Lusaka: Nearing the End

Only a week to go till I officially finish my VSO placement!

The past month has felt rather long. I have been working mostly for an organisation called Room to Read, helping out their local Zambia office with fundraising research and putting together case studies for some of the programmes. It has been interesting and at times a tad stressful, but more than anything it has been good to see a clearly functioning organisation with actual beneficiaries and outcomes. The staff at Room to Read work hard and seem to always have the recipients of their programmes at front of mind. They are also one of the few organisations that I would be prepared to assist or give money to in future. The statistics for education in Zambia are appalling and I’ve heard stories of students in grades 8 and 9 that still can’t read! And then there’s the wide gender gap in education, something I’ve become super passionate about. Improving the situation for females in countries like Zambia is priority and will go a long way towards its development.

Room to Read in Zambia

Apart from Room to Read I’ve continued to support my Livingstone organisation and help out here and there with other VSO partners. It’s been challenging and great to learn about what others are doing, but also tiring. I’m really looking forward to finishing up and catching up on sleep!

And while I’ve been busy at it, Mike has been kicking goals on his National AIDS Council (NAC) project. For the past week and a half he and Rob, another VSO volunteer, have been delivering training for a new stakeholder mapping and data collection system to in excess of 100 NAC staff from all over Zambia. I’ve heard about the challenges they’ve encountered daily in the lead up to, and during the training which has made me tired (and frustrated) just hearing about it. However, the project and training has so far been a success and it is now really up to NAC staff to make the system a complete triumph by entering data and using it to its fullest potential.

At one of the training sessions for Mike's system

Learning and sharing

Lusaka has been a change of pace as well. Slightly crazy, horrendous traffic, rainy and dirty, I have really missed small and quiet Livingstone. And the begging is something I’m still not used to. There was a bit of that in Livingstone, but mostly people just left me alone and if they did ask, if was a half attempt and they’d walk away as soon as I said “no”. But not in Lusaka; they’re at the traffic lights, at the shops following me around and worse, at my house. I get begging when I take the rubbish out or walk down my driveway! And I do feel bad, but at the same time once you start giving money to random strangers, you would never stop. I know that begging is something I’m going to have to get used to as we travel through East Africa, as I’m sure it will get worse. Still, it’s just something else to have to manage on a daily basis in Lusaka.

Nonetheless, despite all of the downsides to being in Lusaka, there have been some good ones too. I have been absolutely loving the coffee shops, variety of cafes and restaurants (when we can afford them), the abundance of vegetables and I have been able to stock up on broccoli, a real treat; and we even discovered an Asian shop close to our house selling curry pastes, noddles, etc. Super exciting! The regular Wednesday dinners at Mahaks Indian restaurant are also a highlight, giving all Lusaka based volunteers the chance to catch up and vent over a beer (or two).

Mike & I at "Plates" restaurant in Lusaka

And in March Mike turned 30, so special treats were in store with a nice dinner at a restaurant called “Plates” and a bit of a gathering the following night with other VSOs. Not exactly the same as spending back in Oz, but a temporary escape from the norm.

Red wine and smiles for Mike's 30th Birthday

And dessert!

Cocktail hour

More birthday celebrations

Planning for our trip is coming along well, although slowly given we haven’t had much time to dedicate to it. But Gorilla viewing and our Kilimanjaro Climb are booked and we have a few fun trips planned in Zambia before we leave to Kaufe National Park, South Luangwa National Park and a return visit to Livingstone; I can’t wait!

The planning wall for our big trip

At the end of next week it’s the end of a topsy turvy 18 months and full steam ahead as we finally hit the road for the next stage of our Africa adventure.