I have been so busy with work in the village and apologize for delaying this blog post. These past months have been filled with the completion of our Mother's Shelter (well, near-completion, as the District Health Office has now decided that we need a larger veranda than previously planned), attending our midterm conference in Lusaka (where I got to see all of my friends with whom I first arrived in Zambia), and the start of our Nachibanga Health Post building. I will write about the highlights of village projects and progress, and about a few of the people who have made these successes possible.
Ndondi Mother's Shelter: It has taken 4 long months of biking up and down huge rocky, dusty hills under the 100 degree hot season sun, but we're nearly finished! The building is complete and looks incredible, but I will feel even more fulfilled once I see mother's beginning to deliver at our shelter. Two people worked tirelessly with me to direct the building of this Mother's Shelter. The first is Mr. Muleya, a tall, middle-aged Zambian man who wears a bucket hat and always carries around his secretary notebook. He is the man who first invited me to Ndondi village about a year ago. At the time I was hesitant to embark upon a project that required a 3 hour round trip bike-ride from my home, but he and the Ndondi Neighborhood Health Committee showed so much commitment during my initial visits that I could not resist. Mr. Muleya has shown up to every meeting, coordinated and facilitated countless headmen and large community meetings, and has never let me down.
The second man is the son of the Ndondi senior headman, whose Tonga name I unfortunately can never seem to pronounce correctly. He is the chairman of the Neighborhood Health Committee, so I always just call him 'Ba Chairman.' He is a softspoken, humble man with chipped front teeth and a sweet, kind smile. When asked to be the next headman he turned down the position, fearing that he would not be able to be as involved on the school PTA and clinic health committee. Anytime we encountered issues during the building process, he calmly thought through all possible solutions until advising us on the most feasible and effective option. Ndondi villages really owe these men so much appreciation for voluntarily pouring their energies into this project. I am so grateful for their hearts of gold.
Nachibanga Health Post: I was hopeful but realistic just a few months ago, thinking that this project would not be possible. Now we have completed the digging of the foundation for a small health post in my village. A few things happened to push this project along. About 6 out of 10 villages were initially on board with the project, working day after day to mold bricks. Then the district came in to promise food relief, as it is now the annual hungry season, exacerbated by the poor rains and maize harvest last year. The deal is that food will come from the government in exchange for the villages working together on a community development project. The villages unanimously chose our health post project, and now all 10 villages are working together before the rains become heavier to mold bricks, dig the foundation (both of these stages are now complete), and haul pit sand, river sand and crushed stones to the site. I have never seen so many villagers coming together in this way, every single day. Yes, this has been incited by the promise of bags of maize to make it through hungry season. But villagers are also seeing their power to create development and change in their community.
This health post will allow thousands of villagers to travel much shorter distances to access health care and treatment. It will alleviate congestion in the large Muzoka clinic 5km away. And most importantly, it seems this project is influencing villagers to take more ownership of their community's health and development. The power of community is unfolding right before my eyes, and it is indescribably magical.
*To donate towards building materials for our Nachibanga Health Post, please visit: http://www.peacecorps.gov/donate
and enter our project #: 14-611-001
We are racing the rains, so if you are able, please donate any amount as soon as possible.
Sending love and light to my support system back home!
