Jennipher

I would like to introduce Jennipher.

I first met Jennipher in 2004. I was staying at the guest house of Monze Mission Hospital and this lady came to the door with one of the student doctors. She used him to interpret and tell me basically that she was a poor lady in need of support.

I had realised early that handing out money was not a good idea, so I gently refused to help.

Over the next few months - I stayed for 4 months in 2004, but that's another story!! - I met Jennipher quite often around the hospital,and she always looked sad and rather pathetic. Surprisingly her English was very good! She told me that she was one of the first people in Zambia to openly disclose her status as HIV+ and was coming to the hospital to collect drugs and check how the antivirals were controlling the disease.

One day she told me that her house would collapse when the rains came unless she could re-roof it with elephant grass. I was in a good mood and gave her £5 or £10 for her house. The next time I saw her she was laughing and seemed to be a different woman. To see her smile was well worth a few pounds, however she used the money!

Over the years we became good friends. She was at first considered a nuisance at the hospital – demanding food for her AIDS support groups. When I was asked by a doctor if she was bothering me I told him that she was my friend. Eventually she became a respected member of the community, invited to partake in important events as well as regularly talking on the local radio.

Jennipher was very astute and soon found how to make the most of charities and local NGOs. On more than one occasion Jennipher rang me to say that there was a lorry at her house full of goods, 50 kg bags of maize, cooking oil, groundnuts, salt, sugar, charcoal etc. She said that it was all free - however nothing comes completely free. The lorry driver needed to be paid! For £100-£150 the groups would receive goods worth perhaps £2,000 - £3,000. Of course I found the cash and the food was provided.

In this way Jennipher greatly multiplied my donations.

There has been no one who has given me the opportunities that Jennipher provided. She was a remarkable woman and taught me so much.

The photo at the top shows the Jennipher I knew in 2004/2005.

On another occasion I was talking to Jennipher from Cheltenham. She told me that she could get a borehole and handpump installed for the equivalent of about £200, which she would site near one of her support groups. I was a bit sceptical. I understood that at that time a handpump alone would cost about £450. A borehole would be a further £2,000 - £3,000 at least.

I decided that is was worth the risk and provided the money.

Next year Jennipher showed me the new hand pump installation which was designed to enable wheelchair users to collect water without help. It even provided a plinth to avoid pregnant women having to use their “bump” as a staging post for the full water container. One of her groups now had a source of clean water and a supply that could be used to water land and grow vegetables.

Of course £200 would have been far beyond anything the group could raise itself.

Jennipher also showed me the water source they previously used.

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