Chasing a drream

24^th March 2015

You might remember that when I was in Zambia last year, Diven persuaded me to help him to buy a plot and build a house and shop. For Diven his dream is to have a family, a house and a little business to enable him to provide for them. A relatively modest ambition and one that most of us share. In Diven's case it was a dream that he doubted would ever be possible to fulfil.

The last few months have not been completely straightforward – though since I have been involved with many of Diven's adventures over the years it shouldn't surprise me. The house and shop were roofed and the costs kept rising!! By all accounts the building was good, but it would not be appropriate to have such a building without a decent toilet. More construction was started – thousands of bricks and numerous bags were obtained and what seemed to be a super loo started to take shape. This was just before the start of the rains! It seemed that the construction was not good enough and a disaster occurred. The walls collapsed and water flooded into the foundations. There was concern that the house and shop would also be damaged.

Time has moved on and the toilet has been reconstructed, the house and shop are complete and partially plastered. Shelves and a counter have been installed and Diven is now starting to trade.

The other change in Diven's life is that he found a girlfriend and is now married with a child on the way!! Let's hope that all goes well and Diven realises his dream.

Chris