Zambia Journal - Aug 24, 2005
This is being written in Gate 23 at Johannesburg Airport in South Africa.
Yesterday we started the day with what we termed a summit. Basically a few of us got together with the representatives from the organizations we are working with in Zambia: SWAAZ, ZANCOB, Chipego Women of Hope, and the CWB envoy. We reviewed their plans for the future and tried to get a handle on their finances. Past and budgeted. Very dry stuff. In the afternoon we took a trip back into Ng’ombe to take a look at a property that the women their said was for sale. An “attractive” location on a dirt road right next to a brand new water pipe. But the small building would need to be demolished – it’s cracked and riddled with termites on a poor foundation. Some thing for Lexington to work on perhaps – with another partner.
We then took a final shopping trip to Kabawata a sort of craft village in Lusaka. A few of us spent our last few hundred thousand kwacha on gifts and hippos. Bargaining is in vogue here – if you don’t get it for half the price you’re not really trying. On a prior trip another group also traded Bic pens and other American stuff. We saw one craftsman wearing a cigarette lighter on a chain round his neck that one of our group had traded the day before.
We came back and had our final Mulungushi dinner and our final process meeting where we talk over our feelings every few days. Then it was packing for the remainder of evening and some final financial calculations to pay all our bills while not leaving Zambia with to many worthless kwacha.
The first group got up at 5am Wednesday to make the flight back to the US via London. The other group was not leaving Lusaka until early afternoon so we got a couple of hours extra sleep and then went to visit the Kasisi Orphanage close to the airport. 250 children from one day old to 18 years old. 60 of them have HIV/AIDS. We arrived just as the 17 infants were about to be fed so we got to spoon-feed them their mealy-meal – I can’t say it looked delicious (but then neither does apple sauce). They were for the most part well fed and healthy looking. My beard was either terrifying of extremely interesting depending on which baby was involved.
And then it was off to the airport to catch our flight – and to see if we could find Charlie’s bag which has never made it to Zambia from day one – as I write here in Johannesburg that’s where he is now – talking to South African Airways to see if it perhaps never left this Airport on our way in.
Yesterday we started the day with what we termed a summit. Basically a few of us got together with the representatives from the organizations we are working with in Zambia: SWAAZ, ZANCOB, Chipego Women of Hope, and the CWB envoy. We reviewed their plans for the future and tried to get a handle on their finances. Past and budgeted. Very dry stuff. In the afternoon we took a trip back into Ng’ombe to take a look at a property that the women their said was for sale. An “attractive” location on a dirt road right next to a brand new water pipe. But the small building would need to be demolished – it’s cracked and riddled with termites on a poor foundation. Some thing for Lexington to work on perhaps – with another partner.
We then took a final shopping trip to Kabawata a sort of craft village in Lusaka. A few of us spent our last few hundred thousand kwacha on gifts and hippos. Bargaining is in vogue here – if you don’t get it for half the price you’re not really trying. On a prior trip another group also traded Bic pens and other American stuff. We saw one craftsman wearing a cigarette lighter on a chain round his neck that one of our group had traded the day before.
We came back and had our final Mulungushi dinner and our final process meeting where we talk over our feelings every few days. Then it was packing for the remainder of evening and some final financial calculations to pay all our bills while not leaving Zambia with to many worthless kwacha.
The first group got up at 5am Wednesday to make the flight back to the US via London. The other group was not leaving Lusaka until early afternoon so we got a couple of hours extra sleep and then went to visit the Kasisi Orphanage close to the airport. 250 children from one day old to 18 years old. 60 of them have HIV/AIDS. We arrived just as the 17 infants were about to be fed so we got to spoon-feed them their mealy-meal – I can’t say it looked delicious (but then neither does apple sauce). They were for the most part well fed and healthy looking. My beard was either terrifying of extremely interesting depending on which baby was involved.
And then it was off to the airport to catch our flight – and to see if we could find Charlie’s bag which has never made it to Zambia from day one – as I write here in Johannesburg that’s where he is now – talking to South African Airways to see if it perhaps never left this Airport on our way in.
posted by Rodney | 5:22 PM
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