Drury University Bass Team! Springfield MO

Class Project

Class projects raise money for Zambian orphanages

By: Millie Sharp

Posted: 12/5/07

Students in Leah Blakey's History of Modern Africa class have been working hard to make a lasting impact on the lives of orphans in a few of Zambia's orphanages.

As a part of the class, students had to collaborate with a group on campus to "reach out to Africa and help better the lives of the orphans," Blakey said. One group of students went above and beyond the class assignment.

The group, made up of Bass Club president Drew Sanford, Katherine Oglesby, Emilee Hudson, Tyler Wilburn, and Joel Binkley, teamed up with Drury's Bass Club to help bring fishing equipment to orphans living in Zambia near the Zambezi River.

Sanford says that Bass Club was able to get its sponsor to donate equipment like fishing rods, reels, and trot lines. Then Sanford, Oglesby, Hudson, Wilburn, and Binkley put together information on how to use the equipment, and also made laminated pages to including the health benefits of fish found in the Zambezi, pictures of edible fish, instructions on how to prepare the fish, and recipes. This information will be distributed in order to help those receiving the equipment make the most of it.

"We had to learn a lot about the equipment in order to be able to teach it," Sanford said. In the instructions, they had to be sure to use pictures as much as possible instead of words to make sure those receiving the equipment can easily understand the message.

Some of the equipment and information that the group put together will soon be shipped to Zambia, which is located in the southern Africa. SIFE members will take the rest directly to orphanages in the country during spring break.

Students in Dr. Amy Lewis' Project Management course also developed semester-long fund raising projects that netted $2,000 for similar efforts in Zambia.

Oglesby says that working on the project has showed her that "there are things we can do to better the lives of others. I hope it will show [the orphans] that people care about them and want to help improve their lives."