Hello! Our names are Emma Meehan, Niamh Ní Ghadhra, Maeve Sweeney and Molly Keady and we are final year Occupational Therapy Students in Ulster University, Derry.

This January, we have been given the opportunity to complete a 5 week role emerging placement in Lusaka, Zambia. This is in collaboration with The Spirit of Paul Mc Girr charity.

This placement is unique as it offers the opportunity to promote and advocate for Occupational Therapy in a setting where the profession has not yet been established. We are really looking forward to this wonderful experience!

As Occupational Therapy students, our role is to promote independence through engagement in meaningful activities of daily living which we call our “occupations”. As we are dual trained practitioners, we adopt a unique, holistic approach to both mental and physical health.

In Zambia, we will be working in a range of different areas including an orphanage, a school for children with additional needs, a hospital setting, a neonatal unit and local villages. Through assessing the unique needs of each individual, we will design person-centered goals and intervention plans aimed at facilitating meaningful and optimal engagement in daily occupations. We will also provide advice and knowledge to families and staff in order to support individuals in the long term.

We are fundraising to provide vital Occupational Therapy resources and equipment for individuals. Based on conversations and pictures that the charity provided on services in Lusaka, one of our main aims is to create a sensory room within the school for children with additional needs. This will help to manage challenging behaviours, emotional dysregulation and meet the specific sensory needs of these children.

Some other examples of equipment will include dressing aids, fine and gross motor materials, personal care items, transfer boards, sliding sheets, foam tubing to adapt feeding utensils, bathing aids, soft floor mats and paint to enhance the environment.

We would be sincerely grateful for any contribution, no matter how big or small<3

Please consider supporting our project ! Your generosity will help us make a real and lasting difference in our role of promoting maximum independence.

We have also decided to set up an Instagram page for people to follow along on our journey and see what we get up to along the way!

For any further information or queries, please contact us on Instagram: repzambia2026.

https://www.instagram.com/repzambia2026?igsh=Y3UwdzlucGp2MzZ4

Thank you!

Emma, Niamh, Maeve and Molly.