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Bridgitte's Zambia Blog - Day One
Heathrow terminal 5 marked the start of my African adventure.
I’m not alone, joining me on my travels are Beverley and Alice from the World Vision team. In fact it’s my companions who delivered the rather unnerving news that we were in for a of a 9 hour flight.
So cue plenty of film watching, fidgeting and the discovery of a rather lovely version of the gospel song You Got The Love (Its by secular band Florence and the Machines if you're interested).
My touchdown in Zambia coincided with rush hour in Luska.
It’s like nothing you've experienced in the UK. Gone are the black cabs think instead of pick up trucks with up to twenty men precariously hanging on for dear life on the way to work!
Day one in Zambia also involved visiting the village of Keembe and meeting eight year old, Given.
Premier listener Elizabeth Barnes had sponsored this young boy. In fact she had tasked me with delivering a glittery blue gift to him.
Its contents included most lads’ favourite toy, a ball!
You must check out his cute smile in the photos!
How wonderful to be able to deliver a moments joy to a young child who had so little. Given actually slept in a one room mud hut, as his mother tried to provide for him and the rest of his siblings.
What would Day Two with the people of Zambia bring!
Bridgitte's Zambia Blog - Day Two
This morning I found a frog in the shower! I’m actually a creepy crawly, small creature afobe. Shock doesn’t seem to adequately describe my fright!
Day two and it’s back into the jeep. Now something you should know is the only way to access the village of Keembe is to drive down a long red dusty road.
It’s a kind of very bumpy M25 on sea and there were a few who succumbed to the effects of the potholes, developing travel sickness!
Our destination was the Sheala Basic School. Its here I spoke with the head master a man who shared his room with a plastic skeleton and some very impressive lessons plans. Can you imagine asking a child in Britain to get to school for 7am!
He was a man battling lack of resources, chalk for the black board paper and textbooks.
As I toured the school I came across children sweeping the dust from their classroom during a break. It struck me that it was an image you’d never see in the UK, deemed the responsibility of cleaners!
It was actually an exercise in learning, and an opportunity to teach those who had no carers how they could look after themselves. As I toured the school I noticed that some of the children’s uniforms were ill fitting, and had seen better days. The water pump in the school grounds was another reminder that life for the people of Keembe was very hard.
Despite the circumstances …the very excitable and joyful children treated me to a great version of their favourite song (don’t forget to have a listen to them singing online!).
Bridgitte's Zambia Blog - Day Three
There are strict rules to abide by when visiting Worldvision projects:
Rule 1: Observe cultural sensitivity in manner of dress.
Rule 2: All picture taking will be in full view of WV staff.
Rule 3: You must exhibit questionable behaviour.
Phew! So far so good I haven’t broken any rules.
Here’s another I think you might not know;
Most people in the Keembe region live in compounds comprising two or three mud huts and an out door kitchen area ( check out the pictures).
I’m told that buildings occur in this way as a result of traditional cultural practice. When a child turns 16 a new mud hut is built in the compound for them, to mark there adult status.
These mud huts are generally one-room buildings, which unfortunately leave teenagers vulnerable. As a result many young mums exist.
I met a local farmer Axon who hopes this practice will end as more and more young people go to school and are educated about sexual heath and given hope and inspired about how education can change your future.
The brilliant news is as a result of child sponsors many more children are going to school.
Bridgitte's Zambia Blog - Day Four
Charles Tembo in many ways is a typical Zambian farmer. Easy to spot in his green overall’s and matching Wellington boots.
But unlike many of the farmers I met, his fields of crops looked incredibly healthy.
He is what Worldvision call a LEAD farmer; this means he has attended training courses put on by the charity, which have taught him to keep the soil fertile. Also which plants are nutritionally rich and better for the people of Keembe.
Charles was sharing this information with others in the community with dramatic affect on crop yields.
It’s thanks to Charles that not only did I get back into the jeep brandishing a large pumpkin but I also got the chance to try maize.
It’s very much like corn and the locals have a knack of eating it from the cob like popcorn.
Another staple food is something called Nshima, for those Ghanaians’ out there very much like ground rice (banku). Anyway for the rest of you it’s thick semolina like in texture and doest have a strong taste but is great dipped into a spicy sauce hmmm