96 hours and counting...

The rainy season is now in full swing here. This is great news for people living in the rural community who rely on the rains in order to grow maize, the staple food. Over the last few weeks I’ve experienced some of the loudest storms that I have ever heard! The thunder and lightning were very dramatic.

You never know how deep the puddles are until you drive through them!

On Saturday night, a storm raged and took down part of the wall around the compound where we live, as well as the transformer. This means that we’ve had no power for four whole days. That's 96 hours so far…

The wall which was damaged by the storm

I normally love weekends, but a whole Sunday of pouring rain and no power increased our sense of isolation here. At home, it would be pretty easy to pop round to a friend's or carry on with 'normal' life. But here when your laptop battery dies, it's dark and you don't have much food that can be cooked on a gas ring, there really isn't much to do. Feeling ill that morning with a sore throat and headache probably made me feel a bit more sorry for myself than usual!

In truth, these things don't often bother me very much. In fact, power cuts, water shortages and other frustrations have become part of the daily life that I'm now used to and have even come to (mostly) enjoy! Nevertheless, there are some occasions when it does just feel incredibly annoying.

I then remind myself that I live near many people who have no access to electricity at all, and yet I’m getting frustrated when my phone runs out of battery. Some people in Kaniki and the surrounding areas don’t have enough to eat, and here I am wondering how long my freezer food will last. I remind myself that we can’t always choose what life throws at us, but we can choose how we respond. As the saying goes, ‘When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!’.

Hot chocolate and ice cream makes everything better!

I am so grateful for friends here who have invited us for dinner, to use their shower or do our laundry at their houses this week! I’m very grateful that we do often have access to electricity and we always have enough water to survive. I’m glad I have a warm place to stay and food to eat. I’m thankful for family and for friends here in Zambia and in the UK. I thank God that I’m healthy and have the opportunity to live life to the full. I’m thankful that I am able to live abroad and do a ‘job’ that I love. I find that being grateful always helps to lift my mood.

Friends who have helped us during the power cut

Some of the Arise guardians have really inspired me in this way. When we've taken them gifts of food, they immediately thank God and then thank us. They are quick to kneel, which is a Zambian sign of respect, and show gratitude. Many of them give us big smiles despite desperate circumstances. 

Many of the people I've met here have inspired me
with their respect and gratitude

Making a difference

There is no doubt that Arise and Kapumpe Christian Primary School are making a difference to the lives of people in Kaniki and the surrounding areas. There are many children receiving a good education who otherwise might not be at school; there are families with food who might otherwise go without and there are people working in jobs that they would not otherwise have had the opportunity to pursue. It is a wonderful privilege to be involved in this. However, I am learning that you do not have to give up your job and move thousands of miles away to make a difference and change lives.

Excited to be going on a school trip and for a new experience

My choice of teaching as a vocation was largely motivated by a desire to ‘make a difference’. I began my career working in a school in a deprived area, which fitted in with what I wanted to do. Later on I moved to work at a school in a very affluent area. To my surprise, I found there were just as many needy children but that their needs were different. Money helps to buy houses and food but it doesn’t buy time, care or kindness.

Me with some of the girls at Kapumpe who have hugely grown in confidence

A career in the caring profession is usually perceived to be very rewarding and fulfilling. In some ways it is, but it can also be frustrating! We are sometimes in danger of romanticising such professions when the reality is that a teaching job is so hectic, it becomes easy to rush through the day without stopping to ask how someone you are working with really is. I’m sure that this is not exclusive to teaching. It leads me to ask myself whether it’s more important to be highly productive and consumed with a to-do list of tasks, or to take more time considering the impact of our behaviour and attitude on the people around us, and what they may need from us.

The Zambian culture dictates that people should always take time to greet others. I love the way that people here make time to talk to each other. Of course, the pace of life is slower here compared to the UK, so it can sometimes be frustrating when little else gets done! But overall I think Zambian people are focused on the right priority.

There is a strong sense of community

Greeting others is very important in Zambia

As I gain life experience and come across a range of different situations, I become more convinced that what we do is not the greatest way that we can make a difference. I believe that instead, we can have a greater impact on others by how we treat them. For example it doesn’t matter how much charity work you do, if you are rude or grumpy with those you come into contact with, then instead of provoking admiration or inspiration, they will be left feeling insulted or that they are a burden. Likewise, even if you feel that the work you do doesn’t make much of a difference, the way you treat those around you may have much more impact than you could ever imagine.

I couldn’t think of a better example of someone who embodies this philosophy than my Nan, Hope, who passed away last week, the day before her 91^st birthday. I think everyone who met her would like to be a bit more like her. She didn’t ask for a lot or live a flashy, showy life, but how she lived had a huge impact on all her family and friends. She was the most positive person I’ve ever known; she saw the best in people, accepted them without judging, and loved and cared for people in a very genuine way. She had a strong and simple faith, knowing that God loved her and always sharing that love with others.

Me with my lovely Nan

When I consider the people that I admire the most, it does not tend to be the tasks they undertake that inspire me, but instead the attitude and character that is shown through what they do. Therefore, learning a lesson from the Zambians, I've come to understand the importance of making time for people, and that it is how we treat those around us that has the most enduring impact on them. 

Distributing school uniforms to our Arise children

Most Zambian schools start their new academic year in the second week of January - I definitely prefer this to going back in the first week of the New Year! The week before school started back, we scheduled our school uniform distribution for the children supported by Arise. I arrived back in Zambia on Sunday 3^rd January and the next afternoon was in the Arise office giving out uniform and books to the children we support, or their guardians. We paid some local people who could sew to make the school shirts, shorts, trousers, skirts, dresses and ties that we gave out.

Girls' uniform

Boys' uniform

Around half of the people who came to the office weren't actually supported by Arise. Some of them had applied to be part of the project and came to find out if they'd been successful. Some people came to ask us for help even though they hadn't applied. Even though we explained that all the places were full, it was still quite tough telling people we didn’t have the funds to support them at the moment. We invited them to come back in a few weeks to get any surplus uniform and books once everyone in Arise had received theirs. The people that we were unable to help reacted in several different ways. Some smiled and thanked us anyway. Some sat quietly, and others repeated their story several times. There were a few people who wouldn't even look at me.

A few school jumpers that were knitted by people in the UK

Piles of books, pens and pencils to give out

In that situation, I felt all sorts of emotions. Guilt for not being able to help, gratitude for the things I have, sadness at some tragic stories, admiration for people who do the best they can in a tough situation, even a bit of anger and frustration towards some peoples’ attitudes. I felt compelled to tell one lady that she needed to take responsibility for her own children after she complained how hard it was for her mother, looking after them and her other grandchildren.

Many children don't go to school

There was one situation that stood out for me. An 11 year old boy came to see us with his younger brother. As we talked through translation, we were able to piece together bits of their story. His father used to work at the local farm until he became too ill to do so. He has a large tumour on his face and can rarely get out of bed. Their mother is an alcoholic who’s been married several times since and doesn’t live with the family. I was impressed that this boy of just 11 years old had been doing manual work to earn some money to support the family. A neighbour paid his school fees for him last year but was unable to continue doing this. His younger brother had not yet started school. I find it hard that we are able to help some people but not others who live in the same community. But it’s hard to meet a child like that and not feel compassion. I am really pleased that we are able to sponsor these two brothers and support their family in the coming year. Hopefully it will relieve some of the pressure that they face in their young lives. 

Visiting people in the local community

In the home of one of the families we support

Arise: deciding which children and guardians we can support in 2016

Being home for Christmas gave me many opportunities to share some of the highlights and challenges of my past year in Zambia with my friends and family. As I look back on 2015, I think one of the most difficult tasks I undertook was selecting the new families to be supported by Arise. At the end of each academic year (which runs from January to December here) most of the Grade 12 students supported by Arise finish their schooling and so we look at who we will be able to accept as Grade 1 pupils for the following year at Kapumpe Christian Primary School. Guardians can apply for their child(ren) to be supported by Arise - this means we will provide school fees, uniform and books for them as well as visiting the family and helping out with any particular needs that might arise (e.g. food, transport to hospital).

One of the girls in our Arise project with her guardian

We advertised the application process via posters and word of mouth so that potential recipients would come to the Arise office during the interview week. I wasn't expecting quite as many people to show up! Usually there are about 20 applications for ten places. This year, we had over 70 applications for the ten Grade 1 places, as well as lots of others from people who weren't actually eligible because their children were not within the age range. As most of the Arise recipients are illiterate, applications are not as simple here as asking someone to fill out a form. Instead, Rosie, Naomi (the other UK teachers) and I each paired up with one of our Zambian volunteers who could translate. We then interviewed each guardian in person, to find out more about their family situation and history.

Some of the people who came for interview

One of our Zambian Arise volunteers

One thing I've noticed here in Zambia is that it's really important to ask the right questions. People don't seem to naturally share as much information as we do in the UK, so they will answer a specific question without elaboration. For example, "Are you married?" would generate a simple "yes" or "no" answer, so further questioning would be needed to determine whether the person had been married before, whether they were separated or widowed, and any additional information that could be relevant.

By UK standards, I'm pretty sure that all the people we interviewed would be considered 'vulnerable'. Yet we had to try and identify the most vulnerable, the people who we felt we could best support; for example, those who are too sick or elderly to work. We asked each applicant to provide a letter from a reputable member of their local community who could confirm their story, such as their pastor. Death certificates or medical notes were requested from relevant people. Some of our decisions as to whether to accept someone into the project were even based on whether they made the effort to bring the necessary information back. As you can probably imagine, it was not an easy task interviewing so many needy people whilst knowing we would not be able to accept them all.

Just a few of the many letters to read and consider

Another difficult part of the process was identifying which children were of an appropriate age. Birthdays aren't really 'a thing' for most people in Zambia and many people here don't know their real date of birth. One example is a brother and sister who I met. I'd say they looked to be about 4 and 8 years old, yet we were told they were born 3 months apart! The date of birth that another mother gave for her son meant he was 12 years old, but she'd already told me that she was only 21 herself!

Children in Kaniki

We tried to identify guardians who we think will be proactive and best use the help they are given. For example, some of our guardians expressed interest in being part of a farming project which will help them learn skills for more sustainable living. However, some of the children we decided to accept, are considered particularly vulnerable because of their guardians. One of the 4 year old boys who recently started in our pre-school is a classic example; he lives with his alcoholic mother and siblings. He had been attending pre-school for two whole days before she even realised that he had gone anywhere.

After narrowing down the list of applicants, we spent several afternoons visiting the families in their homes to help us build a better picture of their situation, and equip us for making the decisions. We prayed and trusted that God would use our discussions to identify the people we could best help.

Visiting homes in the community

One of the most heart breaking things was meeting so many children who had stopped attending school because their families could no longer afford it, and some children who had never been to school at all. This included several 11 year olds - the age at which children complete primary education in the UK - and a number of older children who would no longer be eligible to start at the local school. The terrible thing is knowing that for every story we hear, there are many, many more of them.

Many children don't go to school because they cannot afford the fees

In contrast, it was such a delight to visit the people we invited to join the project. Thanks to generous donations from people who have supported Arise, we were able to accept 11 children to start in Grade 1 at Kapumpe, and seven children to start at our recently opened Pre-School. These children and their guardians were absolutely thrilled to hear that we could support them and that the child would have the opportunity to attend school. 

Two children who are sponsored through Arise to attend Kapumpe Christian Primary School

This year my role here includes overseeing the work of Arise, so I plan to post more stories about how any money we raise really is making a huge difference in the life of so many vulnerable children and guardians here in Zambia. My hope is that any fundraising we do this year will enable us to accept even more children to be supported by Arise next year.

Home for Christmas

It has been wonderful to be back home in the UK for Christmas. My month here has whizzed by very quickly. Apart from a few days of supply teaching at my old school (to fund my flight back to Zambia), I have been mostly catching up with friends and family over coffee, lunch or dinner. It has been great to see everyone. 

There are so many contrasts between life here in the UK and my life in Zambia. I feel a bit like I have two very different lives! Even when I arrived at Heathrow a few weeks ago I noticed how much more fast paced everything was. One man was complaining how long he had to wait for his cases when the belt got stuck at baggage reclaim, which made me laugh as nobody in Zambia would think of making a fuss about that sort of thing!

I don't feel like I've struggled with reverse culture shock, probably because I've been looking forward to seeing people, and because it's only been a brief visit home. There is such a huge difference between the two countries when it comes to money, time and the climate, which means I can't live here like I do in Zambia, or vice versa. I've found it best to try and accept this and to fit in with where I am right now, rather than continually comparing things. There are positives and negative aspects of both cultures and plenty of things we can learn from each other, so I don't see one country as 'better' than the other.

The supermarkets in both the UK and Zambia were well prepared for the build up to Christmas. Shoprite, where I do my food shopping in Ndola, had Christmas decorations up with festive music playing before I left for the UK at the end of November.

It was fun to be back in the UK for the few weeks before Christmas. I had a Cadburys chocolate advent calendar, saw the lights in London and gatecrashed my old work's Christmas party! My Christmas Day was filled with lots of UK traditions: spending the day with family, giving and receiving presents, drinking prosecco, singing carols, eating turkey and all the trimmings, playing games, going for a walk and watching some Christmas TV. 

One of my Zambian friends told me a bit about how she celebrates Christmas over there. She goes to church on Christmas Eve - some services are overnight prayers while most places just hold a regular service. Then she attends another church service on Christmas Day. Zambian people usually gather with others for Christmas but this may not always be with family. Lots of families share a meal on Christmas Day and may eat things they don't usually have at other times of the year. This may be food like rice or spaghetti, or macaroni with chicken. Nshima (maize) is a staple Zambian food which is eaten all year round, including at Christmas. The giving and receiving of Christmas presents is rare.

Whatever country you live in, I hope you've had a lovely Christmas with family and friends. Tomorrow I will be making the journey back to Zambia for my second year there and so I will continue to update my blog to let you know how I am getting on.

Happy New Year!

Selling Zambian cards and gifts to raise money for Arise