Friday 23rd May
It is my choice to come here each year and welcome the people who
meet me and touch my life. This can often be a painful experience.
Jennipher arrived on Wednesday with Tabia, a girl who has been
accepted at a college in the Copperbelt to do a teacher training
course. The fees amount to about £400 per term. Tabia is the
daughter of one of Jennipher's clients and has managed to obtain
support to go through secondary school. Although relatives had
promised to fund her progress through college, nothing has been
forthcoming. It is difficult when you realise that someone's future
could rest in your hands, but it is easy to agree to too much. I
realise that education is a long term commitment – there is nothing
worse than having to give up a course midway. I hope that Tabia will
find a way to achieve her ambition, maybe even if it means a delay of
a year or so, but I am aware of the dangers that lie ahead if she is
unable to continue her studies. Unfortunately Tabia is one of many
very vulnerable children in Zambia who are struggling to make a
reasonable life for themselves.
Bright arrived a little later. His son Brian is now in grade 12 at a
special school for the deaf. Brian is hoping to go to teacher
training college after school. Fees at the special school are quite
high and those at college will be higher. Bright is a general worker
at the hospital and only his determination and resourcefulness have
enabled him to ensure that Brian receives a good education. I showed
Bright a picture of him that I had noticed in the brochure brought
out for the hospital's golden jubilee. Sr. Juunza had previously
pointed it out to him.
I visited Teddy at the hospital and found Sr. Juunza. Sr. Juunza is
the Senior Administration Officer at Monze Mission Hospital. We first
met some years back and recently she has been studying to improve her
qualifications. Unfortunately in Zambia there is, to my mind, too
much emphasis on qualifications. Senior government jobs cannot be
held by people without the relevant certificates. It is important
that people are well trained, but being able to pass exams does not
necessarily equip you to manage projects or carry out technical tasks
effectively. In my expereince there are many who have few
qualifications who make far better senior personnel than those with
pretty pieces of paper! However, in Sr. Juunza, we now have someone
who now has the paper to go with her abilities as a manager.
She told me that this year the hospital will celebrate its golden
jubilee. They have embarked on a campaign to make significant
improvements and refurbishments to mark the event and are looking for
sponsorship. The plans are very ambitious and a booklet has been
produced with details and budgets.
I spoke about the stock control system and agreed to demonstrate it
on Friday if the managers were available. In the event some people
have turned up unexpectedly this morning from the Ministry of Health,
so I am waiting to see when the morning's planned meeting will now
take place.
Yesterday I visited PIZZ school in the morning. At about 10 hrs the
children have a break and are fed some fortified rice. I felt
humbled, and a bit upset, that this small meal could mean so much to
the children. First the young children brought their containers and
later the young teenagers also came to eat a meal which will stop the
hunger for a while and is actually making them noticeably healthier
and more able to concentrate on their lessons.
We visited the new school briefly to see the progress with the
construction of a strong room – needed in particular to keep safely
examination papers. We also visited the new plot of land – though
it must be at least 7 or 8 years since it was acquired. We discussed
the issues where residents had built up to and beyond the boundary,
and even dug a well in the school grounds.
On the way back to the first school we visited Euphrasia. Euphrasia
has worked at the school for many years cleaning and cooking for the
children. Recently she has become ill and since January has been
unable to work. She has a serious skin disease and has lost a lot of
weight. I have met her on numerous occasions over the years and she
seemed pleased to see me. Before I left she assured me that with
God's help she will recover.
It appears that landlords are often unhappy about very sick people
living in their houses and Euphrasia has been told she has to move.
She has been building a house for herself and her children which is
almost complete, but the roof only covers half of the structure.
Members of her church have agreed to move her furniture and she will
move to her house within 24 hrs. of our meeting. Fortunately we are
in the dry season, so it is unlikely that it will rain before October
– by which time she will need to have completed the roofing of her
house.
In the afternoon I met Tabo Meheritona who is now the director of
Health Help Zambia (HHZ) a part of Health Help International (HHI).
This organisation, based in South Wales, supports disadvantaged
people, particularly those with disabilities. They are keen to seek
out any people who have disabilities and are not included within the
wider community. Sometimes as a result of stigma and shame severely
disabled people are hidden in homes and rarely experience any
interaction with the wider world. HHZ tries to counsel the families,
bring children into schools and provide aids such as wheelchairs,
crutches, walking sticks and glasses to enable those with
disabilities to take an active part in the life of the community.
I was interested to learn that the Leonard Cheshire organisation was
going to rent offices at HHZ for a pilot project, attempting to make
schools in the area more accessible for children with disabilities.
For many years I have had an association with 'Leonard Cheshire' in
Cheltenham and have come to know a number of residents at the local
home. I would like to talk to the organisation here and perhaps
establish a link. Mr Meheritona promised to let me know if Leonard
Cheshire move in before I leave Monze.
I started by saying how wonderful it can be in Zambia and so it can.
However we live in a world where the gap between the wealthy and the
majority is becoming ever wider. We hear more and more that we cannot
afford to look after the most vulnerable, while being afraid to tax
people who receive obscene amounts of money in salaries and bonuses.
Many of the people I met during the past two days struggle to live
with any sort of dignity, some will die prematurely because they have
insufficient nourishment and/or lack access to the necessary medical
treatment. Living in a world which has enormous resources and
capability through modern technology, I am ashamed that we continue
to allow such situations to arise. I am disgusted that we are
allowing matters to get worse.
Hands
Around the World have a campaign to obtain funding so that the
children at PIZZ school can continue to be fed. The target is to
raise £600 by the end of May in order to provide a meal for 50
children for a whole year. To donate £5, please
text HATW01 £5 to 70070 (That's HATW ZERO ONE space £5)
I know just how important this is for the children and I hope that we
will far exceed this target and secure the feeding programme for a
long time into the future - please spread the word by distributing
this link.
Thank you,
Chris
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