Pre-Departure Reflection

My initial research has been quite broad because the topic we were given was just “social protection and other.” In researching this, I have realized how many forms of social protection and how many sectors of the government and society it involves. Because the Council of Churches in Zambia is an umbrella organization of churches each with their own agenda in addressing social protection, it was difficult to narrow down what area of social protection we would be researching. Although my research has been very broad, I am excited at the prospects of the various areas of social protection and really narrowing in on a specific program area. I look forward to hearing back from our contact in Zambia from CCZ about what our specific research topic will be.

Moving forward, after we receive information about what social protection program area we will be researching, our next steps will be to research further what are the main problems associated with this topic in Zambia. Additionally, once we are in country we would contact some of the churches with program agendas associated with our area of research and look at the work they are doing to address the issue of social protection. We will also reach out to relevant stakeholders. As of right now we are just waiting to hear back from our contact about what specifically we will be researching but I am excited to find out and do more initial research to be better prepared for my arrival in country.

Ultimately I hope to produce a comprehensive research project that gives insight into a new viewpoint of social protection that maybe has not been explored. I hope that my research provides helpful information to better inform ways to address social protection in Zambia.

My personal learning goals for this class at the beginning of this semester preparing for Zambia were to gain an understanding of what it meant to be an active citizen and apply it beyond the classroom. I wanted a better understanding of what it would look like to be an active citizen rather than a participator. I think that out of this class, I have begun to gather what it would look like, what type of things I have to consider and what I have to know about myself. Despite this however, I still have not had the opportunity to participate as an active citizen. My understanding is still limited to the classroom, however, I did not expect to have achieved this through this class. I feel as though now I have a sense of what is required of me to achieve this in the context of Zambia. My personal learning goals have evolved because now I know more of what to expect and thus what I can expect to get out of this trip. My broader learning goal from this experience remains to grow my sphere of influence through my various experiences, but now I have a better grasp on what this sphere of influence looks like for Zambia. I can better see how my research will lend to my influence but also how the relationships I will form with the people around me will do the same.

Going into the semester, I didn’t really have a good idea of what I would be doing, what my time would be like and what Zambia was like. I think this seminar has taught me what to expect and the skills that I will need to employ while participating in this program. While my goals have not changed over the semester, this seminar has definitely prepared me to dive right into the experience and make the most of my time there. Sometimes it is hard for me to see beyond the task in front of me and this weekly seminar helped me see beyond all my busy school work and really prepare me and remind me of what I will be doing this summer. As this semester wraps up, this trip has become more and more real and while I am nervous about being so far away and having this new experience that I am still not sure truly what to expect, I am getting more and more excited. I am excited to jump in and have this experience and I think this class has prepared me well to make the best of this experience.