Graduate School in Speech Pathology Zambia Trip

by Ashton Reely

Tree. Lion. Water. Such simple words, yet they carry with them such triumph. Tears began to roll down Jessica Mayes’ face as she saw the legacy she was leaving behind come waddling towards her, arms outstretched, in the form of two Zambian children. During her stay in Zambia, Jessica had not once heard the two toddlers utter a single word. Though her days at the Haven orphanage were coming to an end, Jessica sat on the floor and played with the children like she had on so many other occasions.

“As we were playing, little Twambo brought a Lion King Book over to me to read with her,” Jessica said. “Before I could even begin reading, she pointed at Simba and said, ‘Lion!’ and roared. The words just began to pour out of her little mouth as she pointed. ‘Tree!’ ‘Lion!’ ‘Water!’ I couldn’t stop laughing and crying.”

For Jessica, and the others who joined her on the Harding in Zambia Speech Pathology trip, events like these were a reassuring, inspirational reminder that their career is a much-needed gift to those around the world.

“These children are the reason I want this career so bad, the reason I will strive to be the best SLP [Speech Language Pathologist] I can possibly be, and the reason I am proud of what we do.”

Jessica was a student on the first of many trips that will be made to Zambia by Harding’s graduate school for Communication Sciences and Disorders. A recently added graduate program, Dr. Beckie Weaver, professor and chair of the Communication Sciences and Disorders department, said they wanted to find a way to make their new program stand out:

“When the university asked us to add a master’s program in speech language pathology, the question was how we were going to make our program distinctive,” Beckie said. “At a brainstorming session between professors, we decided we should find a way to take advantage of the international programs and provide a practicum experience for our students.”

At almost the same time, Dr. Jeff Hopper, director of international programs, was putting together the Harding in Zambia program in 2006. It soon became clear that Zambia was a perfect fit—not only because of Harding’s long-term connections with the country, but also because English is its national language. When the President of Zambia visited Harding’s campus in the fall of 2007—as part of the American Studies Distinguished Lectureship Series—he brought with him 50 of his cabinet members and government officials. Seated at a table with the minister of health and the minister of education, Beckie said a discussion began to naturally develop. What she heard immediately touched her heart and strengthened her desire to make this dream a reality.

“The minister of health stopped eating and he looked up and said, ‘We have nursing and we have Physician’s Assistants; our greatest need is speech therapy—we have none. He went on to say, ‘We have too many marginalized citizens who have no way to make their wants and needs known.’” His honest statement touched her heart, and she laughs as she remembers the words “I’m coming to help you!” fly from her mouth. Following a discovery trip to Zambia made by Beckie and fellow department professors Sara Shock and Dr. Dan Tullos, a trip for students was soon in the works. Beckie recalls the nervousness that came after they arrived and presented their initial plans:

“The whole time they [the Zambian people] were whispering to each other. We wondered if we had overstepped our bounds; we didn’t even know if women were supposed to talk in front of men. After we finished, they looked at each other again, and they looked at us and said, ‘We believe you’re a gift from God.’”

The delivery of help, along with the hope of a new college major for the Zambian people, did prove to be a gracious contribution; the American students and teachers, however, could not have foreseen the rich blessings they would receive in return.

The fact that the first graduate student class was offered in the fall of 2008 did not hinder the professors from immediately introducing plans to travel that summer. They had 13 students and 6 agreed to be among the first to participate in this trip. The total, with the addition of 3 teachers and 3 other volunteers, was 12. They left on May 18th and spent the next 5 ½ weeks doing work at elementary schools, one of the high schools and the local orphanage. In that short time, they conducted over a thousand hearing and speech screenings and set up a system for feeding babies at The Haven orphanage. Students participated in 6 hours of treatment every day, whether it was one-on-one therapy or vital field research. For some students, this experience will not be just a one-time thing:

“Since leaving, I have dreamt literally every night about going back, and I now plan on using my skills in Speech-Language Pathology in Zambia when I finish my schooling and certifications,” Ashley Dowler said. Like most college students, Ashley often questioned whether she was in the right field and whether she was even making a difference at all. Her uncertainty has since turned to confidence, and her future plans are no longer out of reach. Similarly, Brittany Fetterman saw her determination to be in this field grow: “The experience I gained by doing therapy in less than ideal conditions was encouraging. I have to be extremely thankful for this opportunity as a clinician. It not only makes me appreciate all the resources we have here, but it has made me confident in my skills as a professional regardless of the bells and whistles I have at my disposal for therapy.” The students and teachers kept a blog to keep others up-to-date on their work that summer. Though I was unable to see it with my own eyes, the love they had for the people there seemed to radiate from their words—and vivid pictures were painted of lessons learned and emotions felt. Students learned more in that 5 ½ weeks than they could ever learn in a classroom. They learned about their capacity to lead, their capacity to hurt and their capacity to love.

“When we left, I was determined not to cry while with the kids,” Meredith Pietzman said. “However, they may have wondered why they were receiving three times as many hugs and kisses and why my camera was capturing their every single move. I tried to soak it up as much as possible, but in the end, it still wasn’t enough. It was time to go before I knew it. Long story short, it was even harder than I thought it would be. As I’ve told some of those in my group already, it’s amazing how much your life can change in one month.”

Coffee talk with professors Beckie Weaver and Sara Shock revealed to me that their sentiments echoed the students exactly. Neither of them felt that they were called to do mission work, yet both felt that this is where they were supposed to be. “When they told us we were a gift from God, I thought to myself, ‘Are you sure it’s me?’” Sara Shock said. “It’s very humbling to think that you could be the hands of Jesus and the hands of God…there are things that happen in my life that I know are the work of the Lord and this is by far the biggest.”

Beckie and Sara said that there are always ways for the community to help out with such efforts. Though the students are responsible for coming up with their own tuition funds, donations are always helpful with the travel expenses that may keep some from going. Donated supplies are also much appreciated. To find out ways you can become a part, contact either professor at their e-mail addresses, bweaver[at]harding[dot]edu and sshock1[at]harding[dot]edu, respectively.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel.” By bringing the gift of speech and language to the Zambian people, these students are empowering them to become stronger people, stronger teachers and, ultimately, a stronger nation—and that’s something worth talking about.