Our first full day here--felt like 3. We walked into town early in hopes of catching government officials before their days filled up. First stop was the registration office where we are told our official NGO papers are complete! Unfortunately, the man we need was out ill but said he would meet us at the office at 9:00AM sharp tomorrow. Pray for us--we have been after these papers for almost 2 years.
Next, we went to check in with the Permanent Secretary. She was on her way to Kitwe on official business but said she would be available tomorrow at 10:00AM. Some days are mostly setting up for the next day. We work on not having opinions about what a "productive" day looks like.
Esther, the very sweet secretary to the PS
We stopped over at the crafts market to see what new and exciting things are being sold these days and to say hello to our old friend Mathilda. We found cute sun hats woven from some kind of paper product. Would be fun to make them out of recycled materials.
With Mathilda at the crafts market.
On our way to check out the newest chitenge styles (the local cotton fabric women wear as skirts and we use to make bags and other products), we ran into Mr. Mwange, the area councilor for Kantolomba. He is a charming fellow, and we always enjoy catching up with him. Plus it makes us feel like locals when we run into friends on the street.
Jen choosing chitenge
After buying a few grocery items from ShopRite, we hailed a taxi back to the guesthouse. We found one quickly but then had to walk past Anthony, Oswald and George, three old taxi friends, who made us feel terribly guilty we did not choose them. We so wish we could choose them all, knowing how close to the edge of survival they are likely living.
We had time for a quick lunch before our first foray out to Kantolomba this trip. We called Oswald to take us out there, spreading the wealth. And here it becomes a challenge to put words to the rest of the day. It was enormous...
Arriving at the Living Compassion property in Kantolomba was a nearly overwhelming wave of things to take in. We experience the same dilemma in writing about it that we did when we first got there--which area to give attention to first?
We knew we would be pleased to see the nearly completed medical/community center building. In fact, it is stunning. It is a beautiful design and has been very well built. Theresa said people come by just to stare at it. The roofing structure is done, and they have started putting up the tin sheets. We plan to walk through with Gaudencia, our contractor, to go over the final decisions that need to be made-- where to put light switches, outlets, sinks, etc. It is so exciting!
The archways to the bathrooms.
Drilling to install the electrical wiring.
And the Living Compassion women! What fun to see them! They had bought themselves matching red t-shirts as their work uniform and arranged to be in pairs of matching chitenge. What a site. They have been working very hard not only on their usual duties and have also put in a great deal of time to landscape the property. It has been transformed.
The Living Compassion women.
The yard area at the Living Compassion property
Then there was the water! Although it has become a part of everyday life now for locals to come by the Living Compassion well and get good, clean water at very low cost, this was the first time we had seen the water in use. It was a thrill. We are told it is going smoothly and that people are so grateful to have a safe source of water for their families. Our next ambition is to dig a well on the other side of the compound so people do not have to walk great distances with their heavy loads.
Collecting good, clean water.
Jen and Theresa up by the water tanks.
If you are a past blog reader, you will remember that on our trip in October we loaned money to Beauty, one of the Living Compassion women, to roof her new house. They built the house but ran out of money for the roof, and the rains were coming. Beauty was desperate to save her home. Living Compassion loaned her the funds, and later Theresa told us they finished the home and moved in. We asked if we could see it. "No problem!" they said. An agreeable lot, these folks in Kantolomba.
I dare say we were as taken with Beauty's house as we had been with the community/medical center. It is impeccably built with plastered walls, a reinforced concrete foundation and a stellar roof. It is neatly decorated on the inside and--get this--they have saved up to buy a refrigerator and have arranged for power to run to their house from the lines that come into the compound by the bars. Beauty and her husband are among the only double-income households in Kantolomba. Beauty works for Living Compassion and her husband works for a local mine. And, they clearly both have good business sense and the ability to save. We got it, sitting in the living room, that truly all folks here need is a chance, an opportunity, and they will transform their own lives.
Beauty's house.
Beauty's roof.
Beauty with Baby Jen.
Theresa then took us to another inspiring example of what development is making possible in Kantolomba. Eugenia, one of the other Living Compassion women, has bought a solar panel. We could not believe it! A solar panel! Last summer when we were looking into pumps for the new well, we went to a brand new solar shop in Ndola, and Theresa went with us. Later, she was telling the women about it, and Eugenia immediately saw the possibility. "Take me to the shop where you went. I am going to buy a solar panel." And that she did. She saved up to purchase a panel, and now, whenever the sun is shining, she is able to run a radio and television. She is saving to afford a battery so that she can have electricity even at night and on cloudy days. Wow. Very cool. When we got to the house to see the panel, they pointed to the roof and said, "It is right up there." But we could not see it anywhere. Then we realized they had it hidden under a piece of gauze--something that allowed the light through but obscured people from seeing what was up there and steeling it. Ingenious.
Can you spot the solar panel on the roof?
Before leaving Eugenia's house, we were treated to another miracle. "You remember Melody?" Theresa asked us. Of course we did. Melody, Eugenia's 13 year old daughter, was one of the first people treated by Dr. Obi when we started the medical program this last summer. She had been in terrible abdominal pain, and they first thought she needed a surgery to clear a vaginal obstruction. It turned out she had very serious abdominal TB. "She is well," Theresa proudly reported with a huge smile. "She has grown fat!" That is Theresa's way of indicating that she is healthy, eating well and gaining weight. It is a stop-and-take-a-breath moment, folks. There is so much to do here, so much to do everywhere. There are so many people and so much need. And yet each miracle is a person's life--a life that would most likely have been lost. When we feel overwhelmed, we like to stop and imagine we are Melody or Beauty or Marion or Josephine or Eugenia or... Any measure of effort is worth saving one life. We are all transformed in that effort.
Melody
On the way back to the property, we stopped at Josephine's house to visit. She is minutes away from having her baby and is off work from her Living Compassion post. It was great to see her and Marion, her daughter. Marion has been quite sick this spring (both she and her mother are HIV positive), but she looks wonderful now.
Marion and Jen
Josephine and her sister.
Like Beauty, Josephine has recently built her house. The difference is that Josephine was not able to afford a proper roof. She is lucky that her house withstood the rainy season but knows she may not be that lucky for another year. We have begun talking with the women about expanding the loan program for roofs. We are told the cost will be around 2.5 million kwacha per house (about $640 US). Ideally, we would find a way to offer this loan program to the wider community, but our team of women feels unsure that we would be able to collect on loans from most folks given they do not have an income. We do know the Living Compassion women could make good on a loan, since they are known to us and they do have an income. If you are interested in loaning money to one of the women, let us know and we will set you up with a loan partner. It would probably take about 4 years for the loan to be paid back in full. At the end, you could choose whether to collect on the loan or have the money go back in to the pot for the next loan.
Josephine's roof.
Back at the property, we sat down with all the Living Compassion women to discuss the projects. We told them we are eager to hear their thoughts on what is next. It was an exciting conversation, providing insight into how we can begin to move the project toward self-sustainability. The women feel that, as the building is finishing, now is the time to really turn the sewing cooperative into a thriving business. They think there is great potential for them to gain local contracts to sew school uniforms, etc., for the government. They hope to begin to be known for their standard of quality. They also mentioned the idea of starting a hammermill, a place people come to grind maize. Having electricity has opened a whole world of economic opportunity. We plan to go through simple business plans with them when we come in the summer to help decide the best return on investment. Again, let us know if you want to be in on the ground level of economic investment in Kantolomba. NYSE here we come!
Meeting with the Living Compassion women.
We cut our meeting short with the women as we were catching a ride back into town with Gaudencia. We plan to continue talking on Saturday. We dropped Theresa in Lubuto, the neighboring community to Kantolomba, to catch a taxi back to her house. Pulling over to let her out, we ran into Noble, one of the men who works for the district buildings department, which oversees our community center construction. When we asked him how he had been, he answered okay, except that he lost his wife in January (he is probably around 35 years old). We were so sad for him, but not shocked. Life expectancy in Zambia is about 37.
We had made plans to meet Godfrey (our local IT genius) for dinner so we went back to the Guesthouse to clean up a bit and catch our breath. We feel so lucky to have Castle Lodge to come back to--our home away from home.
It was a pleasure to see Godfrey. The boy exudes charm and humility. He seems to be doing great and reports that his family (Dad and sisters) are picking up the pieces after his mother's sudden death from diabetes last fall. Death is a fact of life. In Zambia it is a fact of everyday life.
Godfrey and Jen
The perfect ending to our day: we found Stanley, our very favorite taxi driver, to take us home after dinner. Much like Godfrey, he too exudes charm and humility. We first fell in love with him when he gave us a ride last summer and was playing greatest hits from the 60s. Tonight he was playing gospel music and caught us up on the difficulties of recent life--his own illness and losing a friend who was killed in a car jacking, very unusual in Zambia. It was a big day.