Meet the Team - Jenna Leutkehans

Initial Thoughts:
We had a Zambia project in high school and when I came to Uni I missed that connection that I felt to Zambia. I applied on a whim when I saw the advert. I was excited to live in Zambia and understand the culture and the issues that the Zambians faced. I’d worked for US based NGOs focussed on Zambia, but I was keen to see how a Zambian organisation works.

I was a bit nervous about going with a whole bunch of people that I didn’t know rather than the actual work I’d have to do when I got here.


Impressions of Lusaka, Zambia:
I was expecting it to be different from when I’d come before which had only been for 2 weeks a couple of years ago. However the length of time we had to come here seemed more comfortable because I’d been here once before so it wasn’t a completely new place for me. But I was experiencing it in a different way.

Lusaka is dirty and the trash everywhere really frustrates me. It blows my mind. It’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be. It’s a city like any other city in that people are there to do something and therefore are focussed on themselves. The odd thing is the contrast between the slow African pace of people and yet the buzz of the city. There’s also the contrast between the friendliness of the people and yet there’s sometimes an uncomfortable negative attention from the people because we stick out. It’s tiring – a sort of reverse racism.

Every once in a while I feel a bit unsafe, mostly when I’m on my own. You can feel vulnerable because of this white status.


Impressions of the value of the project:
It’s worthwhile but it’s hard to see its worth whilst you’re in it. However I think at the end, and afterwards in a years’ time and two years’ time I’ll see the value in my own development. It will take time to see the impact as well through the eyes of the SIA staff.

Impressions of the Team:
It definitely works. I would probably prefer 10 or 8 because sometimes in a group of 12 you can sometimes get lost in the group. But it does mean that you get variety and do more things. As for SIA, they’ve really impressed me. The staff passion there is amazing and their total competence. They operate well in a third world environment and the impact they have is very visible to us. I think the encouragement factor with the partnership - they say that our presence has validated them and we’ve made it clear that we believe in what they’re doing. They say that gives them the energy and the confidence to carry on. We couldn’t come from the outside and jump in and do what we think then we won’t do what the Zambians actually need. They went to each others’ schools, played with them as children…they know now how to invest in what they need.