Last December I farewelled my family and friends as I left Australia to embark on a 12-month adventure.
Mwandi Village is on the Zambezi River which provides a beautiful view, spectacular sunsets and endless access to water for the locals.
I have been more interactive with the orphans and vulnerable children at the Mwandi Village.
On the Mission there is the Mwandi Mission Hospital, a small farm with cows, pigs and chickens, the Mwandi Basic School and the Orphans and Vulnerable Children’s Project (OVC).
I have implemented visuals and introduced the students to games and activities to support their learning.
What has proven to be the biggest challenge is the language barrier.
On one occasion this resulted in me being locked in the classroom from the outside.
After the morning antics I spent the rest of the day at OVC which has 270 children aged between two and 12 years of age on the feeding program.
This means the kitchen staff and volunteers prepare 270 meals each day, six days a week and for many it is the only meal for the day.
Tragedy is embedded in this community and starvation, witchcraft, sexual abuse, neglect, illnesses and preventable deaths play a big part.