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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, June 20, 2005
June 16th
As a birthday present to myself, I went golfing today. The course I went to, called Chainama was quite nice, though not very green and well kept. Originally I had wanted to go to a course that was closer to the house, but little did I know that it was a private course and my t shirt and shorts were against the rules.
When I showed up at the second course, I was immediately accosted by caddies wanting to carry my bags. They couldn’t fathom the thought of me wanting to carry my own bag. As I teed off, one of the caddy’s started following me and giving me tips, and I eventually caved and let him carry my bag. He even played the back nine with me and man did he kick my ass. He had been a caddy at the course since 1972 and his game was amazing. I think he pared or birdied every hole!
After the game I went to a market in a housing compound right beside the course. I made a quick decision to have my haircut in one of the local barbers. Little did I know that the guy only had a razor for cutting and the guy had never cut a white man's hair before. I ended up cutting half of the hair myself, though it was worth the 50 cents I paid for the haircut. It was cute to see most of the kids in the area come to see the Muzungu have his hair cut and laughing at me the whole time… very funny (so is the haircut)…
June 15th
Crazy that Sophie and I have the same birthdays… So, we baked a cake and fired up the bar b q and opened some presents… Thank you Mom, Dad, Paige, Brian, Sash and AB for the wonderful presents!!
It wasn’t all good news today though. We found out that we’re going to have to stay here in Lusaka for awhile and get the vehicle sold. It could take awhile because we have to have the vehicle appraised by a garage, and the vehicle can’t sell for less than the appraisal. Also, there has to be at least 3 offers made on the vehicle before we can sell it… I’m angry with head office because I don’t feel it’s our responsibility to be dealing with these issues. They need a country manager here in Lusaka to deal with these types of things. Because of this, the workshops we had been scheduling have to be delayed and the other commitements we made to the coaches in the camp will have to be broken. We’re also running low on money due to all the vehicle maintenance, so we can’t buy near as much sports equipment as we had wanted.
June 14th
After reviewing the submitted applications for hiring our new driver, we knew we were in trouble. The applicants had little to no driving experience, though we managed choose four of the guys for interviews. We think that our lack of quality applicants was because of the remoteness of Mporokoso. A lot of people living in the city have never been outside of Lusaka and don’t want to leave it.
The first guy we interviewed was miserable. After he admitted to us that he had just received his license some 6 months before and had been driving illegally without a license before that time, we said our thank yous and quickly ended the interview. The second guy was almost as bad as he had absolutely no knowledge of engines and the mechanics certificate that he presented us with looked forged. He was dismissed quite quickly as well. The third guy was a lot better, quite personable with an excellent knowledge of engines and superb English. The only thing we didn’t like was that he was a bit cocky and had a bit of an attitude, but we plan to give him a chance to show us his driving skills. The 4th guy, who was a lecturer at the automotive college, was older and a little cold, but he had driving experience and he came recommended from one of our contacts at the UN. So it is between those two guys – we’ll decide after we give them a road test…
June 12th
A chilled-out day. Walked down to a café called the Black Knight where they (unusual for Zambia) serve coffee, baguettes and croissants. On the way there, we pass by the President house and other humungous mansions, making me realize the extent of the problem of income distribution in this country. Seems you're really, really rich or really, really poor, with nothing much in between. All the fences, gates, barbed wire, security guards, guns and surveillance cameras still give me the creeps. I don’t think I'll ever get over that…
June 11th
Not even 24 hrs in Lusaka and I'm already in over my head. I offered my services for helping organize an HIV/AIDS event at the UN with my RTP Lusaka colleague, Doreen (a girl from Germany that I know quite well from the RTP training in Toronto before our placements). It turned out to be a great event with different UN agencies and NGO’s setting up booths to advocate their contributions to the fight on HIV/AIDS. The situation is quite bad in Zambia, with some 28% for the population who have contracted the disease. In Lusaka, organizations such as the ones represented at the UN today are doing a lot to combat the disease, but not enough. What makes the problem so tough is that people have not yet accepted it as a problem, or they think that it is never going to reach them. In Mporokoso, the magnitude of the problem really hits home. We constantly hear about how people are sick and dying and even though the words are not spoken, we know that it is AIDS. One of our friends who works as program officer at the UN has a wife that is very sick and we fear the worst….
That’s not to say steps aren’t being taken here to address the problem. Antiretroviral drugs have recently become free to any Zambian suffering from low white blood cell counts; also, infected people are starting to come out and share their stories as treatment and counseling becomes readily available and they start to learn that they can live healthy lives with the disease; another aspect of the improvements is the commitment of the government to fighting the disease. The President is pushing for World Bank and international debt relief (which tallies around US$ 30 million), and some countries are starting to catch onto the idea. For example Canada recently cancelled all of Zambia's debt with hopes that other nations will follow suit – let’s hope so…
June 10th
Spent last night negotiating for our vehicle to be transported to Lusaka. Word cam from head office that we will be getting a new vehicle from the Right to Play project in Luapula province, and they will be buying a new one. This is going to make our life a lot easier.
Took the bus to Lusaka today. The trip proved to be not without difficulties as the bus was stopped on numerous occasions for transport or customs officials to board the bus and demand that everybody show their identification. You shoulda seen the dirty look when I told the Official that I had forgotten my passport in my bag below. He made me get off the bus, while everybody waited for me, and he took a long hard look at my passport before he waved me away. I mean, do I look like some kind of terrorist?
It was surprising how nice a bus we got, complete with movies and comfortable seats. I was expecting the back of a bumpy truck with no shocks and no seats, so it was a pleasant surprise.
We left Kasama at 5:30 and arrived in Lusaka at 3 pm. What a relief it was to make it here… Showers, TV, phone, electricity and internet!! I’m in heaven!!!!!!
June 9th
Interesting how things get done around here. Going to Police for an accident report on our vehicle turned into somewhat of a fiasco. The inspecting officer, a certain Officer Willi, didn’t seem too interested in accepting our claim without some sort of incentive. We ended up driving him all over Kasama in return for him doing the police report (we had to have a police report in order to make an insurance claim and we had to do it fast as the vehicle had to be back in Lusaka within 3 days of the accident to make the claim). We then had to drive him out to the scene of the accident with our vehicle (apparently the police don’t have their own vehicles??). One of the most bizarre parts of this whole ordeal was having to sit in the police station, something that looked similar to an old western jail - a couple of desks with some cells in the back, no computers, no documentation of any kind, no perceived chain of command or any kind of organization and police officers walking around loading and unloading their AK-47’s… hmmm…
After sitting in the police station for 20 mins, listening intently while Peter gave his statement about the accident, it was finally my turn. I tried to match up my statement as closely to Peter's as I could, but somehow I screwed up on the side of the vehicle where the tire collided, and the officer became upset and made me go out to the vehicle and show him the damage. Later, he calmed down, but didn’t seem to want to believe me anymore, and we took a long time finishing up the statement… After that, we did some more favours for the guard by dropping him and his buddies off at the local bar. It’s obvious corruption is running a little rampant in this part of the world. This incident was just a glimpse…
Sunday, June 12, 2005
June 8th
What do you get when you combine terrible roads, inaccessibility to proper car repair equipment and an Isuzu truck that shouldn’t be on the road??? – A scary road accident that we were lucky to escape unhurt… We were cruising along in between Kasama and Lusaka when I looked out my passenger window and saw the tire that was supposed to be attached to our car, rolling down the road beside me. Two seconds later the tie rod slams into my door, coming through the side paneling and slamming into the dash board, missing my leg by a foot… The car starts to swerve and Peter throws on the brakes - unfortunately they are disintegrating on the pavement and only one side is working. Peter manages to keep the vehicle under control and pull it over to the side of the road where we are immediately accosted by dozens of Zambian villagers trying to look into our car and find out what was wrong. In assessing the damage we saw a hole in the side of our car, a shot rear brake, a cracked bearing and a drive shaft completely separated from the rear differential…
It was a scary moment, especially thinking about what could have happened if another vehicle had been coming our way or if the rolling tire had hit somebody. If it hadn’t been for the expert driving of Peter, we really woulda been in trouble. We managed to temporarily repair everything and return to Kasama unscathed. We immediately proceeded to the police though we made the mistake of not calling them to the scene of the accident, so we are having trouble getting an accident report (which we need for insurance)… We’re thinking the end result will be us getting a new vehicle or having to rent one for the next few months…
June 6th
A miserable day today… A combination of hangover with giving a workshop in the camp that I wasn’t fully prepared for and with feelings of missing friends and family. Fortunately, the people in the camp made the day better by giving me some Happy Birthday’s as well as wishes for safe travels for our trip to Lusaka the next day.
Spent the evening watching movies and putting off packing. Went to bed early but didn’t sleep well because of barking dogs and roosters…
June 5th
It seems the story about the Congolese rebels was way blown out of proportion and the gunshots that people heard actually came from some nearby hunters… Funny how stories can get twisted and turned like that…
Sophie and I celebrated our birthdays today and what a day it was. We had decided on having the party out at the waterfalls which meant tons of preparation. The first step was to get a goat. Seems simple but in actual fact is not… Let me explain… I decided to try to find a goat in the camp. When you’re having a party in Zambia, you always get a goat – kinda like a cake back home or something like that. It took me asking about 4 refugee families where I could find a goat before I actually found one. When I finally did, I spent 15 minutes haggling on the price of a tiny little male goat that I didn’t think was worth more than $15. I eventually got a price I could live with (though white people are always charged more), and then came the catching and tying of the goat. After another 20 min. the goat was loaded in the back of the truck and we were on our way back to town. I then had to run around town rounding up a generator for the power, a fridge for the drinks, balloons, a bar-b-q, plates, and tarps. By the time everything was set up, it was past the time we asked people to come, but of course, everybody was late and all the rushing around was for not. I spent the time waiting for people with my friend Peacock from the Peace Corps, swimming in the river…
The party went really well and everybody that came was really great… I even cooked the goat from start to finish starting with the slaughtering and skinning (a very delicate process involving cutting off the @#$&@!! Before you kill it).
June 4th
What a great day! The festival turned out to be really good, with the students that were performing for Right to Play even winning a prize. I decided to attend the lunch that they have for the NGO’s, though the only reason I went was because then our driver Peter would get a free meal as well. The meal was kinda pathetic as all the Heads of the NGO’s sat on a platform at the front of the room while the refugee representatives are down on the floor on uncomfortable benches. Even the food was different with the NGO’s getting chicken, goat, beans, sweet potatoes and pop, while the refugees only get goat and water… This style of ceremony and eating is very normal and traditional in Zambia and Congo, but I’m still getting used to it. I felt like I should be down on the ground eating with the refugees…
In the afternoon, the coaches and I organized a basketball and netball match with the students from the secondary school and primary schools. The kids have really improved on their play since I completed the workshops on these two sports a couple of weeks ago (especially the girls who have started scoring 5 times as many goals as before!!)…
At the end of the basketball game, I presented the players and their coaches with their certificates for the basketball workshop, as that game marked the end of their practicals. Whenever we do a workshop, we always require the participants to teach what they learned to others, as their practical element. Together with the certificate, I gave each player a poster of an NBA player to take home. You should have seen the looks on these guys’ face when they saw those posters (oh, thanks to Claire and Dad for sending me over the magazines where I got the posters)!! It was like they had received a million dollars and they started asking questions about each player in the posters. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay and answer all the questions as we are required to leave the camp by 4 pm, but I can see that basketball is really taking off in the camp!
June 3rd
It felt like Christmas today as I finally received my big package from Canada that my parents, Abbie, Paige and Sasha had sent over. The guy who just took over the project in Kawambwa sent it over. WOW!! THANK YOU!! Chocolate, magazines, guitar books, pain killers, and posters!! Everything I needed!
I was in the camp today for a very interesting day. It started off with a meeting with some of the coaches to discuss what we wanted to prepare for the “Day of the Environment” taking place the next day. As World Vision is responsible for environment in the camp, they were organizing the day and asked our coaches to prepare some games and songs. I don’t really like how these festivals are set up because they only benefit a few people and they’re normally very badly organized. Usually there will be a parade around the camp, then all the “important” members of the camp (which means the UN and their partners – which also means us) sit in comfortable chairs while the parade passes and refugees perform skits, dances and songs for us. Then we all go eat a big meal, while the starving refugees are left out… hmmmmm… Is there something wrong with this picture? Isn't it the refugees we are trying to help?
The meeting with the coaches was a combination of complaining, planning and reminiscing about festivals past, but we finally decided on the song and dance. I’m not really looking forward to this festival tomorrow, but nonetheless we assigned one of the teacher-coaches at Mwange C to perform a song called “J’aime les fleurs”. We’ll see how it goes…
June 2nd
A day in the boma (the town) today. I spent the day running around preparing for our birthday party that we are having on Sunday. I had to see a man about an amplifier, because we’re gonna need some music and our laptop just won’t cut it. I also made a big banner announcing our birthday, from cloth, spraypaint and markers.
One of my friends from Kasama also came into town today, so Sophie prepared a big meal for us. I also got materials for putting up a new basketball net in our front yard, as the first one I put up didn’t last very long. I found a new carpenter that just lives down the street from us who does a great job of making backboards and I found some huge bolts to secure the rim. The kids that play out there were very happy and we immediately started a full court game. It’s fun to show them some basketball moves and give them some tips on how to improve their skills.
Today we also received news from head office as we had just put in a proposal to have a big chunk of cash sent over for repairs to our vehicle. Seems we need to bring the vehicle in to 3 different shops and have 3 different quotes made for the work that needs to be done. As we have to do all of this in Lusaka, we could be there for a few weeks. We’ll be leaving on Tuesday, the 8th of June and returning sometime around the 20th. Ill have access to phone and email from there so I'll be getting in touch with a lot of you! Can’t WAIT!!!!!!!!!
June 1st
A new month… phewwww… Can’t believe I’ve been here almost 3 months already. I’m really starting to learn about how to work in the camp now. The most important thing has been remembering that we are working with volunteers and we can never ask more of them than they can give. It has also been important for me to remember that my being in the camp is something that is not very normal and not sustainable in the long run. With all the activities we are doing, we try to make decisions and implement intitiatives that are going to be sustainable within the camp and are not too different from what they are already used to…
Today we heard some more rumours about why we weren’t allowed in the camp yesterday, including that some civilians had been killed by rebels in a nearby village, but we don’t really know what’s truth and what is just being imagined to justify the big scare that we had yesterday. In my opinion, it was just some poachers in the area, and somebody heard some gunshots and got scared. There is a wildlife park (wildlife parks are the only place where you’ll find wild animals in Zambia) just north of here where some illegal poaching goes on.
Also today, our new guard started. We decided to hire a man who was a volunteer in his village for Right to Play and works as a farmer. He is trying to save up money to go back to school, so we are trying to help him out a little. I am also hoping he can help improve my garden!
May 31st
We were on our way out to the camp when we suddenly heard some sirens behind us. When we looked to our side, we saw a Red Cross vehicle, that normally transports health workers to the camp with a load full of machine gun toting soldiers motioning for us to pull over. My first thought was that we had done something wrong. Who did we hit with our vehicle? What did I do last night? Then we realized that they were sending us back to town as there were apparently problems with the refugees.
Sometimes there are uprisings within the camp to protest food distribution or the treatment of the refugees by the UN - and the first people they will target are aid workers. A couple years ago, a woman with the World Food Program was severely beaten by the refugees who were protesting for more food. They will often throw rocks at vehicles and will try to trap aid workers in the camp until their demands are heard.
Needless to say, we were a little scared and hurried back to Mporokoso to find out what was going on. It was a bad day to forget our radio back at home as the UN would have been trying to warn us of the situation. The radios are our only means of communication and without it, we are totally lost to the outside world. We immediately proceeded to the Ministry of Home Affairs, where we were informed that some Congolese rebel troops had crossed over into the area and had fired some shots. The government was concerned that the rebels might be going into the refugee camp and therefore advised all the workers not to go. We are lucky that we didn’t leave on time today, or we could have been trapped….
May 30th
I went out to Kapuma Falls today to begin the organization for a party that we are planning on having for mine and Sophie’s birthdays next weekend. The idea is to have a big bar b q overlooking the falls with dancing, swimming, eating, drinking and socializing. The man that I needed to see has a generator that I wanted to borrow to power the fridge and the stereo as there is absolutely no electricity out there, and he agreed to let us use it. We purchased all the beer and drinks in Kasama, so the party is basically ready to go. Now I just need to find some cooks who can prepare the goats and chickens.
The rest of the day was spent getting ready for a workshop that I am giving tomorrow.
May 29th
Today the coaches organized a big play day for primary students. The play day consisted of stations which the students rotated between with each coach manning a station and teaching the kids messages about health through their games. I even got a chance to participate in the games, running some relays and dancing and singing. It was special when all the kids wanted to join my line during the relays and every one of them burst into laughter when it was my turn to run. I don’t think I fit in so well…!
The coaches did a great job organizing the day, as was seen by the fact that none of the kids ran over to our vehicle when we drove up.
May 28th
A new PC with Right to Play has finally arrived in the other project location in Kawambwa, where another 25000 refugees reside. He is another guy from Calgary, named Kevin, who I know quite well as we did some work together for Right to Play in Calgary and we attended the same training session in Toronto before our placements. Kevin was selected for the position in Kala after the guy that was originally chosen for the position (who I also knew very well as he was my roommate in Toronto) got cold feet when he arrived in Lusaka and quit after his 3rd day in Zambia – go figure… Kevin will be in Kala for the next year, but is at a disadvantage because he doesn’t speak French. It’s going to take him that much longer to adapt to the work here.
I’m excited because my parents and sister sent a big package with him that he’ll hopefully give me next time I see him!
May 27th
While I was gone, Sophie had been giving a workshop to preschool teachers on games to play with their students. We got some information that there is no money left in the UN budget to run the maternal schools, so these teachers have not been paid for a few months. Most of them are hoping that they will start being paid again in due time, but no one has told them that the entire funding for the preschools has been cut off… We are quite good friends with the lady who is in charge of education in the camp, and she informed us of this fact, though she hasn’t yet gone to the camp to tell the teachers because the husbands of the teachers have threatened her with violence… She’s waiting for the situation to clear up a bit before going back.
There has been a problem with the management of the NGO responsible for education and social services – HODI (which means welcome in Bemba), as they often wait months to pay the people in the camp and a lot of their Zambian employees have been missing work and quitting. There’s been rumors that they will be pushed out of the camp management by the UN… stay tuned…
May 22nd-26th
A very relaxing few days in Kasama, though not without its problems. I stayed at the American Peace Corps house for the 5 nights and met some amazing people. There was a huge party on Sat. night with Peace Corps coming from all over Zambia to partake. Peace Corps is a really amazing organization, started by President JFK some 40 years ago and working in all but 6 developing countries all over the world (yes, those countries include Iran, North Korea, Libya and Iraq). One of the guys I got along with well, a guy from Ohio, lives in a small village at the Mporokoso turn off to Kasama and works at the primary school around the area, trying to improve their curriculum. All of them live in huts with no electricity, running water or phones… The funny thing about this guy is that he is the total opposite of his living situation. While at the Peace Corps house, he showed me a Britney Spears video in which he stars as a back-up dancer, and he’s constantly singing and dancing around the house. He has a degree in drama and hopes to be an actor one day… What the hell is he doing in Zambia???????
It was so great for me to be able to relate my experiences with Westerners and joke about the quirkiness of Zambia. I also had the chance to speak with my family and found out that Brian, Sasha and Abbie are definitely coming to visit me in Zambia and are booking their tickets this week. I’m SOOOOOOOO excited and I’ve already began planning for our trip…
I also had the chance to check my email for the first time in a couple months and was relieved to receive news from friends Rasmus, Paulo (who worked with me in Geneva and is now with Right to Play in Sierra Leone), Paige, Mom and Dad, Sasha, Colleen, Snouza, Cynthia, Abbie, Uncle Earl and others. Thank you all so much for your words and im trying to get back to you ASAP!! Can you all send me your addresses? Snail mail is much more practical for me…
A lot of my time in Kasama was spent doing little things that should only take a couple of minutes, but take hours or days in Zambia. My bank card and visa won’t work here, so I spent 3 days organizing for money to be sent from Western Union… Too bad the internet lines were down and W.U. couldn’t receive my information that day. Then the next day, little did I know that it was a holiday and everything was closed. Needless to say, my return to Mporokoso was delayed by two days, much to the chagrin of Sophie, who worried we had gotten in an accident. I spent a whole day trying to get a hold of her on the phone, but of course all the phone lines in Mporokoso were either busy or down. I eventually returned on the 26th May.
May 21st
A great day today!! We organized a Coach appreciation day at the camp today for all Right to Play coaches to thank them for all the volunteer work they have been doing in the camp. We bought 6 chickens, a goat, lots of beans, tomatoes, flour and oil. We also organized for soft drinks to be brought from Kasama – a big treat for the refugees! I arrived a little bit late to the party, which was a big mistake as everybody was waiting for me to bring the battery (a car battery is the only available source of power), so that the dancing could begin. The Congolese absolutely love to dance, anything from Rhumba, reggae, and everything in between… And yes, I even joined in on the dance, much to the amusement of the coaches who kindly laughed at my style of dance and then got up and joined me in the festivities!
The party was a great chance for me to speak with the people about their personal stories – something I relish hearing. One of the coaches, who is also a volunteer with the Red Cross, has been living and volunteering in the camp since its inception in 1999. He came with his wife and family who had fled the Congo due to violence in his village. Some of his wife’s family had been killed in the fighting and his home had been looted on several occasions by rebel soldiers. Not to mention that his family was starving and all his crops had been burned… He hopes to return to his village one day, but for now is still recovering in the peaceful confines of the refugee camp…
Immediately after the party ended, I loaded into the truck to drive to Kasama. I was accompanied by my friend Emmanuel, who I had met a few days previously and is the brother of our deceased guard Chanda. He asked me for a ride back to Kasama as he had come to Mporokoso to attend to the family of Chanda and was returning to school in Kasama. The least I could do was give him a ride, which would save him a 3 day walk back to Kasama. My friend Tony also came with us… I was disappointed because Tony decided to leave Mporokoso to go back to Kitwe where his extended family was living…
May 20th
Today we were in the camp with the Anti-Aids Club who is facilitating a workshop for Parent-Child Communication. Teachers and students from the school were invited too and everybody just loved how much they learned. The workshop is a huge success within the camp and it’s nice to see that the club can be totally independent in giving the workshop as we would like them to continue teaching it after we leave. Sophie started out giving the workshop when she first came in Aug. 2004, then taught the members of the club to give it. It’s so uplifting to witness the learning process of people, especially when it can really help their community. Though it is often hard for people to accept that condom use and abstinence are the best way to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS because there are so many misconceptions about the virus going around the camp. This is partly due to the Catholic Church advocating against the use of condoms, and the misconception that condom themselves contain viruses. I was speaking to the vice-prinicipal of the secondary school who informed me he didn’t use condoms because he thought that condoms gave you diseases. This is a man who is a leader in the community and who had followed several workshops on healthy living and who still thinks this… We’re hoping the workshops help to start to educate these people.
May 19th
Kind of a crappy day today… My ride with HODI didn’t end up leaving until after the meeting I was supposed to go to was finished. I ended up sitting around the house trying to get some work done and wondering why I was so stupid for missing the ride with the Red Cross that had left earlier in the morning. I went down to the market and did my usual shopping and had a drink with my friend, Richard, who I had been promising on bringing a drink for a long time. People never seem to forget when you promise them something.
I’m excited to go to Kasama on Sunday and get some emailing and phone calling done. Life’s been a little troublesome as of late. I’m still having trouble fitting in with people here, and little things that happen have a way of pissing me off!! For example, today I went to pick up some beer at the local watering hole. You can only buy beer at the bar and it is the same price as staying in the bar and drinking. Not only that, but if you don’t have empty bottles to return, you have to bring your own in or pay for them. Last time I had gone in there, I had left the lady 6000 Kw because she didn’t have change for me. This time when I went in there, the lady had totally forgotten the incident and wouldn’t pay me back the money. I left angry…
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
May 18th
Finally got the netball workshop finished and the girls seem really motivated to get some games and practices going. I have one great coach giving the workshop with me named Joseph and he is just great with the students. We really compliment each other as he translates anything for me that people are not understanding. Most of the girls speak French but there is the odd one that is not in school, so hasn't learned. The students follow the Congolese education program and as the Congo was colonized by the Belgians, French is learned.
At noon, our vehicle broke down, again.. The wheel bearing, again. so after attempting a quick repair, we had to roll the vehicle all the way back to the Red Cross clinic and then hitchhike back to Mporokoso with another NGO. But before that, we finished off the workshop and I went over to one of the primary schools to replace their netball goal. Of course, the kids got wind of me being there and swarmed. Hundreds of kids, pulling my hair out, pinching my white skin and stepping on my toes!! I can't handle too much more of this!!!!!!
May 17th
Today we attended the workshop that is given by Anti AIDS Club members to members of the community. The workshop is for parent and child communication so that people will know how to talk to their children about sex, HIV/AIDS and how to protect yourself. This is one of the most motivating and inspiring events in the camp because you can really see the people learning and being interested in what the people are teaching them. There are always tons of questions, with the most inquisitive part coming at the condom demonstration section. Some of the people have no idea about condom usage and people in the camp are really pushing their acceptance.
Sophie has worked hard in inspiring this group with their work and Right to Play has provided all the material and content in the workshop. We're hoping to keep working very closely with this group and maybe start up similar projects around the camp. The people there were primarily teachers and students from the primary schools. Some were also coaches that we have trained.
The night was spent with my friend Tony preparing a barbq of sweet potatoes and tuna, listening to music and reading magazines. Since our guard died a few weeks ago, we have yet to replace him as we are acknowledging him in the community and we just haven't had the time to hire anybody else. I think we'll have a new guard starting next week.
May 16th
Off to the camp today to give the last session of the netball workshop, little do I know that today is food distribution day and apparently that has priority over my workshop! The women that have been coming to the workshop are from the secondary school and most of them are expected to go and collect the food from the distribution centre, so only 4 girls showed up at the netball field. I decided to postpone the last session until Wednesday.
With not much else to do for the day, I decided to go and see how the distribution process works for myself. When I arrived at the Centre, thousands of people were all sitting around waiting for their turn to take food. I immediately received stares and comments from the refugee as they are all still mad about the sorghum issue - I can't seem to get away from that one. I learned that the process is carried out in stages whereby each section in the camp will be called to come and get their food, with the family with the most members going first and the family with the least members going last. The Red Cross is in charge of the distribution and in order for the refugees to get food, they have to present their UN issued ration card which gets them salt, oil, beans and cereal. The ration lasts them about 2 weeks. I spent most of the time learning about the process from a lady named Victoria, who is in charge of the distribution (see the video!!). Eventually, I met with the Refugee Officer from the government, and the UN field officer and chatted with them about how it was going. It was a really interesting day, but it was tough to see how desperate the people are - grabbing and yelling for the food and even insulting the workers for the quality of the food! From there it was back to my usual spot by the river for a bite to eat. Took lots of pics today and I'm sending them back to Canada right away.
May 14th & 15th
The weekend was pretty uneventful. A walk out to Kapuma falls and a dinner at our friend Susan's house. Tried to call Sash and Brian, but got the babysitter, Grandma Frances. Ill try them again this week sometime. I'm getting excited for my next weekend trip to Kasama and the huge party at the Peace Corps house that I'll attend. Today, Ante returned from Croatia, so I lunched with him, then headed over to the UN offices to watch the satellite (FA cup playdowns). Ante cooked me lunch at his house (a big old house that they shipped in from South Africa) and gave me a box of Toblerones that he brought from Croatia - SOOOO GOOOOD! Tommorrow's an early day so I'm getting to bed. Of course our vehicle is still in repair, so we're riding with the Red Cross again. Missing home terribly..
May 13th
Day 2 of my netball workshop. It's great because I don't know too much about Netball, just from the rules I have been studying for the past few days, but the girls are teaching me a lot and I'm revising a lot of the basketball drills and games that I know into netball. It was bizarre for me to see some of the girls playing with babies on their backs, but im glad that I've been able to include them. The girls get tired a lot faster than the boys and some get disinterested pretty fast, so it's a chore to keep them motivated. At one point today, a woman walked through the field with a basket full of fresh sweet potatoes. A bunch of girls immediately stopped the drill we had been doing and went over to the woman to eat the potatoes. They returned to the drill but seemed more interested in what they were eating then the balls. can you imagine??? I took the time at the end of the session to sit down with the girls and find out what their thoughts were on the sports activities for women within the camp and they acknowledged that there is not nearly enough. The only consistent activity for women is football. Woman are expected to look after the children, work the fields and cook. Women's sport is often looked down upon by others. Another problem is that a lot of them will refuse to play sports as all that they have to wear is skirts. we're trying to think of what to do to get the young women more involved.
May 12th
The highlight of today was a feast at the UN offices organized for the arrival of the Head of the South African Desk of UNHCR who is visiting Mwange. This was a big deal as was evidenced by the presence of the District Commissioner for the Northern Province (the top politician in the area) who presented himself at the feast. The UNHCR rep (by the name of Dr. Mohammed) has just been appointed to the job after completing a stint as head of the refugee project in the Sudan. He spoke a lot about the conflict in the Sudan and the presence of some 3000 NGO's in Darfur - total confusion! I spoke to the doctor about what RTP was doing within the camp and he gave us some great suggestions on how to strengthen the program.
From Mporokoso, the doctor was proceeding to Angola, DRC and Rwanda, to tour all the UNHCR camps within his mandate. I'm getting used to these official "dinners" and the speeches, formalities and procedures that go along with them. For those reading this who know me well, you can probably see me kissing some serious ass at functions like these - who knows, could lead to an opportunity somewhere down the line.
May 11th
Another Section Leader meeting today, though the Field Officer for the UN is out of town, so the atmosphere was less convincing than previous meetings. The main topic for the camp leaders was about witchcraft cases which are becoming increasingly common within the camp and which the camp is demanding help from the NGOs as they don't quite know how to deal with it. In one case (if you can believe it) a refugee woman cried witchcraft for the mysterious disappearance of her pubic hair (???). Apparently the lady woke up "bald" and is convinced that someone has cast a spell on her. I think this case will remain unsolved. In another case, a man has blamed his assault on witches. Apparently the man was attacked in the night and couldn't see the face of his assaulters, therefore - witchcraft. There are a lot of misconceptions about magic and witchcraft within the camp as people remain uneducated and want to blame crimes on imagined perpetrators. In reality, the culprits could be members of their own family and they don't want to reveal their names.
Sorghum remained an issue with refugees reporting that people are returning to the Congo due to the food problem. Tradesmen remain the main motivators behind the outcry against Sorghum as there is no market in the area for its sale. and therefore refugees are calling the food "poison" and "uneatable" and "crap" all the while demanding for return to their staple of maize. The sorghum was a donation to the UN and word is it will continue for awhile.
Also facilitated Day One of the netball workshop, which went really well and the girls seem very motivated to learn the skills of the sport. I have one of our coaches, Joseph (a teacher at the secondary school) doing the workshop for me and we hope by doing this that the girls will start playing games every week and maybe even starting up a league or intramurals within the schools. Problems came when we realized that a portion of the netball field had been dug up by refugees wanting the soil from the area. What can you do?
May 10th
Day off from the camp today. Spent the morning cooking pancakes and banana bread. Bananas are everywhere this time of year and our driver peter just picked all his bananas and brought over a big bag for me, so I've been busy trying to eat them all! Met up with a friend in the afternoon and we went over to buy a chicken from the nuns at the Catholic School for the blind which is located just down the street from us. The nun who sells us the chickens, fittingly named Charity, kindly notified us that they were out of chickens, but we stayed and chatted with her for some time and she invited me over to the school for Friday to participate in a festival that they were having for the students. The sister we were speaking to comes from Mbala, a town north of Mporokoso near to Lake Tanginyka, I spoke to her about Les and Gail Jay, friends of our from PEI, who spent 4 years in Mbala as missionaries. She seemed to remember them and I shared with them what special friends these people are to our family. Nice to finally have something in common with somebody!
I also headed down to the Red Cross offices to visit with friends there. Our friend Brian Saka has become the de facto Project Coordinator for the mission here as the previous boss, Major Chilufya has been transferred to Lusaka. I met with Marianne who is a white lady that worked with the Red Cross here for many years. Quite an interesting lady, who is originally from Holland and who is responsible for the building of the Red Cross Club that I have been known to frequent (it's not really a club but an outdoor structure with a couple of chairs, a TV, and a pool table).
May 9th
Supposed to start a netball workshop today for female youth at the secondary school. We learned this morning that Peter was unable to work and we had to drive to the camp with the Red Cross vehicle. By the time we arrived, the participants had already left, so I spent the morning planning the rest of the workshop with one of the coaches. I also spent some time with the workers at the Red Cross Clinic, where all of the sick refugees will go, especially the pharmacist, Mr. Chimba, who updated me on the happenings of the clinic. I couldn't believe that they have over 100 births at the clinic every month!! That's 1200 new people in the camp every year!! As of late there haven't been any serious health problems within the camp, though at times there have been serious outbreaks of malaria and measles.
We found out today that Peter will be quitting in July, which means we need to hire a new driver when we go to Lusaka in June. This is really going to be a problem for us as he is also a great mechanic and knows the vehicle's problems really well. It's going to be hard to find someone to replace him.
May 8th
Sunday is supposed to be a day off, but it was far from that today. In the morning, we drove out to my friend Barry's family farm where we were getting the poles for the insaka. We ended up staying out at the farm and going around meeting friends and family. By the end of all the visits, I had been given a bag of sweet potatoes, squash, casavah, sugar cane, guavas and oranges!! We met with Barry's sister who runs a small farm with her husband and children. What I found most interesting about these people was their appreciation for life. They are not really interested in making money or getting rich, but just living day to day and being happy. They were so generous with their smiles and offerings, I wish I had something to offer them, though I hope my words of praise about their style of life was enough. I also spoke to them about the farming in Canada and how different it was. They were amazed by the size of the farm land in Canada and that it could all be maintained by only a couple of people. None of these farmers have any machinery and everything is done by hand. It seems like a simpler, more worry free life.
From the farm, it was back to town to participate in a volleyball match between Right to Play and the workers from the Red Cross. The game was really competitive, but we ended up pulling it out in the end: 3-2!
By this point I was exhausted and spent the evening playing guitar and visiting a couple friends.
May 7th
Last day of the baskietball training. Today, I presented the guys with the practical element of their training which is to teach basketball skills to the younger people in the camp. They all now know how to play BUMP, 21, HORSE, Around the World and Kings Court. It was a really fun workshop.
In the afternoon, we went to visit a carver in the camp. The man does traditional carvings of stools, masks, drums and spears. Very beautiful work.. I'm having him make me a drum.
Anyone want me to bring a carving back? I'm taking orders.
May 6th
A very relaxing day today. Down to the market to meet up with Tony and he proceeded to take me out to the water reservoir of the town where the workers there took us out on their little row boat for a ride! We then met up with Peter for some pool, then to the post again to check for mail, this time with success. Three letters and two packages: from Mom, a friend Kate, grandma and Claire - THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
The rest of the day was spent preparing to have a new insaka (an insaka is a little hut that everyone has in the yard where people will go for shade when it is too hot - most people also will cook and relax there) made in our front yard. We had a ping pong table sent up from Kasama last week, so we plan to put it under this insaka. We also went to the carpenter, or they guy we think is a carpenter, to have the stand for the table made. I had a man come over to assess the work in the afternoon, and we agreed on a price of US$ 18 for the work (labour is really cheap around here). I then enlisted a couple friends and one of our guards to come with me out to a nearby village to collect the sticks for the structure of the insaka. It was about a 20 min. drive out to Chilala, which is the same village where my friend Peacock (one of the American Peace Corps Volunteers teaching locals about fish farming) is living. While waiting for the sticks to be cut, Peacock took us out to the fish ponds that he has been working on. He has been really successful in his area as the farmers are really dedicated and they have been getting huge fish harvests since he has arrived. It was great to hear how much he has helped the villagers live better lives. He's had to sacrifice a lot to help these people as he doesn't have any electricity, water, or phone, but he seems to love the life and has a beautiful house with a gorgeous view onto a valley. I sat with him at his house and watched the sunset, before we proceeded back to Mporokoso with our sticks.
Had a great night cooking a bar b q with friends, drinking and listening to music. We even found some beef to cook up!! (rare occasion - there is only one beef butcher in town and each time you go by his place, you have to look for the cow's tail hanging outside his door, which means a cow has just been slaughtered.
May 5th
Day 2 of my basketball training today. We had about 30 participants and it seemed everybody learned a lot. My driver, Peter, who is also a wicked basketball player, has been helping out and giving some lessons. The guys attending it are from the secondary school, as well as some teachers in charge of coaching at their schools, and they're really cool and laid back. One guy I've become especially close to, who goes by the name of San-dick, is 19 years old and is in grade 10. Most of the people are between the ages of 15-20.
A bizarre event happened today as I gave a lesson on basketball rules. A man with about 30 kids behind him came marching down the street, chanting and singing and stomping. One of the students informed me that the man was leading a protest about the food rations and the protest was directed at me. After some time, the man marched right out into the middle of the court and stood between me and the players. He started babbling about Masaka (the Swahili name for sorghum, the cereal that they have been getting in place of maize) and pointing to the kids saying they were all starving. I smell that the man was very drunk and obnoxious and we tried to usher him off of the court, but he kept interrupting us. He didn't go away until I went over and personally talked to him and told him I would meet with him afterwards. Fortunately, he didn't come back! I hope that doesn't happen again!
Later on that day, we hosted a meeting for coaches to help us organize a party to congratulate them for the work they have been doing in the community. Two of the previous RIGHT to Play PC's came before me, a Belgian couple named Sarah and Hannes, sent us over money to finance the party. We plan to have a big event with food, drinking and dancing.
It was really great to hear our Satellite phone ring tonight and to hear Claire, my roommate from Geneva on the other side. We talked for a while and she updated me on all my friends in Geneva, who she still has close contact with. Claire is doing her masters in Human Rights Law and working for an organization called the International Commission of Jurists. She also heads a committee of NGO's that is fighting for an Optional Protocol (OP) to the International Covenant for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. This OP would give the right to individuals to present cases before an international tribunal if they feel their ESC rights have been violated. GOOD LUCK CLAIRE!!
May 4th
I was running around town today, to the bank to deposit money (had to wait in line for at least an hour as they only had two workers down at the bank), to the UN to send off an email, to the post office to check if there was any mail (too bad the mail truck has not come for a few weeks), then to the market to play some pool and pick up milk, eggs, tomatoes and onions. I like to hang out in the market with a friend who runs a stand at which he sells all the necessities. He lets me sit in his back store room while we chat, watch the goings on of the market and I try to learn Bemba (with very little success).
We are planning on calling head office today to discuss the project with our boss, Melissa. Sometimes we feel pretty detached from RTP Toronto as the only contact we have with them is an email once in a while. We are having some problems as the budget that we have is not going to be enough to cover our costs for the next few months. As we have spent so much money covering the costs of the vehicle maintenance, we have had to take that money from other areas of the project like sports equipment and infrastructure. We've been trying to fight with head office to have this money replaced but haven't had much luck so far.
Later on in the day we had a meeting with HODI, the NGO that runs social services within the camp. The project manager is a man named Martin who came to Mporokoso after working in the eastern province of Zambia which is home to Angolan Refugees. About 3 years ago most of these refugees were repatriated to their homes as the 30 year civil war that inflamed the country finally came to an end. We are trying to collaborate more with HODI in some of our projects (mostly in the hopes that they will help finance some of the sports activities within the camp), but they seem to be in some financial troubles. For one, the budget has been cut for the maternal schools, and therefore the schools are going to close, secondly, they haven't received their funding money from UNHCR in some time and as a result, the community workers within the camp haven't been paid in months.
May 3rd
The workshop went off all right today, though it was deathly hot and I think I have sunstroke. At one point, I was standing behind the basket when an errant shot came by and smoked me in the face. I was the only person not laughing as my nice pair of Spy sunglasses lay in the dirt, shattered. Anyone feel like sending over some shades??
The basketball skill among the group is not very advanced, but I'd like to see these players get better so that we build a basketball spirit within the camp.
At the same time as I run this workshop, Sophie is doing another one on health, immunizations and HIV/AIDS which she is giving to teachers. The point of her workshop is to teach games that teachers will do with kids that have health messages attached to them.
We found out today that the community workers and teachers within the camp have not been paid for some two months. Everyone is very upset, as the NGO responsible for this service, called HODI, has not been very helpful in solving the problem. I am not too sure if they don't have the money or they are doing this on purpose or what, but we have scheduled a meeting to talk about it for tomorrow. It's very important to us that the teachers are paid as it really affects their motivation level and how they are working with the children. Last time this happened, there was a big strike, so we will wait and see if that happens again.
May 2nd
As our driver is in Kasama for the weekend, I didn't go to the camp and instead did some chores around town, or thought I was going to do chores around town. Little did I know that everything is closed today, as it is labour day.
I had some long conversations with our other guards about Mr. Davis. We are trying to remember him as best we can, though it is hard as everyone in the community is saying bad things about him for committing this terrible act.
Now we have to start thinking about hiring somebody new, though this is hard to think about after just losing someone, but we'll have to do a call for applications and interviews - a lot of work.
I also spent the day preparing a workshop that I will start tomorrow in the camp. Ill be working with the basketball team and coaches from the secondary and primary school and teaching them games, rules and teamwork. It will run over 3 days, then I will do three days on netball to accomodate the women athletes in the camp.
We've also just completed our end of month financial records that need to be sent back to Toronto. Seems the numbers just aren't balancing for us and there's some money unaccounted for. We think the problem lies in converting the money to Zambian Kwacha, but we're still trying to figure it out. Any accountants out there?
As for the personal life these days. It's been a struggle as of late, just trying to make friends and figure out who is truly genuine and is trying to get to know me as a person and not just because I'm white (I know that sounds bad but people here see white skin and automatically know that you have so much more than they do, so some people will grab on and not let go). It's hard to make relationships here as I don't know the local language and the cultural barriers are so big. As an example, sometimes when I'm having a conversation with somebody, I just don't know how to get my point across and in what way to do it. A lot of people just pretend they know what I'm talking about, so that they won't feel inferior, when actually they have no idea what I'm talking about. It's tough to explain. Also, things that might seem normal at home are not at all normal here. For example, it's not seen as normal to eat or drink in the street, also, you would never look an elder in the eye as this would be a sign of disrespect. Other things - when you're eating, you don't use cutlery and you should always eat with your left hand, as your right hand is the one that you wipe your ass with. Lastly, you always shake a persons hand when you meet them, but if you're hand is dirty or wet, you give them your wrist to shake!!
What makes things even harder is that customs are completely different in the Congolese culture of the camp. Still more traditions to learn.
May 1st
Today, I went out to Mr. Davis's village to visit his wives and children. I brought them some kapenta (the local fish), beans and tomatoe that should feed the family for about a month. I also brought out a picture of him to give to the family that I had taken at easter. As soon as I gave it to his wife, she burst out crying and wouldn't even look at the picture. She is in a rage that he left her with the 5 children. When I asked her where I could find his second wife, she wouldn't even acknowledge that he had one, though they just live down the street from each other. It is quite common for a Zambian man to have two wives, but less common for the wives to get along. I had to find out where the woman lived from somebody else in the village. When I went there, I left her some money and gave my condolences. I didn't know what else to do. it was very hard.
The rest of the day was spent at my friend Barry's house. His mom prepared a great meal for us of kapenta, n'shima, beans, sweet potato and soup. SO GOOD! I'm still getting used to the fact that when I go over to someone house for dinner, you are waited on hand and foot and you don't eat with the women (usually). Most families will have at least two maids who will do all the cooking and cleaning. These maids usually rely on the family for food and sometimes lodging but will not be paid any regular salary.
The day finished at the Red Cross club with some pool and TV.
