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This blog will be an account my life working in a Refugee camp in Northern Zambia called Mwange. For the next year, I will be working for Right to Play, a sport and development organization based out of Toronto. What follows will be a life altering experience. Stay tuned....
Monday, April 25, 2005
April 21st
Today was the monthly coach meeting, which turned into a meeting of coaches demanding things for their different schools. It’s supposed to be a meeting to discuss the activities they have been holding with the kids in the camp. We also discussed a “Coach Party” which we are planning on having in a couple of weeks… This should be a huge event as anything that involves food is going to have a huge turnout… I also informed the coaches of a basketball and netball training session that I’m planning on organizing in a couple of weeks (too bad I don’t know a thing about netball) and the coaches seemed enthusiastic…
Life in Mporokoso continues to be up and down. I'm keeping to myself a lot and hanging out with a couple of friends in the area and with Sophie. I do a lot of cooking (the preparation of food takes a while here, especially when you’re without electricity) and reading and writing. I’ve also been trying to take care of our garden and to join the boys out on the basketball and volleyball court once in awhile…Most of the kids that play out in front of our house are in the 14-18 range and some of them are really good at volleyball. We have some intense matches, to say the least.
We’ve also had some news from head office as of late… Seems they’re not too sure on the status of our project and when the closing date will be. Stay tuned on that one…
April 20th
In the camp again today. We organized the 4th session of our Coach workshop on “How to be a good facilitator”. We talked about how to control a group and showed them some warm up games to play with kids. The group that we are training is really interesting. Most of the people have been involved with Right to Play since we came to the camp in 2002. We constantly hear about the other Project Cooridinators who came before us, including a Belgian couple named Hannes and Sarah, a Quebecoise lady named Judith and the two original Right to Play PC’s from Canada named Andrew and Greg. One of the coaches that I get along with very well is a PE teacher at the secondary school named Lambo Sandra. A very down to earth guy who left behind a solid job and life in the Congo to bring his family to the camp to protect them from war.
This group we are teaching is also good because of the high female representation. It is often hard to get women involved as they are not seen as “athletes” and are mostly expected to stay home and look after the children or tend the fields. Sophie is responsible for their participation as she really advocates and fights for their rights.
April 19th
Today we organized a basketball match between the Congolese youth in the camp and the Zambian Youth from Mporokoso. We loaded all the kids from Mporokoso into the back of our truck and set off. I didn’t realize the mayhem that would ensue… The Mwange team and about 500 supporters were waiting for our arrival. There were kids and students everywhere. The game started (amid some confusion surrounding uniforms and which team would take which side) and I was put in charge of refereeing. This job proved itself to be very difficult as players were complaining, baskets weren’t being counted and the time keeper was not paying attention. The game ended with the Mwange Camp team ahead by a basket, although it seemed to me that the Mporokoso side was leading and got screwed over… but all's well that ends well, as the spectators were happy with the win and as soon as the final whistle blew, the kids came scampering onto the field, cheering at the top of their lungs. We took a bunch of pictures of the two teams (people there were absolutely amazed with a digital camera…), congratulated both sides and loaded the kids back in the truck for the ride back to town…
April 17th
Back to the falls today with my friend Tony. We went for a swim, had a picnic and took some pics and video to be sent home. I was kinda depressed at the end of the day because Tony explained to me that he and my other friend Barry would be heading back to Lusaka the following weekend to attend school and look for jobs. One of the shitty things about Mporokoso is that people who have come into town through work or passing through, will not often stay for long periods of time. It’s like moving up to the Yukon for a work assignment or being sent to Afghanistan - your goal is to be sent back to Toronto or Calgary (in this case Lusaka), so often the educated people are not found in Mporokoso…
April 16th
Day three of our workshop. Today, I presented a session on Project Proposals and Budgets. It’s our hope that these people can use these skills upon their return to the Congo…
Today, I also attended a meeting of the HIV/AIDS taskforce, which is made up of representatives of the NGOs in the camp and local community groups. Three HIV positive people came to speak to us and share their experiences. It was a real eye opener for me as I’ve never known any seropositive people. The idea is to present these people to the community in the hopes that others will have the courage to come forward and seek help and treatment. I hope to be able to take a role in this taskforce in our goal of sensitizing the community about HIV/AIDS.
April 15th
It was certificate distribution day for the Level 2 coaches who had completed their training and practicals over the past couple of months. It was nice to see the results of our work through the worksheets that we require that the coaches give back to us, which documents the games and sports that they have been playing with the kids.
We noticed that one of the women that was supposed to be at the ceremony was absent, and someone informed us that she was sick. The lady's name is Mama Nsango, and we decided to go over to her house to present her certificate to her. It was nice to see how she is living, but sad that she is sick (she is also pregnant, which is a little worrisome…). Again, there were kids everywhere as we took a couple of pictures with her and congratulated her. The people are really happy to receive their certificates as it gains them respect in the community and allows them to add to their career goals.
Next, I was off to repair the basketball rims at the secondary school. First we went to the town carpenter, who I will get to know really well, and picked up the new backboard. Then, Peter and I climbed up on top of our truck and got a couple of kids to hold up the rim while we hammered it in. Again, the people of the camp crowded around to see what we were doing, and a big cheer went up when we finally succeeded! Amidst all the poverty and hardship, these people still find a way to celebrate every day of life…
April 14th
Day two of the workshop. Today was the first day that I was in charge of the session. I felt that I did a pretty good job, though my French was a little shaky and I was visibly nervous. The workshop was on “Planning” and “a resume of RTP in the camp” and I'm sure everyone gained something from it. I tried to teach in a way that involved all the people and I really tried asking them lots of questions and making them feel that they were teaching me something as well (which they did)! At the end of the day, we did a group exercise where the coaches had to plan a sport practice for a group of girls that had never played before. They all did a fantastic job! We’re decided to hold a banquet for all the coaches upon completion of the workshop. I’m really excited for that!!
I spoke to a couple of women today who were passing by the classroom where we were working, in hopes that they could teach me a few words of Swahili. The women couldn’t stop laughing at me as I tried to pronounce some of the words! I still heard them chuckling to themselves as they departed for the fields with their hoes and the pots that they carry on their heads. I was pretty embarrassed…
There was also a community leader meeting held today for the UN to discuss with the refugees what was happening in the camp. The refugees are still upset with the fact that they’re not getting the proper type of food. Upon the last food distribution, they only took 7% of the food that was being offered. This means that a lot of people are going hungry. A funny moment came when the Field Officer from the UN offered the shirt off of his back to one of the refugees and he started to take it off before he was halted by one of his co-workers. These meetings tend to get a little heated…
April 13th
A planned meeting with the Project Manager for HODI (the Zambian NGO that runs social services in the camp) has been cancelled - again! The man’s impossible to track down!!
I worked on the workshop all day and started to prepare a basketball workshop that I will give to coaches, referees and secondary students in May. We are trying to build up the skills of the refugees in sports such as basketball, volleyball, netball and football, so that these people can in turn train others in the rules and skills. It’s a tough task as a lot of the people have never heard of basketball – though most people are keen to learn.
We found out today, that somebody tried to break into another one of the equipment boxes. We’ll try to find stronger locks next time we’re in Lusaka…
The night was spent at my friend Tony’s place enjoying a couple of cold ones and listening to music. Too bad that only lasted an hour before the power went out, then it started to rain super hard. I got soaked walking home as I didn’t have my flash light and there was a stream running down the road I had to walk on. Luckily Tony escorted me half the way!
April 12th
The workshop today was great. Sophie did most of the presenting and answering of questions while I facilitated small groups and handled the admin stuff. I’m amazed at how well Sophie works with the refugees. She is infinitely patient and seems to be able to relate to what they are experiencing in the camp. Whenever she is teaching something, she always lets the people give their input and she can always find a story that relates to their everyday life. I’m going to learn a lot from her… Most of the refugees that attended the workshop are teachers or community workers, ranging in age from 30-50, with a third of them being female. I’m learning so much from these people on how they are trying to improve their community through sport and play. One of the secondary school teachers, named Joseph, has spoken to me quite extensively about his experiences as a refugee. Joseph comes from Kananga in the Congo, where some of the fighting has been intense. Though he tried to convince all of his family to come with him, only his immediate family is with him in Mwange camp, while some others have gone to the other camp in the region called Kala. Most of his family stayed and he’s always concerned about their safety.
Most people I speak with don’t have any idea when they will return home; most of them probably never will. But there is some hope, as the DRC is planning on hosting elections in July and there is talk that peace could follow these elections…
April 11th
This morning it was off to the market for groceries. I’ve become good friends with one of the shopkeepers down at the market and I’ll usually sit and chat with him for an hour while I’m down there (about a 20 min walk from my house). His name is Richard. He is the same age as me, but with 3 kids and a wife. We talk about his and my family, business, and we exchange some language lessons as he wants to learn more English and I'm trying to pick up some Bemba. I was trying to explain the concept of a computer and internet to him today, but he just didn’t get it… As most people around here are just subsisting from day to day, some don’t know anything about western culture or technology and it’s a tough go at explaining. I told him I’d make him a CD of some good hip hop music (which he apparently knows and likes) and promised I’d bring him some baking from the eggs, oil and flour that I bought from him.
In the afternoon, I prepared our flip chart for the next day's workshop, which we were presenting to coaches about volunteerism and the night was spent practicing guitar and baking!! (cinnamon buns, mmmmmm!!!!).
April 10th
Today, was a really fabulous day. A couple friends took me out to some waterfalls, about an hour's walk from town, where we went swimming. It was so beautiful! And as it is nearing the end of the rainy season, the falls were at their strongest! It was so refreshing to swim and float down the river… The only unfortunate part was that I burned myself really badly! Next time I need to load up on sunscreen. From there we went to a local bar to relax to some good music and drink. I didn’t like being in the bar so much as you always tend to see the same people drinking and most of them will sit there all day getting drunk. On top of that, some of the people are the town's respected citizens: teachers and police officers – and on top of that, some of them should be at work!
At night, it was so exciting to get our first call from my parents on our satellite phone! So good to talk to them! I miss you all terribly… It’s been a tough go of it for this first month, getting used to the slowness of life and the job and all the new people, but I think I’m starting to fit in and adjusting to all the stares and weird questions that I get from people…. Now, if I could only get used to the bats, mice, cockroaches, ants and lizards in my ceiling…
April 9th
Woke up this morning and as I was walking back to Kasama, I was picked up by this old English guy who’s been living in Zambia for 45 years. He works for the power company here (kinda creepy guy) and he took me into town. I went to the supermarket and stocked up on cereal, cheese, chocolate and pasta, then we started on the 3 hour bumpy ride back to Mporokoso. I was informed by the UN guy that they had decided to fix the road out to the camp from Mporokoso, which will make it a lot easier for our truck!! But who knows when that will be done, it could be just all talk, like a lot of things out here.
The night was spent down at the Red Cross, where Peter and I organized a Pool tournament with about 12 guys. It ended up being quite a success and we plan on doing it every couple of weeks.
April 8th
Day was spent doing some shopping – I picked up some blank tapes to record onto for our truck, some bolts to repair our vehicle and a basketball hoop for at the camp. I also stopped in at this bakery where they make the world’s best rolls and I tried to have a nice quiet cup of tea. Unfortunately, I was harrased for about 10 minutes by this drunk guy trying to get money from me. I think he was cursing me by the end of it and the store owner had to scare him off. From there, I walked (a few kilometers distance) out to the Peace Corps house. It is the local office/resting point for the American Peace Corps that are working in the province. There’s always some people around there, so we had a big meal, some Mosi beer (there’s only two choices of beer, the other one is Castle beer) and listened to music. Then I crashed at their place as they have a huge house that can sleep about 15 people.
April 7th
Spent some time in the camp this morning before heading to Kasama (the provincial capital). We had a meeting with some teachers and community leaders who are involved with an evaluation committee that monitors how physical education is being carried out in the schools. It was a tough meeting for me because I didn’t really know the situation of what was going on in these committees, so I didn’t have much to say except to introduce myself. Some of the people asked us if we would be spending anymore time in the schools working directly with the kids, which is something we try to avoid doing because it really disrupts the children and is only a temporary solution to their physical needs. Ideally, we want only local people working with the children. We also stopped by one of the coach's huts to have a meal. It was my first time sharing a meal with one of the refugees, but it was a really interesting experience. The lady, Shelly, served me Nshima and fish; a very typical lunch time meal (actually the only lunch time meal), and she shared with me stories of her family and life back in the Congo.
From there, I caught a ride with the UN (the Canadian field officer) to Kasama and checked into a guest house (costing about $8 US/night) and caught a nice meal of chicken and chips. From there I visited a few friends in town, then called it a night!
Friday, April 08, 2005
April 6th
Meetings at the camp.
We are starting to plan a big workshop for next week that is teaching project management for some of the more advanced coaches. We hope these people are going to be able to continue the project after we leave. We found out today that the project will not end in July as expected, but that we will be staying here until January. Today, I also met a couple of Peace Corps volunteers, Mark and Peacock, who live in the surrounding villages. They are here to help local farmers set up fish farms in the villages. It was interesting to hear their stories as they have been living in the northern province for almost two years and they’ve helped dozens of farmers with fishing. They also live in small huts in tiny villages with no electricity and only a bike for transport! Crazy guys!!
I'll be going to Kasama, the closest big city, with the UN tomorrow to stock up on supplies and post these blogs. I'll be there till Sat.
April 5th
The festival for the Francophone Day ended up going really well. We started an hour late. The UN field officer (A Canadian from Toronto) made a speech and was practically jeered off stage because of the food distribution protest. The Ambassador ended up cancelling, but the theatre group did show up, though we didn’t really understand what the play was about at all as they didn’t speak loud enough. The best part of the day was the traditional dancing that went on. I got really embarassed when one dancer was doing his thing in front of me and got closer and closer and even started moving chairs away to get closer to me. People started putting money into their belts, but I didn’t have a clue what was going on and I didn’t have any money with me, so I was really embarrassed when somebody else had to put money in the guys belt!
After the performances were over, I spent some time meeting some people and asking stories about where the refugees came from and what brought them there. A lot of the people there come from cities and were business men, carpenters, teachers, store owners and entrepreneurs. They left everything behind when war threatened the lives of their families. One man I met had lost his parents to rebels that destroyed their village and he fled to Zambia. Some of the stories are really sad but it seems that they are starting over with a new life in Zambia. Most of them will probably never return home…
April 4th
This week started with news that we’d be having a big festival the next day in the camp. Of course everything is last minute and nobody is prepared, but apparently the French ambassador is on his way and a theatre troupe from Lusaka is planning a performance. We rushed to the camp in the morning and planned the Right to Play program for the day, we plan to present a dance and song, together with a little skit that will be put on by a group of secondary school kids. We arrived to find out nobody has planned anything, not only that, but the UN has cut the budget for the day in half and nobody will get any lunch or refreshments – typical. I spent the day trying to remember people's names. All the Swahili names either start with or end with K, and they are all sounding the same. I hope to be able to figure it out some day. Also, all the names have to have a “Mama” or a “Papa” in front of them. Therefore, I only answer to Papa Drew these days!!
April 3rd
Well… something I ate didn’t go down so good while I was in Kawambwa and I’ve been in bed with flu, fever, aches, diarrhea, and vomiting for the past 2 and a half days. So, not much to report, except, don’t eat the sweet potato leaves…
One more interesting thing - it was food distribution day yesterday and there was some talk of riots in the camp over the Sorghum issue, therefore I'm not sure if we’ll be able to go into the camp this week or not. Stay tuned…
March 31st
Today, we headed to the neighbouring town of Kawambwa (about a 4 hour drive) where the other refugee camp in the region is located. Every month we have meetings with the staff of this camp to discuss what is going on, as both camps are under the regional direction of UNHCR. We ended up driving with Major Harry Chilufya, who is the head of the Red Cross in Mporokoso (and no longer with the military) and what a horrible drive, you can’t even imagine (except maybe people who have treeplanted).
The meeting was pretty boring, though we discussed the Sorghum issue again and everybody agreed to speak in one voice to the refugees, that until further notice there would be no change.
I also had the chance to meet Erin, who is working for Right to Play in the camp in Kawambwa. She is from Toronto and had been working here for over a year. We expected her to be with the new Project Coordinator, Elias, who had been my roommate during training, but we quickly realized he was not there. Apparently, upon his arrival to Lusaka, he immediately decided that he didn’t want to be there and returned to Canada! I was in complete shock as this was somebody I got along really well with and I was looking forward to seeing him… RTP is currently trying to find someone to replace him so if anyone’s interested…
March 29th
An eventful day at the camp. The UN held a meeting for the camp leaders to discuss the issue of Sorghum distribution and the refugees were not happy. The UN basically explained to them that this was all that they were getting and to either take it or leave it. Nobody knows whether they will get Maize or not in the next distribution. They also discussed how several refugees had been arrested for leaving the camp without permits. The rep. for the Government of Zambia announced that he had seen to their release but would not be so forgiving the next time it happened. A final issue that was discussed was that of schools, a new secondary school is to be opened in the camp at the end of the month of March.
March 28th
Today, we met up with some of our coaches to begin planning for ”La Journee de la Francophonie” which is a big event as the camp is French speaking and it is a chance for the refugees to celebrate and have some fun. We are planning a series of events in singing, dancing and poems for the coaches to perform with their fellow refugees. The meeting went well and it looks like the day will be a success.
Then it was off to the most bizarre encounter ever! We went to meet up with the village elders to discuss how Right to Play was working with them. We provided them with some equipment to encourage them to teach the younger people of the camp traditional Congolese games. Well, we had barely gotten two words into these people before they started yelling, ranting and raving about how they needed more stuff (they kept saying cadeaux, cadeaux, cadeaux!!). They were very demanding and wouldn’t translate anything into French for us. It’s sad here sometimes because a lot of the people think that we are there only to provide them with things and not to work with them. We have to constantly turn down requests for money, books, etc. (even marriage proposals!), and in turn explain that we are here to teach.
We got out of that meeting as fast as we could!!
March 27th
Last night, I went to the Catholic Easter Church Service with a couple of friends. The sounds coming from the church practically begging me to come in. Singing and drumming and clicking and humming. I’ve never heard anything like it. I ended up just standing in the back of the church for a couple of hours and not staying till the end. They were going to have 3 weddings that night on top of the church service!
On my way home from the church, I didn’t have a clue where I was going. The grass all over town is really long, because it is the rainy season, and you seriously can’t tell right from left. Plus I didn’t have a flashlight, so that didn’t help matters… Luckily, our dog, Poosch, showed up and lead me all the way back.
Today was spent cleaning the house – waxing the floors, killing cockroaches, filling water tanks, I also planted some cucumbers and melons in our garden. The supper with our friends, Billy (working as the Information Officer for the Government) and Kipler (works for the government as the Refugee Officer) and Kipler's girlfriend came over. It’s nice to be finally making friends!!
