Who: These items will be supporting both MICS and Macha Central, a local school where a former MICS staff member teaches. They are especially in need of items for a class that supports students with both physical and cognitive challenges.
When: Today is a great day to purchase items, but by the weekend (Feb 2) is most helpful. This allows time for me to add more items if we find ourselves with extra space. Bringing Nathaniel means a bigger luggage allowance. 🙂
Why: These items make a significant impact on the education of kids in Macha. They are also a huge encouragement to teachers who often work with very few resources.
It’s hard to believe that ten years ago, we moved our family across the world to live and serve at MICS. Life looked pretty different back then. We had two little four year-olds who had never been on an airplane. Those little boys are now incredible teenagers almost halfway through their first year of high school. Our little surprise addition to the family is now nine years old. What was supposed to be three years, turned into five and we’ve now been back home for the same amount of time that we lived there. Life continues to roll along.
Mornings at MICS
I feel honoured to continue being involved in the work of MICS as a board member. I give guidance where I can but the team is predominantly led by a group of amazing Zambian leaders. They have done their best and worked hard navigating the years of Covid and financial challenges. After a few delays caused by a global pandemic, I’ve been able to return three times, mostly recently this past May. In some ways the school has changed and evolved as any healthy organization should. But what always stands out to me is that MICS is still MICS.
The Reading Room
On any given morning there is a crowd of students playing out front, long before the 7:30am bell rings. They still sing the Zambian national anthem in beautiful harmony to start and end the week. Chapel still runs daily with songs and skits and lessons about God’s love. Children are still learning how to read, to multiply, to do puzzles and to garden. Teachers are still working hard to find creative ways to teach new ideas. Boarding kids still gather around meals of nshima and learn how to be family together. Staff and students still use their talents to put on incredible Easter and Christmas programs for the community. MICS still continues its legacy of having a one hundred percent pass rate of all of its thirteen graduating classes, writing the national grade seven exam required to move on to high school. And every time I travel on the bumpy dirt roads of Macha and pass through the school gates, it still feels like I’ve come home.
The MICS staff team
As I reflect on our time at MICS, I’m filled with gratitude…
I’m grateful for the life that my children were able to live in a beautiful community, only needing to run out the door to find countless friends to play with and spending endless hours outdoors.
I’m grateful for the chance to use my ESL skills and start a reading room where students continue to get help with their language skills.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn leadership and administrative skills as Joel and I unexpectedly became directors during our second year.
I’m grateful for the family and friends who came to visit and truly got to experience what our life was like.
I’m grateful for the incredible staff we worked with, many of whom are still at MICS and are dear friends, who pour into kids’ lives and invest in their futures.
I’m grateful for new leadership who have persevered in difficult circumstances and helped the school to grow.
I’m grateful for the hundreds of people who have supported us along the way, continuing to help send resources… and to those of you who still read this blog a whole decade later!
I’m grateful for the new friends in my life with whom I get to share about MICS and who are excited to learn about a place I love.
I really could go on and on but you get the point. There were many hard days, a few more snakes and spiders than I have in my life now, conveniences we had to live without and family and friends we missed. But it truly was a privilege to call MICS our home.
Learning in the MICS garden
Three years ago I had the chance to take Caleb and Micah back for a visit. I loved watching how easily they integrated back into life there. And now I’m excited that it’s time to finally take Nathaniel back to the place he spent the first half of his life. He was only four when we moved home. His memories are a little more random and vague but he’s looking forward to returning. We leave mid-February for a two week trip. We’ve been working on a wish list of resources that MICS as well as another local school in Macha, could use to help educate students. I know some of you love the wish lists so stay tuned in the next week or two for how you can help.
Whether you’ve been along for the ride since we started this adventure over a decade ago, or are newer in our lives and are interested in a little school in rural Zambia that has my heart, thanks for being here. xo
Well, within hours of my last post, the wish list has already been taken care of. Wow! Thank you so much for your generosity! The school has also asked for other supplies like paint which is easier to purchase locally and I would love to give them a monetary donation to help with those extra needs as they arise. If anyone would like to contribute towards this, you can send an e-transfer to joelpercy@gmail.com anytime before I go on Sunday May 19th, and I will happily deliver it personally. Thanks again!
Despite the delayed start to the school year, term one at MICS was a success. Lost time was made up for with a shorter term break and term two began this week. And it’s time for another trip back! On May 19th, I’ll be flying across the ocean, this time landing in Zimbabwe. I’ll be spending a few days with our girl Siza, who I haven’t seen in seven years. We met her back in 2006 when Joel and I lived in Mtshabezi and she’s become part of our family. Her three boys will also be joining us, two of whom I have not met yet including her littlest born just over a month ago. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to see them. Then I’ll cross the border into Zambia and head back to Macha for a week at MICS. While it’s a shorter trip, I’m committed to going back once a year as a board member and friend of MICS and I’m looking forward to reconnecting with everyone.
I’ve asked the school administration team what they need and they’ve sent me a small list of items that would be helpful and can fit in my limited luggage space. If you’d like to purchase anything for MICS, you can find the wish list here. All items will be sent directly to me to pack up in the next week. Please order by Sunday if possible. Thanks for considering this opportunity to help. As I write this, I’m realizing it was ten years ago we began asking for support to start his adventure and I’m grateful for all of you who have chosen to stick around a decade later. Thank you!
In November, MICS held its 12th graduation ceremony. This class was in Pre-Reception (the youngest class, similar to preschool) when we arrived at MICS in 2015. I had the privilege of helping a few of them learn how to read and got to see them grow up during our years there and my few visits back. As many of you know, in Zambia all grade seven students write a government exam that they have to pass in order to continue on to high school. I’m happy to report that not only has MICS maintained its one hundred percent pass rate, but the class of 2023 had the highest marks in MICS history. We’re so proud of how hard they worked and the efforts of all the staff over the years that led to their success.
Unfortunately the start of this school year has been delayed until January 29th because of a cholera outbreak in the country. This happened back in 2018 as well and is a decision the government made to help contain the outbreak as students travel all across the country for boarding school. This poses challenges as the time in class is shortened, but we know that the incredible staff will make up for it. There is also a financial challenge as school fees aren’t being paid when kids aren’t in school.
Through your generosity we’ve been able to raise about $1,000 to help out the school. Thank you so much! If anyone else would like to give to help MICS start the 2024 strong, you can do so here. NO amount is too small. If you’d like to give, please do so in the next few days as the money is being sent this week before school opens. The results speak for themselves. MICS is making a difference in the community and continues to help change lives for the better.
Time marches on and while these blog posts are now few and far between, it’s time for an update. We just passed the four year mark of being back in Canada, which is a bit mind boggling. Looking back on the photo of the day we moved back (a few posts ago), I now have one child taller than me. Those little four year-olds who moved across the world are now teenagers!
I had a wonderful time on my trip back to Macha in March. I stayed on the MICS campus and spent a lot of time meeting with various staff wearing my “board member” hat but also reconnecting as friends. One of the highlights was definitely visiting Bulebo Community School where our former deputy head teacher of MICS, Mr. Miyanda, now works. Many of you generously donated books and educational resources and they were received with enthusiast gratitude. Just a week after visiting the school for the first time, I was able to return see some of the resources already being put to good use. Mr. Miyanda later did some training with his staff team, to teach them how to implement the resources. He wanted to share his thanks with you…
Thank you all for the teaching and learning materials that we did receive from you donors through our friend Julianne. Being a community school, It has been something hard to teach and to motivate students without concrete objects. Looking at the standard of our school some of our learners almost lost hope but the books that we did received we believe that they will give us hope and strive hard to achieve our dreams and have growth mindset no matter what we go through. It is obvious that our learners will grow positively in different aspects of their lives more especially where reading, writing and calculation is concerned. Thank you for phonics, read aloud, growth mindset books, puzzles, cards, games, P.E materials just to mention the few. All these materials as a school we promise you that they will put our school on the map in terms of performance. We are happy and expecting more of you to visit us some day. Never get tired to help us in whichever way you think. May God continue blessing you financially, spiritually and physically. We love you!
Changing gears back to MICS, my work as a board member has been both challenging and rewarding as I figure out how I can support the work of the school, mostly from afar. In everyday operations the school is running really well with a student population of 220 and maintaining the impressive one hundred percent pass rate for grade seven exams. In recent years, however, the school has struggled financially mostly due to the challenges of Covid. Through board meetings and conversations with the director, it is clear that everyone has worked very hard to cut costs where they can and produce a healthy and workable budget for 2024. Despite these efforts, they are finishing 2023 with a deficit of about $7,000 and the leadership is asking for support.
I have hesitated to ask for money in the past few years, mostly because we are no longer connected to a Canadian organization that can issue tax receipts. To be honest, it’s a lot more fun to ask for books and resources that we can see being put into action. But, in order for MICS to continue to run well, it is currently money that is needed to close the gap. Project 1151, a wonderful organization that works in the Macha community, has offered to take donations as MICS is one of their community partners. Please click here if you would like to help MICS start the 2024 well by making a one-time donation. The donation section is near the bottom. Any amount is helpful! (**Please note this is an American-based organization so tax receipts cannot be issued to Canadians. I want to be upfront in case that’s important to you). Thank you for considering being part of this initiative and please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions. And before you go, please enjoy the slideshow below of your generosity in action at Bulebo Community School. Thanks to my talented friend and MICS teacher, Devine Haadinke for taking these beautiful photos. He runs a company in Macha called Haadz Media and I appreciate his help in showing you the impact you’ve made.
Somehow it’s already been a year since the twins and I were getting ready to return to Macha. While I talked to many about my trip on our return, I realized I never gave an update here as I’m out of the blogging habit. To sum it up, we had an incredible time. It was wonderful to reconnect with everyone we love there including the staff and students of MICS. What was most meaningful to me was seeing how quickly the boys fit right back into life there. Within minutes of stepping foot on the school property, they had rejoined their class and it was like they never left. And saying goodbye again was especially hard knowing that their class was graduating at the end of the year and would be moving to many different secondary schools. After a few extra challenging years I remember walking the dirt roads of Macha and feeling like I was coming back to life a little. It was good for my soul and I’m grateful it happened, especially since we didn’t know if it would right up until the last day, thanks to Covid.
The boys back with their class.Lots of time with friends.
My return to MICS, led to me joining the board of the school in June of last year. Since then I’ve been doing my best to contribute from afar having many conversations with staff and other board members, working through the various challenges of helping MICS to continue running smoothly. But in recent weeks I’ve felt the growing sense that it was time to return to see how I can best support those working so hard to provide a quality education to Zambian children. I’m happy to say I will be heading back from March 19 to April 2nd. I’m so grateful for these opportunities and that my current job as a supply teacher gives me the flexibility to make a trip like this possible. Unfortunately all my boys will be staying behind this time.
In September of last year, our deputy head teacher, Mr. Miyanda, left MICS to go work at a nearby government primary school. He taught our boys for two years and I had the pleasure of working with him on our administrative team. With his energy and creativity in teaching, anyone is lucky to learn from him. He wanted to use his abilities and the skills he learned at MICS to help other local children. The school was opened a few years ago by the community and Mr. Miyanda has told me that the school has a lot of potential to grow and the interest of the learners is high but the big challenge is their lack of resources. There are seven teachers (three of whom are volunteers) doing their best to educate over four hundred students with what they have. I would love nothing more than to bless them with a few suitcases of books and learning resources to help these kids grow in their education.
Mr. Miyanda sharing his phonics knowledge with his new colleagues.
So with that comes an opportunity to help. If you’d like to be involved in contributing to the school, I’ve created another Amazon wish list of resources. All you have to do is purchase the items and they can be shipped directly to me (Just choose that option at check-out). I just ask that you do this as soon as possible and in the next few days would be super helpful as my timeline is tight. You can find the list here. I know these supplies will be put to good use. And if anyone nearby has a medium or large hard-sided suitcase you are willing to part with to help get things there, please get in touch. I have been blown away by the generosity of this community in the past and I appreciate you considering being a part of this initiative. My passion is for kids to get the life-changing education they deserve, whether at MICS or another great school. Thanks for your continued love, prayers and support in helping to educate some incredible kids in a place close to our hearts.
Mr. Miyanda’s new classroom. They currently borrow a chalkboard from the local church that they return every weekend. Small group work.
Just a quick note to say that the twins and I all got negative Covid tests and are leaving for Zambia tonight! I got the shocking news late last night and we’re now busy making final preparations. We arrive in Livingstone on Tuesday morning and will head to Macha from there. Our route is via Amsterdam and Nairobi (an overnight in the airport). We appreciate all the prayers, love and support and will update you as we can. We are so grateful!
I am overwhelmed at the response to my last post requesting donations to send to MICS. In less than a day pretty much all the items had been purchased and twice more I added new ones, only to be quickly gone again. I had several people mention they wanted to help but when they got there the list was empty. More chances in future, I promise! I wish I could take unlimited luggage with me but it’s a good problem to have. Thank you so much to everyone who bought items. To those who included your names, I’ve tried to reach out individually (a few I don’t have contact info for… sorry!). There were an equal amount of anonymous gifts so if that was you, know that your generosity is much appreciated. I am so thankful to have a corner of my basement full of awesome resources ready to be packed.
Speaking of packing, preparing for this trip feels a little more complicated as of a few days ago. Unfortunately on Sunday I tested positive for Covid and everyone else in the family has since had mild to moderate symptoms. After avoiding it for almost two years, it’s pretty crummy timing. I have gone through a range of emotions including disbelief, sadness and frustration. I had my last day of work on Friday and planned to hunker down and get ready in the coming weeks, but realizing I couldn’t smell a thing on Sunday afternoon, I knew I likely had it. As a funny side note, I was actually at Value Village getting a few clothes for this trip and when I came home I realized I hadn’t smelled that musty-clothing-thrift-store smell that can be so overwhelming. What followed was a fun game of my children giving me smelly crayons and candles and shouting in amazement that I couldn’t smell a thing. Thankfully, my sense of smell is returning already.
In order to get into Zambia we need negative PCR tests and that will be the tricky part. I know Covid can linger in your system but also know people who have tested negative after being infected, in the timeframe we need. Our symptoms were fairly mild so I’m praying that along with some divine grace, we will still be able to go. For some reason the phrase “rebellious hope” keeps going through my mind. I think for my sanity as we also endure isolation, I need to believe this can still happen. Our test is scheduled for March 12, the day before we are set to depart. I have waited so long and nothing would make me happier than the wait to finally be over. Thanks for the love, generosity and prayers and I will keep you posted!
The first wish list haul that arrived at my door last week.
What I didn’t mention in my last blog post is that in November, after having to cancel my trip back in May 2020, I finally re-booked a trip to return to Macha. In three weeks, the twins and I will be leaving for a two week visit. Somehow, the class they were part of for five years is already in grade seven and will be graduating at the end of the year. It was important for me to bring the boys back to see their friends one more time before they move on to high school. With so many plans changing or being cancelled in the past two years, I am finally allowing myself to get excited. Plans are in place and three negative Covid-PCR tests the day before we go, is the last thing we need to make this happen. I’m praying we can all stay healthy until then!
The admin team at MICS recently met and compiled a list of things they need that I can bring with me… things like good quality markers for teachers to make learning charts and birthday cards to help the boarding kids celebrate their special day. I also want to help add some books to the school library and it’s especially valuable that the students can see characters that look like them as their love for reading grows. I have created an Amazon Wish list of items. Please take a look and if you’re interested in purchasing something, it will get shipped directly to me. I just ask that you do it within the next few days and by Friday February 25th at the very latest so I have time to pack it all. You can find the list here.
Thank you for your generosity and hopefully the next time you hear from me I’ll be sharing about our return to Macha! xo
MICS It Up 