keskiviikko 19. kesäkuuta 2013

Travel Diary: June 2013

Monday 03.06.2013

We had a meeting with Lewis where we decided about the schedule for this week and what we should do during our stay here. After that we went to Kaloko School to interview teachers about the Dry Sanitation Project. They told that it is a good project and very welcome and a good solution, but still all the toilets were broken, locked or paths grown full of weeds. In the afternoon I continued to do my importing studies and discussed with IRDI about possible cooperation in the Water's Edge school project during the summer. We also decided to visit the Arcades mall in Lusaka and trying to sell an idea of adding growbeds on top of the fish pool in the area. Our money from the GDTF had still not came, student loan was hundreads less than KELA had admitted and we found out that KELA wouldn't pay for any of our living costs anywhere, since we were not living in a one certain location during our whole stay in Zambia. I realised we are screwed and spent the rest of the day doing exporting and aquaponic design work to cover our costs of living during the summer.

Termite Hive in Kaloko


Tuesday 04.06.2013

We went to Kandulwe school to interview the staff about the dry sanitation project. They told that the project is welcome and they believe in the benefits of it, but saw a problem in the low active sanitation club formed by parents, who didn't take good care of the toilet maintenance. The reason was believed to be the busy time during the harvest.
In the afternoon we continued to do our exportation and Moringa research to get money from somewhere. I also started to plan with IRDI the aquaponic food growth design for 25 birth centers in hope that this project could become a subject to my thesis work. We also looked at the association's car which didn't get started due electricity and maybe other problems as well.

Boys & Girls in Kandulwe School


Wednesday 05.06.2013

Today morning we went to see the Sanitation Central Committee members in the plot that was bought to them by GDTF. 4 out of 15 people showed up - everyone but Michelo 2 hours late, but that gave us plenty of time to eat good breakfast and wonder around a while. We discussed about the project and how the participants felt about it. We had a discussion about the costs running the clubs, which was estimated to be 100KR/toilet in busy areas and probably less than half in not so busy areas. Money would go to the person maintaining the toilet and to the tools, such as cleaning equipment, toilet tissue, soap etc.
In the afternoon we were supposed to meet the Dam Committees, but our contact person had his phone off and we could not get to the meeting. Instead we decided economical models how the clubs could finance their activity and growth after the funding from GDTF stops. We listed the solutions: Savings Groups, Business (such as hygiency & sanitation stuff, gardening equipment and urea fertilizer canisters with user manuals), Tree Nurseries for Moringa, Entrance Fees for toilets, Gardening, Toilet Building, Membership Fees and Government/NGO -funding from Zambia.
In the evening our struggle to get revenue without any property but computers in the middle of Savanna continued.

Sunset in the Forest


Thursday 06.06.13

I gathered educational material from the internet to Pia Manzi's Water's Edge project and made further studies about importing legislation and practices to Finland.

Hanging around with Neighborhood Kids



Friday 07.06.13

Today I did a card game for children to learn about germs. On the other side were electron microscope pictures of different viruses, bacteria, worms and other disease causing bastards. On the other side were descriptions of the species and what diseases they are responsible of. We are planning to distribute these to the schools as soon as we get them printed and laminated.
In the afternoon we went to Ndola with Maria to extend our visas. They told that they could not give the stamp becuse our visas were still valid for three days.. So we have to come back next Tuesday - when we have club visits already arranged - great. We ate at Danny's which was a delicisous but rather expensive Indian cuisine - really good food though. We slept in expensive and shitty Savoy hotel, because all the lodges were full because of tomorrows soccer match.

Paved Road near Ndola


Saturday 08.06.13
This city is turning into a conrete jungle because of the game. All the people, including drivers and working staff seem to be drunk and suffering from some kind of maniacy. We tried to escape to a restaurant called Michelangelo's, but the football team itself was there and they didn't let anyone in. People were berzerking and traspassing the restaurant with blowing horns without realizing the teams existance. That's good, because otherwise the whole place and the team would have blown up. We walked to Main Masala to catch a bus. The drunken driver parked the car without handbreak and it accidentally slided into a ditch on the way and the tire punctured. We got a ride from a local bishop and his wife and they threw us to Mpongwe Junction. We were there two minutes before the truck to Kaloko left. What a day. Some luck as well!

Maria at Mumbi's Hair Dressing


Sunday 09.06.13
We did some education booklets with Maria about hygiene and safe use of excreta fertilizers.
Two British medical students from Cambridge University arrived to work in the clinic. We welcomed them warmly since they seemed really nice. Scott - businessman from the neighbour - took us all to eat to the local restaurant. He offered the servings and invited us to his house to Ndola in two weeks. A true gentleman!


Trip Bus Attracting Sales

Monday 10.06.13
We started the club visits with Maria and David Munyati. We went to Luesanga & Kandulwe and everything went well. After that we went to Ndola with Maria and David to se Michelo in the hospital. We ate at Michelangelo's and got group picture with the coaches of the National Soccer Team. Wow. Pizza was really good there and drinks cold, good and cheap. Definately worth visiting again. We slept in the New Ambassadors Hotel.

Zambia's National Soccer Team Coaches with Olli & David


Tuesday 11.06.13
We paid 120KR extra (totally 280KR) to have a shower with no hot water, lamps were not working, room had mold, tv wasn't working, water was leaking from the roof outside the window etc. Shitty night in total. In the morning we went to ask for refund for the 120KR but the shitty service took us 4 hours to get the money back with really bad feelings. Never going in to that shit hole again - and would probably not be welcome after the arguing inside. The immigration office visit took about a minute and we had the stamps. We met David in the central and took a taxi to the road side where we took a bus to Mpongwe Junction. We still had time to interview Lumombwe club before returning back to cozy home-hut.

Hut Construction Site


Wednesday 12.06.13
We interviewed Mpongwe Junction Club and went to interview Mwaitwa club. Unfortunately the chairperson of the club had been drunk in the meeting where timetables were decided so he had mixed them totally. No members were present so we left early.

Maria, David & Artson in the Urea Fertilizer Test Garden


Thursday 13.06.13
Mwaitwa chairperson didn't remember to inform about our visit to Kamabaya so no members present. Took few pictures and asked what we could from the teachers and at least had time to eat. Kasamwa and Kwesha interviews went well.

On the Road to the Villages


Friday 14.06.13
We got all the planned interviews done today! Kaloko Junction, Luansobe and Kantolo were all having members present. Big thanks to Central Committee Chair Person Artson who stubbornly stood beside us the whole week, After the meetings we started preparing educational booklets with Maria about organic pesticides and ecological sanitation.

We got a contract pleasing both parties with a South-African Moringa exporter to start importing in Finland. Having a good feeling about the cooperation.

Kaloko Villagers welcoming us warmly


Saturday 15.06.13
We continued to prepare the teaching manuals for the schools with Maria. Probably did something else too but don't remember now afterwards at all.

Eating from a Moringa Tree


Sunday 16.06.13
We continued to prepare the teaching manuals for the schools with Maria.

Active Community Club Members in Kaloko


Monday 17.06.13
A club visit to meet several clubs at the same time with Maria, Emmanuel, David and Artson. The meeting was mostly in Bemba so couldn't follow that much but apparently Emmanuel was interviewing the clubs about their situation, plans, challenges and needs. Boreholes, waterpumps and guidance for business development and organizational planning seemed to be common needs. We told a bit about our results and conclusions and tried to motivate the clubs to continue working together for a better future. We had two meetings during the day Kandulwe & Lumombwe.

Answering the questions in a Club Meeting


Tuesday 18.06.13
Today similar visits to Kamabaya and Kaloko Junction. Same program, same challenges occured and similar speeches were held. When we were returning back home at six o'clock in the evening we heard from Emmanuel that we should keep a two hour lecture about agroforestry, natural pesticides, business development and Moringa during the following day's workshop. We worked on the presentations for a while in the evening but were so tired that decided to continue working early in the morning.

Sunset in the Bush


Wednesday 19.06.13
We woke up at 6.30 to start finishing the presentation materials but noticed that electricity didn't work. We continued doing the structure with pens and paper until the electricity started to work somewhere around eight. We were supposed to be ready by ten, but having to eat and print the business model canvases for the clubs made this impossible. Especially when we had to wrestle with the printer about half an hour and got an extra task to print 30 pages more club indicator sheets to the workshop. We got to the Emmanuel Church where the workshop was held around 10.30, but luckily everone else was late as well. Mr. Mutamba kept the crowd busy and precisioning the exit strategy until 13.30 when we finally got the stage. We told the villagers about the differencies between wasteful and sustainable nutrient cycles, mono- and permaculture, advantages of agroforestry and ways to make natural pesticides from local tree leaves. After lunchbreak David shared the club indicator forms and we continued to discuss about business development with Business Model Canvas and benefits of growing Moringa. We also distributed around 200 seeds of Moringa Oleifera to each club on behalf of Central Committee and encouraged the clubs to work together to learn and benefit from the knowledge they received during the workshop. Atmosphere was really good and I believe this workshop triggered a lot of trust and will to cooperate among the clubs and central committee. The evening I spent writing the diary for the last nearly two weeks that had been forgotten completely. Phew.

Lecturing in the Workshop in Emmanuel's Church, Kaloko

Thursday 20.06.13

This day we did absolutely nothing work related. The kitchen hut was in heavy use, we cleaned up our hut and washed the laundry to be prepared to leave smoothly the next day.

Friday 21.06.13

Today we still interviewed Mwaitwa and Luampesa clubs. After the meetings we headed back to our hut to pack our stuff. Scott from the neighbor took us to Ndola with his truck and we spent the romatic trip with Maria in the back of the truck. Scott's family's house was really nice and a house in the best condition I had seen in Zambia so far. We spent a really relaxing and nice mid-winter weekend in really generous and warm atmosphere full of hospitality.

Monday 24.06.13
Scott's wife Nelly kindly dropped us to the bus station where we jumped to head for Lusaka. Sadly the details from this and the following days are again a bit lost, since writing the diary was forgotten in all the hustle. Afterall we arrived back safely, Karri welcomed us warmly back to the Finnish Compound and we spent a few days in Lusaka just planning for the future, searching contacts from Zambia and chilling out.

Thursday 27.06.13
We finally got our reports from the Kaloko trip finished and packed our stuff for a long weekend in Livingstone and Mosi-Oa-Tunya (Victoria Falls). Sooo exited, yee yee yee..!

Friday 28.06.13
We headed for Livingstone in a day bus almost arriving late to the ride. Gladly TIA (Time In Africa) saved our bottoms this time, since the bus left 40 minutes late. Maybe we'll learn not to rush during the following weeks.. Livingstone seemed like a clean and neat place and the evening and night in Jollyboys was really nice. We also quickly met Sari and her husband Given quickly, since they came and assured that we get to the hostel safely.

Saturday 29.06.13
We didn't waste any time hanging around but jumped into the morning bus towards Victoria Falls. The place was so amazing that the words can't describe it. That's why I'll just add the pictures here.
We returned in the evening, went out to eat and to paaaarty at Fezbar. Great day!

Sunday 30.06.13
We spent a hangover in the Waterfront Lodge Camping area, where black helicopters and army dicks were harassing the nature's peace by apparently protecting the notorious war criminals Mr. & Mrs. Bush that were living in the same compound. Other apes were hanging in the trees and as ruthlesly trying to steal everything they considered valuable - food in their case. In the end they were at least cute and funny faces. We sunbathed in the pool next to beautiful views of Zambezi river. Evening was spent in Livingstone city center, where we returned from late at night.

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