Reflection on the Youth of Zambia

Once again Thanksgiving evening has been filled with wonderful friends and delicious food. Many volunteers within the province are in Mansa this week to celebrate, relax, eat, and participate in Girls Career Week in which girl students from around Luapula come to the provincial capital to learn life skills, about HIV and AIDs and the importance of finishing their education.

I feel as though just in the past week my list of things to be thankful for has grown immensely through the experiences shared by these girl students. I'm thankful for the ussual elements of my life; those in which I definitely take for granted - a loving family, fabulous friends, good health, food, shelter, water (though those last few have become a bit more rustic in the preceding months). Yet currently the list has grown to include;

gender equality in the states (though there are some discrepencies still of salaries/upper level positions in the workplace, and the continuous struggle against the traditional 'womens role' norms).

I am thankful to have a degree. Even if I feel lost and undirected its provided me with a security net unknown to women of Zambia who quite frequently end there schooling in the 5th or 6th grade in exchange for married life.

I am thankful for the childhood I was allowed...and even entitled to... to enjoy and the protection of the law and values associated with childrens rights. I've watched the past 6 months as the gender divide is taught at a very young age. The female children take an active role in household and motherly responsibilities as soon as they are able to walk, while the male children often spend free time playing football (the male children definitely still have household and field work to do yet the female children often perform those same tasks and then some).

I am thankful for the innocence of the young children in america...and can not even describe the depressing heavyness of my heart when looking at the faces of around 40 young female students - the brightest in their classes - the ones selected by their PCVs and teachers as showing promise and the ability to learn and spread these skills to her fellow classmates upon her return...looking at them and knowing that only 4 of them maintain their virginity (their ages ranging from 11 to 20). Many having had multiple partners allready...they haven't even all reached puberty yet.

I am thankful that these girls have had this opportunity to learn about their inner workings of their bodies, how and why HIV is transmitted, how to live healthy and positively, and have met some female professionals living within Mansa who have completed their schooling...and yet, just sitting in on sessions, I have come to the realization that we can not so easily change these cultural norms and values that have been engrained in these children from such a young age...that it will take a constant pressure/influence to even impact one child.

It was sadly aweing to witness the discrepencies in the attention and respect shown by the students and presenters of varying genders. There was much more participation and attention paid to the male speakers while the conversation changed from the topic of remaining in school to how old he was and if he was married with giggling in between.

I'm not exactly sure where I was going with this rambling...but I only hope to now spend a good deal of my time in the village focusing on female student empowerment and HIV/AIDS education. If I can influence just one girl to stay in school and avoid unwanted pregnancies I'll will feel accomplished.

The Nature Channel - Live

In recent days I have gained a new found respect for that 'walking frog' mentioned previously. I don't know how far alont the rest of Zambia is on the seasonal calendar, yet here in Luapula Province the rains have commenced, bringing with it the bright greenery of new life, many more insects, and lovely 'cool' evenings. I can now expect that after heavy rains the termites will emerge creating a flurry of white wings fluttering into the sky - almost as if its snowing towards the heavens. The males, small and wingless, pile around the slight opening of the earth, consoleing each other as the wave of larger females head into the open expanse of evening sky. The flight of the females not only attracts the attention of the local children, preparing now to feast on a relish other than katapa (cassava leaves), yet also floods the sky with hundreds, possible thousands, of soaring birds scavenging the easy meal. Sporadically dodging each other, pausing only for the brief second it takes to secure the next bite. Along with these akamimbi, other creatures are also dining. The village chickens are in ecstasy as their long laborious days munching in my garden seem trivial and like mere appetizors to this feast. The lizards are scampering in and out of the banana debris...preferring to collect their meal and enjoy in quiet seclusion...and the most intelligently placed meal spot of all is reserved for the slow moving walking frog. Standing on all fours and moving similarly to the macho shuffling of a bull dog - the frog makes his way to the entrance of the termite den only to sit calmly and capture the frantic unsuspecting prey upon their exit. With no energy expelled food retrieval, and ample courses to satisfy his large round body's every desire...the walking frog is brilliant!

I have finally seen some other African wildlife...only 6 months later. I visited Kasanka National Park for a couple days this week and was able to witness the amazing spectacle of millions of fruit bats passing through the evening sunset. I don't even know how to describe the sight other than saying that it was aweing to stand under and ocean of migrating flying mammals as the sun was setting behind the flat topped crowns fanned on the distant horizen. Other wildlife viewed; hippos, yellow billed kites, snake eagles, many puku, the rare water antelope creature (i'm forgetting its name), wart hogs, and some fresh elephant dung - though sadly we didn't spot the actual animals.

This month is definitely looking up in comparison to the first few at site. Work is slowly filling up the calendar more and more. Happy Thanksgiving to you all...enjoy a delicious tofurkey on my behalf!!!

- And travis ... if you are reading this...come back soon! We are missing you allready!

Happy Halloween!

So yet another month has passed and the rains will soon be coming...thank god. I've decided to alter appearances in this sweltering heat and have donated my hair - it feels fabulous. The past couple months have been good. It is still taking me what seems like ages to get into the swing of things but my calendar is slowly filling up with programs. I am currently working with a few farmers on getting bee hives ready for the upcoming swarming season (got to love the thought of working with african bees! - but the honey will be worth it). I also have a few agroforestry/conservation farming meetings and have a few farmers with tree nurseries - all in attempsts to halt the chitmene (slash and burn) ag method while replacing it with something more resembling permaculture. I will also have a couple meetings this week discussing agriculture and nutrition with some Home Based Care groups and Ophans and Vulnerable children support groups - trying to expand the local diet of tute (cassava) to include some more nutritious crops like soya, cow peas, and veggies. I still have yet to see the big game of africa though my wildlife encounters most recently include a frog that walks instead of hops (can you believe it!) - and mad slowly at that...I'm not quite sure how the little guys get away from predators but I was told that they just meander up to the insect holes and sit there until the unsuspecting bugs crawl out...the lazy mans way to catch dinner I guess. My new house is coming along. The floors were cemented this week...I didn't do it myself though I did haul the sand up from the river bank and sieve it which took some effort - I definitely don' t have Ba Maayo arm muscles yet!. I also made some umuti watushishi this week (pesticides) out of the leaves and pods of the ndale tree...my garden is suffering severely from some pest so hopefully this treatment will work - I'll report back next post. I will end with my most intense experience thus far in Zambia....My neighbors and closest friends to date had a baby last week...a boy named Moses. Unfortunately on Sunday...after a week in and out of the clinics and hospitals in the area Ba Moses passed away (the third out of four of their children to die in infancy). It was the first funeral I have attended though sadly will definitely not be the last. It was the father who rode around the village on his bike after the passing, letting everyone know that a funeral would be commencing. The village, and everyone who knows the family from surrounding areas proceeded to the house...the men sit outside (some go dig the grave), while the women sit inside. Since Moses was so new to the community it was only the mother who wailed (though I've been told that in most funerals all the women wail)..and it was by far the most heart wrenching, intense wailing I have ever heard with the words Maayo Maayo Maayo repeated for hours (mother mother mother) amidst some other bemba I do not know. Funerals for infants ussually only last for the one day while those for adults can go on for three or four... It is such a different way for people to deal with their grief compared to the solitude or more intimate environment that most americans seem to prefer. Infant Mortality rates are extremely high in Zambia and most parents that I talk to (those I've been comfortable enough to ask) have burried one or more of their children. I ussually don't even have words to respond to such conversations as its almost unimaginable to me. I only hope that the mother and father, two great parents,the mother whom was always fabulously smiling and happy will be able to recover from yet another loss. Anyway... I hope that you are all well and have snacked plentifully on candy corn and pumpkin treats. Happy Halloween - and I will probably be back in town soon, around Thanksgiving after going to Kasanka National Park to see an amazing bat migration. I still miss you all! Shalenipo (stay well) brette