Project Zambia 2019

Follow Project Zambia

It is now 9 years since Eventure broke ground on the fantastic project Zambia. Since 2013, Novicell has supported the project with ongoing donations to ensure continued development of the project. Read more about the sports after-school Northern Star Academy, the kindergarten Eventure Care and the floating library 'Living Library', which every day makes a big difference to the local area in northern Zambia.

Årets gang på Northern Star Academy

At the beginning of 2019, project Zambia could finally look forward to receiving NSA students on top of the project's interruption in 2018. Our Zambian staff were excited because they had to manage the project without guidance from Danish facilitators for a whole 6 months. They handled this challenge really well! The independence grew with this experience and the experience of the Danish-Zambian collaboration in autumn 2019 has been visible and uplifting. We can therefore say that 2019 has been a good and stable year with great development among our permanent staff.

Swimming lessons

Although they live down to Lake Tanganyika, which is the world's 2nd longest freshwater lake, few people there can swim. This is problematic, as they often sail to get to other cities and cannot save themselves if problems arise.

Therefore, one of our first measures is always to teach the students to swim. And they love it! We use all our Health and heart lessons in the first module on the teaching and finish with a diploma that gives the students access to our kayaks. And they have been used extensively afterwards.

Crocodile visit

In 2019, the project in Zambia was plagued by a huge crocodile that had its daily swim past the plot. Of course, it is not very reassuring to know when all the bathing takes place in the lake - but luckily the "Zambia wildlife authorities" caught this bass in May.

Family workshops

Project Zambia periodically holds a larger workshop, where the kindergarten children from Eventure Care and their parents are invited to an afternoon full of play and activities. The purpose of these workshops is for the children and their parents to spend playful time together, collaborate and get inspiration for new ways of being together.

We always see the parents as open and interested in everything new that their children experience. Valuable for all parties.

Living Library

The best thing is to spread joy and we try to reach as far as possible in the local area. Every Thursday we fill a boat with students and volunteers and sail out to the villages to create development and joy. The Living Library is inspired by the book bus concept and functions as a mobile boarding school for local children and young people. The project is located on Lake Tanganyika, and therefore our bus is a boat! A boat which sails out to villages along the lake loaded with books, toys, drawing tools, stools and tables as well as pavilions to shade from sun and rain.

The biggest focus is on the children, but we also have nets and balls for the women, who always turn up curious. The children are divided into different age groups and the students at NSA plan activities that suit the different age groups. Many of us go on the living library boat, so that many children can be seen. Singing games can be made for the little ones, books can be read for the middle group and motor tasks can be done for the older ones. As the pictures show, we are well received every single time!

Gilbert (current student) narrates

In January 2019, the 6th grade started and one of our students has written a little about his thoughts here 2 months after the start of school: I am Gilbert, a pupil of NSA Eventure place. I am very proud to be here as a pupil because I enjoy learning and getting to know things I didn't know before. New subjects that I would never have learned in my school. I love the classes, the sports, the garden work, my fellow pupils and my teachers. NSA is the best place to be. I only wish to learn more and more and I am happy the volunteers are coming here to Zambia to teach me all that they know. NSA is a very important thing. We - the pupils - are learning to be creative, open-minded and we are able to make a difference in our country in the future.

Development team

It is now 9 years since Eventure took the first step towards a completely cast project Zambia. Some of our employees go all the way back from the start-up and they are a large part of our DNA. They know the routines and the challenges we have been through and contribute really well. In addition, we have hired some of our former students who have completed their high school. They are passionate about working with the development of their local community and believe NSA is the best place if they want to learn and be part of the development...

New facilitators

In 2019, we went from having Danish managers to calling their position facilitator. This is to develop a long-term and egalitarian culture on our project where we all contribute with our best abilities and create a larger common platform with a colorful culture. We believe that this will make the project less vulnerable in the future. And so far it's going great. After a period without facilitators, we have secured two competent people who will travel to Zambia in mid-July. Exchange of cultures is a key part of Eventure and Stiina and Kristians can add completely new dimensions to the project, as they are trained "expedition leaders" and have extensive experience in living in nature and getting the best out of the surroundings you find yourself in. Join in. "Our motto is YOLO - you only live once - and we seek presence, challenges and a healthy lifestyle and live plant-based, which matches well with life in Zambia. We are really looking forward to the next challenge, which is the facilitator job in Zambia. We hope to be able to implement a lot of our experience in the project"

Employees from Novicell visiting Zambia

Now it's time for another excursion to northern Zambia. Although Novicell had not planned an official trip to Zambia in 2018, the project was of course supported every month throughout 2018.

Marketing and Ecommerce on the school schedule

Now it's time for another excursion to northern Zambia. Although Novicell had not planned an official trip to Zambia in 2018, the project was of course supported every month throughout 2018.

In previous years, to great satisfaction, Novicell succeeded in establishing an IT room that made it possible for the students at Northern Star Academy to make use of IT in their daily teaching. In addition, the last team that went has secured internet in the classrooms at the secondary school. Here they were introduced to the use of the internet and have since then made use of it in teaching.

This year we are again sending a group of good and diligent Novicell employees to visit the Northern Star Academy in Zambia. The purpose of this tour is to teach the locals basic marketing principles and general e-commerce. In relation to the previous trips, it is also natural that they learn to combine the use of IT and the Internet for various marketing activities. In addition, they will be taught how to build a basic webshop. In the long term, it is therefore the dream that the locals can make use of these tools and make a living from building webshops for local companies. Although 10 days does not seem like a very long time to master this, we see this as a natural step in the right direction to be able to use IT and the Internet as a way of life.

Novicell's representatives

This year, it is not only employees from Novicell in Denmark who are going to Zambia. We have the pleasure of assembling a team consisting of 1 from the London office, 2 from Barcelona and 3 from the Aarhus office. They traveled to Zambia on October 18 to hand over the sponsored hardware, as well as teach marketing and simple e-commerce. The team consists of: Lars Foldager Nielsen (Novicell DK), Martin Hobert (Novicell DK), Morten Grønhøj (Novicell DK), Jacob Tibbott (Novicell UK), Leandro Benítes (Novicell ES), Haydn John Reece (Novicell ES), and Glenn Mott from (Eventure.dk). Our colleagues have returned home after a successful trip to Zambia, where they taught post-secondary students general marketing principles and e-commerce. The dream is that the students can make use of these tools, and in the long term make a living from building webshops for local companies. Thanks to our colleague, Leandro Benítez Mulet (Novicell Spain), who made this video from the trip.

IT can help

One of the challenges at Northern Star Academy is to lift the young people from their often very different backgrounds and educational levels to be ready for high school. And this is where IT becomes relevant. With tablets, apps and other teaching programs, the school's teachers are given the opportunity to differentiate teaching to a greater extent than before, and this will undoubtedly result in a faster increasing learning curve for the individual student. And while IT is not necessarily the first thought that comes to mind when you talk about Zambia, there is no reason to think that our focus on IT is out of place in relation to the needs in Zambia. IT is certainly not unknown in the country and many of the students at Northern Star Academy are already on Facebook on their mobile phones because NSA gives them free internet. The school also has some individual PCs, which the young people try out during their stay at the school, and here they benefit greatly from using e.g. Excel in their mathematics or economics teaching. The volunteers who teach at the school say that the young people are quick to take IT to heart. However, the possibilities are limited in terms of the amount of equipment and the large expense of buying new and transporting it to the school. Delivery of a package from Denmark to the school can take up to 6 months. Therefore, our idea is to both purchase, transport and set up the IT equipment at the school in Zambia, including guidance on maintenance as well as teaching material ready for use.

Visit from Denmark

The project in Zambia is lucky enough to receive many visits during a school year. Novicell has fixed visiting hours for the project. Here we contribute professional knowledge and IT equipment to the continued development of the school. This year, Northern Star Academy has also had the pleasure of hosting volunteers, student teachers and, as something new, a 9th grade on a study trip.

Volunteers on the project

This autumn we are lucky enough to have 14 volunteers and 4 facilitators on the project in Zambia! It is of huge importance to the project, the more volunteers we have - the more we can get going. And the project is firmly rooted in the volunteers - during this period as many as 3 of our volunteers and 2 of our facilitators have just arrived at Eventure for the second time because they simply missed their Zambian friendships. "I came back to Eventure because I missed the students and the staff. You form a strong bond with the locals, and then it feels like my second family. The lifestyle is also just right for me!” – Emma, 21 years old, sabbatical. “I have come back to Zambia because I feel at home on the plot and I have rarely felt less stressed. Everyday life down here is very addictive. And of course I also missed the students very much! ” – Kristine, 25 years old, studies Humanistic-Social Science Sports Science at the University of Copenhagen.

Teacher students in Zambia

The project in Zambia has had the great pleasure of acting as an internship for student teachers from the Carlsberg Campus. The project is obvious, as you really get the opportunity to use your expertise and teach students who are inquisitive. Simone Larsen writes: "In the spring of 2019, I was an intern at Eventure in Zambia. I returned home from my internship with a suitcase full of experiences and perspectives - which have changed me for the better - both professionally (which in the future will help me in my education as a teacher), but also socially. I broke all the boundaries of the world, which only made me stronger! I would recommend everyone in my path to go to Eventure, whether it's just as a volunteer or as an intern!" At the end of 2019, we will also start a collaboration with Ålborg seminary and hope that in the future we can get more educational institutions on board.

9th grade study tour in Zambia

For the first time, Project Zambia has had a visit from a primary school class. It was the 9th grade at Billund's international school who were on a study trip. Together with the students from NSA, they had a fantastic week focusing on climate and sustainability. The students also started planting the 3,000 trees Altan.dk has financed the planting of. We very much hope that Billund will send more students our way in the future - it was fun for the NSA students to meet fellow Danes.

A reunion with the NSA

Written by Julie

I moved with my family to Zambia in 2010 to start project Zambia, lived here for 4 years and am now back for the first time since we moved away from the project. And it's a huge pleasure! Revisiting the plot and all the "new" - with the kindergarten, with that kitchen, with that dining room, the harbor, a nice stadium - it's so beautiful and nice to be here.

And of course also it is nice to see new and old employees - happy and grateful for their workplace and everyone working together for the best result. The new development team takes responsibility, works hard and things are under control. I also revisited an old student from 2014 who has started a kindergarten and remembers the time at NSA as the best time of his life.

It's incredibly heartwarming to see how much meaning other people get from the project! When I experience 40 children in Eventure Care who like to meet at 6 – even though the kindergarten opens at 6.30 – because they are so excited that they cannot wait. When I experience the students at NSA, who absorb all the knowledge the volunteers bring and are endlessly curious.

Our reunion with Moses, who lived with us for 4 years and was my children's very best friend and support during our existence in Zambia. With great initiative and help from volunteers, Moses has now completed 4 years of schooling and is now in the 10th grade in Kasama and is thriving, his development is so invigorating and life-affirming.

During my daily work on the project, my eyes fall on everything we planted in the start-up, to see it stand as beautiful plants, bushes and palm trees that supply us with oranges, avocados, coconuts, passion fruit, bananas, etc. - Yes, I get pretty happy .

So happy greetings from Julie - and thank you for your efforts - it's all so heartwarming!!!! ❤

Udvidet samarbejde om fælles mål

As something new, Project Zambia has become part of the larger and more structured CSR collaboration, "The Source". Several companies have signed up to participate in Project Zambia, and will therefore contribute with efforts in continuation of those that have already been undertaken or planned.

In 2019, 6 Danish companies signed a partnership agreement which means that the same companies visit project Zambia every 4 months. The collaboration consists of 6 companies (Altan.dk, Wavecrest, AI A/S, Platform.as, Kroppens Hus og Kentaur A/S), who together will take up the challenges and make even more dreams come true for our friends in Zambia.

The first shot was made by Novicell, who implemented the know-how, material and structure for the construction of a marketing station as well as coursework on the project. The training of the selected employees takes place along the way and this summer the doors will be opened for young locals who can benefit from this new initiative! After Novicell's turn in October, the ball is played on to Platform.as, which will be able to contribute in other, important areas.

A development center for young people

Only 1/3 of all Zambian schoolchildren receive more than 7 years of schooling. And with 14.5 million inhabitants of Zambia, it is therefore a large group of children who do not progress beyond the 7th grade. That is why Eventure with Northern Star Academy steps in and offers and pays for schooling to some of the Zambian students who would otherwise have been 'lost' in the education system. Every year, Northern Star Academy gives 30 selected students the chance to start anew. Through a free after-school year in an educational and developing environment, the students are equipped to complete high school, which they are subsequently paid for by Eventure and the association's sponsors. The students ultimately achieve what corresponds to a Danish upper secondary education, and so far the experiences have been good. The aim of the school is to create personal development and strengthen the young people so that they can raise their level of education and benefit others by bringing their knowledge back to their local areas. Many of the young people at Northern Star Academy want to become teachers, nurses or something similar, in the communities they grew up in. In this way, the project not only helps the 30 students at the school, but also the entire community, which gains knowledge and skills that they have not had access to until now: It can, for example, make a big difference for a local community to learn why it is a good idea to plant a new tree when cutting down the old one. Or what water quality means, how to put together a healthy and nutritious diet, and how to set a budget for a start-up business. All things that the students at Northern Star Academy learn - and learn for themselves.

New initiative in Denmark: the Eventure house

In an attempt to make the association Eventure more present and diverse, we would like to present our new project in Denmark: the Eventure house. It is located in As by Juelsminde and will be a gathering place for everyone associated with Eventure. The Eventure house is a long house on the property containing a conference room, dormitory with room for 10 people, kitchen, toilet & bath, large outdoor kitchen, outdoor area with shelter & fire pit, Finnish bath, bicycles and kayaks etc. The outdoor area is currently being converted to a forest area with clearings. The Eventure house will be used for the annual Eventure weekend, workshops for new volunteers, workshops for facilitators. We also hope and wish that the Eventure house will be used by the members for reunion events and for social gatherings. It is welcome for members to bring friends & family who are not yet familiar with Eventure and its projects, so that they are informed about this and experience the "Eventure spirit" - for a small fee for non-members. In 2019, we held the first workshops in the Eventure house. They run from Friday to Saturday and consist of information about the projects, good advice and stories, and then there is shared cooking and fun. There has been very positive feedback and our impression is that the volunteers are sent off with peace of mind and great expectations.

Video from the trip to Zambia

Our colleagues returned home after a successful trip to Zambia, where they taught post-secondary students general marketing principles and e-commerce. The dream is that the students can make use of these tools, and eventually make a living from building webshops for local businesses.

Thanks to our colleague, Leandro Benítez Mulet (Novicell Spain), who has made this video from the trip.