What a Privilege

I am very fortunate. I have had the opportunity to spend the past 20 years visiting Monze and making friends. I feel very comfortable walking around the streets and through the markets. Everything is familiar. Cattle in the High Street is far from an unknown feature! At this time of year the cows seem to be allowed to wander in search of food. Today they found some nice green grass at Truckers!

The odd shower of rain has fallen in recent weeks. Here and there a few blades of grass have appeared. Usually this happens at the edge of the dust path. If more rain falls this grass gradually encrouches and if it continues it eventually becomes hard to realise that there wasn't a grass path all along!

Stalls are beginning to sell mangoes, but as I said to a boy eating one the other day “ if it doesn't cover your face with yellow juice it isn't a mango!” - he knew what I meant! The mangoes are not yet ripe – they are white inside and hard. I will wait awhile and get my face properly covered!

The sun is high at this time of year – at midday it is almost directly overhead. A little light rain has cooled the air this evening. Lisa switched on the hot water the other day which was a bit of a surprise. The cold water tap for the shower doesn't produce much more than a drip! The hot water is too hot, so showering is now quite an art! I told Lisa that I was happy to just have cold water, but apparently the switch for the geyser also controls the security lights! The solution seems to be get everything I can from the cold tap and then enjoy a couple of minutes before the hot water comes through, then almost turn the hot water off and finish with the dribble from the cold tap to cool me back down! Here you learn to adapt to the facilities!

I have a steady stream of visitors. Unfortuntely Jennipher showed some of her clients where I live and some call around. It is never a good idea to have people calling around, hoping for money. Unless they are people I know well I try to avoid giving cash. This can be very difficult, because I know that most are in real need. I have an added problem this year, because my funds are being used to support my major project and there is little or nothing spare. So even good friends in need are having to go without.

Euphrasia came earlier. She used to work at PIZZ school many years back, but became sick. She is much better now and she makes woollen mats for sale. She always gives me one as a present. I have a collec tion of mats around the house at home. I have bought a few to bring back for stalls in the past, but there doesn't seem to be a market in the UK.

Nelson is about to sit his final exams at the university of Zambia where he is taking a degree in social work. He is hoping to find sponsorship to do a masters degree in the UK or possibly Canada. So far he has done very well, getting excellent marks. He works when he can to try to cover the university fees. He came from Lusaka for the weekend to see his mum and say hallo to me.

I have had the delight and privilege to see a number of young people develop and get qualifications enabling them to move forward in life. With a bit of encouragement and a little support here and there, I hope that I have been able to make a positive difference. Not many people have been given the opportunities I have and I am very grateful.

I left a couple of pieces of chitenge material for Ireen yesterday to make into new shirts for me. She has made me at least one shirt everytime I have visited since 2004 – that's a lot of shirts!!.

The way that babies and young children are carried in Zambia seems eminently sensible and suits both mother and child. A length of chitenge material is wrapped around the child and tied around the mother's waist providing a secure fastening for the child keeping the bay in close contact with the mother (grandmother or sister) Our slings and carriers are no match. The baby can easily be moved from back to front for feeding and it is obvious that the babies are very content to be carried in this way.

Tomorrow I will visit Soloman in Pemba - about 30 Km from Monze and hope to catch up with Emmanuel, Obadia and Maria – children that Jennipher had adopted.

With love and prayers,

Chris

Preparing for Christmas

28^th November

I am surprised to realise that I haven't written on my blog since August. Perhaps because I am in almost daily contact with my friends from Zambia I can't imagine that I haven't been in touch with you as well.

The rains in Zambia have just started. This will be a big relief. Water levels were very low this year leading the government to ration electricity – the main source of power being hydro-electric from the Kariba Dam. The local people will now have to gamble on whether they expect the rains to continue reliably or whether they might stop - leading to drought and lost crops. In recent years it has been almost impossible to get sufficient consistent rainfall to give a good maize crop. Some people are growing other crops, but in recent history food in Zambia has meant nshima – a food made from maize flour. For a Zambian it is very important to grow your own maize.

My friends continue to struggle along.

Jennipher found Sandra's death very difficult and her health has not been too good. She recently spent a week in Choma just to have a bit of a break – the doctor suggested that she needed 3 weeks rest! She continues to be very busy helping her many support groups to move forward. Some of these groups raised a little money as a revolving fund. Members can borrow money for small projects – they are then expected to repay the money so that it can be passed to another member etc. On Tuesday it is World AIDS day so they will be meeting for celebrations. Jennipher has taken in a 19 year old girl who has contracted AIDS. She is trying to help her to manage the condition, but is concerned about the risks to her children. People with AIDS are susceptible to a range of infections – particularly TB. It is these infections (rather than AIDS) which present the major risk. Jennipher wants to build a single roomed house where she can house people like this girl. She is keen that the local support group helps by making bricks. She will probably look for help to roof the building when it is built – after the rainy season.

Diven's house and shop are now plastered on the outside and gutters and gulleys have been made to take the water from his buildings. He still has no plaster on the inside and most windows have been bricked up because of insufficient funds. Delia gave birth to a baby boy called Paul who is doing well. Business is tricky these days as costs have been rising rapidly because of the drop in value of

the kwacha. From 10 kwacha to the pound when I arrived in Zambia, it briefly hit 20 kwacha to the pound a couple of weeks ago. Diven remains cheerful despite the challenges he has to provide for his family.

Best has found it difficult to get enough work in Monze and Choma. Recently he set up an office in Livingstone, but still finds getting work a challenge. He has decided that he needs to do more studies to gain a licence to operate as a solicitor. He wants to start in January, but as usual the costs are high. He will make a considerable contribtion, but without support will not be able to proceed.

Raymond and Charles have not yet revived the PEASSA project, yet there are people relying on them to provide some basic food to keep body and soul together.

Obert had hoped to have his leg mended. Unfortunately it wasn't possible to repair the leg and he needs a replacement. He says that his spare leg is too short which makes walking difficult, though he still manages to do some driving.

We have just moved into Advent – a time of preparation for Christmas. In our secular world we are told that we must go out and spend like there is no tomorrow – in fact apparently our (economic) survival relies on this process. I think that we really must question the model by which or lives are ruled.

For several years I had a big problem with Christmas. How could I embrace the enormous excesses of the season, while people I know well are just hoping they will have something to eat. My friends and family receive very few personal presents from me, but they know that some people in Zambia will have a little extra food, some seed to grow maize, next term's school fees paid, a roof to keep out this year's rain or something else which will make a lot of difference to their Christmas.

If I don't get another chance, I wish you a wonderful peaceful and life-giving Christmas – a time when you experience the real spirit of Christmas full of joy and love.

Chris