January 29, 2011

Bit by bit




So, the electricity is out here at the house but Kate was kind enough to let me use her computer and what better way to pass the time than to write away the hours? The following is a mash-up of many thoughts and activities that is really not even that exciting to read! Have a skim through perhaps? Ta.

I just finished co-facilitating a PEPFAR workshop for the newer volunteers. It went well despite that people didn’t seem to enjoy it nearly as much as we did last year. Either way, I enjoyed the facilitation. But here are some fun facts and experiences since last time I wrote.

I got another weave. I also got two wigs and am hoping for another. I also also got make-up. This second year is becoming much more about material things, which isn't exactly something I value, but it is what it is. I have allowed myself to splurge on some of the finer things in life in order to feel more settled? In order to feel more something. So wigs and make-up are the new me! Kind of.

Just today, I met two winners. There was a man wearing a silk blouse and a nice skirt with trousers underneath today at the market. I asked him why he was doing it and he just kept offering to find similar items of clothing for me. And I met another man whose hat I really liked and to whom I offered an avocado in return for his hat. Unfortunately, he refused to give me the one he was wearing but invited me to his house where he had another one waiting which I could take. Then, he called his taxi driver friend who was giving me a ride back to the house twice on the 5k journey back so he could talk to me and become my boyfriend.
Also, last Monday, I had a very good meeting with representatives from most of the NHCs and we discussed sustainability issues, elections and tested every single one who came! I kind of had to bribe my EHT with a Fanta so that he would stay through lunch to give them VCT and he did. Nobody ran away and there were a few who hadn’t been tested ever. It put me on a high for the rest of the week. The end of that week was spend in town finalizing everything needed for the SPA grant to get money for Camp GLOW. It is just so difficult to complete all the required things for these grants. And they put strange restrictions on what the money can be spent on, which is only natural, but for a $4000 grant, only $500 can be used for lodging and transport and food. Also, only $500 can be used on labor (such as facilitation fees for running a training). Again also, they discourage the building of physical structures. So, where the remaining $3000 goes is somewhat of a mystery.

I met with Mula Mentoring Club (all two attendees) but did some fun activities with them from PEPFAR. We did a future thinking activity, kind of planning what you want in the future and thinking ahead. Future planning is not heavily emphasized here and it can be important to encourage people to think about what they want the future and how they can go about getting it. My counterpart, ever-affable, said that he will be a grandfather and that he will own a fuso fighter. I had never heard of a fuso fighter before and he told me that that is a vehicle for transport. The next week while in Mbala, Grant told us about how that is a common dream. Unprovoked, he said that if you ask people in the village what they want, most will say a fuso fighter despite the fuel usage and maintenance problems that they have. That is the biggest status symbol, I guess.

World Vision is working with the local council to bring highly subsidized boarholes to the area. Villages who are in need must fill out a form and return it to the council. I was helping a village a few weeks ago and turned in their information. Apart from the large projects that I am working on with Kate, this is the biggest thing right now.

One of the NHCs I work with is quite far away and very rich. It is bizarre how you can cycle two hours into the bush and come to a village where all the roofs are tin roofs and they have cement walls and floors, and they have satellite! The first time I went to this village, I was invited inside and watched the news from Kenya. It’s just such incongruence. Sadly, I don’t enjoy so very much working with this village. I find them to be rather apathetic. They are chronically late, later in fact, than most people. When they do come, there are not very many of them and nobody participates in the discussion. One day however, there were exceptionally few people and we instead chose to do some water and sanitation demonstrations. These, they thoroughly enjoyed and actually participated in. We did a hand-washing demo where people tried to wash their hands in various ways and people laughed at the one guy who tried to pour water on his own hands to wash them because the ash just stayed coated to his hands. They appreciated the ones who washed with soap and water with someone else pouring water over them.

NHC—Neighbourhood Health Committee
Groups of community members who are committed and take interest in the health-care and well-being of members of their immediate community. They are trained to teach on basic health issues and each NHC is comprised of 2-8 villages. There are 15 NHCs in Kawimbe Catchment.



HCC—Health Centre Committee
Representatives from each NHC are to come to the HCC meeting once each quarter to discuss larger problems facing the community.
VCT—Voluntary Counselling and Testing
Testing for HIV.
VAST and SPA—Peace Corps grants available to volunteers
PEPFAR—President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (US-funded)
HEPS—High energy protein supplement. Given to kids who are especially small.
WAD—World AIDS Day
ARVs—Anti-retroviral drugs for HIV+ people.
NZP+—Network of Zambian People living with HIV/AIDS
RHC—Rural Health Centre
EHT—Environmental Health Technician
CHW—Community Health Worker. One person per NHC who has been trained by the government (or usually World Vision) to assist community members with minor health problems and to give medication and make referrals to the clinic.

People:
Ya—sign of respect. Akin to Mr. and Mrs. but used far more regularly than in English
Yana/Yasi—mother of/father of. How most people are called. Shows importance of having children in Zambian culture.
Kate—closest PC neighbor. Also a health volunteer and we came in country together
Ya Muwowo—the clinic EHT who is trying to retire and has been working at Kawimbe RHC for years.
Ya Silungwe—the new EHT who is working and will take over once old one retires.
Yasi Gift/ Ya Frazer—my counterpart and a co-facilitator.
Yasi Helen/ Ya Simuchile—another counterpart who has helped immensely with training NHCs.

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