Smile Train

Before

 In Zambia children who are born with deformaties are often forced to stay within their family compounds and are not supposed to be seen in public.  A wonderful doctor who works under 'Fly Spec' and teams with Smile Train flies around Zambia to perform these very important corrective surgeries so that people are given a new chance at life.  Our job as Peace Corps Volunteers is to link people in the rural areas to different service providers such as these.

We found 'Junior' in a village about 14 kilometers away from where we stay.  We were able to get him to a hospital where Dr. Goran would be to perform the surgery.  As you can see from the pictures it was a very successful procedure.

After

Rural Vaccination Program

Zambia is currently undergoing an extensive rural vaccination program, with the primary focus on measles control. We worked alongside our Zambian counterparts and neighborhood health volunteers to give oral polio vaccinations, vitamin A supplements, deworming tablets, and measles vaccinations for the youth in each village. Both of us felt that it was an extremely rewarding experience and a great opportunity to meet and explain our roles as Peace Corps volunteers to new communities.

Lizzy giving a Polio Vaccine to a new baby.

Meet Edina

Edina  or ‘Ba mbuya’ is the matriarch of our compound. She was the one who allowed Peace Corps volunteers to live on her property, under her always-watchful eye.  We live with her, and her three daughters (who have full families of their own) on a 100-acre farm.  We thought it might be fun for everyone to get to meet the members of our Zambian family. Who better to start than the woman who runs it all.

I'm in charge here!

What is your full name?

Edina Chibuye Mafito

When and where were you born?

March 24, 1950 at Chitambo Hospital, Northern Rhodesia

How many brothers and sisters do you have?

Three brothers and four sisters. Three have passed away (one brother, two sisters).

Did you go to school?

Yes, I went up to grade 5 at the standard school.

When were you married?

I was married in 1967, I was 17 years old. My husband was 52 years old. I was his second wife.

Mr. Kalula (Ba Edina's husband)

Were you given a chance to say no to the marriage?

No, my parents chose the marriage.

When did you have your first child?

When I was 18.

What did your husband do for work?

He was a businessman and farmer. We had over 100 acres. At one point we owned cattle,  a tractor, three vehicles, and this house [a concrete house with glass windows].

What happened to the cattle and vehicles?

After my husband died, I was forced to remarry his younger brother. His younger brother took everything away, and left me with just the house and property.

When the British were here, was it easier or more difficult to find a job?

It is difficult now to find a job, but it was even more difficult back then.

Was the school system in better under the British?

It was worse under the British. There were very few schools, and they were spread very far apart.

What was the most exciting day of your life?

The day I got married. It was a very nice wedding.

What was the saddest day of your life?

When I lost my husband. It was 4:00 in the afternoon on May 12^th 1993.  He passed due to what we believe to be BP.

Do you like having Americans live on your compound?

I like it very much. Americans are so friendly with everyone, even with the young ones.

World Malaria Day - Events in Kanona

After weeks of preparation between Lizzy and the Neighborhood Health Committee members, World Malaria Day events finally took place today in Kanona. The crowd was much larger than expected, with around 400 people showing up. The events began with an introduction by the guest of honor (local councilman) and was followed by a small skit, in which much to the audience's delight Lizzy played a witch doctor. After the skit, another health talk was given by the clinic nurse advising people on ways to prevent malaria, which ended in passing out mosquito nets to participants who could correctly answer malaria related questions. In keeping with the global theme of 'Stomping Out Malaria' children left their stomp marks on the malaria day banner to help wrap up a very successful day.

Every Child Deserves a 5th Birthday.

April 25th is World Malaria Day.  Currently Malaria is the #1 killer in Africa and specifically, Zambia.  We have seen so many cases of Malaria since being in country.  Unfortunately too many that have lead to death especially children under five.  The biggest problem here in Zambia is the lack of education on using a mosquito net, both how and why.  There are many theories here on what exactly causes Malaria, whether it be walking in the rain or eating sugar cane, people often don't know that it comes from the Anopheles mosquito.  Together with 3,000 other Peace Corps Volunteers throughout Africa we are trying to help eradicate Malaria altogether!  Keep posted- we will be blogging later this month on the event we are putting on for World Malaria Day in our village.  How will you Stomp Out Malaria in 2012?

Jim and Debbie Visit the Village

Jim and Deb were real troopers and stayed over a week in our mudhut. We were able to take them to a fish farmers meeting, the health clinic, and to help teach at the school. We finished the week with a trip to Kundalila Falls.



Teaching at the School




Village Elders




Fish Farmers



Kundalila Falls



Working in the Garden



African Vacation

 This past month Jim and Debbie came to visit, in which we spent the last week vacationing in Livingstone, Zambia (home of Victoria Falls) and Chobe, Botswana (home of Chobe National park). The trip was absolutely amazing, and it was tough for both of us to see Jim and Debbie go.



Victoria Falls




Victoria Falls





Hippo - Chobe, Botswana





Cape Buffalo - Chobe, Botswana




Baby Elephant - Chobe, Botswana





Pride of Lions - Chobe, Botswana





Ben, Lizzy, Debbie, Jim - Chobe, Botswana




Leopard - Chobe, Botswana





One of the last wild dogs left in Africa - Chobe, Botswana




Baboon - Chobe, Botswana





Giraffe - Chobe, Botswana




Elephant Riding - Mosi O Tunya National Park, Zambia





Zambezi River







Visit to see the Chief

His Royal Highness with his wife

This past Thursday we took a 62 kilometer round trip bike ride to visit Chief Muchinka.  We met up with a villager in Kanona (whom we were introduced to the evening before) first thing in the morning, who acted as our day long guide.  Once we arrived at the palace we waited outside before it was our turn to see the chief while being instructed by his retainer on how to interact with the Chief.  About 20 minutes later we were lead into the palace, where we got down on one knee and clapped in a certain way to greet his royal highness.  We discussed what we were doing in his kingdom, what are goals were as volunteers and what life was like in America.  It ended up being a wonderfully successful two hour conversation.

After meeting with the Chief, our guide took us to Chitambo Village where we saw one of the churches that David Livingstone built as well as a one hundred year old hospital.  We ended up making it back exhausted but safe, despite the fact Lizzy stopped her bike just three feet from a five foot long spitting cobra.

Community Entry

Ben and I have just completed our first three months at our site, a period coined ‘Community Entry’ in which Peace Corps requires volunteers stay within their district, and fully integrate into to the community before beginning to work on their projects. During this time, we met with village elders, headmen, NGOs, villagers, and in general just got our bearings. Throughout this period we also were able to start new hobbies and rekindle old ones. 

Ben started a garden (which he will help teach villagers about) that Lizzy now helps with. The garden started with just a few green bean plants, but now has over 250 stalks of corn, 60 head of cabbage, 60 green bean plants, 75 rape (Zambian leafy green), 100 ground nuts, 75 heads of endive, a dozen potato plants, 30 tomato plants, plus lots of carrots, onions, basil, garlic, baby marrows, cucumbers, watermelons and lemon peppers.

Lizzy has been taking to crafting, mostly using the local chitenge fabric found here in Zambia.  Some of the projects undertaken have included upholstering chairs, making clothing and pillows and other decorations around the house (15x9 mud hut).  She has also been making frames from materials around the compound and painting the interior of our hut.

On the work front, we will begin volunteering at the school each week teaching health classes, as well as helping with other classes and after school programs. Lizzy will begin working at the clinic a few times each week, and Ben will be working with a sustainable agriculture NGO which aims to reduce illegal poaching and increase food security. 

Zambia in Numbers

Square footage of our mud hut = 135 square feet

Distance to get water = 200 yards

Distance to health clinic = 4.5 miles

Distance to get potatoes = 13 miles

Distance to get cash (ATM) = 140 miles

Distance to get flour/rice = 45 miles

Average number of Zambians sleeping in a mud hut = 6

Average amount of time waiting for a hitch = 45 minutes

Price of 1 egg = 20 cents

Price of 5 onions = 20 cents

Price of 2 yards of chitenge fabric = 2 dollars

Price of 1 coca-cola – 50 cents

Price of 1.5 ounces of distilled cane liquor = 10 cents