Erica Williams and Dr. Dale Cressman, Communications
My project began with a flight to Lusaka, Zambia with a non-profit organization based in America Fork, Mothers Without Borders. The program consisted of daily service activities, nightly dinners with a Zambian family, and lodging in a hostel in Lusaka. Every morning we rode a bus to a government school in Lusaka, where we taught classes in nutrition, first aid, hygiene, HIV/AIDS prevention, arts and crafts, and recreation. I personally taught hygiene, using glitter transferred from hand to hand to show how germs move and demonstrating washing hands removes germs. It was amazing how minimal their understanding was about basic health principles.
I observed the teaching of HIV/AIDS prevention, where I learned how weak the system for teaching this is in Sub-Saharan Africa. Though all of the youth knew that abstinence could prevent contracting the disease, we found that there was actually confusion about the exact meaning of abstinence. Some of the youth had no idea how AIDS was spread, as I actually heard one young man say that AIDS was spread by sharing a toothbrush. The youth also did not understand their individual worth and how that pertained to staying AIDS free. Our teachers taught that their lives were worth preserving and that they had the right to say no to sex.
Through the course of my month in Zambia, I gathered information in several ways. I kept a constant log of what I was observing. I also used the other group members as resources, asking them questions about issues they had run into and recording their reactions to what they had seen throughout the month. When I arrived home, I began the process of writing articles and personal experiences about what I had seen in Zambia. I have several articles ready for publication, and I have been searching for appropriate publications. So far, no one has accepted my submissions, but I understand that this is a natural part of the process, and I’m positive that they will be published in the future. I am determined to see that they are because I believe that what I have to say matters.
While in Zambia, I also helped two friends produce a documentary about AIDS in Africa. I helped with the scripts and setting up for filming. The documentary is now completed, though I don’t own the rights to it. We are in the process of submitting it to BYU broadcasting outlets, as well as other national stations.