Stories of our Service: Change

                Today I’m in a bit of a hurry to get back to the village because my best friend Martyrs is harvesting his fish, a first for him. Lizzy and I are being battered by sand as we stand on the side of the great north road with our arms stretched out waiting for a ride. Our eyes are red, as we strain to keep them open against the bitterly cold wind from the south.  For whatever reason, no one wants to stop to pick us up. I begin to wonder if I should have shaved this week, or put on a clean shirt to look more appealing to the drivers who zoom by and pretend to not make eye contact with me.

                After about an hour, we finally flag down a semi-truck heading to Tanzania. I let Lizzy negotiate with the driver, because, quite honestly, she is extremely good at getting a free ride, unlike me, who is quick to open up my wallet.  Sure enough, she has convinced the driver that we should go for free. We lumber up into the expansive cab, and take off our sandals (customary for these types of rides) so that we don’t dirty up the driver’s bedroom. Immediately after the door closes I am bombarded with the smells of all the passengers. A distinct smell of urine emanates from the little boy on his mom’s lap, who clearly hasn’t had his pants changed in weeks, the older gentleman radiates a pungent body odor, likely the culprit of a long showerless day, and the security guard in the passenger seat smells like a combination of roses and watermelon, probably due to his dousing on of female perfume. This should be an enjoyable one hour ride with my five fellow bedmates, security guard, and driver.

                The Freightliner semi-truck we are riding in is like the Cadillac of the African trucking network. It has large windows, plenty of space to cram in passengers, and even a built in refrigerator.  Looking out of these large windows I see the high transmission lines paralleling the road, a testament to the modernization that is taking place here. Under many of these high power lines I notice mudhuts with their grass thatch roofs with inhabitants who will likely never benefit from the power lines that run over them.  Further along the journey, we have to stop in the middle of the highway as a herd of goats saunter along the asphalt. A herdsman comes running through the bush to shoo them off the road, and gives us a friendly smile and wave to make amends for the delay.

                This is something that always amazes me on a ride in Zambia, the mix of the old world with the new.  A country that has well paved roads that most people walk-on, and an electrical grid clearing that provides wood for villagers to cook with. Oddly though, progress seems to slowly be spreading here. I hope villagers like Dylan, because the times they are a-changin’.

Stomp Out Malaria Song

For those of you who know my love for making up silly jingles, it
should come as no surprise that I made up a song for malaria.

A brief lesson on malaria:

The female anopheles mosquito carries the parasite that causes
malaria, and transfers this deadly disease while feasting on humans.
Like most blood sucking creatures, it prefers to dine at night when
everything is dark and quite, usually between the hours of 10:00 pm
and 5:00 am.  Thus the reason for promoting sleeping under mosquito
nets in areas where malaria lurks.  Other recommendations we give are
wearing long sleeves and pants, filling in holes where puddles can
form and keeping the grass short near your home.  The long sleeves
(like the mosquito net) create a barrier and less surface area for the
mosquitoes to bite when you are out and about during peak dining
hours.  In Zambia the rainy season is when malaria runs rampant, this
is because the anopheles mosquito lays its babies in fresh standing
water.  Hence the reason for filling in holes where puddles form
creating the perfect place for the pesky offspring to develop. Lastly,
keeping your grass short provides a cleaner environment and a cleaner
environment means less bugs, especially the devilish anopheles
mosquito.

Bemba Lyrics                                   English Lyrics
Ukwisusha ifilindi                                Fill in holes
Ukukwempa iccani                               Cut the grass
Ukufwala ifitali, ifyakufwala            Wear long clothing
Lelo makamaka ukulala na ITN         But, most important sleep under a net
Pantu malaria it’s bad                         Because malaria it’s bad
Oh, malaria it kills                               Oh, malaria it kills
So…(repeat from the top)                    So…


Meet your choir:

Kanona Basic School is the main government school in my area.  Both
grades 8 and 6 have been two classes I have spent many days with
discussing the health issues in their community.

Muleya Community School is a small school ran by volunteers near where
Ben and I stay.  Ben teaches English there on a weekly basis and has
really fallen in love with the kid’s enthusiasm of learning.

The neighborhood health committee is the main group that I work with
here in Kanona.  They are all volunteers and their job is to go out to
the surrounding communities to make sure they all know of the health
facilities in the area and to educate on preventative measures.

Ben and I have lived on a family compound called, Kalula Farm, since
we moved here.  They are amazing people who I hope we have taught as
much as they have taught us.  There are three sisters and their
families and the matriarch, our Zambian grandmother.
Another Peace Corps Volunteer that lives a few hours south of us,
Patricia Muran, taught her village the song as well.  The very cute
little girls finished up the video.

Thanks for watching!

For more information on Malaria go to: www.stompoutmalaria.org



World Malaria Day

April 25^th marks ‘World Malaria Day’ which means little to the western world, but living in Sub-Saharan Africa I am able to see why a day is devoted to such a cause.  In my tiny village just since January of this year over 1000 cases of malaria have been treated at the rural health clinic, manned by one nurse and random volunteers some days.  In a place where 20% of maternal deaths and 40% of deaths to children under 5 are caused by malaria, this disease cannot be looked at lightly.  This is why for the past two years of my service I have made a point to celebrate World Malaria and use it as a springboard to get information to the public.

This year was a huge success, with over 500 people from the surrounding area coming to the event.  We had a disc jockey for a dance party, two different groups performed malaria related skits, a young girl’s dance/drill team performed, we played educational games and even had a relay race.  The event ended with everyone enjoying a local drink, munkoyo, made by the neighborhood health committees. 

I hope that my village will continue this tradition for the years to come after I leave in hopes of one day eliminating malaria once and for all!

Dance/Drill Group Performing while singing 'Prevention is Better than Cure'

Relay Race- Groups had to run three legged, fill in a dirt hole, run back to the mosquito nets and tuck themselves in, all while being timed.

For more information on Peace Corps work with malaria go to:
www.stompoutmalaria.org

Malaria and My Brother

At first I was annoyed that my little brother Joe was crying in the middle of the night. He obviously didn’t know that I wasn’t a baby anymore and that I had to go to school the next morning. Grade one isn’t all that hard, but when you have to walk seven kilometers first thing in the morning, it helps to have a good night’s rest, otherwise
you just fall asleep in class.  When you do fall asleep the teacher yells at you that you are lazy and stupid and embarrasses you in front of the other 40 students.  Plus, we ran out of corn last night, so there won’t be any breakfast, so I know I’ll be tired. Hopefully I’ll just grab some fruit from someone’s yard when they aren’t looking.
That always helps.


At the moment that I was just about to punch him and tell him to shut up I saw his face and I could tell something wasn’t right.  He looked like he was a zombie or something. His eyes were open but he just
looked into space, and his eyes were so funny looking. He must have been sleeping under the part of the roof that leaks, because his face was all wet. I got up off the dirt floor and ran to Ba Mommy’s room and told her that something was wrong with Joe. When I woke up in the morning, Ba Daddy was putting Joe on his bike.
Stupid Joe, why does he get to ride on Daddy’s bike? I’m the one that goes to school now, not him. He just plays in the dirt and cries all day long. Ba Mommy told me that Ba Daddy was taking Joe to the clinic
because the funny dressed American people told her it was important. What did they know about who should ride a bike? They both had two fancy bikes after all.


After school I saw Ba Daddy waiting for me with his bike. I knew he would let me ride it after all. We didn’t go very far though, we just went to the clinic together down the path. That’s where I saw Joe again. He was lying on a bed  with some plastic thing in his arm. I thought we must have been lucky because only people with money get to use beds. That’s when Ba Daddy told me that Joe was really sick. The plastic thing in his arm was putting medicine into his body so that he wouldn’t be so hot the nurse told me. The nurse said we were lucky. That this week alone two other children got really sick and died and went to heaven because of something called malaria. He said Joe would be better though. Lucky for us the nurse was right, Joe did get better. He came back a couple of days later and we were all really happy. We even had a chicken for dinner. Ba Mommy always said we only could have chicken when important people came to visit. I’m not sure who was so important, but I was happy to have my little brother back.

Malaria is a preventable and treatable disease that affects millions of people across the planet. In Zambia, 4 million people are affected annually. Over 50 percent of the malaria deaths are in children five years and younger.

This story is based on actual events, and is written to give a voice to the children of Zambia who suffer from this terrible disease. Please visit stompoutmalaria.org for more information.

Stories of our Service: The Road Home

Left foot, right foot. Left foot, right foot. I am trudging along the great north road in Zambia with my wife Lizzy, trying to get home before dark. It’s our first month of twenty-seven months in Zambia, and I’ve never felt so helpless. Normally there are enough vehicles heading north that I can stick out my arm and grab a lift to my village, but today for whatever reason there is nothing.

            As I peer to my left and right I see the wild African grasses stretching a dozen feet into the air, creating an impenetrable wall that envelops both sides of the road. I look up and notice the sun nearing the western hills of the Makonda Valley where it makes its daily resting place. My heart begins to speed up a bit, and it appears the sun is doing the same. I wonder what will we do in our first night alone in the middle of the African bush?

An hour has passed and nothing has traveled our way. Its not like we can switch roads at the next intersection, because, unfortunately for us, there are no other roads for 300 miles. We both try and remain calm, but the looks on our face shows not calm, but desperation. Neither of us says it, but we are thinking of the snakes and insects, and even about the Mylan Brothers, the murderous set which stalks this area of central province.

Then just when we are about to give up, Africa works its magic. A semi-truck comes barreling down the road towards us. We nearly jump in the middle of the road to make sure this truck doesn’t pass by us, and when we see it slowing down, we begin to breath just a little easier. Before you know it, the driver’s brother gives up the passenger seat so that my wife can sit in the cab, and hops up on the top of the tarped load with me, as we cling to a rope and begin exchanging stories.

This is Africa. A land that is in beyond despair, yet somehow, miraculously, keeps a silver lining and a glimmer of hope.            

           

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

Camp GLOW

Lizzy was invited to help run and manage Camp GLOW (Girls Leading our World) earlier this month.  Camp GLOW is a worldwide Peace Corps program which helps to empower young girls.  For fun the girls went rock climbing, canoeing, made pottery, while also learning about the perils of the sexual culture in Zambia, leadership roles for women, and most importantly how to say, "NO!"  Camp GLOW is such a success that just this past week President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush visited and participated in Northern Province's Camp (also seen on the Today Show).

Lizzy and the participants from Kanona Village (Precious and Vera)

Central Province Camp GLOW 2011

Kasanka National Park

This past Monday we were able to spend a night camping at Kasanka National Park, to witness the largest mammal migration. The park is about 100 kilometers away from our home, and has 8-10 million fruit bats who visit in November. In addition to the bats the park also is home to elephants, crocodiles, hippos, antelopes, and exotic bird species.
During our first night, we walked from our campsite along the river (which might have been a bit risky since we found out hippos frequented the area by our campsite) through the forest into the field where the bats congregate. At 7:00 in the  evening the night sky turned from clear and blue to a black filled sky like a tornado touching down spinning millions of bats in every direction; simply put it was one of the most spectacular scenes we have ever witnessed. Unfortunately the pictures below don't do it justice.

Welcome.

Campsite with a view.

Batman Begins

Batman - The Dark Knight

Room with a view.

Watch your step.

November Photo Recap

Ben plays a heated soccer game with Kanona Basic School 6th graders.

Our new little Zambian family

Just walking into town.

Lincoln, gets his first bath, no more fleas:)

A night of dancing! (Joseph, Penlope and Wellington)

Mom, I finally fit a dog in my purse!

Turns out Usa is not a big fan of bathing.

Special water delivery. (Eric, Patience, Penlope, Joseph, Abbute, Ronnard and Wellington)

Motley Crue. (Joseph, Wellington, Ronnard and Eric)

The ladies that really take care of us.  (Cristal Beth, Rhoda, Nerry, Tressy and Felix)

Love these little guys.  (Wellington, Felix, Ronnard, Joseph and Jared)