Organized Chaos for a Cause

Petauke has a Community Centre located on the far side of the town’s main “market” area. The centre currently does not appear to enjoy a very high profile. My ever-industrious housemate and coworker, Ity, conceived of an event to involve Petauke’s children and raise the centre’s profile. She proposed a sports and games day for children, and being a sports enthusiast, I signed on as the “official” photographer and “other duties as assigned”.

Sports Day participants waiting to begin

While conducted under the auspices of the Petauke District Council, which administers the centre, the work was done largely by volunteers, and essentially all the materials (mainly food, refreshments and prizes) were donated by local businesses and other supporters. Teams to compete in events ranging from “three-legged” races, tug-of-war, and dodge ball, to organized sports such as volleyball, were recruited through local schools.

The games begin

On the Saturday morning of the big day, the vehicle and driver arranged to transport supplies to the site didn’t show up (a kind supporter dispatched a vehicle and driver on short notice to save the day), thunderstorms threatened, and when we finally arrived at the site, much of the set-up remained to be completed. Several groups arrived late, and the carefully arranged calendar of events had to be adjusted on the fly.

Volleyball court at Community Centre used for the first time

But, as the day unfolded, the real pay-off was in the spirited competition and great enthusiasm shown by the participating children. By the afternoon conclusion, about 100 kids had taken part, and left with smiles on their faces (along with having partaken of snacks and refreshments).   

Dedicated footballers braved torrential rains to cap off the sports events

Although not directly related to anyone’s original placement, I believe it embodies what the VSO experience is about in several important ways. It was a cooperative volunteer effort, focused on providing opportunities for disadvantaged children, sparked greater awareness of a local resource, and may have planted the seed for local residents to build on this foundation. In any case, it was a memorable experience for those involved.

Celebrating at the party held to top off Sports Day 

Wet and Wild

After showers early in November and a relatively dry few weeks, the rains seem to definitely have arrived to stay. Billowy clouds form on most afternoons, with frequent electrical storms and the heaviest rains to date. Even the previously dusty front yard is displaying small green shoots, and the surrounding ground is being tilled and planted throughout the countryside.

Petauke with a thunderstorm threatening

Especially when the power goes out during storms after dark, the lightning flashes put on a veritable light show over the entire horizon. (Wish I could catch that with a camera.)

A Taste of the Netherlands

The same weekend we returned from the journey to Chipata and Mfuwe, two other Dutch colleagues from our VSO induction group visited separately from Lusaka, where their placements are located. It was nice to reunite with these friends, even if briefly and in the midst of one of the most intense swarms of insects I’ve witnessed. The large flying ants emerge annually with the onset of the rainy season, and are considered a delicacy (inswa) by the local population. The septic system had also reached capacity that week, rendering our toilet unusable, Marjolijn didn’t feel well, and Roland left with a touchy stomach, but I think everyone was able to have a retrospective chuckle over the weekend visit to Petauke. It also gave the Lusaka based volunteers a chance to experience a few of the challenges as well as positive aspects of a less urban assignment, as Roland captured some nice photos on Sunday.

Marjolijn, Roland & Ity (VSO Dutch volunteers)

Journey to Chipata (and Other Adventures)

NOTE!

In the last few weeks, I encountered computer and internet access glitches beyond the norm that constrained making new postings. My apologies for the delay in being able to share the information written during this period. I will post this past material as opportunities permit, starting with this post.

On 23 November, the District Planning Officer, Works Director, Decentralization Advisor and I made our way to the Eastern Province capital, Chipata, to meet with representatives of the Ministry of Local Government and Housing. Because Petauke is a “district council”, as opposed to a “city council” or “municipal council”, planning authority is largely retained by the Eastern Province Planning Authority, which is staffed by the Ministry of Local Government and Housing. (My regrets to those of you who aren’t into planning jargon, but some references to work and the professional side of things needs to be made from time to time.)  In addition, a Geographic Information System (GIS) is being developed for the Eastern Province, and we wanted to explore the potential for cooperative efforts in data gathering and management, mapping and other aspects of planning. After numerous postponements, it was nice to finally engage in a face-to-face exchange of information and ideas. Obtaining consistent and reliable data and basic mapping are a significant challenge.

 

Meeting at Ministry of Local Government & Housing in Chipata

The next day, we attended a meeting of the Eastern Province Planning Authority. The session was also attended by a group from the Lusaka Province Planning Authority, which later participated in a demonstration tour addressing planning issues of mutual interest.

Meeting of the Eastern Province Planning Authority

We proceeded on to the Mambwe District where the rest of the group was staying, and ended up in Mfuwe, the gateway to South Luangwa National Park. This afforded the opportunity to spend the better part of a day and evening in the park, one of Africa’s gems as a wildlife viewing destination. While not the peak time, one could easily spend a week exploring the vast park. This was certainly one of the highlights of my experience in Zambia thus far.

South Luangwa National Park


While paved roads exist in the vicinity of the park, portions of the drive there were over “washboard” conditions that were jarring, to say the least. On the way back, one of the tires failed. The vehicle had a spare, but unfortunately, the jack had been placed in another vehicle. With patience and goodwill from passersby, we were finally able to get back on the road before too late in the day. After reaching the main highway, and cruising back to Petauke, the spare tire blew out around 30 kilometers west of Chipata, and still a good hour and a half from home. Our driver, Mr. Banda, deserves a great deal of credit for remaining calm and keeping the vehicle under control while easing it off to the highway shoulder. This necessitated another vehicle delivering a tire. Late that evening, we finally safely arrived back in Petauke.    

First flat tire (of two)



Ity's Excellent Party

With housemate Ity and I having had a few weeks to settle into our house, she raised the fine idea of throwing a get acquainted party for our neighbors. Thus, we invited everyone from the nine other homes located next to the Nyika Motel, and at 15:00 hours (military time is the standard here) on 14 November, we began serving juice, coffee, tea and chocolate, along with biscuits (aka cookies in the U.S.) and Zambian style “donuts” from our front porch. First, several of the numerous local kids came by (and were remarkably sedate and well behaved). Then, some of the adult neighbors began to drift over, and within a couple of hours, we had exhausted our supplies and met a number of folks. All in all, it was a nice way to become more a part of the community (and we now have 22 plastic cups).   

Early stage of party for neighbors

Thanksgiving Note

In case I'm not able to make another post for awhile, please let me take this opportunity to wish a happy Thanksgiving to all those back home in the U.S.!

Neighborhood Happenings

Sports Central…

Now that we’re settling into our house, we’re also starting to get to know some of the neighbors living in the surrounding homes. On Saturday, following morning shopping for most of the week’s supplies, one of the local children was playing out by our front porch. Housemate Ity was interacting with him and a couple of other youngsters, when an idea was hatched to use a rope we had purchased to try some “jump rope.” Soon, other young neighbors of varying ages joined in, and before long, we had a good size group involved.

"Sports Central"

This transitioned to other local games, one of which involved a rope gradually raised in height where the participants engaged in synchronized dance steps. Another used a tightly rolled “ball” of plastic bags to play a game similar to “dodge ball.” A little exercise, a lot of fun, and some nice interaction with our friends and neighbors!

High Steppin'

Fire…

I had to include this photo of trash and low brush being burned in front of our house. Such small fires are a regular occurrence. They seem to help prevent larger burns. 

Fire!

The Great Water Mystery…

As mentioned in previous posts, we are fortunate that our house has electricity and running water. Service interruptions occur rather frequently, however. A storm may knock out electrical service, for instance, which in turn may lead to water well pumps shutting down and cutbacks in water service. In addition, power frequently fails when dinner is being cooked, and the correlation between water shutdowns and when I shower in the morning is uncanny. Thus, we took a lack of water service recently in stride, comforted by the knowledge that water usually is flowing again within a few hours, and we had a couple of buckets of back-up supply.     

When water was still down the next morning, and then the entire following day, inconvenience evolved to increasing concern. This was compounded by the weekend timing, and the discovery that other houses were getting water. After a third day without water, the toilet essentially unusable, and our supplies almost exhausted, we were chagrined to discover an outdoor valve leading to the house had been turned off. Perhaps we’ll never know who shut off the water or why, but it was so nice to have it flowing again that we could laugh off the episode. In the meantime, we substantially increased our back-up supplies in case a similar challenge arises in the future. 

And the Rains Came...

October is generally acknowledged as the hottest month in Zambia, with the transition from the hot and dry season to the hot and wet season usually beginning in November. While still warm and humid, the rains periodically cool things off a bit, increased cloud cover tempers the sun’s intensity, and breezes accompanying storms provide a welcome respite from the heat. As if on cue, the first week in November brought gathering clouds, some swirling winds, occasional lightning and thunder, and scattered showers. (These phenomena also tend to be accompanied by power outages and water supply cut-offs, but that’s another story.)

Late Wednesday night (actually early Thursday morning) was absolutely still, when lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, winds picked up, and the initial raindrops on the roof soon sounded as though Somerset Maugham’s “Rain” had come to life. Actually, the precipitation was fairly brief, and probably not nearly as intense as it seemed based upon the noise emanating from the corrugated metal roof. At least the puddles were relatively few the next morning, and no water appeared to have dripped through the small holes in the roof. In any case, the dust was settled for a few hours, and the earth had a distinctly moist aroma. While the rains cannot yet be considered to have officially arrived, the signs are beginning, and farmers are starting their preparations for another growing season. 

Sarah (right) & other organizers of braai

On Sunday afternoon, a welcome “braai” was generously provided for new VSO volunteers in the Eastern Province. This was a great opportunity to see compatriots who also arrived in October, compare experiences to date, and meet other VSO volunteers as well as a variety of people from different organizations. The gathering took place at “VSO House” in Chipata, which features lovely grounds with huge trees. Chipata, the provincial capital and largest city, is about a two-hour drive east from Petauke. Special thanks to the VSO Volunteer Committee and especially Sarah Washington (the Volunteer Committee Eastern Province representative), Rosie and Frances (VSO volunteers residing at the site), and others who helped organize the event or otherwise contributed.     

November 8 marked World Town Planning Day, and completion of one month in Zambia (and three weeks in Petauke).