Ruth’s story

Teaching – and learning – in Zambia

Ruth spent a year in Zambia organised by Project Trust, teaching in a large girls’ boarding school. She found that whilst the school was far better equipped than she was expecting but the classrooms were quite basic. Basic resources like plain paper and pens could be difficult to get hold of especially near the end of the month. All the science teachers at the school were male, so Ruth’s arrival gave the girls a role model of a woman who enjoys science…

The biggest challenge Ruth found teaching her classes was that they were too used to a lecture style of teaching and so struggled to think for themselves. She tried to make her lessons as interactive as possible and question them to test their understanding – not just their knowledge.

Ruth lived in a house with her fellow volunteers, which had two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom. The housemates had to collect water from a tap outside, and the water was only turned on for an hour three times per day but they quickly got into a routine of fetching water.

The pupils had prep every evening which gave Ruth an opportunity to give extra help to classes or individuals that were struggling with particular topics. Ruth also got involved in many extra-curricular activities. Long distance running is one of her favourite hobbies so she volunteered to coach the schools athletics team, and also coached the Badminton team.

Ruth’s last few days in Zambia were very emotional, saying goodbye to her pupils and many friends. She reports that “the school threw a party to say farewell to me – including making me do a dance on my own!” Ruth feels her time in Zambia has been an incredible learning experience and she knows that she will never look at the world in quite the same way again. She hopes that her pupils learned to enjoy science, but she knows that she learnt a lot from Zambians – about making the most of what you have – and living a relaxed life.”

Finally, Ruth wanted to thank the Bursary Fund for their generous financial support without which the year would not have been possible.

Project Organiser: Project Trust