At precisely 9:30 a.m., Steve, Gaudencia, and Dave rolled into the driveway of Castle Lodge. Never have we had such a moment of punctuality! Until late yesterday afternoon, it appeared we simply weren't going to be able to gather all essential parties for an on site meeting at the new building before we left Ndola. Steve was called out of town, and Gaudencia was still trying to get the necessary surgery for her son's arm. Finally, we stated very clearly that the meeting was not optional. We had to meet or we would need to halt construction until we could return and go over plans. Miraculously, we found a time that could work for all of us.
We piled into Gaudencia's truck, the best vehicle for these roads and made a quick stop at the Rehmar guesthouse to pick up Magnus. While we meet, Magnus will continue with his medical work, over-seeing the treatments as Martha, Pauline, and Veronica practice their new nursing skills.
The Living Compassion women take over the medical treatment.
The whole medical team and their patients getting treated for ringworm.
On the way out to Kantolomba, Steve and Gaudencia told us about the annual memorial service for Dag Hammarskjoeld held on the site of his plane crash. They encouraged us to visit the monument and library on our next visit. Indeed we will.
As soon as we reached agreement on the building (there would have been some rugged moments when we returned had we not had that conversation--amazing how different a picture in one person's mind can be from the picture another mind has), we returned to town for our meeting with Jennifer Musonda, the Permanent Secretary. She helped us through, in a matter of minutes, what we've been trying to accomplish on our own for months! She called the Deputy District Commission and asked him to follow up on our NGO application. (Turns out the papers need to be picked up in Lusaka, a detail we had failed to grasp.) We were assured by a lovely woman from the Community Development Office that, no, we should not suspend our projects until we're legal. Everyone agreed that the children need to eat whether or not paper work has been properly filed. We told Jennifer about Everesto; she was shocked that no one had informed her that such a big event had transpired. Gaudencia suggested Everesto should be brought in to meet the Permanent Secretary and the two of them could hold a press conference. Good idea. (We found out later that his trip with us to Strawberry's to learn about internet was only his third time in Ndola.) And if that weren't enough, she promised to find out where Zambian chitenge is manufactured so we can set up a wholesale arrangement.
As we were leaving the meeting, Jennifer presented us with pieces of Dag Hammarskjoeld chitenge from the most recent memorial service!
Outside, waiting for Steve to join us after a brief consult with Jennifer, Gaudencia suggested another product: chitenge duvet covers with matching pillows. Yes!
Dag Hammarskjoeld chitenge.
We officially conceded defeat (temporarily!) on the car, and called Moyunda to ask if we could hire him for the afternoon. With Moyunda behind the wheel, we were free to lay out our strategy for success. (Moyunda later told us it will be very boring after we leave.) A huge priority was to get everyone in the same place at the same time for the traditional pictures in Living Compassion t-shirts. In the meantime, we had to pay the dentist for Violet's dentures, copy official papers and return them to the PS's office, and pick up a bowl a local artisan was making.
Violet at the dentist.
When we arrived back in Kantolomba, the women were dancing and singing. While Cheri and Dave met with the electricians about wiring the building (yes, the lovely Mr. Kahunga from Zesco is certain we will have power to the property before this trip ends), Tracey is doing a slide show for the gals in the palapa. Imagine seeing something like that for the first time in your life! Tom told us later that he had shown Everesto our blog as part of his computer lesson and that Everesto was stunned. What is so commonplace for us is almost incomprehensible for our friends here.
A slideshow in the palapa.
Meeting with the electricians.
And then the party began! Presents all around: t-shirts from us, pottery bowls, bracelets, and entire chitenge outfits from them! More dancing, more singing, thousands of pictures. There are now so many of us that we couldn't manage a regular group photo, so we climbed up to the top of the property to get us all in.
One-by-one our team comes forward to receive their Living Compassion t-shirts.
Everesto getting his shirt.
Our turn to receive gifts. Veronica wraps a skirt around Jen.
Next Troy
Then Tom.
And Bryn.
Brian.
Dave.
Rebecca.
Magnus (it's a pair of trousers--a little too small to put on!)
Tracey.
And Mbuya (grandmother) and Grandson sporting their new outfits.
What a team!!
Next, the mosquito net crew unveiled Josephine's creation. More pictures.
Under the new net.
The women sang a song that roughly translates, "What we have in Living Compassion is a family, but it's more than a family." Indeed it is!.
And just when we thought life could not possibly get any better, we heard the news that the RDC has arranged for us to get the properties next door! No more brewery outside the school! Unbelievable. And affordable, too. We will get the five properties, roughly doubling the size of the current community center, for $2500. It's a fortune in Kantolomba and so worth it to us.
The new properties.
As the sun begins to set, we realize we need to make our way home. Twikatane will have to wait for the morning. Tonight we will all go out to Michelangelo's to celebrate an extraordinary trip.
Our last group photo.