Hannah Harper has been practicing saying “sawbona unjani” for months.

It might not mean much to anyone in the Treasure State, but when the 19-year-old Helenan reaches South Africa this week, knowing how to ask, “Hello, how are you?” in Zulu will come in handy.

Harper, 19, left Monday night for South Africa, taking one large suitcase packed with a modest amount of clothing, two pairs of shoes and 15 digital cameras to use to teach photography skills to orphaned children.

This isn’t the first trip to South Africa for Harper, who attended sixth grade there, staying in the country with her family.

“My parents told me and my little sister it was an investment in the future,” she said. “They said it would make us more aware of what’s around you and make you a better person.”

Harper said she felt a strong connection with the country and its people, and she vowed to her mother she’d return someday.

“It was an experience that played a big role in my life’s path,” she said.

Harper attends Willamette University in Salem, Ore., and is deciding between Spanish, chemistry or African studies as a major.

It was a teacher who encouraged her to apply for the $6,000 grant from the Eli Lilly Foundation that enabled her go on this journey.

She’ll live with a family who runs an AIDS orphanage in the rural village, where only 5 percent of the population has indoor plumbing and 2 percent has electricity.

Harper’s first task will be to give daily lessons to a dozen children ages 8 to 14 on the technical aspects of using a camera. Then she’ll give them freedom with the shutter to reflect on their culture, capturing aspects of the world with their own eyes.

“At the same time, it’s a cultural exchange because I’ll show them my work and where I’m from,” she said.

Harper describes her students as the faces of the AIDS epidemic, and the project will allow them to document challenges they face.

More than a third of the population is in the area around the city of Manguzi, where she’ll teach. She’ll carry post-exposure medication, which not available in South Africa, should she be accidentally exposed to the virus.

Harper first became interested in photography after taking a class with Katie Knight at the Holter Museum of Art. Combined with her love of travel, that makes educating young people from a different part of the world about photography seem a good fit.

“Photography is a powerful way to capture memories and convey meaning,” she said.

Reporter Alana Listoe: 447-4081 or alana.listoe@helenair.com