Visit to an African Village

Today we had an opportunity to visit a village and meet with a group of people that have been specially trained as Caregivers for those in their community. These people are volunteers, and provide education, care, and assistance primarily to people in their community suffering from HIV / AIDS. The people they assist may have the disease, or may be working with community members who have taken in children orphaned by the disease.

The Caregivers are amazing people. They are members of the community who give up their time to travel around by foot or bicycle to care for others. They all have families of their own, with the normal chores and responsibilities that come with caring for your family, your home, and your farm. One woman we spoke with has 10 children of her own, but still takes time each day / week to care for the rest of her community.

When they meet with their patients, they do anything from chop firewood, to wash blankets, find / provide food, help them bathe, and give them medicines. If the patient is severely ill, the Caregiver may transport them to the local clinic on their bicycle, or may go to the clinic after noting all symptoms in a notebook, to receive some medications to help treat the sickness. In the community we were in, all the Caregivers have bicycles donated to them through an organization we partner with. In many communities in Zambia and elsewhere in the world, the Caregiver is on foot as they cannot afford a bicycle, and none have been donated to that area.

Yesterday I commented that none of us can change the world, but we need to focus on the role we can play, changing the world one neighbor at a time. In Zambia, the Caregiver network is doing just that. After meeting with the Caregiver team, we were taken to visit a local family and their Caregiver. The family has three children, and the father is sick. The Caregiver visits them weekly, but will do so more frequently if his health deteriorates. This family receives a variety of help from the Caregiver, but it was clear that the Caregiver was making a serious difference in the family’s quality of life. We sat on small stools in front of their mud house, surrounded by chickens and pigs and listened as they shared their story. It is amazing what something so simple can do for a person.

Our role in this is to get the resources to people like the Caregivers we met with today. We can’t change the world from our homes in the United States (and a few of you are elsewhere around the world), but we can certainly work with others to find resources to send to people like our Caregivers. They are the ones that will ultimately make the difference, but can’t do it without their neighbors around the world.

On the funny side today, shortly after meeting with this family, we were provided lunch. It was from Subway. One moment sitting on a stool by a small house, the next, fast food just like home. We also had an opportunity to visit a school today and visit with some of the children. The funniest moment though was when we provided the head teacher with some Frisbees. Turns out, they don’t play much Frisbee in Africa, so we had to show them what to do with those strange plastic disks. I had a great time playing Frisbee with the head teacher and the other teacher on staff. Unfortunately, we were a bit disruptive to the kids who were supposed to be studying. I don’t think they get to see the teachers play much. And for those of you who have seen my incredible Frisbee throwing and catching ability, you’ll be happy to know that every pass was straight, and I caught every one thrown to me, even those that were a bit off the mark. OK, it’s not on film, but it’s true!

Tomorrow we visit another community. I’ll also be posting pictures in a few minutes. Hopefully you all can see them OK.