Guest Blog

I was delighted to have my first visitor from the UK come and stay recently! My Dad (Bryan) returned home on Tuesday after spending almost two weeks here. He very kindly came to help the Bible College with their accounts and also got to experience a bit of my new African life. I asked him to be a guest blogger and write a few words about his experience...

I am writing this as I sit in the departure lounge at Ndola airport (which is very small), having said goodbye to Ellie after a wonderful 12 days with her. It has been a real privilege to be here and see first-hand what Ellie and Rosie are doing in Kaniki.

Although school starts at 7.30 each morning (with porridge), many of the children arrive before 7.00 with some having walked for an hour or more. They enjoy playing on the newly installed play area or talking to their friends and offering to help the teachers get ready for the day.

In the school playground

Other than a short lesson in Bemba (the children’s native language), all the lessons are in English.  I was very impressed with the way that the classrooms have been laid out and they look great.  I found that coming to visit Ellie meant that I was a courier, as she made sure that I brought out extra resources from the UK to enrich the children’s learning experience.

Who's teaching who?

Some of the children at school

It took a few days before I really understood the impact that this small Christian school is having on its pupils.  Having visited a few of their homes, I soon realised that life for the children here is very different to what we know at home. Many of them live in very dilapidated houses made of mud or breeze blocks, with the better ones having corrugated iron roofs, pieces of plastic or another assortment of materials to cover the roof. Their houses are often no bigger than many of our lounges. Most or all of the family sleep on the floor, and often the only furniture may be a tree stump or an old oil can to sit on.  Often the families have very little food or have to go without.

During my two weeks in Kaniki, I spent some of my time helping sort out some of the accounts for the Bible College. I also managed to visit some of the children in their homes, a Zambian football match in the local stadium, a small safari park, two churches, the market, and a Zambian curry house! Everyone I met was very friendly and hospitable. The children at the school were very excited to meet me as a new visitor and one of them gave me the nickname ‘Pastor Cross’. They really seem to enjoy school and seemed very happy even though they don’t have much.

Zambian Champions League Match against Guinea

Enjoying a Zambian lunch after the Bible College church service

With the pastor and his wife at one of the local churches

 Thank you Ellie and Rosie for having me!

The Neighbourhood

The compound that Rosie and I live in with some of the other volunteers is surrounded by high brick walls, with pieces of glass and barbed wire on top. The gate is manned by two guards called Noah and Winter, who we often stop to chat to. We soon learned that Noah is a football fanatic and that Winter uses snakeskin to create art! Sometimes we take them leftovers from dinner, so they’re always pleased to see us.

The entrance at Plot 121

This means that we feel very safe living here. But it also means that sometimes it’s good to escape and get out! On one occasion Rosie and I decided to go with Simon, one of the Danish volunteers, who was going for a haircut at the local barbers.

The place is called ‘Hollywood Barbers’. It turned out to be a very popular place with people crammed into a small shack, all waiting to have their heads shaved. We chatted to a few people there (some who smelled like they had come from the bar!) but it became very noisy when the heavens suddenly opened and rain thundered down on the corrugated tin roof. Sometimes storms here lead to power cuts and that’s exactly what happened on this occasion. Poor Simon ended up with half a haircut!

Sometimes Rosie and I like to go for a stroll around Kaniki. We often wander in a loop around the college to avoid getting lost! We greet people with “Mulishani?” (Bemba for ‘How are you?’) and often we hear children shouting “How are yoooouuu?” to us. Today I also saw a Zambian person running for the first time since I’ve been here! However, I suspect he was in a hurry to get a bus rather than exercising in the middle of a hot afternoon. 

Tomato stall

Along the local road there are various stalls selling vegetables, mostly tomatoes. Bikes are popular, and I have adopted one here which has a working brake on the front but not on the back! Cars, however, are extremely expensive as they are all imported. Most people get the bus if they need to go to town, if they can afford it of course.

We also pass some bars (blasting loud music in competition with each other), the occasional small shop and a couple of churches. There is lots of maize growing here too. It seems that people living here have a bit more outdoor space than those who live in some of the villages we visit with Arise. I’ll write more about the Arise project in a future blog post.

Whenever we return home, we’re always glad for a cold drink and a chance to sit in the shade!