The School That Stayed With Us

How an unexpected visit to a rural community in Zambia became one of the most meaningful experiences of our programme

When Alessio, Maria, and Emiliano arrived in Zambia, they expected to spend their days working with Young Farmers Clubs, supporting community projects, and learning about agriculture in a part of the world very different from their own.

What they did not expect was that one of the experiences that would stay with them most had nothing to do with farming.

It began during one of their first visits to a community called Luuma.

They were on their way to meet the local Young Farmers Club when something caught their attention.

Beside the road stood a large unfinished building.

Nearby, dozens of children ran out from a smaller structure to greet them.

At first, they did not know what they were looking at.

Later, they would learn that the unfinished building was meant to become the community’s new school.

A Warm Welcome and a Difficult Story

The meeting that day was memorable for many reasons.

The young farmers welcomed them warmly with traditional songs and dances. The atmosphere was joyful and full of energy.

For Alessio, Maria, and Emiliano, it felt like a privilege to be there.

More Than Visitors

One thing that Alessio, Maria, and Emiliano mention throughout their reflections is how welcomed they felt by the communities they worked with.

Over time, meetings stopped feeling like formal project activities and became opportunities to build genuine connections.

Whether it was attending local events, spending time with Young Farmers Clubs, or participating in community celebrations, they were constantly invited to learn more about the people and traditions around them.

One of those moments came during Education Day, when community members gathered to celebrate through music, dance, and cultural performances.

What stood out was not only the celebration itself, but the openness with which people shared it. Rather than watching from the side, the volunteers were encouraged to take part.

At one point, Maria even joined a traditional dance, creating one of those simple moments that often become lasting memories.

Experiences like these helped them understand something important: community development is not only about projects and activities.

It is also about relationships, trust, and being willing to participate in the life of a place rather than simply observing it.

The Part They Could Not Forget

What stayed with them most was not the unfinished building itself. It was discovering where the children were studying in the meantime.

The structure they had seen children running out of was not a classroom at all.

It was a poultry house.

Originally built by DAPP to support the Young Farmers Club’s poultry business, it had become a temporary learning space for local children.

The community had done what it could with the resources available. But for Alessio, Maria, and Emiliano, something about the situation felt deeply concerning.

Not because anyone was doing something wrong.

Quite the opposite.

Everyone was trying their best.

The community was working hard.
The children continued showing up to learn.

The young farmers were trying to build opportunities for the future.
And yet the situation remained.

The image stayed in their minds long after they left Luuma that day.

A Decision That Felt Natural

Sometimes important decisions are made after long discussions. This was not one of those times.

Reflecting on the experience later, Alessio, Maria, and Emiliano realised they had all arrived at the same conclusion.

They wanted to help.

Not because it was part of their project responsibilities.
Not because anyone had asked them to.

Simply because they had seen something that mattered.

In their report, they described the moment like this:

“From the first moment, without even talking to each other, the three of us knew we could do something. It felt right.”

That simple feeling became the starting point for the Luuma School Project.

Learning What Community Development Really Means

As the fundraising effort began to take shape, the school became more than a construction project.

It became a lesson.

Before arriving in Zambia, they were interested in understanding how development projects work from the inside.

Over the following months, they learned about project planning, community leadership, fundraising, agriculture, and cooperation between local organisations and government institutions.

But the school offered a different kind of learning.

It showed them what happens when a community decides to act together.

The project did not begin with outside volunteers.

It began with local people who wanted better opportunities for their children.

The community had already contributed labour, materials, and time.

The volunteers were simply joining an effort that was already underway.

That understanding shaped how they approached the project.

Looking Beyond the Building

Today, when Alessio, Maria, and Emiliano think about Luuma, they do not only think about classrooms or construction materials.

They think about the people.
The children who greeted them on that first visit.
The young farmers who welcomed them with songs and dances.

And the families who refused to give up on the idea of building a school, even when circumstances became difficult.

The unfinished building was what first caught their attention.

But it was the determination of the community that left the deepest impression.

The Projects You Do Not Plan For

One of the themes that appears again and again in volunteer experiences is that the most meaningful moments are rarely the ones you expect.

You arrive with plans.

Then life presents something different.

A conversation.
A challenge.
A community.
A half-finished school beside the road.

The Luuma School Project may not have been part of their original plans for Zambia.

But it became one of the experiences that best captured why they came in the first place.

To learn.
To contribute.

And to become part of something larger than themselves.