We started a tradition a couple of trips ago of going out to Kantolomba very early one day in each trip. The climate being what it is, the action in southern Africa is in the morning hours. Things tend to slow way down after lunch. So, in order to see the program in its full buzz we need to leave the guesthouse a bit after 7a.m. It is always worth it.
Arriving in Kantolomba we had to smile seeing Mwewa and Duncan waiting for us. They are ON it. They had contract in hand with a list of eight ways they can see helping with the program. Yea. We are pulling for them to succeed. What a kindness to learn early on in life that if you really want to live a full life, keeping your commitments and getting in there and participating is a must!
Mwewa and Duncan
On to visit each classroom…
The older preschoolers waiting for their class to begin.
Jen greets some of the students.
Coloring was the activity for one class.
Singing songs in the youngest class.
Some of the government school children eating lunch.
We were all taken by this young girl.
She got very animated as we took more photos.
Then to the older classes. Charles’s class doing some pretty high-level multiplication.
He said he encourages the students who can do the work to assist those who are not yet able.
Ethel stepped out of her class for a minute so Jen had the students give her a Bemba lesson: mona = nose.
Meanwhile Brian had gone straight to the stove production area. The modeling that he is doing for the men is clearly working!
Lingson and Pascal flattening an iron sheet.
Pascal measuring the existing stove to get the size for the next one.
Lingson adding reinforcements to the first industrial-sized stove they made back in December. Turns out the weight of the large pots was too much for the design so they have adjusted it. We are really enjoying the R&D element of the project.
It is astounding how they can take a used piece of metal and hammer it out to be perfectly smooth.
Then back at the classrooms where the younger children were just getting out of class and getting ready to eat lunch.
Lined up with their Tupperware.
The government school children coming in for their lunch after classes.
Sequoia got to spend much of the morning helping out with the cooking. She continued to live up to her reputation as a “hard worker.”
Adding water to the pots.
Sequoia cutting vegetables.
While Sequoia was cooking, Brian was stoving, and Alex was behind the lens of a camera everywhere at once, Jen had a few quiet moments to talk with Theresa. The subject of Philip, Leonard and Arthur came up, the three boys in yesterday’s blog who passed their grade seven exams. Theresa explained the magnitude of that accomplishment in a way we had not gotten before. These are three boys who started in the Living Compassion program with NO education. They had never been to school! They started with us a few years ago. As they went along in our informal school program, Charles, the teacher for the older students, saw their promise and focused on tutoring them. When he felt they were ready, he told us about them and asked if the organization could provide scholarships. We agreed. They were in formal school for just two years before it was time to sit for their grade seven exams (Zambia follows the British system of education). It is very common for students to fail these exams and either have to redo grade seven or drop out. All three of these boys passed. Theresa said their teachers almost refused to believe that they had never been to grade one, two, three, four and five. She said, “I was so proud of myself and our entire team.” Goosebumps all over as we listened.
About midway through the morning, we had the delightful surprise of Josephine showing up with Emmanuel, her new baby.
We marvel at the winter outfits the babies are dressed in while it is 80 degrees!
Sadly, an important part of a visit to Kantolomba is walking through the cemetery. Josephine and a few others agreed to escort us so Sequoia could see it. We decided to go visit Daniel’s grave. Daniel was Josephine’s second born who died at age two from AIDS. We had the pleasure of knowing him for a short time.
Sequoia asked if she could have a turn carrying Emmanuel.
Making sure he is covered in his blanket to keep him warm!
On the way back to the property we walked via Ethel’s new home. Ethel was not able to get her roof on in time to save the unfired bricks from the start of the rains and some of the structure fell. Amazingly, she seems unphased by it and will start building again next month when the rains stop. Luckily, the major expense of a house is the roofing sheets, as the bricks are very cheap to make. She has put her roofing sheets in safe storage and seems still excited that next season she will have her new home.
Ethel’s home after the rains.
Back at the property we were graced with a short, hard rain.
Watching the beautiful rain.
Waiting for the rain, Brian plays games with several eager young friends.
We musungus went back into town for a quick lunch, and dropped Brian and Alex back at the guesthouse to catch up on some blogging and photo organizing, while Sequoia and Jen went back out to Kantolomba to sit in on the leadership’s weekly meeting.
Cresting the hill back into Kantolomba. Everything is so beautiful in the rainy season.
We had asked that the team pretend we were not at the meeting as we were interested just to see how it goes when we are not around. None of us had any illusion that our presence did not have an effect, but we all got a big kick out of it. In several instances someone would say something along the lines of: We want to hear from the U.S. side about …. And Theresa would laugh and say, “Well, they are not here so we will have to ask them later.”
Theresa chairs the weekly meeting.
After the meeting we went to check in on the stove project. Sure enough, they were all in there hard at work. So simple, a group of men each working with a piece of metal, and yet so exciting to see it happening and realize the unfolding possibility. Lingson seems to be doing a great job mentoring each person to learn the trade.
Lingson and Christopher.
Lingson and Pascal
And then they try it out on their own: Christopher and Pascal.
Lingson putting a base together.
Peter and Ruben.
Perhaps the most fun part of an afternoon at the property is that the children are all out of school and many of them come just to hang out. Slowly, slowly we are starting to learn some names.
Juliet.
Baby Dave and Testimony (brother and sister) playing soccer.
We think Testimony is just about the cutest thing on two legs!!
Okay, Dave is pretty darned cute as well.
A blog would not be a blog without at least one photo of Twaibu. We bet even you have learned his name over the years!
This adorable girl won our hearts with her animated facial expressions and desire to jump in
and play every game. We found out her name is Jen!
This next group of photos is very special, indeed. To watch this group of girls, whom you can almost call young women at this point, is very moving. All of these girls are among the original 100 children enrolled in Living Compassion over 5 years ago. They were little! They have grown up with each other, and with the cooperative. They are part of our family. It is wonderful to see them delight in each other and in having a safe, productive place to be. This is the age we really need to pay attention to them, as they will soon be vulnerable to early marriage, pregnancy, prostitution. We are very hopeful that having grown up in the Living Compassion environment they will not only be less likely to be forced into one of those life plans but also less likely to want it—that they will see that something else is possible for them. Needless to say, these girls have a special place in our hearts.
Jen testing herself on the girls’ names. She did pretty well!
Left to right: Regina, Monica. Docus, Naomi, ??? (we will find out and get back to you), Mary. Docus and Naomi are twins.
Can you spot Baby Deborah getting in on the action?
The delight! That these girls have a childhood is beyond words!!
Regina. So beautiful!
And, Baby Cheri makes her debut entrance for the trip! Just about all babies in Kantolomba start out terrified of musungus. Baby Cheri was not, at first, but seems to have hit that stage later in life. It took her almost an hour to be willing to come near us. We are thinking pretty soon she is going to have to graduate to the title Little Cheri, hardly a baby anymore!
As the children play the women are up in the garden tending to their afternoon tasks.
Just in case the day was not full enough, we snuck in one more project—Sequoia, who is a sewer herself, is working with a few of the gals to do a project over the weekend, the results of which you will see on Sangha Market. Yea!
We project it is very fun for the women that Sequoia is able to get in there and actually work with them.