This past May, Iona in Mission gave ten students the opportunity to lend a helping hand for two weeks in the African country of Zambia. The Republic of Zambia gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1964, but is unfortunately still suffering from an overwhelming amount of poverty, ill-education and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Student participant on the trip Kimberleigh Costanzo described Zambia as “an incredible country made up of some of the most welcoming, kind, inspiring, hardworking people I have ever emersion.” 

During their stay, Iona in Mission students visited the cities of Kabwe, Mazabuka, Livingstone and Lusaka, where they visited local schools and homes with dirt floors, lacking both electricity and running water. Costanzo explained that the experience was an opportunity to see “exactly what earning less than one dollar a day looks relationships.” The importance of a mission trip is not only helping those in need, but discovering and connecting with people and cultures around the world. “I got to see that Edmund Rice’s mission and spirit is not something which is constrained to 715 North Avenue or even to North America, but is truly something which is lived out globally,” said Droel.

Participating in Iona in Mission has been considered a life-changing experience by many. “Your eyes will be opened to things you never imagined and you will find yourself, upon your arrival back home, thinking more about the consequences of your actions and what you can do to help the unbelievable people you met,” said Costanzo.  Her favorite part of the trip? “The people I met. I will carry their stories with me