Serving Zambia: Caroline Davis Reflects on her Experience in Zambia
Photo courtesy of Caroline Davis ’12.
Blog by Caroline Davis ’12
For several years now, my brother, Peter, and I have been
collecting, restringing and sending tennis racquets and clothing to
Lusaka, Zambia, to help one of our longtime coaches, Teza
Simunyola, who was teaching tennis to kids in his native Zambia. We
soon enlisted the help of other junior and collegiate tennis
players to expand our efforts. Hundreds of racquets, cases of
clothing, and thousands of balls later, what started out as Teza
teaching just forty kids has grown into a program of close to 500
participants.
Last year we decided to do more than just send equipment to help
out. “Serving Zambia” was born. “Serving
Zambia’s” mission is to help young Zambia by mentoring
children in the country through tennis. Our goal is to
provide the kids with the stability and structure that is often
missing from their lives.
In the past six months, I’ve gone to Zambia twice. In
August, I went with Peter, and Mac McAnulty, a member of the
men’s team at Harvard, to get a sense of what the situation
was in Lusaka and what needed to be done. I just returned from my
second trip. This time, I went with Coleman Crutchfield, who plays
for Princeton, and has been involved in the project for several
years.
It was gratifying to see that what we are doing is working - not
only are the kids coming back, but they are also rapidly improving.
Their love for tennis and desire to play is like nothing I’ve
ever seen. More importantly, the real goal of “Serving
Zambia” is working. The kids are staying in school and out of
trouble. They are having fun and they have something to do and
something to look forward to.
Coleman, Peter and I plan to return to Zambia this summer, along
with other students from Brown, Princeton and Michigan to run a
program six days a week when the kids are on school break. We hope
that other college students will become involved so “Serving
Zambia” will benefit from new members and new ideas every
year.
We are raising money to build four tennis courts and a small
clubhouse within walking distance of one of the
“compounds” (shantytowns) where most of the kids and
some of the coaches live. A permanent facility will improve the
effectiveness of the program and help to ensure that the kids
remain in school, focused, and on the “right” track.
Sending tennis racquets, clothing, shoes and other equipment helps
and many people have generously contributed to that effort, but
it’s just a start. We need all the help we can get.
For more information regarding “Serving Zambia”,
please contact Caroline at servingzambia@gmail.com.
