A Kaniki Christmas

Many people have asked me how Christmas is celebrated in Zambia. Some of the shops in Ndola had their decorations up and Christmas music playing from early November. Yet the warm weather meant it didn't really feel like Christmas to me. From speaking to Zambian friends it seems that their main celebrations take place on Christmas Day with family and friends and lots of food. For many it's still their usual food, nshima (maize), but at Christmas some people will branch out and have rice or something different. Most Zambian people will also go to church on Christmas Day.

Grade 3 angels

There don't seem to be any Christmas songs in the local language, Bemba, but some people can sing Christmas songs or carols in English. We taught the children at Kapumpe to sing 'Mary's Boy Child' in assembly. It was quite impressive when you consider that English is the children's second language. Click on the video below to hear it for yourself.

Click here to see Kapumpe children singing 'Mary's Boy Child'

I have really enjoyed being back home in the UK for the build up to Christmas. Mulled wine, carol singing and decorating the tree are very much part of our traditions here, which some of my expat friends in Ndola will no doubt be enjoying too. But on the whole there doesn't seem to be as much fuss about Christmas in Zambia. Whilst I love all the 'fuss' and like to embrace everything Christmassy throughout the month of December, it's good to remember the real reason we celebrate; that Jesus came to earth so we can know God.

In response to the Band Aid song, yes they do know it's Christmas in Africa! This year we hosted our first Christmas performance at Kapumpe. All the children joined together to sing, and Grade 3 acted out the nativity story. They did so well! This isn't a typical thing to do in Zambian schools but the children really enjoyed it. It was great to see their confidence performing in front of an audience. All the parents, guardians and Bible College staff who joined us thoroughly enjoyed it.

Joseph, Mary and the donkey

Wise men and camels

 

Proud parents and guardians with their children

The families in our Arise project will hopefully have a chance to gather with family and/or friends, although it will depend on funds for travel for those that don't live nearby. Food is a daily struggle for the most vulnerable. We want to bless them with food; with essentials like sugar and oil and a few extra things such as tea and biscuits. This is why we decided to launch our Christmas Bucket Appeal. It means we will be able to give each of our families a bucket full of these goodies. They will be delighted to receive them, share them with their family and then re-use the bucket in future to collect water.

If you can spare a few pounds to give one of our needy families a gift, just click on the link below to donate towards this appeal. Thank you for your generosity which will mean a huge amount to our local families.

Click here to donate to the Arise Christmas Bucket Appeal 2016

Thank you for reading my blog and for all your interest and encouragement this year. I would also like to pass on thanks from the children and guardians that we support in Arise and Kapumpe, who really value your support. 

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Grade 3 at Kapumpe's first ever Christmas performance

A Namibian Adventure

Since we first arrived in Zambia nearly two years ago, Rosie and I planned to end our time here with a trip to a different African country. With Rosie moving back to the UK before Christmas, it meant that we just had time to squeeze in a short holiday between the end of term and her flight home. 

Before I moved here I thought I would travel around Africa more that I actually have done in reality, but it’s quite expensive if you don't have your own vehicle (we currently have use of the Arise vehicle for more local trips around Ndola and the surrounding areas). I expected flights here to be cheap like they are in Asia but this isn't the case; probably because the continent is massive so the distances to travel are much further. Nevertheless, we’d saved up some money and so we planned a trip to Namibia on the south-west coast of Africa. 

Namibia is the second least densely populated country on earth. It has a land mass of 826,000km with a population of about 2.3 million people. The country is home to about 2.5 million seals so there are actually more seals than people living there!

I hadn’t really anticipated how different Namibia would be in comparison to Zambia. When we arrived in Windhoek, the capital, it struck me how smooth the roads were, how much more developed the town was and how much better it was set up for tourists. It seems a shame that some parts of Zambia aren’t more set up for tourists, as it is such a beautiful country.

The Christ Church (or Christuskirche), a historic landmark in Windhoek

In Namibia we didn’t stick out as much because of our skin colour. In Zambia it’s a daily occurrence to be pointed at and called ‘muzungu’ (white person) even after almost two years of living there! However, approximately 10% of the population in Namibia are white, which includes approximately 50,000 Germans. I wasn’t struck by the poverty in Namibia which I think is much more obvious in Zambia. Yet that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist – perhaps it’s hidden from tourists or exists in the more remote areas.

First on the bus – ready for a sweaty journey to Swakopmund!

After staying the night in Windhoek, we travelled on the local bus to the coast, to a town called Swakopmund. The names of towns in Namibia are a sign of the fact that the country was a German colony. It gained independence in 1990 but the Germanic influence is very evident in terms of architecture, and even in the country's efficiency! Swakopmund is an interesting mix of African and German cultures. 

The Namibian coast

Enjoying Namibian cuisine

The Namibian landscape is hugely different to Zambia because of the coast and the desert. I loved being by the sea again, walking along the coast and eating fresh fish. I particularly enjoyed Namibian fish specialities Kingklip and Kabeljou. Swakopmund was quite a lot cooler that Windhoek and Ndola and I think the temperature is more stable there all year round. One day we took a boat trip where we saw hundreds of seals and flamingos and tasted fresh oysters which they claimed to be the best in the world. A couple of seals even joined us on board!

Rosie, about to try an oyster for the first time

This guy joined us on board!

Much of Namibia is remote. 19% of the land is mountainous and 14% is covered by sand dunes. The Namib desert dominates the west of the country – ‘Namib’ means ‘vast place’. The sand dunes are created by sand which is deposited along the shore and then picked up by prevailing south winds and re-deposited in the form of the massive dunes. Rosie and I went on a 4x4 desert tour which was really interesting because our Namibian guide was so passionate about the animals, plants and conservation. We learned that the sand dunes are gradually being moved by the wind. I was surprised to find out that in twenty years the dunes may actually reach the local town.

The sand dunes

The edge of the desert creeping close to the town

The highlight of the trip for me was quad biking around the sand dunes. It was a great way to take in the scenery, with a little added adrenaline. The dunes are absolutely huge. For two hours Rosie, our guide and I were zooming about across the dunes - except on one occasion when Rosie’s quad bike kept stalling and I nearly crashed into her!

Rosie following our guide on quad bikes in the sand dunes

 Five days gave us a good taste of Namibia and was a great way to celebrate the end of Rosie’s time in Africa. It sounds like there are lots of other places to see in the country and would be worth driving around if we had more time. Apparently Namibia is an up and coming destination for tourists. I can certainly see why! Whilst the landscape and architecture varied greatly in comparison to Zambia, the friendliness of the African people remained the same.

Goodbye Rosie

The person I’ve spent the most time with during the last two years in Zambia has been the lovely Rosie Loescher. We first met when I got off the plane in Ndola, having spent most of the flight vomiting. I’m sure I wasn’t very good company en route back to Kaniki but thankfully Rosie didn’t hold it against me. It turns out that she’s actually pretty good in a crisis situation.

Rosie and I in our first month in Zambia

Having spent the past two years volunteering with Arise and Kapumpe, Rosie is leaving Zambia and moving home to the UK today. I will definitely miss her, so I thought I’d share a few memories and anecdotes about her. Rosie talks a lot, so we make quite a pair of chatterboxes. She’s a drama queen and she knows it! She loves to tell stories and share information and the most bizarre, random facts. Sometimes if she’s not getting the reaction she desires, she’ll exaggerate. Some of the things she says can have me in stitches.

Rosie with her 2016 Grade 1 class

Rosie always has a pill, cream or some sort of treatment available for every possible problem. Her family joke that she goes to the doctor every time she travels abroad. In fact she’s certainly had value for money from her travel insurance whilst living here in Zambia. Last year she spent a week in hospital suffering with typhoid, e-coli and dysentery. I don't think there are many people who could manage to keep their humour in such a situation, but Rosie did. Even when she was in pain, she still laughed and cried.

Happy to be home after recovering in hospital

Some of the moments we've spent together that neither of us will forget involve a variety of insects. The ‘shower incident ‘involved the biggest, most disgusting spider I’ve ever seen in my life. Rosie stood in a towel looking like she was about to faint, whilst I summoned up the courage (which took some time) to eventually kill it with a frying pan. The ‘laundry incident’ involved Rosie going to put her washing on, only to find a snake blocking her exit. Unfortunately my attempt to kill the snake with a brick was not successful, so we had to be rescued by a man. To this day Rosie hates going into the laundry room! Another bug/rodent related incident involved Rosie finding a mouse running around our bathroom which then escaped into our lounge. This time we both stood on the sofa and screamed!

One of the snakes at Kaniki

I will literally be a little lost without Rosie. She has a good memory for directions once she’s been somewhere, whereas I can rarely remember how to get from A to B without a map. I’ve been happy for her to chauffeur me around during our time here in Zambia and I think I will struggle without her sense of direction. Another great thing about Rosie is that she loves spending time with people. She’s happy to hang out with friends and will gladly keep people company, even if they’re bored, ill or grumpy. She has made many friends in Kaniki and Ndola who will miss her.

Kaniki friends

We have loved celebrating some very important parts of British culture together during our time here in Zambia. In January we had a ‘Second Christmas’ dinner with all the trimmings. We’ve also painted our faces with the Union Jack and had tea parties with friends. When she first moved to Zambia, Rosie even brought a statue of the Queen with her. She’s proud to be a Royalist and at one point even considered applying for a job as a pot washer just because it was based at Buckingham Palace.

Naomi and Rosie enjoying Christmas dinner in January

Goodbye Rosie! Thank you for sharing the highs and lows with me and for being a great friend. You have been a integral part of our Arise and Kapumpe team and we really appreciate everything you have contributed. I hope you settle quickly back into life in the UK and enjoy wherever your next adventure takes you. I have no doubt you will enjoy access to power and water at any time of day, decent WiFi, proper chocolate, parsnips, fresh lettuce, and the fresh British air. We will miss you!

The Arise Team in 2015

Charity's Story

Charity is one of the guardians in our Arise Project. Many of you will have heard me talk about her. Rosie has developed a strong bond of friendship with Charity and has been an advocate for her in her health battles. I asked Rosie to tell you some of Charity's story and the miraculous change we have seen in her recently...

Rosie with Charity in her home

Part of our work in Arise involves visiting guardians in their homes and encouraging them in whatever situation they might be facing. This can mean different things for different families, ranging from a struggle to find food or being unable to pay rent, to being worried about what the future might hold. Over the past couple of years we have been meeting regularly with one particular guardian, a lady called Charity. Even though she faces a situation which often feels bleak, she has actually encouraged us just as much as we have her, in fact probably even more.

Charity is a widow with five children. She and her family originally joined the Arise project many years ago. She has two daughters who are married with their own families and have long since moved away. Her three sons are aged 17, 19 and 21 and are active members of our youth group as well as incredibly hard workers.

Charity's sons, who are a real credit to her

For the last seven years, Charity has battled with a severe skin disease which has had no clear cause or treatment. This initially started on and inside her mouth, then gradually spread to her hands, feet and other parts of her body. Later on it also started affecting her eyes and the top of her head, as well as causing her body to become completely emaciated.  For the last two years Charity has been completely bed-bound and Ellie and I have known several times when we saw her and thought she was probably very close to death. She has often been in excruciating pain, unable to sit up or even move, yet somehow throughout the time we have spent with her, she has often manage to testify to God’s goodness in her life and her assurance that one day she will be healed, in this life or the next. Charity used to be in the local church choir before she got ill, and so her love of singing often led us to share times of praise and worship together.

Rosie on an Arise visit at Charity's home

Before Ellie and I arrived in Kaniki, Charity had spent time in hospital but the doctors there had been unable to diagnose or treat her condition, and with nobody available to care for her at her bedside it was agreed that hospital treatment was not an effective way forward. It’s questionable how helpful the treatment she did receive actually was – the hospital told her to use bleach to clean her skin. So over the last two years, we have made a number of different attempts to help Charity with medical care and support within her own home. We even took some photos of her skin to a shocked but very helpful local pharmacist who helped us source some strong antibiotics and other medications to try and help her. Unfortunately nothing we tried had any lasting effect on Charity’s ailments. We often found that one week she might show huge improvement, and then the next time we saw her she could be worse than ever. Even then, after any tears we saw her cry, she still managed to sing.

Charity in the Arise vehicle with two of her sons on the way to the hospice

A few months ago Ellie and I invited our friend Marci who has extensive medical knowledge and experience of working out here in Zambia, to come and visit Charity in her home with us. After our visit she mentioned a local hospice she was aware of, and we agreed that we may need to start thinking about end of life care for Charity. Unfortunately the hospice is no longer able to run as a 24/7 facility due to lack of funds, but they are open two days a week as a day centre. So earlier this year Rhi (Ellie's sister) and I took Charity there for an initial visit and were really impressed with the service that they provide.

Charity at the hospice

Over the last few months I have taken Charity to the hospice every other week, and the difference it has made is nothing short of incredible. So much so that we are no longer having to think about end of life care. The hospice has the facilities to offer Charity breakfast, a snack and a large lunch, give her a hot bath, and have her seen by a doctor from a local hospital for a few hours each week. They have been able to give advice, training, referrals and prescribed medications. Most notably, these visits have given Charity a real sense of dignity and worth. The staff treat her with respect, and her sense of humour is really given time to shine.

Charity doing physio at Ndola Hospital

After our first visit to the hospice, the staff’s advice was that Charity needed to be bathed for an hour each day. As an Arise team we therefore decided to ask a group of ladies supported by Arise if they would be willing to work with Charity to help take care of her. I was bowled over by their willingness to help and their kindness towards her, whereas previously she has been ostracised because of people’s fear of catching her illnesses. The ladies came with me during the next few times we went to the hospice, so that they could receive training and ask the staff for advice on how best to help Charity at home. It has been great to see a stronger sense of community growing among them. 

Rosie with Charity and the Arise guardians who care for her

Although the journey to get Charity back to full health is a long one and it is difficult to know how far down that road she will get, this approach has brought great success so far. Her body weight has doubled since starting the visits to the hospice. It is amazing to see the changes to Charity’s physical condition and so we will continue to seek professional help and advice as much as we can and continue to pray for her. Last week we bought Charity her first pair of shoes in two years, and with help she was able to shuffle the short distance from the car to a wheelchair. These victories, however small, are a reminder that the God who she has been singing to from her bed for all these years is still with her, and that He, like us, is cheering her on. 

Me with Charity, showing off her healed hands

The LORD said…“I have loved you with an everlasting love; with unfailing love I have drawn you to myself. I will build you up again, you will be rebuilt. You will again be happy and dance merrily with your tambourines.” 

Jeremiah 31 v 3 - 4

Suffering

It's quite hard to know where to start when writing about something like suffering. It is such a subjective, sensitive and complex issue. Yet living in a developing country like Zambia means it cannot be escaped or ignored.

An elderly couple I met in Northern Province

Human suffering gets 'in your face' here. When we visit people in the local communities supported by Arise, there are malnourished children wandering about, people dressed in old and tatty clothing, drunk people stumbling around and people who are so desperate they will beg for money. Occasionally we see people with deformities or disabilities but not many of them because sadly the majority of don't survive in such an environment.

Visiting one of our Kapumpe pupils at home

Suffering is "the state of undergoing pain, distress or hardship". It can be physical, emotional, spiritual or psychological; temporary or ongoing. I'm sure we have all experienced some degree of suffering in our lives but it’s a personal thing which is quite difficult to compare with others. Yet sometimes difficulties that we've faced in our own lives actually help us to empathise with other people.

My generation may not have experienced some of the suffering that previous generations or people in other parts of the world have endured, such as world wars, ethnic cleansing or huge rates of infant mortality, but we do seem to grapple with it. In some situations suffering prompts us to reflect on life and ask questions. For example..."Why is this happening to me?", "How can there be a god?", "If there is a god, how can he be all powerful and all loving when people are suffering?", and "Why do bad things happen to good people?".

Masala market in Ndola

Sometimes we see human mistakes that directly cause people to suffer. Yet the reasons behind other types of suffering remain much more mysterious. I have found it interesting to visit people here who are living in extremely tough circumstances, and observe how they respond to it. I have been inspired by many people who, rather than question whether there is a god because of suffering, actually call out to Him during these times. 

I recently spoke to one of these inspirational characters – an Arise guardian called Mandalene. She is a widow, most likely in her 60s (she herself isn’t sure of her age) who looks after five orphaned grandchildren. She is too old to work so she doesn’t have an income. Daily life is a struggle but she prays that God will provide and works extremely hard growing maize in her field in order to feed her family. Mandalene has very little of material worth but she exudes a peace and contentment that I think many people would probably love to attain. I think this comes from her faith and trust in a God that is bigger than her circumstances, and from the hope that she has for the future. I have noticed that Mandalene is quick to thank God for the smallest of things, which means she focuses on what she has to be grateful for rather than what she doesn’t have. 

Mandalene with one of the grandchildren she cares for

Mandalene with her grandchildren at her home receiving a gift from Arise

With my Western mindset, it could be tempting to patronise Mandalene and presume that she tries to think this way to make her feel better about her situation. Rather than that, her character provokes me to listen and learn from her. Mandalene is an example of someone who lives out the hope she has through suffering.

One of the difficult things about a lot of suffering is that there is often no way to relieve it - no plaster or bandage you can put on, and no pill to make the pain go away. In Arise we try to help alleviate suffering by addressing immediate needs and offering empowerment opportunities through education, farming and discipleship. But sometimes it is frustrating when the small things we are able to do seem to have such a small impact. I often feel pretty useless in these situations but remind myself that the issue of suffering is huge and something that I can't solve. All I can do is listen, pray, encourage and learn from the people that I meet.

One of our guardians quick to thank God for the gift she has received

Things I miss from home...

Hopefully you can tell from my blog posts that I love living in Zambia, particularly having the opportunity to work with the children and adults at Arise and Kapumpe. Most of my week 

tends to be consumed by work but fortunately weekends are more restful. I’m fully 

immersed in life here but there are moments when something might make me miss home. 

Me with one of our Grade 1 pupils

Here are a few of them, in no particular order…

1) Watching the news

The last couple of weeks have been a good example of this. After hearing the (rather interesting!) result of the US presidential elections, Rosie and I watched an online news clip about it. It actually made me miss watching the news! This might sound like a strange thing to miss, but what I really mean is the ease with which you can find out information in the UK and its connectedness with the rest of the world. At home I regularly used to watch BBC Breakfast whilst getting ready for work in the morning which made me feel aware of what was going on in the world. Here I can check out the news online but I have to more actively try to find things out. Sometimes living in an intense environment within the compound here in Kaniki does make the rest of the world feel a little more distant.

Excited to receive post from the UK!

2) Convenience

Another thing I miss is the Tesco Express down the road from my flat, or more to the point the convenience which it represents. Here roadside stalls sell tomatoes and a few other vegetables, and the farm across the road sells some essentials. But generally anything else that you might ‘need’ is only found in town, which is a bumpy half hour car ride away. It’s not just the journey that takes the time though; in true African style nothing can be done quickly here. 

Farm shop

Around the corner from my flat at home are several different takeaways which can come in handy on a Friday evening. In Ndola there are a couple of restaurants where you can order takeaway but unfortunately delivery does not stretch as far as where we live in Kaniki!

A cheeky Nandos is available in town

Everything seems to be more convenient in the UK, which means you can do many more things in a day. Sometimes I miss that. When I'm back home I love being able to see lots of people and meet up with a few different friends in a day. But then again I do have a tendency to make myself too busy and try to fit too many things into one day, so perhaps a lack of convenience out here isn’t such a bad thing for me!

3) Family and friends

As I'm sure many people living away from home would say, it's the people that you know well that you miss most. Material things are reasonably easy to do without, but quality time and conversations with people are more precious. Email, WhatsApp and Skype are great inventions and really help with keeping in touch, but nothing replaces being together with others. Roll on Christmas when I’ll next be back home in the UK for a couple of weeks!

                                             Skype chats

4) Proper chocolate

People who know me well might expect this to be at the very top of my list. I am a self-confessed chocaholic with something of a sugar addition. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there is quite a wide selection of chocolate available here in Zambia including some flavours of Cadburys that we don’t have at home. However it just doesn’t taste as good as it does in England. Apparently here the chocolate contains something to help it survive the heat. I can easily taste the difference and it’s certainly no British Cadburys or Green & Blacks. The good news is that I seem to have built up quite an impressive supply (either that I brought over with me or delivered to me by kind people from home) which just might get me through to Christmas.

                             Chocolate kindly sent by friends

5) Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga)

Kaniki Bible University College was set up by Danish missionaries and is overseen by a group of churches from Denmark. Consequently, there are quite a few Danish volunteers 

here at various times and one word I've learned from their culture is 'hygge'. It is translated

‘cosiness’ and is said to mean creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people. 

Dinner with Danish friends

Now there’s certainly no need to try and create a warm atmosphere here when it’s 30-something degrees outside! I love the sunshine and being outdoors, but there is also something I miss about feeling cosy – burrowing under a duvet, sitting by a fire, or drinking mulled wine (or hot chocolate), for example.

I guess one side of this that we do frequently get to enjoy in Zambia is candlelight! Another romantic meal was enjoyed tonight as we endured a bonus power cut in addition to the regular load shedding. 

One of the many jokes about Zesco who supply Zambia's electricity

I expect that Christmas will be a great time to enjoy the cosiness that comes with the cooler British weather. It seems to me that finding things you miss actually helps you appreciate them a little bit more.