Update from Solwezi

Today, we checked out of the Plush Executive Lodge. Cold shower again this morning, but at least there was more than a trickle of water coming out of the faucet. We visited a community about an hour from the main office. The drive out was quite interesting. Once you turn off the main highway, the road is dirt, with many large holes. As it has rained a lot here recently, these holes were all filled with water. Sometimes the water was up over the wheels of the truck as we drove through. In one area, the road was impassable, so we were re-directed on a very narrow dirt track through farmer’s fields. The road was barely wide enough for the truck.

We finally arrived, and were met by about 100 people, mostly women and children. We were able to help distribute shoes to the children and some of the adults. It was humbling to be here. I brought more with me in my suitcase than many of these people have in their entire homes. Many of the children don’t have shoes at all. Others are too small, or have been worn so much that they are literally falling off their feet. Each child or family of children was called up individually, the right size shoe was found, and tried on. Then the smile! Most of them took the shoes right back off. They are saving them to wear to school later this week. The school was up on the hill behind where we did the distribution. Very small. We’re told there are over 800 children in this community, but I didn’t get how many of those were school age.

We met one little girl named Gloria. She received her shoes, but continued to wear them, because she was wearing her school uniform, so she thought it was appropriate. She is 10 years old, and about the size of a 5 year old. She was clutching a small plastic bag filled with several small pencil stubs, a ruler, and a well-used composition book. I asked her what she did with the things in her bag. She told me she carries it around because the teacher often asks her to help the other students. There’s a future teacher for you!

After a while, we had to leave to go to our next appointment. The distribution was still going on, and most likely would continue for most of the day. We slowly headed out the road we came in on. Along the way, we bought some mangos, which will make a great snack tomorrow. There are mango trees everywhere here, and this is the rainy season, so all are heavy with fruit. We also managed to get one of the trucks stuck in one of the large holes in the road. You have to laugh at things like that! I was reminded that one of the many reasons I left the military was because I was tired of mud. Now here I am back in the mud! Except this time I had to wear a skirt instead of combat boots. It’s not appropriate for women to wear slacks in the rural areas here.

We got the truck out, so all is well. We continued on to our last location this afternoon. We are now in northwestern Zambia in a city called Solwezi. The hotel here is wonderful. TV, hot water, mosquito net, and internet! We’re so spoiled. This morning, I spent the day with people who didn’t even have shoes, and I’m complaining because I don’t have hot water. I am very thankful for what I have, but is so hard to reconcile all that I have been blessed with to the things that I have seen today, and the other times I have come to Africa. Children with no shoes wearing rags. Mud huts. Medical clinics with limited or no supplies. Malnourished children. Diseased children. People dying from AIDS. Women with 5 and 6 small children. It’s heartbreaking.
But you also see good things happening. Small farms. Community Caregivers developing a co-op to raise money to pay school fees for orphans. Small schools to train in everything from farming and bee-keeping to computer training. I’m just glad that I am able to do some small part to help the good things take off and grow.