Fire, Fire, pour on water, pour on water

But tragically there was little water. Back in Maz again, catching up with Stefan and Ayano, I wandered along on Saturday morning to get my haircut at my usual place, Uncle Sams, which aside from providing a fine haircut typically involves some good football and political banter with the customers. However, I found chaos and dejection as a few hours earlier a fire had destroyed 11 shops in a complex which housed Sam’s little place and also a salon, boutique, laundry and other shops selling stationery, computers, books and mobile phones. The fire started sometime around 0400hrs, possibly caused by an electrical fault in one of the shops and was further compounded when the fire engine twice ran out of water. As a result, and with no personal insurance, Sam and many of the other shopkeepers lost all of the tools of their trades.

Clocking up the kilometres and the hours

A summary of the week in Western Province, mainly to show that getting around just one province in Zambia can be a lengthy, time consuming and bumpy task.

1. Lusaka to Mongu: 8 hrs by bus (passed through the centre of Kafue National Park but no animals in sight)
2. Mongu to Kalabo: 3hrs by boat but first a 3hr wait for the boat to fill up with passengers
3. Kalabo to Mongu: another 3hr wait after buying the ticket and this time the return trip by boat was longer, around 4hrs, as we ran out of fuel within a few kilometres of Mongu harbour and then had to wait to be towed in by another boat
4. Mongu to Kaoma: should have been only 2hrs by car but took 3 as we got a puncture along the way
5. Kaoma to Lukulu: 3hrs along a very bumpy road which meant we got covered in dust
6. Lukulu to Mongu: 5hrs, more dust and bumps
7. Mongu to Mumbwa: 6 1/2hrs by bus which was to be expected
8. Mumbwa to Lusaka: 1hr waiting time followed by 2hrs by minibus and then a taxi ride home.

And finally 30 minutes spent metres away from my house waiting whilst the taxi driver went searching from house to house for some change.  He was definitely not going to get a 100% tip so stubbornly I waited and waited.

Technical Support - Western Province

An interesting week, my first time to go west and see parts of Western Province and Barotseland, which by all accounts did appear to be under developed. Mongu, the provincial capital, and around 8 hours from Lusaka, came across as smaller than Maz with much less going on. The reasons for all this, if enquired about, will generate hours of discussion and debate about who is to blame for this apparent backwardness. 

As for the work, there is not a huge amount to say really. I moved from one district to another, meeting with some familiar faces who attended the original training done. I probably sounded like a parrot, repeating the same mantra and words of wisdom again and again. The proof of whether it was all worthwhile will be in how people react and if they as a result of the additional training they do the work. 

 

 

The travel was probably the most entertaining / interesting / frustrating (insert depending on the trip during the week) as I moved from bus to boat to car, got soaked with water one day, and on another covered head to toe in red dust. One place, Kalabo, could only be reached via a 3 hour boat trip with the boats being seen as an one the water version of Zambia’s blue minibuses, meaning that as many people and items are squeezed in as much as possible, and then only when some more squeezing has taken place do we finally leave. On the return boat journey we ran out of fuel – the frustrating bit – within sight of the harbour but being so heavy we could barely move. The crew of course did nothing, the passengers used mobiles to call for help and eventually an hour or so later another boat turned up to tow us in. Being honest, some of the places felt so remote, 3-4 hours from a main road and in the dry (i.e. the good) season, that I was only to be an overnight visitor and not stuck there for the long term

All on my own

Technical IT genius Mike has left the building, or he would probably say escaped. With a huge amount of jealousy on my part Mike, and his girlfriend Lauren, have embarked on a great adventure – driving overland from Zambia to Ethiopia with a few countries, potholes, borders and amazing experiences in-between. Lucky buggers! Selfishly, the E-Mapping website better not crash, be attacked by some virus or hacker (again!), or anything else happen to it, as without Mike there could be a few problems. For now we are ticking along nicely though I will miss them both.

If you want to find out more about their adventure then click on their blogs Mike and Lauren, or if you fancy copying them and buying their car at the end of the trip then go here.

Photos from Ennie and Henry's big day

Part 1: The salon


Part 2: The Church
 

Part 3: Posing for photos
 

Part 4: The Civic Centre

Part 5: The reception
 

 

Ennie and Henry get married

Weddings can be exhausting and I was only taking the photos! Today, and many congratulations to them both, Ennie and Henry got married. Hooray! As Ennie is a good friend from Maz, and because I have bored her previously with loads of photos from my Zambian travels, she asked me to photograph her every move. 

It all began with me finding the ladies at the salon around 0800hrs, hair being straightened, curled, lengthened, make-up being added, and lips pursed. I then caught a few glimpses of them all getting dressed up before we headed to the church. The service was simple with plenty of big smiles emerging once it was all over. Next came the official posing of the wedding photos which took place in the gardens of one of Lusaka’s smarter hotels. After that it was a trip to the Civic Centre as more officialdom was required – signatures and a bizarre talk from the registrar who focused more on what the bride and groom should do if they should decide to separate or divorce and little on the anticipated joys of marriage. At last everyone could relax and take it easy for a bit as the main members of the wedding party escaped to my house for some late lunch. The groom definitely needed a drink by this point. 

Last up was the main wedding reception in the evening which was being held in the grounds of the Zambia National Service; not army, not air force but something military which was almost a disaster for me. No one had realised that foreigners are not allowed on the base without written permission beforehand. Hence, the armed security at the gates refused me entry, even though they appeared to be doing little checking of the other guests. They are obviously so well trained that even at night they can tell the difference between someone from Zambia, Malawi, Angola and so on . . . you get my point. Anyway after calling to higher and higher officials, pleading from members of the wedding party, checking all my documents and convincing them that I was in fact the official wedding photographer I was let in under armed escort. And then closely watched for the next few hours. 

Parts of the reception were similar to back home, others interesting and different. The wedding cake was shared out – one layer each to the parents of the bride and groom, one kept for their first born child and one divided up for all the guests. Ennie and Henry also had to through a very public display of feeding each other chunks of the wedding cake, followed by another first kiss (the third one I think after the church and civic centre). Then it was all over, sometime around 2200hrs and as soon as the happy couple left so did everyone else.

Technical Support - Southern Province

Time to get out and about, and push a little to get some of the people that we trained to move along a little bit quicker with the E-Mapping work. First stop was taking to task some familiar faces in Southern Province, starting with the districts of Mazabuka, Monze and Gwembe, who are all perfectly capable but easily distracted (if I am being polite!). So we spent a few hours together, running through the key bits of the work again, checking what they have been doing and how they are using the website, making mistakes and trying again, and generally pushing them to do more. The small group work was – from my perspective – quite enjoyable as I could provide more intensive, tailored help and support, and I think they appreciated it too. 

The last bit of trouble shooting for this week involved a trip to Siavonga. A friend had kindly lent me his car for the other visits, whereas for Siavonga I had to rely on the local minibuses. The journey there was bearable, only three hours tightly squeezed into a minibus. However, on the return leg, and barely 30mins after leaving Siavonga, we suffered a puncture. The good news was that they had a spare tyre in reasonable condition. The bad news that they did not have the right tools to remove the wheel nuts. And so we waited by the roadside, numerous cars and minibuses came and went, none of them also had the right tools, before eventually we got lucky some 80mins later. 

Two things for me stand out from this little episode, which at least reflect some of my experiences of Zambian culture and behaviour. Neither the minibus driver, nor the ticket boy, said anything to the passengers; no apologies or explanation. The passengers were also (annoyingly) accepting of the situation, a few whispered moans, but little real anger or unhappiness was shown. Instead, it was patience and a belief that all will be well in the end; other nationalities would not have been so quiet and kind.

Siavonga chilling

Simple ingredients for a relaxing weekend – good friends, gin and tonics, tasty food, warm weather, silly games, smiles, laughter, and a bit more to drink. Happy days!

Itezhi Tezhi

A great sounding name for a town but initially the discussion went something like this . . . So what’s there to do in Itezhi Tezhi? Well, not entirely sure, it has a dam and a lake, and . . . . How do we get there? Good question, better find out . . . And what do we do when we get there? Relax . . . ok I am convinced, let’s it the road. 

Along came another long weekend in Zambia and not being sure what to we chose to explore somewhere different and headed to Itezhi Tezhi, which has an almost mythical name in my book. The journey there was fun, the nice smooth tarmac disappeared far too soon and then we felt the bumps of basically a dirt track. Our 4x4 was fine though other vehicles were getting stuck even now in the dry season, so come October and the rains this route will surely become impassable. After using a pontoon to cross the Kafue river we then hit sand, which was much faster and more fun to drive on. 

And then came the relaxation as we pitched our tent in a simple but friendly and cosy campsite, got the braii started and enjoyed a beer watching the sunset over the lake. The rest of the weekend did not involve too much more effort – a lazy morning swim in the pool followed by a trip in a speedboat to explore the lake. We spotted a few animals along the way (hippos, crocs and antelopes) though the fun came from the fresh air by being on the water and the boat bouncing along (occasionally hitting the odd hidden tree stump which was slightly worrying). After all the training, the hotels and the dull food it was very good to get away.

  

 

Testimonies

In case you are interested here are a few quotes from replies that I received from the DACAs. It is nice when people say nice things, particularly when you least expect it. 

"Thanks for the documents and most importantly for your much needed support that could not have come at a better time than now! The workshop was so enriching to me and will ever appreciate you people"

"Thanks a million for the documents and support"

"Thanks we have started to collect the stakeholder information.  It is very interesting and stakeholders have appreciated the SARF" 

"Thank you for the information, we had a stakeholders meeting yesterday and the response was good. Stakeholders were very happy with this new development. 27 stakeholders attended and we had a fruitful discussion. Each stakeholder was interviewed and was happy. We wish to thank you and your team. If anything, we shall keep in touch"

Looking back at the training – highlights and low points

The positives . . .

• The enthusiasm and interest of the DACAs for taking on, testing and using the E-Mapping tool – generally showing appreciation of what we are trying to do 
• Our preparation was good, the IT stuff worked well and we had left little out 
• As a training team Mike and I rock! Ok we did quite well 
• The DACAs listened, very few mobiles went off and newspapers were put away – basically people paid attention 

The negatives . . .

• Zambian food and having to eat the same meals (bland and overcooked) again and again. Given the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables available along the roadside and at markets the lack of both at all the workshop venues was disappointing
• And don’t get me started on the quality of the service. The starting principles seem to be the customer is generally wrong and just smile nicely if the customer complains but don’t do anything 
• The attention and involvement of some of the staff from NAC (best say no more).

Last but not least Lusaka

We returned to base for the last leg of the training, involving the provinces of Eastern, Southern and Western. By this point it did feel like déjà vu for Mike and I, having to repeat the same things again whilst trying to sound as enthusiastic and energised as the first time. We managed of course and were helped by it being a new group of participants who tended to ask the same question as the other groups but in a completely different way. For our part is done. We can sit back and wait to see what happens. Will the participants follow our advice and instructions? Will the system crash? Will the districts and stakeholders buy into this new process? Will we actually get any data? Fingers crossed.

     

Part two in Kabwe

To be honest there was nothing particularly memorable – good or bad – about the Kabwe workshop. Mike and I went through the same pitter-patter, more perfected now and hopefully it did not sound too tired and formulaic already. There were four different provinces – Central, Lusaka, Muchinga and Northern – at this training and the participants were similar in profile to the first workshop. Some participants grasped the concepts, methods and IT side of things quickly, and were running ahead of some of their colleagues by the end of day one, whilst others needed much more time and attention. Such a variance in the skills and capabilities is to be expected with 120+ people, though the people at the low end of the range who displayed fairly weak IT skills and understanding was worrying. 

      

First stop on the E-Mapping tour - Kitwe

All in all the first of the three E-Mapping workshops went well, though both Mike and I did find the talking, standing and non-stop questions pretty tiring. The week and training all began in Kitwe, the second largest of the mining towns in the Copperbelt and certainly not an attractive one as a huge slag heap of coal greets visitors as you enter the town. What was the training all about? So we had brought together the HIV and AIDS coordinators at the district and provincial levels from three provinces – the Copperbelt, Luapula and North Western – so that they could learn how to use our all singing, all dancing E-Mapping tool (www.zambianacmisonline.org). In simple language, the tool is a way of monitoring and coordinating HIV and AIDS organisations in Zambia. 

Mike and I chopped and changed, dovetailed, swapped roles, answered questions, got the participants to test and try and learn, all with the aim that after the two days they would be able to go back to their districts and provinces and start using and sharing the tool with their HIV and AIDS organisations and stakeholders. For a first attempt the training was pleasing and the feedback was positive; they were almost relieved that something like this tool had come along to help them in their work. Crucially, the new Director General for the National AIDS Council (NAC) was able to open the workshop and stay for the first session, which allowed the participants just enough time to share some of their grievances and what should be done to improve their jobs. Then, like a circus, we packed everything up and moved on to the next training venue. Well we tried to but first there was a four hour delay before we could go anywhere as our NAC vehicle refused to move.

7,000+ sheets equals . . . a lot of reams of paper

As we finally began preparing for the E-Mapping training there was sadly no time to save any trees and instead I experienced what seemed like endless hours of printing and photocopying. It had felt like that we had had weeks of waiting and then all of sudden the workshops were only days away. Mike and I did not quite reach panic or crisis mode but there was certainly too much running around due to little fault of our own. The main worry was discovering that the person responsible (to remain anonymous for now) for booking the accommodation had failed to do so, which meant the 120+ people were about to arrive with no beds or training venue booked. Of course we got around this though it should not have gone that far in the first place. 

My other memory of this week was the paper, which we would have handed over to the same anonymous individual but needless to say we did not trust him. This meant I spent all of today spread-eagled between a printer and the photocopier in the VSO office. As for all the training participants the list of documents was endless covering questionnaires, presentations, timelines, manuals and so on. Maybe Mike and I went a bit too far with the handouts but we wanted to make sure that the participants got everything that they would need. So now the training can be begin and for the record it was around 14 reams of paper that we used up.

Return to Maz

Back in Mazabuka for the day for a meeting with members of the DATF Executive Committee and the experience was a mixed one. Even before I stepped off the bus I could see some familiar faces at the roadside. Their greetings, and those of others who I bumped into, were typically warm and friendly. Questions and phrases rolled out along the lines of we miss you, when are you coming back and we need you here. It is impossible not to weaken in the face of such affection and think about returning.

The welcome at the start of the Executive meeting was similar and they were appreciative that I had found the time to travel to Maz. As has been the case in previous meetings the discussions, debates and resolutions were not the issue. To repeat myself from previous blog articles, my former colleagues say all the right things, yet it is the doing that remains the problem, which is probably why they liked Judy and I so much because we ensured that the majority of the actions got done; either by doing them ourselves or by nagging others.

As an aside, Zambian friends of mine openly admit the action issue. They would get the gold medal for saying the right thing and convincing others, particularly donors, of their sincerity but the doing part is a whole different matter. To finish waffling away, as the Executive know I am still here and willing to support them if asked but they need to take on the responsibilities and work themselves rather than vice-versa. They are all perfectly capable and able, so I await news on what is happening and will hopefully see some progress.

Home sweet home

I am settling in to Lusaka and here are few pics of my new place to show it. The maps and chitenge all made it from Maz to Lusaka so a few things will look familiar.

Valued . . .?

Now I am not surprised but still somewhat disappointed. To explain, and therefore have a bit of a moan, there are two things on my mind. Firstly, I left my role at the Mazabuka DATF three weeks ago now and since then there has been a lengthy silence from my former colleagues. Admittedly my departure from Maz was swift, yet despite pressing them and various reminders my offer of some form of handover and skills training session has failed to happen. This is despite phone calls from some of the same colleagues when problems have arisen, which would not have been problems in the first place if they had made time for us to meet. The ball is firmly in their court as the Executive team in Maz have much more to gain, and also lose, than I by us getting or not getting together. All the documents, reports and other bits of information that I have would be useful to them. The silence leads to questions such as where did I go wrong, what did I not do, was the last two years a waste of time, was anyone actually listening to me . . . and so on.This is the first disappointment.

Secondly, and this is of less importance, I would have liked some sort of goodbye from my work colleagues. I accept that I left quickly for Lusaka because of the new work with NAC and knowing their mindset they will be thinking that I have not actually left the country yet so they still have time. However, to counter such excuses, I do feel unappreciated. The life experience here has been unforgettable, greatly rewarding and enriching, but as a volunteer I gave up a lot of time (two years), money (am trying not to count how much!) and (loss of) personal time with friends and family to work in Maz. Of course I did this willingly but given the time and effort that I have put in the lack of any form of a goodbye is the second disappointment.

Welcome braii for the new vols

Tradition dictates that a welcome braii is always held for the new VSO volunteers, organised by the current ones. Hopefully, the existing volunteers provide a few friendly faces to the new vols after they have only been in the country for 24hrs. With limited options in Lusaka we decided to have the braii at my new house, trying to squeeze in something like 45 people into the place. If the rain had come then we would have been in trouble and sat like sardines but luckily the weather stayed dry for a few hours so people could spill outside; so my house survived the invasion of so many people. And it was a success – lots of tasty braii food, cold beers and much excited / nervous chatter and questioning about life as a volunteer in Zambia. A good start for the new vols on the block and there was enough food leftover for the current vols to have another braii the following evening!

Welcome to the neighbourhood

A week into my stay in Lusaka and a tenants’ meeting for Courtyard 2D was called. Our little courtyard consists of 4 cottages and 2 single room bedsits – all tenants were politely asked to attend. The meeting bore a remarkable resemblance to workplace Zambian meetings, meaning that: we started late (around an hour); it lasted much too long (something close to 2½ hours) because people rarely stick to the point; the discussion was good but few actions or responsibilities were actually agreed in the end (I admittedly kept my head down as much as possible). The main issues were the reporting and duties of the night guard, use and also mis-use (i.e. people sending him on errands that last hours) of the day guard, parking, rubbish collection and paying bills on time. Now these are important things but it was still pretty tedious and I was glad to escape when the meeting concluded. Fortunately no specific date was agreed when to hold the next meeting!

Champions of Africa

It is a very good time to be in Zambia. The mood and atmosphere around the country feels even friendlier and happier than usual and all because Zambia beat the Ivory Coast late last night in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations. The game went to penalties and the less well known Zambian players held their nerve to win. For hours after the game the streets of Lusaka thronged with smiley, happy, flag waving people – high on the victory and more than likely after a few drinks as well. The noise of the vuvuzelas did not stop all night, nor did the honking of car horns, and both could still be heard in the morning. The day after people were still wearing their football shirts and cars were adorned with flags and chitenges showing the national colours. I doubt much work was done as people chatted about the night before and where they were, watched the highlights and reports on the game, and also remained glued to the TV waiting to find out when the nation’s new heroes would be returning home. Zambia is now on the map and in peoples’ minds for all the right reasons – everyone is happy and proud.

New addresses

In case you want to do a bit of searching around Lusaka on Google maps then my new house can be found here (stick Nsunzu road and Lusaka into Google and you will be able to see where I am now living)

Flat 2D

Courtyard 2

Nsunzu Road

Civic Centre

Lusaka

But please don't send any post there as I would be very very surprised if it actually made it. The best address to use is the one for VSO which is

VSO Zambia Programme Office

Mukuba Pension House

4th Floor

Dedani Kimathi Road

PO Box 32965

Lusaka

All packed up and on the move

So this is what all my belongings look like, expertly squeezed on to the back of a small canter and tied together to make sure that nothing was lost along the bumpy road to Lusaka.

Progress at last

All of sudden it is full steam ahead and we need to be working in Lusaka from yesterday, or maybe even before that. The good news is that VSO (many thanks to Jackie) has found me a house. The place seems fine, needs a bit of work and the landlord has promised to get on with it. The house is obviously much smaller than my previous palace in Maz but I will still have plenty of space. There are two bedrooms plus a third smallish room. The kitchen is small but fine for cooking, and then there is a separate dining room and lounge area. In the middle of the house there is a small courtyard and then a nice little garden at the front. I will be in a compound with another 4 other similar cottages and the neighbours so far have been friendly and knocking on my door to welcome me and say hello.

The area seems ok though not a one that I am familiar with. I will be within walking distance of both the VSO office (about 15mins) and the NAC office (around 30mins) which is helpful. The shops are a bit of a walk but not too bad. I just need to find out where I can buy all my fresh fruit and vegetables. I also need to find a gym or at the very least start running again to avoid coming back from Zambia fatter than when I left!

Interesting road logic

Over the weekend I travelled north to the Copperbelt using the Mazhandu bus company who in terms of reliability, timeliness and safety tend to be the best in the country. At one point, just outside a town called Kapiri Mposhi (approx 3-4 hours from Lusaka), all heavy vehicles are forced to enter the weighbridge to be weighed. We queued up in haphazard fashion along with tens of other buses and trucks with each driver trying to manoeuvre their vehicle through the smallest gaps in order to get ahead in the queue. When it was our turn to pass through the weighbridge the officials found that the bus was overweight. In fear of being sent all the way back to Lusaka the solution was simple. The bus drove a few metres up the road, half the passengers were asked to depart and wait by the roadside, whilst the bus went through the same time consuming process again at the weighbridge. This time the bus passed the weight restrictions (possibly with something exchanging hands), we picked up the waiting passengers and continued to travel northwards. Now the point of the weighbridge is what exactly . . .?

Introducing baby Robert

As promised here is a photo of Robert who his mother Beauty says is absolutely perfect - so far a happy, hungry little chap. Must be something to do with the name of course . . .

In limbo

We are sitting by the phone waiting for it to ring. I am exaggerating of course but at the moment I am unsure whether I should be packing my bags, pots and pans, and everything else in the house, and getting ready to move to Lusaka, or continue twiddling my thumbs in the DATF office in Mazabuka. Since the start of the New Year we have had a number of meetings with NAC, the World Bank and UNAIDS, which have all been perfectly useful, pleasant conversations but progress remains slow and why there is a delay is not completely clear. The limbo is compounded by friends, many of the Italians, sadly leaving Zambia and therefore it feels like a good time to change and leave sweet Mazabuka behind for something new. A move to the big city awaits, I am just not too sure when exactly at the moment.

The last stakeholder's meeting

My last Mazabuka DATF stakeholder's meeting and it was a pretty good day. The vital statistics: well attended with over 40 people there; we started fairly close to time (maybe 20 or so minutes late which is excellent by Zambian standards); and the presentations and discussions were all well received. Now as I exit I hope that these quarterly meetings continue. They require a bit of planning, time, convincing people to present and pushing people to attend, but this is nothing that others cannot easily do themselves. The next meeting is due to take place in April or May. I want to be hearing about it and not excuses concerning why the meeting has not taken place.

Burgled (again)

This was burglary number three I think – frustrating but in the scheme of things minimal damage was done. To back track Abi, my neighbourhood, contacted me sometime around 28th December to say that the house had been broken into and that things were missing. My immediate panic concerned my laptop and hard drive but Abi reassured me that no one had actually got into the house, which left me somewhat confused. The story goes that either the night guard was asleep, he had wandered off somewhere or he let the intruders into the plot of the house. Then the intruders proceeded to prise open the windows for the bedrooms and as they cannot climb in due to the metal bars on each window they must have used a hook or claw to drag things to the windows and out. In the end they took a duvet, some pillows, sheets and bed sheets, and ran off when the night guard started screaming to Abi around 4am that someone was stealing things from the house. Now I have another new night guard and the security company are begrudgingly going to pay for the stolen items. So annoying but it could have been worse and the items taken can easily be replaced.

A long journey back

A quick summary of the transport that we used to get back to Mazabuka from Tofo:

1. Local bus (very uncomfortable) at 0400hrs in the morning from Tofo to Maputo – 9hrs travel
2. International bus (luxury and I was so comfortable that I talked in my sleep and woke up half the bus at one point) at 1900hrs from Maputo to Johannesburg – another 9hrs
3. Commuter train and then shared taxi to get from the intercity bus terminal at 0500hrs in Joburg to OR Tambo airport – took a bit longer than it should have done but was good fun
4. Plane of the Easy Jet kind from Joburg at 1000hrs to Livingstone – less than two hours
5. Bus (semi luxury) from Livingstone at 1330hrs to Mazabuka - and 6hrs later back in Maz

Then time to sleep.

Tofo and Tipo Tinto

A piece of advice on how to end the New Year and then start the new one – be near a beach. Zanzibar last year was wonderful and Tofo, sitting on the Indian Ocean, was pretty good too. Our routine for days on end was to hit the beach, run across the beach to avoid the hot sand, cool off in the sea and jump into the waves, beach sleeping to catch up after a late night or two, search for some food and then head out for some more dancing and drinking. The drinking at times included some strange and scarily looking cocktails, and also on one night a wee bit too much of the local rum, Tipo Tinto. Happy sandy days.