By Betty Trummel

It’s early here in Zambia, and I’m taking a few moments to reflect. Wrapping up another 2-week A to Z Literacy teaching experience in Zambia fills me with joy and hope for the future.

One of A to Z Literacy’s key goals is to put books in the hands of vulnerable children…both locally and abroad. I have thought about this constantly every single day of this trip.

As I walked around classrooms yesterday, I focused on the hands of Shine’s students…holding books and enjoying the opportunity to read, and holding pencils…working hard on writing about their community.

These are the hands of literacy, of the future, of hope, of joy. These are beautiful hands…hands of learning.

As an educator I know that reading opens doors. It creates hope. It is a great joy to see children holding books and reading.

I’m proud of our A to Z team here and back home…a dedicated team that is working hard to promote literacy.

It was a great honor to be here in Zambia helping to encourage literacy and to have the chance to provide professional development for Zambian educators. I have so many memories that are etched into my mind forever. Grateful beyond measure for these experiences.