The agriculture and construction projects continue to go well. Jake, Mike and Alden helped Joel build desks and tables for the clinic today at Dr. Thinus' house in Mufulira while I worked on Moringa at Joseph's house in Murundu. We will take the completed furniture to Joseph's house in the morning and once the doors are secured to the clinic, it can be moved there.
I was the only one going to Murundu this morning so I rode the mini bus from Mufulira to Murundu. This was my first time navigating Zambia on my own. The bus dropped me off in the center of Murundu and after a short walk in the wrong direction, I quickly found my way back on to the correct path and arrived at Joseph's house in short course. I was asked by several people on the bus and in the streets while I walked what I was doing/why I was here. I talked about both the HIV Ed in the schools and the agriculture work with people and they were very interested. I must stick out a bit here for some reason... j/k
Our planting bags are progressing steadily. We had our highest production day yet, 250 bags! That brings the total to 750. The shade house should be able to hold 1500 seedling at capacity. I expect to continue the planting bags for the rest of this week to fill as much of the shade house as possible before we all return to the USA. Joseph and company can of course finish filling the shade house after the STS USA team departs, but it would be a joy to see it full before leaving Zambia. The area for the intensive cultivation plot was tilled today and I have 1500 seeds soaking over night (approximately, I didn't count them all...). We have some minor bugs to work out with the sprinklers and sprayer hose and nozzle, but nothing that should be too difficult.
Take care wherever you may be.
Reuben
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
7/28/09 from Heather
Muli Shani Everyone!
Let me start by saying Tannen and Megan are greatly missed, as is the rest of the VanZwieten clan (though I am very happy to have fewer people to fight with over the shower in the mornings). I hope everyone had an uneventful trip back and is enjoying the luxuries of home in America.
Today was a wonderful day here in Zambia! My group (Carrie, Dan, William, and I) traveled to Luansobe, just around the corner from where our sports camp was held the past two Saturdays. We each have a classroom of about 30 students, which is a bit more than we would like but it is working out quite well! I should also mention that the students are fluent in Bimba, which means they are not quite so fluent in English -- in fact only about 10 of my students can say a few words in English, and only about 4 can actually speak and understand English. My class is made up of Grade 7 pupils ranging in age from 13 through 17. It is the older children who have a much better grasp on the English language, but we still have some words that simply do not translate from English to Bimba. Today we discussed the basics of HIV because the majority of the students could not answer the quiz questions I presented yesterday. Also, my translator was the teacher, so I am not quite sure that we were on the same page. Today I had one of the STS translators, a pastor from Tanzania, Chibesa and he was wonderful to work with because he has our same vision in mind. Also, he can understand me, even when I speak quickly, which happens frequently.
We went to our second school today, Kalanga Basic School, and did not have as much luck because, for the second day in a row, the students are completing their exams. We were told yesterday to come back at 13:00 hours today because testing would be over, but the Civics exam was about to begin so we could not have the students.
Not being able to go to Kalanga worked out alright though because the construction team was very busy building furniture for the Murundu clinic, Grace's Place, at Dr. T's house. Joel, Jake and Alden were already busy working on the furniture when we pulled up in our taxi (thank you Alfred for being a very trustworthy driver for us!). William and Dan joined in, as did Mike who was just returning as well, and by the end of the evening three desks and one exam table were completed. All of the furniture looks great and is very sturdy should there be any "screaming and wriggling" children, in the words of Joel.
Jami, Matt, Liam, and Rebbecca were at Murundu for the first time today and they said that it went quite well. To quote Matt "there were a lot of kids and Liam played with balloons." In other news, Jami has lost her voice today and is having trouble talking over a whisper. We have tried to encourage her to not talk as much, but anyone who knows her knows that is not going to happen, nor will telling her to slow down and not work so hard. Please keep her in your prayers so that she will have a voice back tomorrow and the rest of the week to teach the students all she knows in 4 days. She said that it's hard enough getting them to understand English, much less when you cannot raise your voice above a whisper. Jami did not lose her voice until the end of class today, so hopefully there will not be any time without a voice. Matt and Reuben had gone into town to get bread where they also picked up a Fanta for her. The Fanta did not improve her voice, but it did boost her spirits.
On an unrelated STS point, I NEVER want a pet monkey! Liam brought the neighbor's monkey into Dr. T's house to show to everyone. I was happy just taking a photo of it, but then my curiosity got the best of me and I followed the monkey and the pet monkey (hahaha) outside. Liam sort of threw the monkey at me, which I didn't have to catch because he clung to me like a tree branch. I moved a tad too close to the door and the monkey was off my back faster than he had gotten on it and onto the door frame instead. I tried to comfort him and pull him off the door, and the next thing I knew he had bitten me! No blood was drawn, so no panic please, this is not the next Outbreak The Movie in progress. The monkey came over today and I stayed clear of the critter altogether.
Adventures in Zambia are sure to continue! Please do not forget our whole team in your prayers, especially as the traveling for everyone back to America will begin in a few days.
Heather
Let me start by saying Tannen and Megan are greatly missed, as is the rest of the VanZwieten clan (though I am very happy to have fewer people to fight with over the shower in the mornings). I hope everyone had an uneventful trip back and is enjoying the luxuries of home in America.
Today was a wonderful day here in Zambia! My group (Carrie, Dan, William, and I) traveled to Luansobe, just around the corner from where our sports camp was held the past two Saturdays. We each have a classroom of about 30 students, which is a bit more than we would like but it is working out quite well! I should also mention that the students are fluent in Bimba, which means they are not quite so fluent in English -- in fact only about 10 of my students can say a few words in English, and only about 4 can actually speak and understand English. My class is made up of Grade 7 pupils ranging in age from 13 through 17. It is the older children who have a much better grasp on the English language, but we still have some words that simply do not translate from English to Bimba. Today we discussed the basics of HIV because the majority of the students could not answer the quiz questions I presented yesterday. Also, my translator was the teacher, so I am not quite sure that we were on the same page. Today I had one of the STS translators, a pastor from Tanzania, Chibesa and he was wonderful to work with because he has our same vision in mind. Also, he can understand me, even when I speak quickly, which happens frequently.
We went to our second school today, Kalanga Basic School, and did not have as much luck because, for the second day in a row, the students are completing their exams. We were told yesterday to come back at 13:00 hours today because testing would be over, but the Civics exam was about to begin so we could not have the students.
Not being able to go to Kalanga worked out alright though because the construction team was very busy building furniture for the Murundu clinic, Grace's Place, at Dr. T's house. Joel, Jake and Alden were already busy working on the furniture when we pulled up in our taxi (thank you Alfred for being a very trustworthy driver for us!). William and Dan joined in, as did Mike who was just returning as well, and by the end of the evening three desks and one exam table were completed. All of the furniture looks great and is very sturdy should there be any "screaming and wriggling" children, in the words of Joel.
Jami, Matt, Liam, and Rebbecca were at Murundu for the first time today and they said that it went quite well. To quote Matt "there were a lot of kids and Liam played with balloons." In other news, Jami has lost her voice today and is having trouble talking over a whisper. We have tried to encourage her to not talk as much, but anyone who knows her knows that is not going to happen, nor will telling her to slow down and not work so hard. Please keep her in your prayers so that she will have a voice back tomorrow and the rest of the week to teach the students all she knows in 4 days. She said that it's hard enough getting them to understand English, much less when you cannot raise your voice above a whisper. Jami did not lose her voice until the end of class today, so hopefully there will not be any time without a voice. Matt and Reuben had gone into town to get bread where they also picked up a Fanta for her. The Fanta did not improve her voice, but it did boost her spirits.
On an unrelated STS point, I NEVER want a pet monkey! Liam brought the neighbor's monkey into Dr. T's house to show to everyone. I was happy just taking a photo of it, but then my curiosity got the best of me and I followed the monkey and the pet monkey (hahaha) outside. Liam sort of threw the monkey at me, which I didn't have to catch because he clung to me like a tree branch. I moved a tad too close to the door and the monkey was off my back faster than he had gotten on it and onto the door frame instead. I tried to comfort him and pull him off the door, and the next thing I knew he had bitten me! No blood was drawn, so no panic please, this is not the next Outbreak The Movie in progress. The monkey came over today and I stayed clear of the critter altogether.
Adventures in Zambia are sure to continue! Please do not forget our whole team in your prayers, especially as the traveling for everyone back to America will begin in a few days.
Heather
Monday, July 27, 2009
7/27/09 from Reuben
We began the day bright and early at the saw mill to pick up the load of timber for furniture for the new clinic in Murundu (Grace's Place). After that we returned to town for painting supplies and were off in a taxi to Murundu. I was dropped off at Joseph's house for work on Moringa while Joel, Jake, Alden, Mike, Liam and Rebecca when to the clinic to paint and clean.
The Moringa project is progressing steadily. Myself and many of Joseph's sons worked on the planting bags most of the day. At day's end our count was 500 plus. Our current space will allow for approximately 1500 planting bags in the shade house. I ended my planting efforts a little sooner than expected today when the HIV ed team stopped by Joseph's house in Murundu around 1500. Three muzoongos (forgive the misspelling, its the local term for white people), me, Jami and Matt and four Zambians, Pastor Terry, Martinz, Carmelitar and Rebecca took a trip to the Congo border for some shopping.
We hope to start the intensive cultivation portion of the Moringa project tomorrow and continue to fill planting bags until the shade house is full. Our timber is secured in the hallway of Dr.Thinus's house as we all turn in for some well earned rest.
The Moringa project is progressing steadily. Myself and many of Joseph's sons worked on the planting bags most of the day. At day's end our count was 500 plus. Our current space will allow for approximately 1500 planting bags in the shade house. I ended my planting efforts a little sooner than expected today when the HIV ed team stopped by Joseph's house in Murundu around 1500. Three muzoongos (forgive the misspelling, its the local term for white people), me, Jami and Matt and four Zambians, Pastor Terry, Martinz, Carmelitar and Rebecca took a trip to the Congo border for some shopping.
We hope to start the intensive cultivation portion of the Moringa project tomorrow and continue to fill planting bags until the shade house is full. Our timber is secured in the hallway of Dr.Thinus's house as we all turn in for some well earned rest.
7/27/09 from Matt
It's been almost a week since my last blog, but here it goes. The kids have been great in all the schools that we have been to, and it is incredibly difficult to say good bye to them. However today we started with a fresh new intake of students, which should be a lot smoother than the last round. Jami, Pastor Terry, Martinz, Carmelitar and myself all went to Vineyard Basic today, and from what I can tell the kids are very intelligent, fluent in English and shy. I would have liked to have seen more HIV knowledge, but I guess that's part of why we are here. After we finished, we waited for a notoriously unreliable taxi driver to pick us up, but after a half an hour we walked to get a minibus.
The minibus seems to be a staple of third world countries and is still by far the most effective method to convert an atheist in the world today. If you aren't praying while you are bouncing on a seat that pivots backwards toward a back hatch that is wide open and tied down with twine, you are most likely clinically dead. However, we safely made it to Murundu basic a half hour late, and found that the students had been sent home. In America, I would have been pretty upset because Dan and I set this up a week prior, but here it seems normal. As a result, we got to tour the clinic, the agricultural project, and we went about 200 meters from the Congo to buy some material for a tailor in town. Both Reuben and I bought some before taking a chance on the long ride back to Mufulira in another minibus. Overall, it was a great day, which seems to be the trend here. I hope all is well at home; I will continue to keep you all in my prayers and I thank you all for keeping us in yours.
Matt
The minibus seems to be a staple of third world countries and is still by far the most effective method to convert an atheist in the world today. If you aren't praying while you are bouncing on a seat that pivots backwards toward a back hatch that is wide open and tied down with twine, you are most likely clinically dead. However, we safely made it to Murundu basic a half hour late, and found that the students had been sent home. In America, I would have been pretty upset because Dan and I set this up a week prior, but here it seems normal. As a result, we got to tour the clinic, the agricultural project, and we went about 200 meters from the Congo to buy some material for a tailor in town. Both Reuben and I bought some before taking a chance on the long ride back to Mufulira in another minibus. Overall, it was a great day, which seems to be the trend here. I hope all is well at home; I will continue to keep you all in my prayers and I thank you all for keeping us in yours.
Matt
7/27/09 from Liam
Hey ya'll! This is Liam. Today was a great day. I'm almost done with the painting. Today, Rebecca and I finished the sun painted on the wall in Grace's clinic. We have to put the background colors and the words Under 5 painted on the wall. It took about a week to get the regular first coat of paint on. I had to cram into a taxi of 8 people that couldn't go over 10 mph and the tail of the taxi was dragging on the ground. I got home and ate lots of food that was goooood! Went and hung out with some homies and one of them had a pet monkey... now my monkey. I'm thinking of different ways of smuggling it back to the USA. All input is welcome. Good night!
Liam
Liam
7/25/09 from Jami
Sleep has been in short supply the last couple of days as we've all tried to cram in as much as possible in our few short weeks here in Zambia. Time does has a significant way of changing once your feet touch Zambian soil! We rose early and almost frantically as we had to be out of the house by 8AM on the dot so that we (Dan, Carrie, Liam, Reuben, Matt, Heather, William, Joel, Jacabo, Rebecca, Carmiltar, Terry, Chibasa, and I) could arrive for the sports clinic on time and allow Dr. Thinus to arrive back at the house at 9AM to pick up Tannen, Megan, Jack and Jim for their return trip to the USA. We had to all say our fast goodbyes... jump into the van and off we went... on time. We were all sad to know they were all leaving us. We've all had such an amazing time together. We miss them.
The sports clinic today was awesome! How much fun is it to travel all the way to Zambia and get to play and teach tennis and basketball... two of my favorite sports in the world! Everyone will be glad to know that I didn't break anything and wore ankle braces on both ankles!!! I taught tennis to about 100 Zambian girls. The portable tennis nets worked out perfectly. We put chalked lines down that were scaled against a full size tennis court. The kids enjoyed helping us make the courts. I brought the special foam tennis balls for beginners to practice with, which worked out really good. Before we started, Reuben and I gave an exhibition on how to play tennis. That was fun and they all cheered for us. We hit some ground strokes and volleys. They liked the volleying the best. We had one court for boys and one for girls. That way the girls wouldn't get pushed to the side. Which seems to happen a lot with sports. But that wasn't going to happen with me there!!! For the last hour of "sports time" we had the boys leave the basketball court and the girls took over. I taught them how to guard and shoot... it was fantastic! The girls were so tired when we were finished but they seemed to have a great time. We had volleyball, basketball, tennis, football (soccer for us USA folks) and a new addition was martial arts. Matt did a demo after our tennis exhibition and the kids LOVED it. It was amazing to look up and see 50 plus Zambian boys all doing martial arts in unison. He had his own little army. It was really a cool addition. The last hour we had presentations, one for the boys and one for the girls. We went over some basics about HIV/AIDS and then the girls talked about gossiping and what we think about ourselves as women.
Another interesting part of the day was I met a Zambian boy, about 19 years old, who was deaf. He was so interesting. He could sign. There apparently is a school around here that is for the blind and deaf. I don't know anything about it except it exists. I cannot sign much. I only know how to sign the alphabet and how to sign I love you. So I did the best I could. I signed my name to him. He was signing in Bemba though... and I don't know that much Bemba... so we kind of had two language barriers. But we did manage to communicate. He taught me how to sign his name and my name, without spelling it all the way through. He was so smart and so much fun to get to know.
The day ended with 14 tired STSers and many tired kids. We hopped on a minibus and we ate our food as quickly as possible as we headed home. We spent the rest of the day resting and William and Matt put up a basketball goal at Dr. Thinus' house for the kids. It was awesome. I then I taught the kids how to shoot. Later in the afternoon, Elizabeth (Josephine & Shadi's little girl ~ 2 years old) fell asleep sitting in my lap, so cute! Later that night, Dr. Thinus and Shadi made a giant bonfire and we roasted marshmallows and sat by the fire. It's been cold here so the fire was a welcomed source for heat! All-in-all it was an amazing day!
Jami
The sports clinic today was awesome! How much fun is it to travel all the way to Zambia and get to play and teach tennis and basketball... two of my favorite sports in the world! Everyone will be glad to know that I didn't break anything and wore ankle braces on both ankles!!! I taught tennis to about 100 Zambian girls. The portable tennis nets worked out perfectly. We put chalked lines down that were scaled against a full size tennis court. The kids enjoyed helping us make the courts. I brought the special foam tennis balls for beginners to practice with, which worked out really good. Before we started, Reuben and I gave an exhibition on how to play tennis. That was fun and they all cheered for us. We hit some ground strokes and volleys. They liked the volleying the best. We had one court for boys and one for girls. That way the girls wouldn't get pushed to the side. Which seems to happen a lot with sports. But that wasn't going to happen with me there!!! For the last hour of "sports time" we had the boys leave the basketball court and the girls took over. I taught them how to guard and shoot... it was fantastic! The girls were so tired when we were finished but they seemed to have a great time. We had volleyball, basketball, tennis, football (soccer for us USA folks) and a new addition was martial arts. Matt did a demo after our tennis exhibition and the kids LOVED it. It was amazing to look up and see 50 plus Zambian boys all doing martial arts in unison. He had his own little army. It was really a cool addition. The last hour we had presentations, one for the boys and one for the girls. We went over some basics about HIV/AIDS and then the girls talked about gossiping and what we think about ourselves as women.
Another interesting part of the day was I met a Zambian boy, about 19 years old, who was deaf. He was so interesting. He could sign. There apparently is a school around here that is for the blind and deaf. I don't know anything about it except it exists. I cannot sign much. I only know how to sign the alphabet and how to sign I love you. So I did the best I could. I signed my name to him. He was signing in Bemba though... and I don't know that much Bemba... so we kind of had two language barriers. But we did manage to communicate. He taught me how to sign his name and my name, without spelling it all the way through. He was so smart and so much fun to get to know.
The day ended with 14 tired STSers and many tired kids. We hopped on a minibus and we ate our food as quickly as possible as we headed home. We spent the rest of the day resting and William and Matt put up a basketball goal at Dr. Thinus' house for the kids. It was awesome. I then I taught the kids how to shoot. Later in the afternoon, Elizabeth (Josephine & Shadi's little girl ~ 2 years old) fell asleep sitting in my lap, so cute! Later that night, Dr. Thinus and Shadi made a giant bonfire and we roasted marshmallows and sat by the fire. It's been cold here so the fire was a welcomed source for heat! All-in-all it was an amazing day!
Jami
Saturday, July 25, 2009
7/24/09 from Carrie
Muli shani (hello) from all of us in Zambia. The HIV education team (Dan, Carrie, William, Matt, Jami) finished its last day for the first week of teaching at Mutamba Basic School and Greyson Basic School. Around 9:30 in the morning we took taxis to Mutamba where we met with some teachers involved in an Anti-AIDS club at Mutamba. After a presentation Dan gave on Stop the Spread Clubs, the teachers eagerly agreed to partner with us, thus beginning a new phase of HIV education for the students at Mutamba. Carmelitar, a local 29 year old retired teacher, will facilitate the STS club at Mutamba, organizing weekly club meetings with club parents and "aunties." Carmeltiar will go in depth on the topics that we taught the students this week, covering basic biological information on HIV to reducing the stigma people infected with HIV may face by encouraging the students to understand that HIV affects everyone-mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. The teachers at Mutamba are very excited about fusing the club Anti-AIDS into the STS club.
Overall, teaching at Mutamba was a great experience; the students were cooperative and bright, active participants, which helped fuel a discussion based lesson. On the first day of teaching we had them begin planning for a presentation at the end of the week. In my (Carrie) class of 25 girls, the girls split up into four groups and began working on their project. On Friday morning each class room presented their projects. We had skits on sugar daddies, getting tested for HIV and songs on the effects of the HIV crisis in Zambia. The school-wide presentation was a big hit at the school. After saying our goodbyes to the students, the headmaster at Mutamba, Henry, invited us into his office to thank us for all our hard work during the week. All the teachers were very appreciative of STS, so much so that they wrote a combined 'thank you' letter to us. Henry had one of the students read the letter aloud to the HIV ed group. STS looks forward to the years to come of partnership with Mutamba Basic School.
We ate our lunch (PB&Js) on the walk from Mutamba to Greyson through downtown Mulfilira. Walking through the markets, eating lunch, laughing, and talking with the rest of the team was always a nice transition from one school to the next. I have been learning tremendously from all the rest of the group on how intricate teaching can be. It is like an art to learn to get the students to talk and open up. On Tuesday when I walked into the classroom full of girls staring at me from across the room, in the first five minutes I could barely get words out of my mouth, but after encouragement and support and mostly strength that is not my own, I have begun to enjoy teaching. In the mornings I would teach the girls at Mutamba and then help and observe Jami as she taught the girls at Greyson. It was a wonderful balance.
Once we wrapped the classes up at Greyson, the group set out for the market. Outside of Shoprite, the local grocery store, a group of little beggar boys always gather around the Muzungus (that would be us!). Most of them do not have shoes, so Dan bargained for a pair of shoes at the market for one of the boys. It is hard to see children walking around shoeless, knowing that they do not even have money to feed their empty stomachs. If you lived in Zambia, it would be nearly impossible not to adopt some of these orphaned children.
In the evening, all seventeen of us piled into the "Say Yes to Jesus" van and drove to Murundu where we were supposed to show the Jesus film in Bimba. Unfortunately, the speakers were having some issues, so we will have to come back next Friday. While in Murundu, Jami was offered some children for a good price from a drunk man. s.c.a.r.y. I wonder what the going rate for children is these days... Because of the large crowd, the hordes of children, and drunk men and the fact that it was dark, Murundu did not have the safest feel to it. When we got back, the girls received some excellent self-defense tips from the guys. Jami, me and Heather are well protected by the household of men!
Overall, teaching at Mutamba was a great experience; the students were cooperative and bright, active participants, which helped fuel a discussion based lesson. On the first day of teaching we had them begin planning for a presentation at the end of the week. In my (Carrie) class of 25 girls, the girls split up into four groups and began working on their project. On Friday morning each class room presented their projects. We had skits on sugar daddies, getting tested for HIV and songs on the effects of the HIV crisis in Zambia. The school-wide presentation was a big hit at the school. After saying our goodbyes to the students, the headmaster at Mutamba, Henry, invited us into his office to thank us for all our hard work during the week. All the teachers were very appreciative of STS, so much so that they wrote a combined 'thank you' letter to us. Henry had one of the students read the letter aloud to the HIV ed group. STS looks forward to the years to come of partnership with Mutamba Basic School.
We ate our lunch (PB&Js) on the walk from Mutamba to Greyson through downtown Mulfilira. Walking through the markets, eating lunch, laughing, and talking with the rest of the team was always a nice transition from one school to the next. I have been learning tremendously from all the rest of the group on how intricate teaching can be. It is like an art to learn to get the students to talk and open up. On Tuesday when I walked into the classroom full of girls staring at me from across the room, in the first five minutes I could barely get words out of my mouth, but after encouragement and support and mostly strength that is not my own, I have begun to enjoy teaching. In the mornings I would teach the girls at Mutamba and then help and observe Jami as she taught the girls at Greyson. It was a wonderful balance.
Once we wrapped the classes up at Greyson, the group set out for the market. Outside of Shoprite, the local grocery store, a group of little beggar boys always gather around the Muzungus (that would be us!). Most of them do not have shoes, so Dan bargained for a pair of shoes at the market for one of the boys. It is hard to see children walking around shoeless, knowing that they do not even have money to feed their empty stomachs. If you lived in Zambia, it would be nearly impossible not to adopt some of these orphaned children.
In the evening, all seventeen of us piled into the "Say Yes to Jesus" van and drove to Murundu where we were supposed to show the Jesus film in Bimba. Unfortunately, the speakers were having some issues, so we will have to come back next Friday. While in Murundu, Jami was offered some children for a good price from a drunk man. s.c.a.r.y. I wonder what the going rate for children is these days... Because of the large crowd, the hordes of children, and drunk men and the fact that it was dark, Murundu did not have the safest feel to it. When we got back, the girls received some excellent self-defense tips from the guys. Jami, me and Heather are well protected by the household of men!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)