This morning we started our day by picking up supplies in town. Our first stop was the paint store since we are planning to paint the inside of several of the buildings on the property. Ozni was our salesman. When we described the paint and carpentry projects we were planning, he expressed concern that the women would be strong enough to carry heavy boards or paint buckets. Jen jokingly replied, “Have you ever been to Zambia?” He laughed and admitted that Zambian women were, indeed, very strong.
Ozni at the paint store
After a trip to the bank and the stationary store (where they had never heard of Sharpies – imagine!), it was off to the property. As always, we were greeted by children who were fed, curious, and happy to see us!
What a beautiful smile!
Loved this little girl’s braids.
We went to check on the sewing gals who were already busy at work on the new Pant-olombas. We took a few more measurements for the shirt and skirt and off they went! By the end of the day the pants were finished and the skirt and shirt were nearly complete.
Georgina sewing the pant-olombas
Nellie and Ethel getting started on the skirt.
At noon, our good friend Friday arrived to consult with us about the carpentry and painting projects. Friday can do just about anything and agreed to come to the workday on Saturday to help oversee several of the projects. Here’s a run-down of the projects we discussed for Saturday and beyond…
Re-hang the door so it opens properly.
Build shelving for the sewing room and Rose’s office. Friday and Jen consulting on the thickness of the boards needed for the shelf project.
Repaint the main room with a washable glossy paint
Alter the design of the industrial sized pulumusa stove to be able to support the vigorous stirring of the nchima pots.
It looks like Friday’s giving us a spelling lesson, but it’s actually a lesson on the kind of materials needed to build a chalkboard.
While we were preparing for Saturday’s workday, the Living Compassion men were already busy painting the building that will serve as Rose’s area to see patients.
The men stir the paint
Peter lays on the first strokes of paint
Meanwhile, it’s lunch and play time for the Kantolomba children!
Children from the government school enjoy their lunch.
These kids love the camera!
Soccer games are always popping up on the property!
This mama hen and her chicks are not into soccer.
After lunch, the Leadership Team gathers for their weekly meeting. Jen asked the team to share what, in their opinion, works about the team meetings. People said that the meetings were great ways to learn about all areas of the Living Compassion project – what the scholarship team, the cleaning team, the financial team, etc., were doing. They also agreed that it’s how to stay informed about the latest communication with Living Compassion in the U.S. We had a good conversation about things the Kantolomba Living Compassion team could communicate with the U.S., things that may seem mundane to them but are of real interest to us!
Leadership Team weekly meeting
The rest of the Leadership Team
After the meeting, we smelled something delicious coming from the cooking area. Tomorrow is peanut butter day so the ladies were roasting peanuts and preparing to grind them into homemade peanut butter. Yum!
First you roast them
Then you grind them
Then you grind them some more
Rebecca takes a turn at grinding the peanuts
Then, by some miracle, you get peanut butter!
Meanwhile, the men have nearly finished the painting.
