My Nonprofit Reviews

I am enthusiastically and gratefully writing about my experience working as a Mental Health Consultant with the NGO Full Circle Learning. I was physically based in Zambia, and worked remotely with the Harvard International School in Nigeria. I had dreamed of working in Africa for over 10 years, but finding a reliable, trustworthy, and altruistic agency proved difficult; that was, until I was lucky enough to be recommended FCL and Teresa Langness.

During my time with Full Circle Learning, the team and I conducted Full Circle Learning workshops blended with my Mental Health Workshops. During this time, teachers learned how to holistically teach children, empathetically interact with their learners, and peacefully resolve conflicts. During my mental health awareness workshops, teachers were able to speak about their own mental health (most for the first time in their lives), learn about trauma, generational trauma, coping skills, how to understand themselves, and also open up to their fellow teachers. Tears were shed, connections were made, and after only a few days, nearly every teacher reported feeling "better" after finally having these authentic conversations.

I watched schools collaborate that used to compete; I watched trees get planted to provide food; I watched students dance, sing, and smile. In today's world that can seem so hopeless, so full of corruption, and so (for a lack of better words) evil, I was able to see happiness, change, and hope. Full Circle Learning is truly doing the work that needs to be done, in an intensely hands-on, genuine, and non-corrupt way, offering knowledge and sustainable change in systems that are eager to learn. I never imagined I would be doing such incredible and life-changing work here in Africa, and I truly owe it all to Teresa and her incredible Full Circle Learing Team.

I am forever grateful to this NGO, and will be rooting for it with everything it does. To change lives is to change the world, and to change the world is to save the world. Thank you Full Circle Learning, for changing the world, and may you continue to do so for the years to come. I will never forget the faces that turned from sadness to smiles, all because of you.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from teachers and students that I heard during my time in Zambia!

"Full Circle Learning is really doing amazing things."- a smiling teacher during the tree-planting project.

"This is my life?!" -screamed a smiling student holding his play-dough creation during my mental health workshop.

"Wow look at us! You've uplifted our mood!" -a smiling teacher after the mental health workshop.

"Each child is like this blank piece of paper. Innocent and vulnerable. What kind of mark will you leave on it?"- a strong Full Circle Learning presenter during the FCL workshop.

"I'm better. You've really helped us. You did a good job! We are only humans. You've helped us with the learners too." -a calm and smiling teacher.

"Thank you Full Circle Learning, for all that you have done. We are leaving with knowledge that we will not forget." - a smiling school principal.

"Thank you for coming to Zambia and for bringing sunshine in our lives." - a kind principal at a school.