Zambia and the roller-coaster ride it is

I have to say that I’ve never been a big fan of the roller-coaster. When visiting theme parks, the show, etc. I’ve never been one of those people who rush for a ride on the rollercoaster, mostly because I don’t really like the whizzing around, up and down. So I have to say that it will be nice to eventually get off the rollercoaster that is being a volunteer in Zambia. However until then, I continue to ride the ups and downs, with this entry being a bit of a summary of my ride over the last few months.

To work first.

This has undoubtedly taken me on the down, down part of the rollercoaster ride. In a post prior to our big Southern Africa trip I mentioned that I had worked with the team to put together a plan of things that needed (urgently) to get done. I even went to the effort of enlarging it and printing it in colour so that it was a visible daily reminder! However as anticipated little got done in my absence. In fact, I wouldn’t be exaggerating when I say NOTHING got done the entire time I was away. So much for organisational plans!

So, my return to work was frustrating. Donor funded projects had been left wayside and my first 6 weeks back were spent trying to get things back on track (more for the donors than my organisation). I have dealt with complete selfishness as work that was supposed to be done on behalf of our beneficiaries just didn’t get done, so the beneficiaries just miss out (and the donors get the blame!). I’ve also dealt with foreign donors who fly in to Zambia, spend maybe 4 or 5 days here, spend 2-3 hours with my colleagues and then tell them how wonderful they are and to keep up the good work. They completely undo all of the hard work of me and my Japanese colleague, reinforcing bad behaviours based on their 5 minute observations! Argh, aid! It feels so completely dysfunctional sometimes!

Partner's Forum Meeting for a Sports Advocacy project being
run by my organisation

Public Forum on Sport's grounds in Livingstone

I also became aware that through a partnership with a USAID funded organisation, my colleagues had been completing training and being put up in 5 star hotels in Lusaka. Why I don’t expect that they need to “slum it”, I find this to go completely against the objectives of aid money, when you think about how much it is costing to put up approximately 30 people per training for usually 5 days, food, transport refunds and daily allowances! How much impact could the same amount of money have in a poor community in Zambia as opposed to putting up middle income “aid workers”, who I might add, in the case of my organisation, have done absolutely nothing with the training they have received. Completely crazy and I doubt that US taxpayers would be especially pleased about this. 

Workshop with our Board Members to define their roles and
responsibilities

One win that I appear to have is in setting up a partnership between my organisation and the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA). The ZDA offer some great services to Small and Medium Enterprises and have agreed to run Business Management training for free for some of our Self Help Group women. The training will be only very basic, teaching them simple business concepts such as costing inputs, calculating profit, etc. Simple, but concepts that I’ve discovered many of our SHG women don’t understand and as a result are making losses on their Income Generating Activities. ZDA also provide links to microfinance and larger businesses who may be interested in sourcing their products from the women.

Discussion with some of our SHG women to better understand what
 they need to improve their economic security

Another up on the work front is that it is looking extremely likely that Mike and I will be relocating to Lusaka. Mike has been working hard to gain support for a stakeholders system he has built on behalf of the National AIDS Council in Zambia, and has managed to obtain funds for its implementation. A huge win and very much deserved! So it seems we will both have new jobs, as Mike goes to work on his system implementation and I find a new organisation to work with in Lusaka. More to come on this……

Away from work

A little bit more up on that roller-coaster ride, although feeling the effect of living in a small town with not much to do and a struggle through the hot, hot, hot October heat.

We have managed to keep ourselves relatively occupied, with yet another trip to Chobe NP a month or so ago, a trip to Siavonga (on Lake Kariba) to visit other VSO volunteers, braai’s and dinners with friends and Mike also gave white water rafting a go. We have also started the monumental task of researching our east Africa road trip. So much to read about and plan, but at least it is fun, even if it still seems like forever until we go!

On the road back from Siavonga: This is a very common sight 

Siavonga was lovely, very pretty and it was great to catch up with Joibelle and Vinod, fellow VSOs who were in the same intake as Mike and I. There’s not a lot to do there, but that didn’t matter too much as it was roasting! I thought Livingstone got hot, but it has nothing on Siavonga. I’ve decided that I’m glad I didn’t get placed there! Anyway, we checked out the Dam, which was quite low on water, had a bit of a look around town and spent a bit of time at the various lodges eating and drinking. It was a bit strange being in the lodges who charge crazy prices and then to look out and see the rest of the town on a hill side and their shanty little houses. The divide between the haves and have nots pretty much stares you in the face. Nonetheless, definitely a place worth visiting.

The Kariba Dam: Low on water

Looking out at beautiful Lake Kariba

Lake Kariba in town

It seems there are many uses for the lake, including clothes washing!

Roadside village

Lodge in Siavionga: Hard to see, but the hill behind it
houses many  of the people in Siavonga

The hill of houses

More houses......

Chobe NP, which never disappoints, brought us wild dogs this time. Amazing and super exciting as they were one animal on my list that I can now tick off. A bonus too was seeing a smallish elephant chase the dogs away. Who would have thought that wild dogs in a pack could be so timid?

Wild dog: How cute is he?

Wild dog being chased away by a "huge" elephant :-)

Wild Dog

We also had our dog Rambo castrated, an interesting and slightly discomforting procedure to be taking place when handled by a Zambian veterinarian, but it seems to have gone well (from our point of view anyway, not so sure about Rambo’s). I don’t think that Rambo particularly appreciated the blue bucket on his head either, but it did work in preventing him from biting at his stiches.

My doggy "Rambo" with his bucket head. At least he doesn't look
too unhappy

Lots of braai’s and dinners with friends! Looking forward to the coming Christmas weekend as we spend a “German” Christmas with our friends Marion and George and their son Leonard on the 24^th, and then an afternoon of yummy Christmas food on the 25^th with our friends Brett and Claire at their beautiful lodge on the Zambezi River.

And to all of my wonderful family and friends at home, wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy start to 2012. xx  

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in 2012!!!

Zambia National Voluntary & Counselling Testing (VCT) Day

Every year on the 30^th of June, Zambia has a national day, Voluntary & Counselling Testing Day or VCT Day as it is better known here.

The purpose of VCT Day is to raise awareness and encourage Zambians to get themselves tested for HIV. This year’s theme was “Get tested today, Get tested together”, encouraging couples to get counselled and tested as a couple.

My organisation's banner for VCT Day

Mike and I as we waited for the march to begin; it started
about 1.5 hours later than scheduled! 

This was the first VCT Day I have participated in since being in Zambia, so I was curious to see how much it differed from the events that take place on World AIDS Day. The answer to that was not much.

Marchers lined up along Mosi-Oa-Tunya Road

The local VCT Day event in Livingstone was bit more low key than what was done for World AIDS Day. However we still had a march through the main street, the marching band and the long speeches. What is most disappointing about it all however is that like World AIDS Day, the people who attend and participate in the event are already aware about the issue; it’s kind of like preaching to the converted.

Women from Self Help Groups dressed in matching chitenge for the
VCT Day March

Me walking in the VCT Day March

Traditional dancers preforming at the main event

 Nonetheless, intentions are good and it provided a good opportunity to set up the testing tents for public display. I don’t think anyone actually got tested on the day in Livingstone at least, (Zambian’s are very discreet people, especially when it comes to the subject of HIV/ AIDS) however it hopefully plants the idea in people’s minds.

"New Start" testing tents

This year my organisation had a display tent at the event, the first time for quite a while. The display looked great and I was very pleased with the effort made on the posters I had asked them to do for the different projects. 

My organisation's tent for VCT Day

The Livingstone District Commissioner and accompanying party taking a
look at our stand and discussing the various programmes on offer

Information on offer

Also impressive was the turnout we received from our Self Help Group women. All up there was about 40 women from the different groups and they came dressed in matching chitenge for the event, very effective during the march. We were also able to display some of the goods they had produced as a part of our display, which was a nice touch.

Poster for Self Help Group for Women Programme

Women from Self Help Groups and the team

 So, that was my first VCT Day. I think for a brief moment the day may raise some awareness on the importance of getting tested ,however it would be good to see event organisers find ways to draw members of the community into the event and increase their involvement. I think it would also be symbolic for local and national leaders to “lead the way” and get tested as an example to others. But I won’t hold my breath on that one! 

The 7 Month Mark!

Time is finally moving a bit faster and we have made it to 7 months in Zambia. It feels like quite an achievement as there have been days when I have started to think that I wasn’t going to make it even this far.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not hating Zambia or my placement, but it is challenging on a day to day basis and sometimes does get me down.

Life has become somewhat routine, pretty much one of the things that I had hoped to get away from when I left Australia. It’s been very much work from Monday to Friday and fit in what we can on the weekends, on a very meagre budget.

Weekend treat: Homemade burger with a refreshing cider to
accompany it!

Work has been ok, quite busy actually. I finally completed one of my most important tasks, writing a Resource Mobilisation Strategy for my organisation, which I had never done before, and have had it accepted by the management and staff of the organisation. From there it has been full steam ahead as we refine some of our programme plans and ramp up the daunting task of fundraising for them. At work we were also successful in securing a donated vehicle (I did have misgivings about this, given the cost of fuel and maintenance, but it has already come in very useful) and have started a couple of smaller IGAs for our office. Baby steps, but we have to start somewhere!

One of our office IGAs: The first of our vegetable gardens. 

The Toyota Hilux that was donated to ZINGO South from Pact Zambia

Our main programme which is currently running is Self Help Groups (SHG) for women, a programme that I feel quite passionately about and more so every time we do a site visit. The programme so far has 21 groups of women (approximately 15 per group), with our goal to reach up to 50 by end of this year. The programme focuses on group savings and loans, is a proven concept and is sort of based on the Grameen model, with less of a microfinance component. I love the focus on women and the concept of “Self Help”, something that Zambia often lacks. But I think I will write more on this programme in a later post.

One of our women's groups at their weekly meeting

Self Help Group training at the ZINGO South office. The training
covered the SHG concept, book keeping and data collection

The area of development and its place in Zambia has proven extremely challenging for me and from discussions with other VSO volunteers and expats, I’m not alone. At the moment I cannot see how Zambia’s aid dependency will ever be removed unless something changes significantly. It is a shame as Zambia as a country has a lot going for it; beautiful parks and wildlife and therefore great tourism opportunities; lots of minerals, predominately copper; it has a relatively cheap, oversupply of labour which if tapped properly could be used to attract foreign investment. Unfortunately, Zambia suffers from many of the same “governance” issues as a number of other African countries (albeit not all). It also has poor infrastructure which it needs to improve significantly being a land-locked country, a lack of incentives for foreign investment and an allowance culture where very little gets done without a personal incentive being offered first. Currently there are a number of countries pulling their aid money out of Zambia, which I hope acts as a signal to the people and government here that things need to change. However I fear that I am being a little optimistic.

Anyway, to break routine, Mike and I are endeavouring to plan more short trips and activities; after all, we shouldn't waste the opportunities that we have in the location where we are based with 3 borders at our doorstep. We are especially looking forward to our planned trip in September which will be nearly a month long road trip through Botswana and Namibia (which Mike has deemed as “Top Gear Bostwana 2”). I’m excited too because my Mum and her friend Reegena will be joining us.

Before shot: This is Mike before I gave him a very much needed hair cut

After shot: Mike exclaiming how much lighter and cooler his head feels

Last weekend we re-visited Victoria Falls, which are too amazing to try and describe. They have to be one of the coolest, if not the coolest, thing I have ever seen. Sooooo much water and power!

Victoria Falls in May

The mighty Mosi-o-Tunya (the smoke that thunders) 

The town of Livingstone over Easter was the busiest I have ever seen it, with “Mzungu’s” (white person) everywhere, great for the local tourism industry.

Mike in front of Victoria Falls

And at home we have had a puppy invasion, with puppies appearing from everywhere, much to the disgust of our resident dog, Simba (although we suspect that some of the puppies may be his). Mike has also been quite unhappy, with some of the puppies attacking his herbs and plants. 

Simba being followed around by the puppies

Could this be Simba Junior?

So life continues here in Zambia, with its ups and downs, encouragements and disappointments, a real eye opener!

Me at the top of Victoria Falls

My New Organisation and Role for the Next Two Years

I will be working with a local HIV/AIDS focused NGO in Livingstone, Zambia for the next two year. My role is Program Manager and Fundraiser or in NGO terms, Resource Mobilisation. I am learning fast that NGOs speak their own language, a little like banks really, with a million different acronyms to remember.

   

 



The front of our building

My organisation is quite interesting, made up of 7 faith based organisations (4 Christian, the Islamic Council of Zambia, the Baha’i and Hindu communities in Zambia). I’m not especially religious, however I do appreciate the uniqueness of our structure in that it is able to bring together such diverse faiths and beliefs for the greater good of the Zambian people.



Our office building



My desk- Where I spend my days

I’m still learning a lot about what we do, but some of the key programs in progress at the moment include the establishment of “Self Help Groups”, the basis of microfinance for women; Income Generation Activities which have provided training in tailoring for a number of local women and brought in a contract to make school uniforms for some of the local schools; Youth education on HIV/AIDS; and material support for community based schools with Orphans and Vulnerable Children.

The team

 

Income Generation Activities in action

  



There are 6 members of my organisation. There is another volunteer from Japan whose focus is Income Generation Activities; the Regional Manager, two Program Support Officers and the Office Assistant.

It’s still early days and I’m still working out what I should be doing. Included in my Placement Agreement (yes, I have KRAs here too!) is a Fundraising Strategy, Donor Mapping, Capacity plan for ZINGO and lots of involvement in programs and site visits.



My first planning workshop



Results of the workshop- Plenty to work with!

  

I have run my first workshop with the team here and was very impressed by the work done to date and the vision they have.

Now, where to start??