You guys remember when Shona spent Christmas in Africa? Well here’s the latest on how the trip went, and whats next….
Better late than never….another update from me to you to give you some insights as to how the 2nd workshop went and share some of the exciting possibilities that Tammy are myself are now discussing with the Girl Impact movement in Zambia…..and further afield.
The 2nd workshop created even more special memories for both myself and the girls. I was initially a little bit apprehensive as Audrey (the Community Liaison Officer) who supported me on the first one had another commitment. Not being someone who lets minor setbacks like that keep me from achieving the end goal, I enlisted the support of three of the older girls from the 1st workshop to play the ‘role’ of Audrey. Turns out this was a fantastic solution and really demonstrated some of our key messages!
By asking these girls to help in this way I could see they felt so proud and was delighted they took their role so seriously. While I didn’t actually understand what they were saying to the other 16 girls there was a lot of listening, questioning and giggling which I took to be a good sign! As we were going through the slides we discussed the challenges they face, the dreams they have and the importance of being kind to each other every step of the way. We then went through the pledge making sure that everyone understood the words they were maybe less familiar with. One of the nicest moments was, after we had all said the pledge together, the 3 girls wanted to be in charge of getting them all in a line to sign their pledge as well as being the ones to give the girls their bracelets….it was truly heart-warming to watch.
So, two workshops under our belt and we had already made a positive impact on the community and I’m delighted to share that is only the beginning. There was such a great response from the team out in Zambia to The Shona Project materials and approach, they want to work with us to incorporate our powerful messages into their wider Girl Impact programme. I once got told ‘the only way to eat an elephant is one chunk at a time’ so we’re going to take that advice and start small, while dreaming big! There’s already been a couple of Skype calls to discuss practicalities, we’re looking at how we can go about getting advocates on the ground who can spread our message and ways we can start to connect girls throughout the world.
I can’t believe it’s nearly 2 months since I came back from Zambia ~ it was a life changing experience on so many levels. I met some amazing people, worked in communities on such worthwhile projects and challenged myself to step out of my comfort zone. There was then seeing the fantastic wildlife in Botswana, the thrill of Devil’s pool at the Victoria Falls (google it!) and getting up close and personal with the lions on an ethical encounter day.
Most importantly, it has given me opportunity to continue to work with The Shona Project in the role of Head of International Impact ~what is there not to love about 2019?! Big love and early Easter bunny bounce, Shona xx
Watch the highlights here….
