During 2009 between April and August, four teams from Zion Christian Centre, Halesowen and The Forge Church, Stowmarket visited some of the CBOs supported by Hands at Work in the Luanshya area of Zambia. Zion has been partnering with Hands and sending teams for the last 5 years and the partnership with The Forge has been running for the last two years, the latter taking more of a leadership role this year. The focus of the four teams was rural development, healthcare, a children’s camp and teaching teachers.
Rural Development
This team focused on rural development and building work. They ran a 2-day training session at Kachele Farm for 19 Zambians using the ‘Farming God’s Way’ programme. They were able to introduce more hens to the farm, a stock of food and provision for safe storage. They also built a compost bin and bought Moringa trees to be planted out later. 
On the building side, the team carried out school roof surveys at Mwaiseni, Chibuli and Maria Chimona; built roofs at 2 of the schools and left trusses left. They discovered that the well at Chibuli was not working and were able to carry out a repair.
Healthcare
The healthcare team carried out 2 days of training for a total of 86 teachers, volunteers and HBC workers on caring for children experiencing grief. 607 children took part in a de-worming programme in 9 different schools, and 208 pairs of glasses were given out to teachers, youth workers and HBC Workers.
Children’s Camp
The children’s team ran two, week long, activity camps for 30 children including games, crafts, music and teaching on healthcare issues such as malaria and nutrition, the main aim being for the children to have a break from their usual routines and have the opportunity to be ‘children’. They also visited 3 local community schools to encourage volunteers, assess the current situation and leave resources. The team also left a gift to finish off the well at Maposa School. 
Teaching Teachers
The teaching team ran training sessions for 15 teachers covering a wide range of themes such as: learning styles, how to teach adults, presentation skills, lesson planning, child protection, and the psycho-emotional development of children. The teaching team was at the farm at the same time as the children’s camp and so was able to support the children’s workers and join in on the camp. 
All the team members on the trips also took part in Home Based Care Projects, which gave them an opportunity to see life in the local communities.
At Hands at Work, we are very excited about the development of this cutting edge partnership, which has also led to 2 couples from The Forge moving to The Hub to serve as long-term volunteers. We continue to work together to take this incredible expression of servanthood to new levels.