Back in Zambia

I made it back to Zambia yesterday morning despite a few challenges. I missed my flight out of South Africa and ended up staying the night in the airport….scary!! All the security leaves at 12 and most of the lights go out but people can still walk in off the streets!! Luckily there was a 24hr coffee shop and I found another lady who missed her flight and we chatted most of the night. Still a little sleep deprived. I found out she was a volunteer in Malawi a few years ago and now is married to a Dr. She is a teacher at a private school. We were talking about how events in life can change your whole future. I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately, what I want out of life. Intense to think about sometimes and gives me a panic attack now and then haha! People tell me that it’s normal though :)

I made it to the PC house yesterday afternoon in record time once I got the first hitch out of Lusaka. He was a business man who told me he usually drives alone but his radio died that morning and he wanted the company LOL. Lucky me; at least he didn’t make me sing….. We chatted all about PC and every topic from politics to music. He even bought me a soda and something to eat!

I’ll be heading back to my site on Monday. I’ll picking up the puppy too. Can’t wait to see her!

Until the next time I post J

Cheers!!

Hello everyone,

Right now I'm back in the USA in my home state of Maine. I've been here since February 1st thanks to friends and family who generously gave to my “get home” fund. It has been so nice to visit; I was missing home very much! For the past 24 hours or so we've been in the middle of a snow storm. I'm missing that warm African sunshine :) As nice as it has been visiting, I'm looking forward to getting back to Zambia and continuing with my service. When I left, the Neighborhood Health Committee (NHC), was preparing to conduct a village inspection of all catchment areas in Chibobo. The purpose of this is to identify the living conditions and individual needs of villagers. The inspection form asks questions such as the number and condition of mosquito nets, the number of family members including the number of children under 5 yrs of age, and the overall health of the family. This information will be very helpful in trying to obtain more nets and other resources. Also, the community is starting a garden at Chibobo Health Post. Before leaving, I gave the clinic officer seeds to get them started. We plan to use the produce as income for the NHC and to conduct cooking demonstrations during under5 clinics. I think this will be a good exercise to teach members of the village about eating a balanced diet. We can also talk about business skills including making a profit from your work.

When I get back to the village I would also like to start working with the Basic School. I have been asked to run the schools Anti AIDS club. I'm hoping to start this with the 7-9^th graders.

In addition, I would like to start working with the various woman groups and girls on empowerment and gender equality. The goal is to talk about peer pressure, self esteem, planning for the future, and to answer any questions they might have for me. While I'm back in America I've been trying to research the cost to have t-shirts made as prizes for attending. My counterpart and I would like them to say “Girl Power” in both English and Bemba=(amaka abanakashi).

Finally, I hope to start brainstorming for skit ideas. People are very interested in giving important information on HIV/AIDS, malaria, family planning, child and maternal health, etc. through drama. Infact, just before I left, members of the drama club performed during a meeting. They even had someone playing the part to ME, the volunteer. It was very funny and I think they would enjoy doing more of them for the community.

Below are a few pictures of my time in Zambia. Enjoy :)!!

Camp Glow in November

 January training in Lusaka (cooking demos)

February at Health Ministry Project

My puppy Jazzy!!

My backyard

The biggest snail I've ever seen!!!

ME!! :)