest” living allowance. CUSO also requires her to raise $2,000 before her year is over.

“So far, I have $1,000.”

For more information about CUSO International or the Lubuto Library Project, or to contribute to MacKinnon’s fundraising effort, go online to Cusointernational.org, lubuto.org or tinyurl.com/jenniferinzambia.

( djeffrey@herald.ca)

       I don’t think that there is an adequate word to describe just how busy the library has been since opening its doors to Garden’s children.  The first day saw almost 600 visitors!  In actuality, though, it may have been even more because by the end of the day the sign-in sheet was completely full.  Aside from the first week’s extraordinary numbers, it was difficult to say how exactly the library was received.  The library was a novelty, a place the children from the community and the street had probably never dreamed or conceived.  Children would come in and take books off the shelves at random, leaving them scattered.  Some would run in and then immediately run out, grab a friend, and come back in.  With 600 children in the library, it was difficult to determine who was actually reading and taking his/her time looking at books.   It was a new experience for me as well.  I’m so used to being at Fountain of Hope where there is always a manageable number of children in the library and having been open for three years children know what the library is about. 

            The library as a novelty, however, began to wear off.  While we’re still averaging around two hundred visits per day, it is encouraging to see regulars.  There is Mumbi (my personal favorite), an eight year old boy who comes in every day and asks “Miss Jennifer” to read with him.  Sharon is a young girl I frequently see sitting in the talking circle with a number book in her lap counting on her fingers.  There’s a group of teenage boys who always go straight for the art books, looking at pictures of naked statues (boys really are the same everywhere).  Several high school age kids stake out a place on a bench and sit there for hours doing homework.  There is even one woman named Sarah, perhaps in her sixties, who is part of the adult-education class at the school.  She diligently comes to the library and reads one or two books out loud.  If there is no one to read to, she reads out loud to herself.  The majority of the children using the library so far attend Ngwerere school or the nearby high school.  But there is also an increasing number of children from the community who easily mix with the school children.  There is a particular young girl who comes in to read with a sleeping baby on her back.  The diversity among the library patrons is great to see and proves that it is not only a resource for the school, but for the community as well. 

            Having spent almost all of my time in Zambia at the Fountain of Hope library, building relationships with the amazing children there, it felt a bit strange coming into a new library.  But seeing this library first open has offered me a glimpse into just how novel and important a Lubuto library is to the community.  It provides so much more than just books and resources, it is a safe space for children to be themselves and offers them the chance to find new ways to express themselves, whether that’s through dance, or drama, or reading and writing.  As my time in Zambia draws to a close, I am sad that I won’t really be able to get know the children in Garden, but I am optimistic that this new library will be as beloved by its children as the first.

We decided that it would be a nice holiday treat to take those kids who volunteer at the Fountain of Hope library to the movies and then out somewhere to dinner.  In the end, there were eight of us, David, a member of LubutoArts who also teaches art to younger children; library volunteers extraordinaire, Joe and Moses; Jackson, another artist who helps out keeping data for the art class; Emmanuel, who is helping out with the OLPCs at the new library in Garden; Elijah, our Fountain of Hope library manager; myself, and Lebo Moore, who is the daughter of Fulbright scholar and Lubuto volunteer Mary Wagner.  Lebo graciously came to help me chaperone, but I think that, like myself, she also really wanted to see Harry Potter.  Being somewhat limited in our movie-going options, I chose Harry Potter.  It is, of course, based on a book.  What could be more appropriate?

I don’t think that the guys had any familiarity with the Harry Potter series, but it didn’t seem to matter.  They had all put on their nicest clothes and sat neatly with their hands folded in the theater waiting for the movie to start.  All of them kept insisting they were excited to be there, yet you wouldn’t have known based on how solemnly they sat.  For Joe, it was the first time he had ever been to a movie theater.  It is deeply humbling to do something we consider to be so ordinary with kids who have so little. Joe was even entranced by the previews.  After each one, he would lean over to me and say, “Ah, it’s looking nice.”  All of the guys said thoroughly enjoyed the movie.  Dobbie, the little CGI elf with a high pictched voice, was undoubtedly their favorite character and solicited big laughs from all the guys.  Now, whenever I go to Fountain of Hope, Joe calls everyone “Mr. Potter.”  I have no idea why, but he seems to think it’s funny.

Dinner was a more interesting experience.  Trying to go through a huge menu (TGI Friday-like) with unfamiliar foods was a bit challenging.  Moses, David, and Joe ordered chicken and chips; no mystery there.  Emmanuel ordered a big steak.  Jackson ordered a steak and prawns.  Written on the menu as “filet and prawns,” he asked us what a filet was.  Lebo told him it was a specific cut of beef.  She then asked him if he knew what prawns were and he said yes.  But when his food came, while he ate the beef with gusto, he was completely grossed out by the prawns.  He actually had no idea what they were and insisted they were snakes.  He was absolutely adamant in his refusal to try one.  When I countered that I had at least tried everything they had ever given me (including kapenta, a disgusting anchovy-like fish, with nshima, blah), he still refused.  “Who taught you to eat snakes? How can you eat these snakes?”  Likewise, the beef was not a hit with Emmanuel.  When a waitress came by he asked if they served nshima.  They didn’t, so he settled on chicken and chips, clearing his plate (in case you were wondering, Jackson finished both his and Emmanuel’s steak).  The guys didn’t talk much during dinner and after the ordering fiasco, I was really afraid they hadn’t enjoyed themselves at all.  It wasn’t until Emmanuel had finished devouring his meal that he turned to me and said, “I am so happy.  This was the best day.”  The others echoed similar statements.  Just hearing that MORE than made up for the lack of snow.  While certainly atypical, it was an amazing Christmas in its own way.  It sounds a bit corny, but to be able to do something special for this group was the best Christmas gift I could have asked for.

            Every Saturday, our project team meets for several hours at the Fountain of Hope.  After our first weeks of working with the teachers, it became obvious that in order to expedite the process, we needed to involve students.  Creating student/teacher design teams, however, became so much more than just a means to an end for producing programs quickly; it became an inspiring experience for all involved. 

            I know that I have already bragged about Moses Zyambo in previous blogs, but I don’t believe I can overdo it.  He is truly a remarkable young person.  He was introduced to the OLPCs in February 2009 and quickly mastered using the machines.  Since deciding on the introduction of student/teacher design teams, Moses has been the star of the project.  His computer skills are extraordinary and invaluable.  His confidence has grown tremendously as a result of his technical competence, and the teacher designers and other student designers rely on him to assist whenever a challenge arises.  Not only has this project been able to create something important and unique for educating Zambia’s children, but it has made a profound impact on an exceedingly bright child’s life. 

            In addition to unleashing the gifts of our student program designers, the project has also afforded LubutoArts members the opportunity to contribute beautiful computer graphics to the programs.  David Shampwali, in particular, has really come out of his shell as a result of his involvement.  Every time I go into the library, David is there, creating new drawings on the OLPCs.  As the months have gone by, they have become more intricate and accurate.  My personal favorite is a rendering of the library itself.  Having spent many hours trying to successfully grasp using Microsoft’s Paint program, I am truly in awe of all our graphic designers have accomplished.

            The implementation of this grant has been a complex process.  We’ve been beset by some technical challenges with the OLPCs, and teachers with limited computer experience have had to work hard to become comfortable with the laptops.  But these are really minor roadblocks when I think about the project’s significance.  These programs, created by Zambian children for other Zambian children, can be made accessible for all children, but especially those who cannot go to school.  They are a gift for Zambia, and I am honored to be a part of this incredible project.

On Sunday, October 31, Lubuto Library Project’s Kenny Hau and his wife Esnart had their first child, Alfready Chimwemwe Hau.  Jane Meyers and I were lucky enough to visit him when he was just hours old.  Both Mom and baby are doing well, and Kenny is over the moon.  Welcome to the world, Alfready!

Moses Zyambo, Enesto Zulu, and Joe Tembo

In the three months that I’ve been coming to the Fountain of Hope Lubuto library, I have been fortunate enough to get to know almost all of the kids who live at the center, help out in the library, and who are regular library users.  While I love each one of them, I would be lying if I said I didn’t have favorites, or three, to be precise.  Joe Tembo, Enesto Zulu, and Moses Zyambo represent what is best about a Lubuto library.  They each take turns assisting Elijah, our library manager, in the Reading Room as well as alternately running the OLPC program; Joe and Enesto participate in the Lubuto Arts program, and all three are helping to create projects using Etoys for our eIFL.net OLPC Zambian Language Literacy Program.  When they are not in school, they are at the library, reading, playing on the computers, or just having fun with their friends.  The Fountain of Hope Lubuto library is their home.  I really can’t imagine the library without them.  In addition to their faithful assistance with library programs, they’re incredibly funny and loveable guys with unique personalities.  Joe is extremely outgoing and is an aspiring rapper.  We have a running joke that I am Mapalo Tembo of Zambia’s Eastern province and he is Slim Joe from Canada. Enesto is much more reserved, but is faithfully trying to teach me Nyanja, although all we’ve been able to accomplish is his asking me what time it is and my responding in English (I think he’s losing hope in my abilities).  And Moses is like a sweet teddy bear, who also happens to be a computer genius.  But while I could wax on and on about how great each one of them is, I think it’s only fair that they be allowed to introduce themselves.

Joe Tembo: “I’m a librarian here, and I’m also doing art, and I’m in the program with Etoys with my friends Moses and Enesto.  I’m seventeen.  I first come to the library in February 2007.  I was at Fountain of Hope in Grade 7.  I came here in this room, to work

as a librarian, and when I finish school, I want to become a librarian.  I like to come here to help read books, help Elijah, and even you, Mapalo. I like to read books here, about Martin Luther King, and Leonardo Da Vinci. It’s nice to read the book about Leonardo Da Vinci because he was drawing and he made that famous painting the Mona Lisa. I started doing art in 2007 here, with Mr. Mwamba, he used to teach us how to paint and do drawing.  I used to sketch before.  I’m happy about the exhibition in the U.S. next year.  This library is important to the people so they can know how to read, and even how to write.  I’m helping out with Teacher Betty to show her how to use Etoys for the project.  It’s a very, very good project. My favorite thing to do here is to read.  I like being in this space.  My favorite place is the ‘People’ section.  I also like sitting in the ‘Sciences.’  Thank you very much.”

Enesto Zulu: “My name is Enesto Zulu.  I am nineteen years old.  I’ve come to the library for four years. I was learning here at Fountain of Hope and so one day they were building it, I was looking, then when they finished it, I was coming and reading.  I come to know about the world, about the people, and about the maps.  I like coming because I need to know how people live in other countries and what things they have.  We have to keep the books clean and ordered in the library.  At the library, I do the laptops and art.  Since when they finished building this, I joined the art class.  My favorite thing to do is to know the books.  My favorite sections are ‘Science’ and ‘Stories.’ I like ‘Science,’ ‘Technology,’ ‘Plants,’ and ‘Mammals.’  The library is important because children, even me, they have to know things from the library by reading the books.  I just need to be a businessman and a musician someday.”

Moses Zyambo: “My name is Moses Zyambo. I am sixteen.  I came to the library in 2007.  I came because I feel that the Lubuto library can do something with what I want to do in life.  I want to do IT technology, information technology, and DJ.  I live at Fountain because I want to change, change my behavior.  Lubuto has helped with self-confidence and discipline.  I’ve changed.  I’m a librarian, and I teach children computers.  There’s a program about Etoys, and I’m involved with that.  Sometimes when I don’t have other things to do, I like coming to read and do other things.  My favorite section is “Science” and my favorite book is “Plants.”  The Library can help you to read, and know how to read, and when you don’t know librarians can help you to read.  I just want to say thank you to Jane Meyers for helping me.”

From July 14-30, Lubuto Library Project was fortunate to have Washington, DC school librarian Julie Allen come to Lusaka and undertake the daunting task of doing a complete inventory of the Fountain of Hope Lubuto library collection.  Julie worked so hard to finish, staying for seven hours each day to catalogue books, and taking the occasional break to read with children.  We’re happy to say that she did indeed complete her mission, but we’re (and by we, I mean me, as I have lost my dinner buddy) sad to see her go.  But before she left, I asked her some questions concerning her time at Lubuto.

1. How did you first hear about Lubuto?

I heard about Lubuto through a friend who worked at the Politics and Prose bookstore in DC.  She knew I had done other volunteer work.   Jane was at the store at the same time over a year ago I mentioned to her that I would love to come to Zambia to volunteer.  I contacted Jane in the spring of this year and asked her if there were any volunteer opportunities.  She asked me if I would like to do an inventory.  I couldn’t pass up the opportunity- it was a perfect time to do something like this. We met on Sundays and she gave me a full background of Lubuto and what the future was going to bring and her background of living here.

1. How long did you stay in Zambia?

I stayed here a total of sixteen days and it was much too short, but with the help of some friends I was able to complete the inventory that I set out to do.

1. What were your first impressions of the library?

I had seen the pictures of the actual structure of the library and I was not disappointed at all in person.  It’s beautifully constructed.  My first impressions, when I saw the children coming in to use the library, I really felt that it was meant to be, that this was a place that would bring much joy to the children through their reading and the programs here.

1. What is your favorite Lubuto memory?

I really think it’s seeing the children come in on their own, and reading on their own, pronouncing the words and asking for help, and spending a considerable amount of time concentrating with one book.  It’s young and old that come in.  And just the discipline that they have…it impresses me, their thirst for knowledge.  And of course the Pippi drama, which as the days have gone on has gotten better and better.   Their patience and listening well, just very impressive. It’s always the children I remember.

1. Why do you think the library is important?

 It just brings the children together to do something worthwhile in their lives. Acting out their feelings in the mentoring program, through the books, sharing their knowledge.  It’s a continuation of their schooling.  There is recreation; it’s a place for the children to come. And it’s a wonderful community of children who know each other.  It was a great opportunity and I was blessed to be able to do this.  I received so much in coming.  It’s never too late to learn new things.

Julie is missed here at Lubuto, where everyone is asking if Miss Julie will come back soon.  She also made the day for Lubuto artists Joe and Emmanuel, purchasing two of their paintings to take back as souvenirs.  All of us here in Zambia want Julie to come back to visit soon, but in the meantime, we hope that when she looks at her beautiful art, she will be reminded of all her Lubuto friends.  Zikomo kwambiri, Julie!

The first time I met Harrison, our head “librarian,” I was convinced he didn’t like me.  He was shy and didn’t speak much English, which made communicating with him challenging. So on the days I went to the library, I would sit quietly and do my work and he would do his job of ensuring that visitors signed in and were well-behaved.  Then one day I brought out my laptop.  I was instantly surrounded by curious children eager to look at pictures and play games.  Harrison, who would often listen to music on his cell phone, asked me if I had any music on my computer.  I mistakenly said yes and was soon inundated with requests to hear Lil’ Wayne and Kanye West.  Sadly lacking rap music on my iTunes, Harrison settled on Beyonce.  As soon as I turned on “Single Ladies,” this introverted young man became a different person.  He grabbed one of his friends and started dancing in the middle of the Reading Room circle.  While not exactly library-appropriate behavior, it was vastly entertaining to see his “Thriller-esque” dance.  Since our random dance party, Harrison greets me with a huge smile and shouts out “Mapalo is here!”  (The kids decided I was in need of a Zambian name so they chose Mapalo, which is the Bemba word for “blessing”).

Harrison is one of the most impressive young people I’ve ever met.  He takes his librarian responsibilities seriously, and is always there to open the building at 8am and close it at 6pm.  He dutifully ensures that everyone who comes in signs their name and he conducts at least one story time per day.  He sweeps, shelves books, and greets visitors.  But perhaps the thing I most admire about Harrison is his positive attitude amidst a life of hardship and uncertainty.  He is like any other teenage boy, laughing and playing with his friends, making jokes.  When this is posted, Harrison probably will have already been “re-integrated” with his family.  Knowing that his departure from Fountain of Hope was imminent, I decided to interview him to get his life story before he arrived at the center.  It is both incredible and heartbreaking.  With the assistance of another Lubuto librarian, Elijah, we have translated my interview with Harrison.

“My name is Harrison Zulu.  I am seventeen years old.  I have been one year at the center.  Before, I was staying with my family in Kabwe.  My uncle (Mr. Abel) was working as a prison warden in Luapula province.  Mr. Abel sent a letter to Kabwe to let me stay with him.  So then I went to Luapula province.  Then Mr. Abel was transferred to the Copperbelt and I started experiencing some abuse at home.  I worked from sunup to sundown.  I was not allowed to come home late.  One day, I escorted some friends home and was going to be late.  Before I got home I heard that my uncle was going to beat me so I decided not to go home.  I spent the night with a musician visiting from Lusaka.  In the morning I did not want to go back home so I walked and followed Mpongwe Road by myself.  I was heading to a village, but before I reached the village I met Mr. Manjoro who worked for the Council.  Mr. Manjoro questioned me.  He carried me to the police and they wrote down my statement.  Mr. Manjoro carried me to his home.  I became like a son to him and I entered into school.  My uncle never even tried to look for me.  I changed my surname to Manjoro.  Then I moved to Lusaka with Mr. Manjoro.  Mr. Manjoro started to drink beer.  I make noise (snore) when I sleep so he made me sleep outside on the veranda.  I slept outside on the veranda for one month.  One of the neighbors saw how I was suffering.  He communicated with friends who worked for Victims Support.  Social welfare came to pick me up and brought me to the Center.”

In an attempt to fill the gaps of Harrison’s history, I spoke with people at Fountain of Hope.  Apparently, Harrison’s family in Kabwe (which included an abusive aunt), thought the uncle had sold Harrison and that he had died soon after.  The family even held a funeral service for Harrison.  It’s unclear whether Harrison’s integration with his family again will be successful.  It has been three years since he’s lived with his family, and given the previous pattern of abuse, he may run away from home again.

But, there is reason to hope.  Since Harrison began working at the library in March, he has earned a small salary, enough to pay for his school fees and provide small savings.  Harrison told me that he would like to work in an office one day, managing documents and papers, and he thought that his experiences in the library were good preparation for this.  “I learned to be responsible…responsibility and discipline.  I will never forget working in the library and it will be always in my memories.”  I will also never forget Harrison; his special dancing capabilities, his ability to make me laugh and to laugh with me (or at me, like when he tried to teach me to eat nshima properly).  My earliest Lubuto memories will always be of Harrison’s smiling face greeting me as I first stepped into the library.

Here are some of the children at the Fountain of Hope Library in Lusaka Zambia, using the One Laptop Per Child XO Laptops.

One of the Lubuto Fountain of Hope Library staff members read to a group of children.

Motivational Mentoring Students

On Saturday, June 13, students who had participated in Lubuto Library’s and YOFOSO’s Motivational Mentoring program gathered for their final meeting. The program, which began earlier this year, ran for twelve sessions. Motivational Mentoring was designed especially for Lubuto with the assistance of Dr. Lawrence Mukuka of the Sky High Institute for Success. Each session was focused on teaching a specific principle, including purpose in life, honesty, faith, courage, perseverance, self-confidence, responsibility, persistence, self-motivation, self-empowerment, friendship, and self-discipline.

The lesson plans were unique, utilizing three positive examples, which combined traditional Zambian stories such as the elephant and goat (self-confidence) and internationally recognized figures (Nelson Mandela-self-motivation).

It was my first visit to the Lubuto Library, and I was instantly overwhelmed. Immediately surrounded by hordes of children, I could only smile and laugh. Their enthusiasm was infectious and shown plainly on their faces. It was evident that the kids who attended loved the program. This final session allowed the students space for reflection. As the only muzungu (white person) there, and sadly lacking knowledge of either Bemba or Nyanja, I was unable to understand exactly what the children were saying, but in the end, it didn’t really matter. When asked what value they thought was the most important, the students stood up one by one to give testament to all they’d learned, a visible demonstration of newfound self-confidence, empowerment, and motivation. The girls, especially, looked proud, and even a bit sassy, as they stood in the center of the circle, hands on hips and turning from side to side to address the audience: (note, I clearly did not do the translations)

Sakalunda: “Self-empowerment: Before, I had wanted very much to play football but I couldn’t. The story of Kalusha Bwalya changed everything as I am now the best player at my school.”

Ann: “Self-confidence: Having confidence is a very good thing. I have taught others and I have also set myself high standards, making myself a role model for my friends at school and in my community.”

Gift: “Faith, courage, and perseverance have helped me help my School…to do very well at NATA 21 Arts Festival.”

Precious: (on self-motivation) “I’ve come here to present myself on poems and I shouldn’t fear…but I have to motivate myself so I can speak my poems.”

Some of the students’ parents shared their observations of changes they’ve seen and felt within their children.

Parent 1: “Thank God for Fountain of Hope and Lubuto Library. My child has started to make me have faith-this lesson has raised her self-confidence. She has started to teach her friends as well.”

Parent 2: “Maxwell, my child, has taken up the role of counseling me on issues such as being involved in unnecessary arguments in the community.”

Parent 3: “A word of advice to the children: please be really honest with yourselves and the lessons you have been learning. Let us the parents see your actions be in tune with your lessons.”

Following a delicious meal of nshima, chicken, and cabbage (where I was duly laughed at for my inability to neatly roll the nshima into balls with my hands), the group of 200 gathered outside for a drama competition. I was fortunate enough to be given the role of esteemed judge from the United States. Using the ever-official criteria of creativity, voice projection, acting, costumes, and cast, as well as the scientific 1-10 scale, I was tasked with a difficult decision. Six groups in total competed, incorporating props and costumes, and not quite Oscar-worthy acting skills. Not understanding any of the action, I based my official duties almost exclusively on audience reaction. In the end, the group from Matero emerged victorious thanks to the efforts of one particularly amusing actor who played a kleptomaniac taxi driver (I think that’s who he was, anyway). Following their victory dance of jumping up and down screaming, the group received Lubuto Library Project/Motivational Mentoring t-shirts. I wish I had taken a picture of the kids’ faces when they found out what they had won. Words can’t adequately describe their glee.

The day lasted over seven hours, and yet the children remained excited and attentive throughout- a truly amazing feat. They listened to one another and showed respect for both their peers and the teachers in attendance; evidence the program had made an impact on them. The program gave the children a chance to express themselves, learn valuable lessons from peers and mentors, and spend time with their friends in a beautiful space. In the words of a boy named Jackson who participated, “This program should continue so that we can learn more.”