Gosh!

I'm back in Zambia! Well, actually, I've been here since the beginning of May. But what a roller-coaster I've been on. Immigration tried to send me home (work-permit refusal) and that's taken a lot of my time (sleep, energy, life lol). We have, however, managed to get a few things on the go.

Thanks to a generous helping hands, we hope to have the container moved to the foundation next week.

In the meantime, we've moved the books into our office as a temporary library. Kids and adults can come and read the books while on the premises. They can leave them bookmarked and pick up where they left off the next time they visit.

Jonathan in the office/library

We've also got a twice-a-day kids program at the school. Misheck uses the time to teach kids music or give them a chance to play. Sometimes we do sports and I've started teaching them baseball (during my demonstrations on how to hit the ball, I got a lot of my immigration frustrations out--haha).

Kids playing darts and working on eye-hand coordination.

The knitting ladies continue to do their work and we have starting the sewing program. We've decided to do quilting/patch-work type of sewing to help us tap into a different market than the usual clothing sales. It also works well because we won't have our sewing machines up and running until the container is renovated. For now, we are teaching them to sew by hand--a handy skill to have anyway.

Knitting group with their wares

That's all for now. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

News

I have been in Canada for about 2 months now. It's been great to be home with friends and family, enjoying cool weather and eating at all the favourite haunts.

While here, I've also been working and fundraising to support Hope Ignited's projects. I've spoke at three churches, sharing pictures and stories. The knitting and bicycle program stories were big hits--as well as the pictures of the caterpillars I ate. 

All of the knitting project goods were sold as of yesterday. The ladies will be really excited about this when I get back.

We also had three fundraising parties. All of which went really well. We had lots of fun doing jewellery exchanges, catwalk parties, 50/50 draws and silent auctions. Thank you to everyone who offered their space, helped organize and contributed food and prizes.

The Catwalk

I'm leaving in just a few days (May 2) until December. There is still opportunity for you to support financially and help with this year's projects. The issues of personal housing and ongoing monthly support are still needs. If you'd like to contribute, please click the "Donate" page and help me meet our goals.

Thanks!

Knitting Group

About three weeks before I left Zambia, our knitting group started their projects. It's been really exciting to see the ladies working together, building relationships and teaching one another. One of the ladies, Hilda, had never knit before. She completed her first sweater (black and white one) and a toque. Way to go Hilda!

I will be selling the items while I'm here in Canada to raise money for the program (and for the ladies) and to create awareness of our little project. If you are interested in any of the pieces below, please let me know. They are all children's sizes.


Check out the video on the right of the ladies working and singing.

(Clockwise from top left) Josephine, Hilda, Astrida, Violet, Mavis and Violet.

Pictures!

Honesta receiving her bicycle.

Jonathan and his dad receiving the bicycle

Misheck and Simon handing out tickets for the first round of distribution.

Day 1 of the distribution--everything was so tidy.

Dad choosing for his daughter--aww. Day 3 distribution...not so tidy :)

Violet took home one of the blankets.

Honesta and Jonathan on the way home from school with their bikes during the first week.

Proud of her new blouse.

Loveness having fun.

Round 2 of distributing...in the shop. That's me!

Line up outside on the women's day.

(Trying) to keep it orderly.

 

Updates

Long time, no type, eh? Sorry for the long delay. Internet has been a real problem here over the last few weeks. We've also been really busy.

Here are some of the highlights: 
We handed out all the clothing in two different ways. The first was over 3 days. We gave out tickets and people came to choose for their families. They came per assigned section of the community. Each ticket was valued at one piece of clothing and we gave out about 1000. When all was done, we had enough to go again--which was a great provision of abundance!

Round two consisted of a first come-first serve plan. We separated the clothing for the women and the men. Women were on a Saturday, men were on a Sunday. People could also bring a child not attending the local school and pick up something for them. For each person who came through the door, they took two pieces of clothing. I'm sure we served at least 300-400 people between the two days.

We also gave a gift to each of the approximately 300 children at the Give Hope Community school. Children got a bag of two pieces of clothing and chose either a teddy bear or stickers.

It has been really great to see people around the village wearing the stuff. I feel encouraged when I drive by a little kid and recognize a jersey or outfit that came from the container. I think most people have kept what they were given and have not tried to sell anything at the market--that was my biggest prayer.

We have also started the Bike-to-School program. We gave bikes to four kids to reduce their travel time to school (from hours to minutes). Sometimes I see them on the road when I'm going to and from the village. They are so thankful. They come by and visit and you can just see the joy on their faces. It's wonderful! We also meet with them bi-monthly to help them find ways to earn money (legally!) for their bike maintenance and cope with any peer pressure. (Legally you say??--Yes, apparently being a loan shark is a common way to make a few bucks here. Lend it out with interest...we are helping them find other ways lol)

Now that the bulk of the clothes are distributed and our room is a little more empty, we've been able to start focusing on knitting and sewing programs. We sorted all the materials and tools last night and the knitting crew went home with their first projects. Sewing is a little slower to start because we are waiting for our teacher to be available.

Well, putting it all into one posting sure makes me feel like I've been busy :) How encouraging! Sorry I can't put pictures up at this time...internet is tooooo slow. Will try to do something soon, I promise.

If you would like to support these projects, please consider a donation. We will need some tables for the sewing program and also still have some needs as listed on the Donate Tab at the top of the page.

Thanks!
Natasha

It's Here!!!

Escorting the truck to the farm

The container has finally arrived! Wow! 4 to 6 weeks was really 4 to 6 months but it was worth it! Everything arrived in perfect condition--nothing even shifted inside. When we opened it it looked exactly like the day when we closed the doors. The fragile things like the dishes, cups and even my coffee Bodum were even in tact. What a miracle! (click on the pictures for a closer look)

Heart Attack #1: Manually lifting the wire for the truck

There were some definite "heart-attack" moments as we manually tried to get the container off the truck, but everything went ok--my biggest prayer was that no one should have to go to the hospital and no one did :) It had rained a lot the night before and the truck could not get into position next to our foundation (of course, everything is dry now lol). We will have to deal with that part later.

Tractor getting ready to manually pull 'er off.

Heart Attack #2: Tipsy!

We unloaded the container the night before --in the dark and in the pouring rain. Everyone was so excited, I couldn't have stopped them if I tried. It turned out to be a blessing considering how hard it was to get the container off the truck the next day.

Everything was moved into a secure classroom at Give Hope. We have now sorted it all and are preparing to start distribution of the clothes and one-time donations this weekend. Then get our programs rolling!

I can't believe this day has finally come! I was so giddy when the truck was following us down the road. This has been a two-year long project with all kinds of ups and downs. Even over the last few weeks everyone--the community, Misheck and I -- all were just becoming exhausted by the wait. But how hope fulfilled fills you with new life (Prov 13:12). We are all rejuvenated and beyond excited at what 2012 will bring.

Thank you everyone for your support. It would not have been possible without you.

Thank you for all your love and support this year. I wish you a wonderful Christmas. May you and your family be blessed.

TIA moments for your entertainment:

• When I went to the court office this week to get my passport stamped, the clerk offered me weed that had been confiscated in a case. I laughed and asked him if he had ever smoked any. He said no and eventually gave the bag to his colleague to destroy
• When putting up posters for the Christmas Party we didn't have the right glue or tape so we bought bubble gum. It's hard to stop chewing it before it looses its flavour but it worked like a charm
• When I go down to the village, this is generally what happens...I turn into the Pied Piper (see photo)
• When transportation is scarce, even grown men will turn your vehicle into a clown car (see photo)

Love, blessings and hugs
Natasha

Walking through the village

Clown Car 1: How many men can fit into a 2x5 foot space?

Clown Car 2: Answer--3!

Correction

Yesterday we interviewed Sydney for the bicycle program. Sydney actually travels between 15 km in each direction everyday!!! That's three hours in each direction. He's not the only one. His brother also travels about the same distance, but to another school.

Please consider supporting these young people by donating to Hope Ignited. Our bicycles need a little more TLC before we can distribute them for this program.

Local Projects

Community meeting in Give Hope school

This week we held the first of two community meetings. We are working together to initiate three programs: a co-operative sewing program, a co-operative knitting program and a bicycle program. We handed out questionnaires to people who were interested in becoming involved so that we might be able to start a screening process. Obviously, not everyone can participate in the initial launch of these programs, so we will be looking for people willing to make a commitment, take initiative and who have the desire to help their community grow.

We took some time during the meeting to talk about the blessings that come when others are blessed. There can be an underlying attitude of jealously in Zambia when others succeed--bad enough to include acts of sabotage. The result is that no one succeeds, everyone stays poor. So I taught from Jeremiah 29: Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.

Sydney walks a total of 3-4 hrs a day for school

The third program is aimed at youth. I was inspired by this young man whose name is Sydney. Sydney walks 1.5 - 2 hours each way, each day to go to the closest high school. This takes up much of his precious school time, study time and must be incredibly exhausting. We want to use the bicycles to help youth who want to attend high school or work. We will organize peer support (so that they don't end up doing beer delivery) and help them to find ways of generating income for bike maintenance.

We will hold one more meeting this week for those that could not attend the first one. The interview process is scheduled for the 16th and 17th of December with the hopes of having all the pre-work done by the end of 2011. This will put us in a good position to start the programs at the beginning of January. Time flies! 

Young girl selling charcoal

Stuck in the Mud

My grandfather used to play solitaire everyday (with real cards, not on the computer!). I remember him sitting there, rhythmically flipping cards, studying them intensely. When there were no more moves, he would say "stuck in the mud". He really knew what he was talking about...with mud, there is often no way out. With snow at least at some point you're going to hit concrete or hard ground if you keep digging. With mud, you just keep getting deeper, lower, and all the way to China (I'm sure grandpa said that too) if you're not careful. lol. Here's a pic of my mud adventure. It took 5 strong men and all the 4x4 could offer to get out.

On the other hand, our container preparations are not stuck in the mud. Our slab is finally finished. The rain is actually helping our purpose by keeping it drying slowly - 7 days is ideal for it to cure (as long as it took to make the earth). It should be done just in time for the arrival of the container (fingers crossed it's next week).

A busy day...

Things are certainly getting busy here now. This morning, I spoke at a youth conference. The conference was about marriage/love/sex from a Godly perspective. It was a lot of fun, and the young people were certainly interested in my Western perspective. They are really hungry and interested to know about building good relationships. Many people here get married too young (teens) and end up divorced and remarried many times. In the village, the situation is even worse...one lady I know of, has 8 different kids each with their own father. Education is essential to help break this cycle. I told the youth  all about waiting...waiting...waiting. Building a strong foundation in their relationships and waiting until they are sure they're with the right person--the stuff I learnt the hard way. lol

From the conference I jetted down to the village to follow up on day 3 of our construction project. The foundation is really starting to take shape. Here's a picture of the crew!

This morning our truck we organized was quite late in arriving, so I chipped in as much as I could to help make lunch for our hard workers. Life has changed and cooking has taken on a whole new meaning. This is the same "kitchen" the women use everyday to make porridge for the 300+ kids at the Luyando community school. I cleaned and scaled fish and made Nshima—a staple made from maize. It’s really thick and heavy and pretty hard to stir. I didn’t my best while the ladies laughed and I teared up from the smoke in my eyes. They are amazing women to do this everyday! 

On the downside there was a situation that happened that really struck my heart. A young man who had been faithfully coming everyday to help, was absent today. Just as we were leaving he came to the car. He was very drunk. In his broken words, he told me he had been there early but because we were late, he left. Had the truck arrived on time, this young man's day would have been very different. It made me feel very sad. Alcoholism is rampant in the village and I had just been discussing the issue that same morning. Out of sheer boredom and lack of direction, this small village of 300 families is overwhelmed everyday by drunkenness. Beer is cheap and provides an escape. 

There was a time a few years ago when a local football team had been sponsored for the community. It was such a good opportunity for these young men. They were really motivated by it. We have so many opportunities in our countries that sometimes we don't realize the importance of social programs like sports and arts.  I hope that we find new inspiration for these young (and old) people. I hope that in the container there is something to light a new fire in them. I pray that we find solutions in the long term to compel them to move towards healthy futures. 

Blessings. 

Natasha

Community Mobilization

This week the community came out and volunteered with the preparations for the container and some general improvements around the school. It was great to see how many people showed up (I'm sure the free lunch helped as well lol).

We had ladies cleaning one of the Give Hope houses that will be used as an office, the classrooms where we will store the goods while we sort them and tidying the grounds.

The men worked on (and are still working on) the container foundation and did all the heavy lifting--three guys to a bag of sand! My little Spirit truck groaned at carrying the heavy loads. 


The foundation will take a few days to complete but we are making progress. Thank goodness for the pastor I live with, Jonathan Sichilima. He's a construction engineer and came down this morning to make sure we're on track and doing everything properly. Living as a community has its benefits when you need help.


Here are some pictures from the last few days. Click on them to see the larger picture.

Cleaning the Give Hope classroom--complete with baby-on-back. 

Misheck fixing tap #1 and trying not to get wet

Clearing the area around tap #2--complete with baby-on-back

Gathering sand for the foundation

3 men to one bag--heavy!

Day one: foundation build

Day 2: bricklaying

Little promise rainbow at the end of day 1--look closely under the lowest branch. Rains are on their way...

A long awaited update...

Hello everyone. Sorry, for the long delay but here's the update you've been looking for.

I've been here for a month and a half already (is that it?) and things are going quite well. A lot of my time has been spent getting settled in and sorted out. Lots of paperwork, finding my way around and getting a routine going. I have to say that the transition, although slower than anticipated, has gone quite smoothly and I am very happy in my new environment and am making new friends (although, of course, there is no replacement for all you lovely folk back home!).

Other than working out logistics, I've been making trips down to the village about three times a week. There hasn't been too much to do until the container arrives so I try to manage my fuel costs by visiting just a few times a week.

I've engaged Misheck Ngambi, a local Zambian, to help me organize things on the ground and cover for me once I'm back home. We've been cleaning up one of the Give Hope houses to use as a temporary office and have done some minor repairs. He's also organizing a crew of volunteers to prepare the ground and build the foundation for the container. And while we wait, I've started training Misheck on basic computer skills so that he can manage the inventory of stuff once it arrives. Misheck has lived in the village for about three years now, and really has a heart to give people opportunities. He also likes working with youth and is an awesomely talented singer (Zambian "American" Idol, top 30--no joke!). I'm really excited to work with him.

Misheck (in red) with his family

We've had a few community meetings this week. One with the teachers at the Give Hope/Luyando Community School, one with the Parent-Teacher's Association and another today with the general community. I can't tell you how encouraging this was! The community leaders and I want to be as transparent as possible about what's in the container and what it will be used for. We hope that this will reduce theft, bickering and gossip. We also hope that this will help with community engagement. We had lots of good questions from people today--how they could get involved, who was responsible for what, how we would make the projects sustainable, general suggestions and support. We found tailors, bricklayers and musicians in our midst (who can teach others as we move forward). We got several volunteers signed up to help with preparations, building the foundation and security for both the school and the container. Did I mention how happy I was?

Community meeting in Give Hope school (a good point was brought up by one of the men--where are the men? Next time.)

We will start the construction Monday and hopefully have the foundation ready in just a few days. The rain is coming here so everything needs to be done urgently. We don't have an exact day for the delivery of the container but it will be very soon. Please keep the delivery process and customs clearance in your prayers so that it all goes smoothly (we still have a few bumps that are not smoothed out).

Thanks to Give Hope for making all this possible. Please continue to pray and send me you're wonderfully supportive emails and comments--they mean a lot. If you would like to assist with financial support, please click the Donate tab at the top of the page. Also, follow this blog by signing up and get all the latest stories...


Here are a few other pictures for your enjoyment.

Kids around Ndola. Love their cars and their poses.

Caterpillar. Before they were fried. Yes, I ate one. Does not taste like chicken. Doesn't really taste like much...but they're pretty ugly. lol