Zambia Journal - Aug 19, 2005
Its Friday morning and I am having a quiet morning while most of the group is off to UNICEF. I have just returned from my first 1 million grocery-shopping trip, that’s about $234 at today’s exchange rate.
On Tuesday I my first real mental care day by staying here in the villa while most of the group went off to visit another compound – Chawama, to distribute clothes, books, and interview some of the women caregivers and teachers at that SWAAZ sponsored family home. In the afternoon we went to Ng’ombe, which is a community where First Parish Lexington supports 20 children in the local government schools. This community is in a particularly precarious situation because they were evicted from their building 3 years ago and ever since the women have been meeting with the children under a tree to help them with their schoolwork etc. That etc. has included a feeding program since last year when two of the children died from malnutrition. The SWAAZ family support homes we are working with typically have a basic building with a few small rooms, a feeding program three days a week during the school year for the children in school (which means some where between 1 in 5 and 1 in 8 of the children these women are taking care of).
Despite all of this destitution, think Dickens in a warmer climate, the people are astoundingly friendly and cheerful – at least when we are around. We met with the community leaders, talked with the women who are the mainstay of this community (as they are in all of these communities), took photos of all the kids we are sponsoring and distributed the clothing, books and toys we had. After this visit I am starting to understand exactly how these small communities work and am formulating my own plans on how best to communicate all of this when we get back in the USA. It is sobering to realize that an individual American can have a major impact on one or more of the major steps needed to take some of these kids off the streets, out of danger of dying from malnutrition, provide women with a means to support themselves and their children, put the kids through school, and put some through college. I guess I was optimistic that day.
In the evening I videotaped an Interview with Bernadette on of our main Zambian contacts here. Quite an amazing life but since I’ve gotten to know her I am not surprised.
Wednesday for me was painting day. The morning activities were ESL, painting and interviewing at the Garden compound. It felt great to hear the kids in their small classroom as some of our group gave them fun English lessons. Even though this activity was one of our last minute thoughts it has turned out to be a great hit with both all of us, the women in the communities and the kids. While paint the front of the building and listening to the kids I could also overhear snippet of the interviews of some of the women – can’t wait until we get them all compiled and I can read them all.
While I had another crew painting (including the local women) in the afternoon many of our group took a sobering visit to the Hospital and visited children’s ward. They saw the malnutrition ward; oncology ward and others and some people came back saddened while others came back uplifted to see the caring of the hospital staff. I don’t think anyone is going to come back claming these few days in Zambia have been totally easy. ON the other hand my own experience is one of seeing tremendous joy.
In the evening we took a walk to a Chinese restaurant which when we saw it looked like we may be blowing our budget for the evening, however because we went with a Chinese representative from UNICEF we got 20% discount. The evening was only slightly marred by a wrong turn on the way back to Mulungushi, which meant I missed a phone call from Sally (those of us with spouses refer to these as a date).
Yesterday we visited Linda Compound, ran by the Chipego Women of Hope, for the now normal series of events. Or at least we visited the school where the children that Lexington sponsors attend. This school has a particularly close relationship with the Chipego women of hope and it looks like we may be able to build them a feeding station (concrete slab under a iron roof) so that come the rainy season they don’t have to depend on the Mango tree for shelter. This community is one of the more advanced, and being semi rural just looks better. The women are also trying to starting make some money by making peanut butter and dieing cloth so there are some definite positive here. We will be returning with some of their goods we have bought to resell as well as a small consignment to sell for them – let’s hope it works, since I think they are skipping church this weekend to fill the consignment. This consignment was amazing since they had been swindled by another American earlier in the year.
In the afternoon I had my first what you might call “business meeting” with SWAAZ and staying awake was difficult in the small hot room. I think we are all a little sleep deprived, I know my roommate, Charlie, and I are regularly still chatting about our days experience at 2 in the morning and we all get moving again around 7am. If only I had another week or two I’d give them a brief course in accounting – and that coming from me who classifies himself as an accounting illiterate.
I think this day was my low point. Even though the community seemed in better shape than others I have seen, I just got depressed by the number of things that were incomplete. It also seems to be the Zambian tradition to start many projects and not finish any. If they would just focus on finishing a project, before starting another.
On Friday we took our last trip to Garden. We thought we were going to have their youth to talk with our youth about their peer education efforts with HIV/AIDS education. They thought they were going to listen to ours so some confusion ensued. While we were digging ourselves out of that one some of us handed over the clothes, books and toys to the women caregivers. As has become the norm they broke in to song, dance and ululation. I’m feeling quite connected to this community and will miss them all. While we have been here we’ve helped physically or monetarily to dig a septic system and soak-away, paint the building, glaze the windows, finish the roof, put doors with burglar proof bars on the two doors and storage room and hang a gate across the entrance to the property. This means that they will be able to make full use of this building. They can leave things in it overnight instead of having to take the few items they have home to different houses. They will actually be able to use it as it was intended, which feels great. We left in a cloud of dust with about 30 kids chasing the football we had brought for them.
In the evening we took another mystery walk to a restaurant via the restaurant’s old location. The Arabian Nights was surprised to see 18 us turn up 45 minutes late for our 7pm reservation. This was a special meal because Brita and Sharon were due to leave us tomorrow, our first departures.
On Tuesday I my first real mental care day by staying here in the villa while most of the group went off to visit another compound – Chawama, to distribute clothes, books, and interview some of the women caregivers and teachers at that SWAAZ sponsored family home. In the afternoon we went to Ng’ombe, which is a community where First Parish Lexington supports 20 children in the local government schools. This community is in a particularly precarious situation because they were evicted from their building 3 years ago and ever since the women have been meeting with the children under a tree to help them with their schoolwork etc. That etc. has included a feeding program since last year when two of the children died from malnutrition. The SWAAZ family support homes we are working with typically have a basic building with a few small rooms, a feeding program three days a week during the school year for the children in school (which means some where between 1 in 5 and 1 in 8 of the children these women are taking care of).
Despite all of this destitution, think Dickens in a warmer climate, the people are astoundingly friendly and cheerful – at least when we are around. We met with the community leaders, talked with the women who are the mainstay of this community (as they are in all of these communities), took photos of all the kids we are sponsoring and distributed the clothing, books and toys we had. After this visit I am starting to understand exactly how these small communities work and am formulating my own plans on how best to communicate all of this when we get back in the USA. It is sobering to realize that an individual American can have a major impact on one or more of the major steps needed to take some of these kids off the streets, out of danger of dying from malnutrition, provide women with a means to support themselves and their children, put the kids through school, and put some through college. I guess I was optimistic that day.
In the evening I videotaped an Interview with Bernadette on of our main Zambian contacts here. Quite an amazing life but since I’ve gotten to know her I am not surprised.
Wednesday for me was painting day. The morning activities were ESL, painting and interviewing at the Garden compound. It felt great to hear the kids in their small classroom as some of our group gave them fun English lessons. Even though this activity was one of our last minute thoughts it has turned out to be a great hit with both all of us, the women in the communities and the kids. While paint the front of the building and listening to the kids I could also overhear snippet of the interviews of some of the women – can’t wait until we get them all compiled and I can read them all.
While I had another crew painting (including the local women) in the afternoon many of our group took a sobering visit to the Hospital and visited children’s ward. They saw the malnutrition ward; oncology ward and others and some people came back saddened while others came back uplifted to see the caring of the hospital staff. I don’t think anyone is going to come back claming these few days in Zambia have been totally easy. ON the other hand my own experience is one of seeing tremendous joy.
In the evening we took a walk to a Chinese restaurant which when we saw it looked like we may be blowing our budget for the evening, however because we went with a Chinese representative from UNICEF we got 20% discount. The evening was only slightly marred by a wrong turn on the way back to Mulungushi, which meant I missed a phone call from Sally (those of us with spouses refer to these as a date).
Yesterday we visited Linda Compound, ran by the Chipego Women of Hope, for the now normal series of events. Or at least we visited the school where the children that Lexington sponsors attend. This school has a particularly close relationship with the Chipego women of hope and it looks like we may be able to build them a feeding station (concrete slab under a iron roof) so that come the rainy season they don’t have to depend on the Mango tree for shelter. This community is one of the more advanced, and being semi rural just looks better. The women are also trying to starting make some money by making peanut butter and dieing cloth so there are some definite positive here. We will be returning with some of their goods we have bought to resell as well as a small consignment to sell for them – let’s hope it works, since I think they are skipping church this weekend to fill the consignment. This consignment was amazing since they had been swindled by another American earlier in the year.
In the afternoon I had my first what you might call “business meeting” with SWAAZ and staying awake was difficult in the small hot room. I think we are all a little sleep deprived, I know my roommate, Charlie, and I are regularly still chatting about our days experience at 2 in the morning and we all get moving again around 7am. If only I had another week or two I’d give them a brief course in accounting – and that coming from me who classifies himself as an accounting illiterate.
I think this day was my low point. Even though the community seemed in better shape than others I have seen, I just got depressed by the number of things that were incomplete. It also seems to be the Zambian tradition to start many projects and not finish any. If they would just focus on finishing a project, before starting another.
On Friday we took our last trip to Garden. We thought we were going to have their youth to talk with our youth about their peer education efforts with HIV/AIDS education. They thought they were going to listen to ours so some confusion ensued. While we were digging ourselves out of that one some of us handed over the clothes, books and toys to the women caregivers. As has become the norm they broke in to song, dance and ululation. I’m feeling quite connected to this community and will miss them all. While we have been here we’ve helped physically or monetarily to dig a septic system and soak-away, paint the building, glaze the windows, finish the roof, put doors with burglar proof bars on the two doors and storage room and hang a gate across the entrance to the property. This means that they will be able to make full use of this building. They can leave things in it overnight instead of having to take the few items they have home to different houses. They will actually be able to use it as it was intended, which feels great. We left in a cloud of dust with about 30 kids chasing the football we had brought for them.
In the evening we took another mystery walk to a restaurant via the restaurant’s old location. The Arabian Nights was surprised to see 18 us turn up 45 minutes late for our 7pm reservation. This was a special meal because Brita and Sharon were due to leave us tomorrow, our first departures.
posted by Rodney | 5:16 PM
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