I`m here at Maplehurst Farm, which is amongst other things the Zambia base for Bright Hope World and am making the most of a good e-mail connection and some quietness, a desk I can call my own and some pretty much un-interrupted time to get some admin cleared before heading off to Samfya at the weekend.
Appreciate the quaint 1 bedroomed cottage that I call home when I`m here. That`s not so often really as my role in the Samfya project means that I`m there more than here.
It`s getting hotter here - and will stay that way until the rains come perhaps by the end of this month. Although some years the `rains proper` don`t come until as late as early December. The next few weeks will be trying and tiring temperature wise - especially in Samfya. Sometimes prior to the rains there are what they call `dry storms` that rumble around the lake but unfortunately bring no rain or relief to the hot conditions.
I`m trying to get as much done as I can before I leave here in preparation for the coming weeks in Samfya and later on (mid November) when I`ll travel up to East Africa with Kevin & Helen and some others. Once I leave this place it seems that day-to-day admin, e-mails etc are harder to keep current, with many pressing things to do in Samfya and just not enough time left in the day when we travel. E-mail and phone are a problem there too, not to mention power. Recently e-mail has been almost non existent - certainly intermittent. But some days it works - telephone, electricity and internet function in harmony! and for a short time communication is possible! However a chance at `Lotto` is a surer bet than predicting when this might be!
Already my mind is thinking of what`s required for my time in Samfya. What to take? Can`t take too much as I`ll travel up by bus and the bus station in Samfya is quite far from the project premises. Last trip I was fortunate to have the bus take me right to the doorstep of the Samfya Mission. The driver took pity on me when some boys who carry luggage were fighting over who would carry mine! ...
I`ll try and shop for some food - vegetables if I can as they aren`t so easy to get there and the nearest place is Mansa (about 75 kms away) and one can`t always guarantee what will be available in the produce section of the the Shoprite Supermarket there.
I`m looking forward to getting back to the project, catching up with the staff there and seeing what`s been happening since I was last there. Just before I left 2 40 ft containers arrived, one from the US filled with `Hope Boxes` for the orphans (each box contains a Bible, tee-shirt, soap, toothpaste, pens, colouring pencils and other small gifts). The other container - contained mosquito nets - enough for each orphan and then some, plus some 2 & 3 person nets, which will be good for the guardian families in the coming rainy season. I learned from the project staff though that the mozzy nets are hot property on the local market as they work well as fishing nets! So that could prove to be an interesting challenge in a lakeside town. Certainly amongst other things an example of when aid becomes development! but not quite what was intended.
While I`ve been away the staff have been busy distributing these goods to the orphans. The project in Samfya is having quite an effect on the community and beyond, I`m told. It speaks well of the 22 Samfya churches that have joined together to meet the needs of the orphans and vulnerable children there, as well as HIV+ patients.