One good week, one bad week

Last week I had a really good week at work. This week was really frustrating. There wasn’t really any obvious difference between them and the weathers cooled down so I should be happier. But I think it’s the realisation that however talented and motivated they are, and whatever the quality of the fundraising applications we write, there is a limited pot of money and an unlimited number of organisations trying to get it.

I began last week by establishing committees to look at all of YDF’s programmes for 2007, and their fundraising work. Loads of people signed up to them, and most of them turned up to the meetings. They wanted assignments to do for the next week and most of them had finished these before the next meetings.

On Saturday morning they had agreed to come to my house for a workshop, where I could get to know where the organisation wants to be in a year and their needs. 15 of them turned up and participated really well. Reassuringly they didn’t bring up anything too new, and seemed sold on the idea of focusing on a few achievable objectives for this year. In a short session on fundraising, they came out with pretty much everything I know (this added to the fact they’ve written some pretty decent applications) left me thinking my job would just be to edit these into better English. Great!

This week I realise that my job isn’t going to be just editing their funding applications. There is a big gap between their knowledge of the issues, and their knowledge of how to run programmes. More specifically, the few people who do know how to run an organisation are busy going to network meetings, so I’m working with people just out of school who haven’t had a job before. Unfortunately I have to spend lots of times talking about being SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound). I’m hoping to introduce some more acronyms to keep it interesting.

There’s more jargon here than you can shake a stick at so it can seem that they’re light years ahead in their thinking. For example 18 year olds will often talk about participation, facilitation, empowerment, corporate strategic plans, sensitisation etc. etc. But scratch the surface and there is often no substance to this talk. I’ve sent off my first funding application for a couple of computers and internet connection designated for young women in Chipata so we’ll see how that goes. After that I’m going to attempt to tap up all the Embassies.

Chipata

 

We’re living in Chipata, the capital of the Eastern Province of Zambia. So far I really like it. Its big enough to have everything you need, and not so big as to have all the problems of an urban centre.

Depending on where you draw the boundaries, Chipata has around 350,000 people living here. Most of the people are Zambians with a few thousand Muslim Indians, and a handful of us Muzungus.

 

 

There are busy markets, a Shoprite (South African supermarket chain) and a collection of shops in ‘The Downs’, a few streets which look like something out of the Wild West. These sell anything and everything and the Indian owners have been here for around four generations. Tradesmen can also be seen moulding bricks and making furniture on the roadside. However unemployment levels are high, and there are lots of people whose days seem to lack any structure.

One of the noticeable things about Chipata is the amount of space. There aren’t the same high-density slums you would get in Lusaka or other capital cities. It even has a golf course of sorts! Cross the border to Malawi 20km away and you notice much greater land pressure.

Chipata is in a valley surrounded by hills. About an hour away is South Luangwa National Park, by all accounts one of Africa’s best safari parks. It’s currently the height of summer here and temperatures hit 35 degrees everyday. In a couple of weeks the rainy season will come. For four months or so, there will be torrential rain every afternoon and travelling will become much harder.

Most people travel on foot. If they’re bringing goods into town to sell they stack them high on the back of a bicycle and walk, sometimes for a couple of days. It’s common to see a live chicken, goat or pig on the back of a bicycle, or 2-3 human passengers. Cars are owned by a small number of businessmen, tourists and development workers and travel through at about 70 miles an hour.

Formerly Fort Jameson, Chipata was the regional post for British colonialists. It’s border location has led to the growth of a sizeable town since independence. It’s going for city status by 2010.

As I said I really like it so far. While the poverty and other problems are evident, as a privileged Westerner it’s pretty nice living here.

Where I work

I’ve been working for a few days at my organisation now, the Youth Development Foundation (YDF). They are located in a really nice old colonial building.

 

 

 

 

Sharing a small office with one computer with another organisation, the capacity to get much done is quite limited. But then there isn’t a huge amount to do at the moment anyway. For the elections last month, YDF ran education and registration campaigns in the District in an attempt to increase turnout.

 

The members of YDF are all really nice, bright young people with massive potential. Two of them find out next month if they have got into the University of Zambia. Their names will be published in the paper if they were successful. The lack of study or work opportunities, has left them attempting to do something to improve their situation. And this is a common past-time in Chipata. There seem to be a limitless number of organisations working on poverty, AIDS, food security, gender…..But at the moment, most NGOs including mine don’t seem to do a massive amount.

 

This isn’t really surprising considering they have no money, very few resources and there isn’t a single paid member of staff.

 

My job for the year is to work with YDF to create sustainable sources of funding.

 

The most interesting schemes so far are potential income generating activities. I am looking into small-scale solar panels for use in remote rural areas and rubbish collection and recycling schemes as businesses to raise money for the activities of YDF.

 

It’s a bad idea trying to approach things the way you would in the UK. The logic just doesn’t translate. Instead it seems you just have to keep trying new approaches and see what works. 

Tribes

 

There are 72 tribes in Zambia. Each tribe has its own language and cultural tradition.  While Zambia has statutory law, tribal law still holds great sway over the actions of many Zambians. Initially after independence tribal traditions were not encouraged by the government. The first President, Kenneth Kaunda, was seeking to unify Zambia as one nation and discouraged strong tribal identity as he believed it would tear the country apart.

 

The distribution of these tribes don’t respect borders drawn up by the colonial powers. So for instance Chewa tribes are found in Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique and may often see their first alliance to their tribes people rather than their compatriots. Of course this isn’t unique to Zambia or Africa, Europe is full of similar cross-border divides and alliances. But the extent to which tribes impact on Zambian life is really significant.

For instance a lady we met recently has very short hair. We found out later it had been part of her ‘cleansing’ after her husband had died. Another part of this was that she had to sleep with her husband’s brother. Initially she refused and the in-laws came round her house and started removing her possessions. The hair cut suggests she may have given in, and this is how tribal law is enforced.

In the Eastern Province boys are encouraged to spend six months with the Nyur men, being taught traditional ways. Some people have resisted this due to the time out of school, and the changes in these boys when they return. The boys will refuse to listen to a teacher who has not been initiated in these ceremonies.

People living positively

Yesterday we had a training session on HIV/AIDS in Zambia. Three HIV Positive people spoke to us about their experiences advocating for their rights.

 

The first lady, Catherine, was diagnosed at the age of 20 in 1991. She had only slept with her boyfriend, and at that stage thought that HIV was confined to prostitutes. When she told her family and friends they reacted badly and she became isolated. Then after years of appearing on television to make everyone aware of the virus, people questioned whether she had made it up to get sympathy. But Catherine was not daunted and has continued to take action on HIV. Now people in the compound where she lives come and ask for advice.

 

Another man, who had been a Premier League footballer, was diagnosed with HIV 10 years ago. He has since married an HIV Positive women and had two HIV negative children aged 6 and 3. He was really keen to emphasize that HIV Positive people should have the same rights as everyone else.

 

It was inspiring to see these people who were not prepared to let HIV affect their lives. People can live with HIV for many years, but only if they are aware of their condition and how to manage it. Diet is important, but so is access to medicine. At the moment the big brand anti-retroviral drugs are way beyond the reach of most Zambians and big pharmaceuticals have pressurized governments into banning cheaper generics.

 

But with people like I met yesterday on the case I think there are lots of reasons to be positive.

Read more 

 

 

Arrival in Lusaka

 

 

 

 

I called this blog Positively Zambia, without knowing how I would feel about the country, but it has certainly turned out an apt name. It’s a fantastic country and the people are incredibly friendly.

I arrived in Lusaka on Saturday afternoon. We were met by a few Zambian VSO staff who took us in a small coach to a youth conference centre in the grounds of the University of Zambia. It’s quite plush really so no culture shock yet.

The soil has that African redness and there are lots of colourful trees. The grass looks like it did in England this summer, but the texture is more like straw.

There are some wealthy districts in Lusaka containing the embassies and a few businesses. We went passed a few compounds (areas where the poorer people live) with quite neat houses and little plots of land near the Presidential house. Later on we were driven through a much poorer compound with massive overcrowding, lean-to shacks, sewage and rubbish everywhere and loads of kids running about. It was really friendly but understandably the locals were a little surprised to see a bus full of white people going passed. Lots of them waved, and some of the kids pointed and shouted “Muzungu” the generic African term for a white person. “Wuzungu” is the plural.

I’ve got a week of training starting this morning before I go and start working for my employer, the Youth Development Foundation, in the Eastern Province. It turns out that all of the staff at my organisation are volunteers. They are just a bunch of young people trying to do something to engage other youngsters in advocating for their rights. There are 30 of us being trained, with 10 from the UK and the rest from Kenya, Uganda, India, Ireland and the USA.

 

The sign below was outside the house in which the first President of Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda, lived between 1960 and 1962 while campaigning for independence from Britain.

Introduction to Positively Zambia

Positively Zambia has been set up as a link between young people in Zambia and the UK. The aim is to increase mutual understanding of issues facing one another, and to exchange information for campaigning on HIV & AIDS.

 

HIV&AIDS

There will be a particular focus on HIV & AIDS with case studies of Zambians living with the effects of the virus. I hope to show the variety of challenges facing Zambia, and the positive responses of many to combat the virus. For young people campaigning on HIV & AIDS in the UK, this site should be used as a means to communicate with Zambians to inform your actions. I will also be showing young people in Zambia information about the UK, and getting their perspective on our campaigning.

Ask your questions

This website is a two-way street. Please ask any questions you have about HIV & AIDS, life in Zambia, or anything else over the course of the year and myself and Zambian people will respond. This could be anything from “What is the biggest barrier to getting AIDS drugs where you live?” to “How hot does it get in summer?”. By gaining a greater understanding of the context in which people live, you should be better equipped to campaign for justice on this issue.
The causes and impacts of AIDS in Africa are as diverse as the continent itself,  go to Positively Nigeria to gain perspectives from Africa’s most populous country.

Learn about Zambia

Zambia is a fantastic country with incredibly friendly people rich in cultural heritage, amazing wildlife and in many respects a positive outlook for the future of Africa. Obviously, as one of the worlds poorest countries it also suffers from many problems. This site will seek to look at both sides of the story, allowing Zambians to have their say about their country.

Personal views

I’ll also be posting on my experience as a Youth for Development volunteer with VSO. Look in the personal section for the highs and lows of living and working for a small NGO in Eastern Zambia. I’ll offer perspectives on broader issues such as development and gender as well as when I get the runs!