Radiotherapy shirts 10 -12 Typical Zambian Chitenge Material

The following shirts are fairly typical of my collection. They are made of typical African chitenge material which is bright, unless it is a traditional black and white pattern.

The shirt I eventually decided on as number 11 was given to me by Mrs Sianga who founded and manages PIZZ School. Together we are developing the project to provide the best possible future for the children who attend the school. All the funds raised by Transformation Through Education are used for this purpose. Please check out the website.

This shirt demonstrates the bright colours you see in Zambia - and in Cheltenham when I choose to wear it. I must admit that I rarely wear a shirt like this without comments – all positive!

 

The final shirt of this trio is a typical black and white African design. It reminds me of the zebras which are common in the nature reserves. The zebra's patterns are unique – a bit like fingerprints. The children from PIZZ School love to visit a nature reserve where they see animals they have never seen before. We try to fund a trip each year for the children taking grade 9 exams. We don't see wild animals around Monze, other than lizards and the occasional snake. There was a leopard at the convent some years back, but that's another story!

With love and prayers,

Chris

Reflections

Tuesday 4^th July

Today marks the end of a long weekend. Traditionally the Gonde ceremony would be celebrated now just outside Monze, but with the leader of the most popular politcal party in this area in jail on treason charges, people are not in the mood to celebrate and the ceremony has been postponed. I have been here on numerous times when Gonde has been celebrate, but for some reason though invited I have never quite made it – so another year passes!

As I walked along the railway tracks today, stepping from sleeper to sleeper I had a chance to reflect on the past few weeks here in Zambia. A Black Headed Heron flew over, heading for my home and a Brown Breasted Snake Eagle hung in the breeze. I will remember the wildlife that has lived with and around me while I have been her at my house behind the Curia. The herons are beautiful birds – especially in flight, with their huge wings edged in black contrasting against the light grey. Yesterday and today cattle Egrets lined up on the garden wall – I counted 19 a few minutes ago. Palm Swifts, Bulbils and Canaries are also constant playmates in and around the garden. The delicate trees outside are loved by some large bees which constantly feed on the nectar. Inside I have a few lodgers – some more welcome than others!! Ants appear in their hundreds if the slightest morsel of food is left, beetles trundle through the house one by one, but in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. A rat or two couldn't resist the smell of peanuts and even broke into a plastic container where pounded groundnuts were stored. Some platic bags sealing the entrance under the door at night seemed to have deterred him(them) in recent days! A couple of house frogs have stayed for a day or two at a time, booking the toilet or bathroom for the night – it ismeant to be a guest house after all! A family of lizards have found some pleasant accommodation under the freezer – they race across the floor and create quite a freezer furore during family arguments. Yesterday however they were evicted for a time by another visitor who had obviously heard of the luxury accommodation with overnight heating! A snake made its way into the house and headed for the freezer. I was about to leave, but noticed it gliding slowly across the living room floor. I decided to fetch the security guard, who, after deciding it had moved on, spotted it at the back of the freezer. Eventually it was located and killed. I now feel guilty because I susspect the snake wished me no harm. I understand that there are snakes which choose to live in houses without causing trouble – in the same way there are varieties of frogs and lizards that have adapted to live in houses. (My lizards however are the outdoor variety that come in to get warmed up!)

On Sunday I went to the Citonga mass. It was a bit shorter and with less theatre than usual. Afterwards I asked Fr. Clement about the oil press. He told me that it was used a little in October, but a fortnight ago it was brought into full production. A few days a week they press the sunflower seeds. In a day they can process 30 x 50Kg bags (although in practice the sunflower seed is lighter than the maize meal for which the bags are made – so a 50 Kg bag actually weighs about 30 Kg!) They get about 10 litres of oil per bag.

It was my last opportunity to meet with St. Veronia's Small Christian Community. Next Sunday there will be no meeting as there is a parish retreat on the Saturday at Chikuni. The Jesuits first arrived in Chikuni to bring Christianity to this area of Zambia over 100 years ago. In truth being my last day in Monze next Sunday, it suits me that there is no 'Section' meeting next Sunday. At our meeting we reflected on next week's gospel which contains the phrase “My yoke is easy and my burden light.” I see yokes almost daily in Monze as the oxen pull their loads, but the phrase troubles me! So often I feel that the Lord is just asking too much. Earlier in the scripture he talks about revealing things to children and hiding them from the wise. Maybe it is ourselves that create the burdens. So often we see problems that are not there, we live our lives in constant fear of what might happen – yet so often when the time comes, we wonder why we were so anxious. Perhaps we need to learn from children who so often enjoy the moment and let tomorrow take care of itself.

I handed out some photos I took last year. One of the ladies I visited when she was sick has since died. Another has breast cancer and after the meeting we went to her house to see her and say a few prayers. She has a cancer which is forming a mass at the surface of the breast. She went to Lusaka for treatment and they said they hadn't any medicine, but gave her some painkillers. She is waiting in case they call her again for treatment. It isn't clear what if any treatment they propose. I am not sure what painkillers she was given – panadol (I believe it is just paracetamol) seems to be the norm. I gave her some stronger tablets that I bring with me, which Jennipher says are effective.

I eventually got to see Charles, after a slight delay due to the incident with the snake. We attempted to put the world right – though in truth I think with the world's current state it will take more than a couple of hours between Charles and myself.

Power has been remarkably reliable this year. A short planned outage last week and a couple of minor breaks have been the only losses. Yesterday, while talking to Dilys via Skype, the power went down for a while. On the way to the staff room where I access the internet I was aware that the moon was now half and almost directly above me. Returning during the brief power cut that moon came into its own! It is a real joy to me to see by the light of the moon. With no electricity in Monze the moon became my torchlight. It was more than adequate and quite strange to switch off my torch as soon as I came out of the room, because it was now superfluous. My shadow was now clear and lead me back slowly home as I wondered at the beauty displayed by that very special light. I wasn't home long before power was restored and I could return to continue my conversation with Dilys.

This morning I met with Obert's parents. They live a little way beyond Southern Comfort Motel – about three kilometres up the Livingstone road. I arranged to meet at Southern Comfort since there was no chance that I would find their house on my own.

Southern Comfort gives a small glimpse of what Zamba could be. It is a reasonably comfortable Motel with green gardens and even model animals out front. With water, electricity and a little money Zambia looks very nice, and with the climate it is a wonderful place to live.

We talked about the pre-school which struggles to survive. Growing some chickens helps pay the teacher, but it is a struggle. The children are given a little food two or three days a week – the other days there is nothing to give. Another batch of chickens would allow them to raise enough to cover costs, but this would need about £200 to set up.

While I was there Nancy arrived. She had been told that I was visiting. Today is her eighth birthday and she had produced a letter for me.

I am very impressed by the way that Obert's parents work with people who have children with disabilities. They encourage them to take their children to school, Sometimes the parents won't even let the children be seen outside the house. Obert's dad told me how he was told not to take Obert to school, but he was insistent that he learnt. Now Obert can read and write, speak better English than his dad, drives a car and plays in goal at football – discarding his false leg, but using a single crutch instead – which is thrown aside as he dives to save a goal!

TREE FILLED WITH BEES

So I returned along the railway line thinking of what I would miss. Life happens at such a pace and in full view here! Ladies with large containers full of buns balanced on their heads, cycles that are loaded with charcoal, maize and many other products. They often have a passenger on the back or on the crossbar. Women will cycle with childen strapped to their backs with a piece of chitenge cloth. Goats and cows wander down the main roads. People have conversations as they continue their journeys, shouting louder as they move apart. Goods are carried on heads, shoulders or more often by wheelbarrow or ox-carts. Minibuses rush around hooting to attract passengers and display messages such “God Knows, In God We Trust” or given references to bible passages. Children use all sorts of objects as toys, kicking bottles or balls made of rags, rolling tyres and pushing cars which they have made from discarded bottles - and I notice when the sun goes behind a cloud, not when it comes out! Life will seem dull when I return to the UK next week.

With love and prayers,

Chris

The Sounds of the Countryside

Thursday 25th March

I am feeling refreshed after my evening cold shower in the block hundred metres or so from my rooms. The sounds here are mainly of the countryside. Next door (literally) there are 300 chickens, the cicadas are providing a background of sound and owls also add their voice to the evening. In the distance there is a storm because on the horizon, many miles away the sky is lit with regular forks of lightening. Today there was a strong breeze that caused the wind pump to sing - competing with the rich variety of birdsong. The European Swallows are congregating on the power lines no doubt getting ready for their long trip back to their breeding grounds, chats, bubils and African Pied Wagtails are numerous and in the sky above hawks and eagles circle and hover. Lizards scamper about the grass and around the buildings.

The cows are away from the Centre at the moment making their acquaintance with one of Patrick's Bull's – we look forward to some calves in a few months and being able to supply some of the local demand for milk.

I have spent most of today tidying the database for the accounting system and adding a bit more data. This also makes me more familiar with the activities and costs associated with the project. I made a point of taking a few photos of the students and the chickens to record the progress since my last visit.

I awoke this morning to a thick mist - my first in Zambia! In recent mornings there has been a dew on the grass – reminding me of camping in the UK. It doesn't take long though for the sun to dry the ground – or to burn away the mist.



Well I need to sort out another book having finished The Rainmaker.

Best wishes

Chris.

The Rains Approach

Tuesday 6th October

The weather here is changing. On Saturday I arrived back in Monze to a light shower of rain and during the night there were some heavy showers. Sunday was overcast but the past couple of mornings I have woken to the glorious glow of the sun shining from a clear blue sky that I have come to love so much. We are getting to the warmest part of the year with temperatures well into the 30s. I have been confidently told that the rains will be early this year and the signs are there.

A good shower has an immediate cooling effect on the air temperature and today I saw the early signs of the results of the rain just a couple of days ago. Little patches of fresh grass have started to appear on the dust verges. If we continue to get a few decent showers, imperceptibly over the next couple of weeks, the world here will be transformed, and I will wonder if I imagined a dry dusty land. Everywhere will be green and the cattle will start putting on weight again – and some people say that there is no God!

I was down to my last few kwacha this morning and the banks after making promising noises decided not to give me a top up. I visited the Internet café briefly (I couldn't afford more than 10 minutes – so I needed to be very organised and just achieved all I needed to do.) Then after a short chat with Dr. Mvula I walked to my next appointment with Charles.

We had arranged to meet at ten to visit his project site east of Monze. So we set out a little before 12.30 heading past Hichanga Dam. In this area there were a lot of cattle with their white companions - the cattle egrets. Since Henry's sudden death last year, his brother has been looking after the project. The garden is doing well though there are some problems with aphids attacking the crops. The well is in good shape and now has a cap and cover to keep it safe and clean. There is still plenty of water in it, though we are at the end of the long dry spell. Charles hopes to get a treadle pump which will make watering the garden easier. This should allow them to increase the size of the garden and therefore grow more vegetables. (I suppose a garden here is really equivalent to an allotment back in the UK – though they are often considerably bigger than our plots.

Unfortunately Saddam and Captain decided it was lunchtime and couldn't wait for the intended photo shoot! These oxen pull the plough and the ox cart – though I am told that Captain doesn't appreciate the crowds in Monze so another animal is used to take the produce to market. Henry's brother has built a small shop – I will add a picture if I can. So after selling the produce to Reymond's contacts at the market the ox cart is loaded with groceries for sale at the shop. The ox cart is also hired by local people to fetch wood for making charcoal and to bring in their harvest. So my dad's anniversary gift is being put to good use. I would think that Anthony and Freda are quite famous now in this area thanks to the dedication on the whole of one side of the cart!

I spend the afternoon back at Charles' house and enjoyed a bowl of sump cooked by his mother. As usual our discussions are wide ranging and very interesting.

I failed to do a deal for UHT milk with the guys on the roadside opposite Tooters. I can go into the small shops close by and get a better price. I doubt if they sell more than one or two cartons a week (I bought one yesterday and the other five were still there this evening). So I tried to arrange to buy five cartons a week for a price midway between their price and that of the shops. I bought them at the full price anyway despite having to get change from the shop opposite!

I had missed my usual companions in this house during the first few days but they have appeared recently. There seem to be types of frog and lizard that live inside houses. They are almost transparent – a bit albino and smaller than their outside counterparts. The frogs enjoy washbasins in particular – I was treated to two in the washbasin at Chisamba and a slightly larger one in the bath. The lizards run around the walls and scamper if you uncover them behind a curtain. There are less spiders here than I am used to but there was a beauty in my kitchen sink over the past day or two. I realised that it had probably fallen in and was stuck – so I left a cloth over the edge and this morning it had gone. There was also a fat frog on the doorstep yesterday – there will be many about now that the rain is beginning. Near the Maluba school ponds appear with the rain and the frogs chorus is very impressive.

Wednesday 7th October

Today I spent the bulk of the day at home. I found out last night that my system for dealing with drug expiry dates was even trickier than I hoped. So this was my main task today.

I also went along to Buntolo to find out what goods were available. They have bags and aprons made out of traditional chitenge material, some baskets weaved from palm leaves and thin twigs from the bush, and some necklaces (with or without earrings and bracelets) made in traditional style from beads. I photographed samples of the goods so that I can send details to Jean back in the UK. She wants to sell the goods in England as a way of supporting the projects HATW is involved with around the world. The goods for sale at Buntolo are produced by the guardians of the orphaned children, each item being identified as their product. When they are sold the money goes back to the maker and their support group.

Outside in the shelter there was a group session on anger management. I met Sarita outside and she showed me some of the crops she had helped the people grow using compost. The onions were very large and most had several bulbs from each seed. She told me that she had been out teaching people in the community and some who had learnt to grow in this way at Buntolo now had good gardens back home. These were now able to provide for their families. I know Jennipher has been grateful for the help she has provide for her and her group members.

This evening power went off before 17 hrs so I haven't yet been able to cook. In the past I have produced a salad on such occasions – the other solution is a brazier. However, tonight I am not fully geared for either. Though if power doesn't return I am sure I will rustle up something novel!

Jennipher tells me that her group are busy making the foundations for their shelter. I showed her a picture of the shelter at the Chisamba Guest House. This is a traditional design that comprises a concrete floor with a circular wall to a little over a metre and gaps to allow entry and exit. Poles then hold a grass thatched roof. This type of shelter seems to work well and, as Jennipher pointed out, they are cooler than those with iron sheets. She is going to suggest they follow this pattern.


Thursday 8th October

The power came on in time for me to cook my steak. Like most food here, the steak was succulent and very tasty, cooked of course to perfection – medium rare and with a coating of pepper! My ½ kilo of steak was a bit cheaper than my packet of cornflakes.

In fact I was settling down to watch the stars when the power came on. Here it is difficult to recognise the constellations we see in the UK – partly because the shape can be a little different, but mainly because of the hundreds of extra stars that get into the picture. I am often surprised by the cloud I often see and then realise that it is the Milky Way. The next meteor shower is expected on 21st October so I will hope for an extended power cut that night. (The odds are very good!)

Today I spent most of the day at my house sorting out databases etc. One day I might write proper documentation so that I can remember what I have done – it might also help those who want to modify my systems after me.

Apparently wifi is back at the Internet Café but they have abandoned a system of buying tickets for units of ten minutes. Either I have a virus on my computer or I pick one up every time I go to the café. If I can use wifi I should be much better off.

I installed a new copy of the pharmacy database on their computer, which I suspect already has picked up another virus or two despite the anti-virus software installed a few weeks ago. While chatting to Teddy I had a call from CHAZ to say my cheque was ready. (In order to extend my permit I have to arrange for a bank certified cheque to be produced – this has only taken just over a week.) So tomorrow I will make another trip to Lusaka and visit the immigration office with Chris from CHAZ. Hopefully they will issue a receipt for the cheque which I understand is as good as giving me the extension to my work permit. I have asked for a further 3 years but only expect to get two as usual – but you never know.

I hoped to book a coach for 7 am tomorrow but was told that the condition of the road from Livingstone means that the first coach arrives at 9.30 am. This is too late so I will have to get up early and try to get a smaller bus at about 6 hrs!

So I will try to get an early night and rise before dawn.

Good night

Chris