Being Different

Last month, I took our students to a free eye clinic offered by Solwezi General Hospital. A few of the girls complain of persistent head aches and 95% of them have never seen a Doctor before, let alone been to a hospital. I stole an opportunity to have them checked out when they were attending a Conservation Farming workshop hosted by Kansanshi Mines in Solwezi. It turned out that the only student needing glasses was little Wana. Wana is one of our younger students at 14 years old, but also one of the brightest. Wana grew up in Kitwe, attending better schools than what is often found in the rural areas, until her father decided it was best for her to come stay with her Grandmother in Kansefu (a village about 15km away from our site). When Wana soon realized that the Ophthalmologist was sizing her up for specs, her usually bubbly personality began to fade rather quickly. Wana did not want glasses. She did want to be different from her friends. She did not want to be laughed at. I repeated to Wana what the Doctor had said; if she didn’t start wearing glasses now, her eye sight would only get worse. Her headaches would most likely go away and best of all, she’d be able to excel in class being able to read and write with more clarity. She fought back tears when I told her that she would be even more beautiful than she is now. I explained that a part of beauty is being healthy and taking care of you. With glasses, she would be able to have healthier eyes and therefore project a beauty she didn’t have before when she was struggling to see properly. 

Our beautiful Wana

The next week, we went back to the Hospital to fit her with a new pair of glasses. I was afraid that we were going to all of this trouble and Wana would pack away her glasses once we bought them and never even bother to wear them. However, once she picked out a frame that she liked with a purple tint, the fear of wearing glasses didn’t seem so large for her. Since then, I rarely see Wana without wearing her glasses. She says she can see things she couldn’t before and she can read and write better. 

The reality of Wana’s fear of being different didn’t really set in for me until this past weekend when I had a bad encounter in Chisokani Market in Kitwe. Candace, Kim and I know very well that you really take your chances when you venture into this overcrowded, loud and dirty city market in central Kitwe. Kitwe is certainly not a tourist town, and Chisokani is certainly not a place where tourists go. The small section about Kitwe in the Lonely Planet Guide even says to avoid it. I’m sure the majority of local expatriates stay away and stick to the boutiques and shops in the other parts of town. It’s difficult to wander through the market and browse without getting attention when my skin colour screams that I am different. Here I was feeling like I wanted to hide and look like everyone else, when just the other week, I was encouraging Wana that her difference would be what made her beauty stand out. 

As Keith and I walked through the market, some people who had a bit too much to drink (despite the early hour of the day), were bold enough to grab my arm. Others followed us, some called out insults, and I received a lot of awkward stares and laughs. It was worse when I tried to buy a pair of jeans. The shop owner asked way too much for them. He wouldn’t budge on the price even after Keith explained to them in Bemba that I couldn’t be cheated, that I’ve been around for a long time and I know what the price should be. This was turning out to be one of those not so great Chisokani experiences. I was frustrated that I had been picked on and ridiculed for being different.

This experience made me think about the following questions:

Will this ever go away? Will our differences always beg us to be put in the spotlight in a negative way? Will we always (seemingly no matter what age) be laughed at for our differences? Will demeaning assumptions always be made about who we are and what we have from our outside appearances?

Or….

Will we ever gain the confidence in the face of all of this to just be ourselves no matter what? Will our differences always beg us to be put in the spotlight only to be proud of that position? Will we always (seemingly no matter what age) be laughed at, but then have the courage to ignore hurtful insults? Will demeaning assumptions always be made about who we are and what we have from our outside appearance, but will we have the opportunity to forgive people for their misunderstandings? Will we believe instead that the majority of us are kind and loving? Will we be patient with those who are not ready to accept all of us despite our differences? Will we continue on doing what we need to do when we want to do it without fear? Will we always understand our own beauty knowing that it stems from these differences?  

Will I remember, as I have the opportunity to encourage young teenage girls, that I am JUST THE WAY I AM SUPPOSED TO BE and that I am EXACTLY WHERE I AM SUPPOSED TO BE? It doesn’t matter where I have come from or what I look like, accepting our own differences as beauty will allow others to do the same.

Being Different

Last month, I took our students to a free eye clinic offered by Solwezi General Hospital. A few of the girls complain of persistent head aches and 95% of them have never seen a Doctor before, let alone been to a hospital. I stole an opportunity to have them checked out when they were attending a Conservation Farming workshop hosted by Kansanshi Mines in Solwezi. It turned out that the only student needing glasses was little Wana. Wana is one of our younger students at 14 years old, but also one of the brightest. Wana grew up in Kitwe, attending better schools than what is often found in the rural areas, until her father decided it was best for her to come stay with her Grandmother in Kansefu (a village about 15km away from our site). When Wana soon realized that the Ophthalmologist was sizing her up for specs, her usually bubbly personality began to fade rather quickly. Wana did not want glasses. She did want to be different from her friends. She did not want to be laughed at. I repeated to Wana what the Doctor had said; if she didn’t start wearing glasses now, her eye sight would only get worse. Her headaches would most likely go away and best of all, she’d be able to excel in class being able to read and write with more clarity. She fought back tears when I told her that she would be even more beautiful than she is now. I explained that a part of beauty is being healthy and taking care of you. With glasses, she would be able to have healthier eyes and therefore project a beauty she didn’t have before when she was struggling to see properly. 

The next week, we went back to the Hospital to fit her with a new pair of glasses. I was afraid that we were going to all of this trouble and Wana would pack away her glasses once we bought them and never even bother to wear them. However, once she picked out a frame that she liked with a purple tint, the fear of wearing glasses didn’t seem so large for her. Since then, I rarely see Wana without wearing her glasses. She says she can see things she couldn’t before and she can read and write better. 

The reality of Wana’s fear of being different didn’t really set in for me until this past weekend when I had a bad encounter in Chisokani Market in Kitwe. Candace, Kim and I know very well that you really take your chances when you venture into this overcrowded, loud and dirty city market in central Kitwe. Kitwe is certainly not a tourist town, and Chisokani is certainly not a place where tourists go. The small section about Kitwe in the Lonely Planet Guide even says to avoid it. I’m sure the majority of local expatriates stay away and stick to the boutiques and shops in the other parts of town. It’s difficult to wander through the market and browse without getting attention when my skin colour screams that I am different. Here I was feeling like I wanted to hide and look like everyone else, when just the other week, I was encouraging Wana that her difference would be what made her beauty stand out. 

As Keith and I walked through the market, some people who had a bit too much to drink (despite the early hour of the day), were bold enough to grab my arm. Others followed us, some called out insults, and I received a lot of awkward stares and laughs. It was worse when I tried to buy a pair of jeans. The shop owner asked way too much for them. He wouldn’t budge on the price even after Keith explained to them in Bemba that I couldn’t be cheated, that I’ve been around for a long time and I know what the price should be. This was turning out to be one of those not so great Chisokani experiences. I was frustrated that I had been picked on and ridiculed for being different.

This experience made me think about the following questions:

Will this ever go away? Will our differences always beg us to be put in the spotlight in a negative way? Will we always (seemingly no matter what age) be laughed at for our differences? Will demeaning assumptions always be made about who we are and what we have from our outside appearances?

Or….

Will we ever gain the confidence in the face of all of this to just be ourselves no matter what? Will our differences always beg us to be put in the spotlight only to be proud of that position? Will we always (seemingly no matter what age) be laughed at, but then have the courage to ignore hurtful insults? Will demeaning assumptions always be made about who we are and what we have from our outside appearance, but will we have the opportunity to forgive people for their misunderstandings? Will we believe instead that the majority of us are kind and loving? Will we be patient with those who are not ready to accept all of us despite our differences? Will we continue on doing what we need to do when we want to do it without fear? Will we always understand our own beauty knowing that it stems from these differences?  

Will I remember, as I have the opportunity to encourage young teenage girls, that I am JUST THE WAY I AM SUPPOSED TO BE and that I am EXACTLY WHERE I AM SUPPOSED TO BE? It doesn’t matter where I have come from or what I look like, accepting our own differences as beauty will allow others to do the same.

Being Different

Last month, I took our students to a free eye clinic offered by Solwezi General Hospital. A few of the girls complain of persistent head aches and 95% of them have never seen a Doctor before, let alone been to a hospital. I stole an opportunity to have them checked out when they were attending a Conservation Farming workshop hosted by Kansanshi Mines in Solwezi. It turned out that the only student needing glasses was little Wana. Wana is one of our younger students at 14 years old, but also one of the brightest. Wana grew up in Kitwe, attending better schools than what is often found in the rural areas, until her father decided it was best for her to come stay with her Grandmother in Kansefu (a village about 15km away from our site). When Wana soon realized that the Ophthalmologist was sizing her up for specs, her usually bubbly personality began to fade rather quickly. Wana did not want glasses. She did want to be different from her friends. She did not want to be laughed at. I repeated to Wana what the Doctor had said; if she didn’t start wearing glasses now, her eye sight would only get worse. Her headaches would most likely go away and best of all, she’d be able to excel in class being able to read and write with more clarity. She fought back tears when I told her that she would be even more beautiful than she is now. I explained that a part of beauty is being healthy and taking care of you. With glasses, she would be able to have healthier eyes and therefore project a beauty she didn’t have before when she was struggling to see properly. 

The next week, we went back to the Hospital to fit her with a new pair of glasses. I was afraid that we were going to all of this trouble and Wana would pack away her glasses once we bought them and never even bother to wear them. However, once she picked out a frame that she liked with a purple tint, the fear of wearing glasses didn’t seem so large for her. Since then, I rarely see Wana without wearing her glasses. She says she can see things she couldn’t before and she can read and write better. 

The reality of Wana’s fear of being different didn’t really set in for me until this past weekend when I had a bad encounter in Chisokani Market in Kitwe. Candace, Kim and I know very well that you really take your chances when you venture into this overcrowded, loud and dirty city market in central Kitwe. Kitwe is certainly not a tourist town, and Chisokani is certainly not a place where tourists go. The small section about Kitwe in the Lonely Planet Guide even says to avoid it. I’m sure the majority of local expatriates stay away and stick to the boutiques and shops in the other parts of town. It’s difficult to wander through the market and browse without getting attention when my skin colour screams that I am different. Here I was feeling like I wanted to hide and look like everyone else, when just the other week, I was encouraging Wana that her difference would be what made her beauty stand out. 

As Keith and I walked through the market, some people who had a bit too much to drink (despite the early hour of the day), were bold enough to grab my arm. Others followed us, some called out insults, and I received a lot of awkward stares and laughs. It was worse when I tried to buy a pair of jeans. The shop owner asked way too much for them. He wouldn’t budge on the price even after Keith explained to them in Bemba that I couldn’t be cheated, that I’ve been around for a long time and I know what the price should be. This was turning out to be one of those not so great Chisokani experiences. I was frustrated that I had been picked on and ridiculed for being different.

This experience made me think about the following questions:

Will this ever go away? Will our differences always beg us to be put in the spotlight in a negative way? Will we always (seemingly no matter what age) be laughed at for our differences? Will demeaning assumptions always be made about who we are and what we have from our outside appearances?

Or….

Will we ever gain the confidence in the face of all of this to just be ourselves no matter what? Will our differences always beg us to be put in the spotlight only to be proud of that position? Will we always (seemingly no matter what age) be laughed at, but then have the courage to ignore hurtful insults? Will demeaning assumptions always be made about who we are and what we have from our outside appearance, but will we have the opportunity to forgive people for their misunderstandings? Will we believe instead that the majority of us are kind and loving? Will we be patient with those who are not ready to accept all of us despite our differences? Will we continue on doing what we need to do when we want to do it without fear? Will we always understand our own beauty knowing that it stems from these differences?  

Will I remember, as I have the opportunity to encourage young teenage girls, that I am JUST THE WAY I AM SUPPOSED TO BE and that I am EXACTLY WHERE I AM SUPPOSED TO BE? It doesn’t matter where I have come from or what I look like, accepting our own differences as beauty will allow others to do the same.

Being Different

Last month, I took our students to a free eye clinic offered by Solwezi General Hospital. A few of the girls complain of persistent head aches and 95% of them have never seen a Doctor before, let alone been to a hospital. I stole an opportunity to have them checked out when they were attending a Conservation Farming workshop hosted by Kansanshi Mines in Solwezi. It turned out that the only student needing glasses was little Wana. Wana is one of our younger students at 14 years old, but also one of the brightest. Wana grew up in Kitwe, attending better schools than what is often found in the rural areas, until her father decided it was best for her to come stay with her Grandmother in Kansefu (a village about 15km away from our site). When Wana soon realized that the Ophthalmologist was sizing her up for specs, her usually bubbly personality began to fade rather quickly. Wana did not want glasses. She did want to be different from her friends. She did not want to be laughed at. I repeated to Wana what the Doctor had said; if she didn’t start wearing glasses now, her eye sight would only get worse. Her headaches would most likely go away and best of all, she’d be able to excel in class being able to read and write with more clarity. She fought back tears when I told her that she would be even more beautiful than she is now. I explained that a part of beauty is being healthy and taking care of you. With glasses, she would be able to have healthier eyes and therefore project a beauty she didn’t have before when she was struggling to see properly. 

The next week, we went back to the Hospital to fit her with a new pair of glasses. I was afraid that we were going to all of this trouble and Wana would pack away her glasses once we bought them and never even bother to wear them. However, once she picked out a frame that she liked with a purple tint, the fear of wearing glasses didn’t seem so large for her. Since then, I rarely see Wana without wearing her glasses. She says she can see things she couldn’t before and she can read and write better. 

The reality of Wana’s fear of being different didn’t really set in for me until this past weekend when I had a bad encounter in Chisokani Market in Kitwe. Candace, Kim and I know very well that you really take your chances when you venture into this overcrowded, loud and dirty city market in central Kitwe. Kitwe is certainly not a tourist town, and Chisokani is certainly not a place where tourists go. The small section about Kitwe in the Lonely Planet Guide even says to avoid it. I’m sure the majority of local expatriates stay away and stick to the boutiques and shops in the other parts of town. It’s difficult to wander through the market and browse without getting attention when my skin colour screams that I am different. Here I was feeling like I wanted to hide and look like everyone else, when just the other week, I was encouraging Wana that her difference would be what made her beauty stand out. 

As Keith and I walked through the market, some people who had a bit too much to drink (despite the early hour of the day), were bold enough to grab my arm. Others followed us, some called out insults, and I received a lot of awkward stares and laughs. It was worse when I tried to buy a pair of jeans. The shop owner asked way too much for them. He wouldn’t budge on the price even after Keith explained to them in Bemba that I couldn’t be cheated, that I’ve been around for a long time and I know what the price should be. This was turning out to be one of those not so great Chisokani experiences. I was frustrated that I had been picked on and ridiculed for being different.

This experience made me think about the following questions:

Will this ever go away? Will our differences always beg us to be put in the spotlight in a negative way? Will we always (seemingly no matter what age) be laughed at for our differences? Will demeaning assumptions always be made about who we are and what we have from our outside appearances?

Or….

Will we ever gain the confidence in the face of all of this to just be ourselves no matter what? Will our differences always beg us to be put in the spotlight only to be proud of that position? Will we always (seemingly no matter what age) be laughed at, but then have the courage to ignore hurtful insults? Will demeaning assumptions always be made about who we are and what we have from our outside appearance, but will we have the opportunity to forgive people for their misunderstandings? Will we believe instead that the majority of us are kind and loving? Will we be patient with those who are not ready to accept all of us despite our differences? Will we continue on doing what we need to do when we want to do it without fear? Will we always understand our own beauty knowing that it stems from these differences?  

Will I remember, as I have the opportunity to encourage young teenage girls, that I am JUST THE WAY I AM SUPPOSED TO BE and that I am EXACTLY WHERE I AM SUPPOSED TO BE? It doesn’t matter where I have come from or what I look like, accepting our own differences as beauty will allow others to do the same.

FREE and SWSC

Last weekend we hosted some visitors from an organization in Lusaka called FREE (Foundation for the Realization of Economic Empowerment). In partnership with FREE and funded entirely by Kansanshi Mine in Solwezi, 3 women were invited to run a workshop for our students on jewellery making from recycled copper wire and sheeting.  

Tammie (SWSC Canadian Board Member) had come across some of FREE’s copper products (rings, bangles, bracelets, necklaces and earrings) at Lusaka’s Sunday Craft Market in April. She had met with Dawn (the Founder of FREE) and ordered some jewellery for me to take back to Canada for Tammie a month later. Before I flew out in May, I sat down with Dawn in Lusaka to collect the jewellery. At this time, I had the opportunity to hear her story. She told me all about how FREE was started and how important it was to empower women by ensuring they are in control of their own financial futures. Before the end of the conversation, I had convinced Dawn that our female students would greatly benefit from an opportunity like this. She had ensured me that anyone could learn the skills, including teenage girls, and they would be able to produce market-able items and earn a monthly salary. 

Charity and Vanessa working away on rings!

Most of our students are coming from families of at least 5 or more children. A lot of them are coming from single parent families (with one parent deceased) or others coming from the care of relatives or Grandparents. They’re from rural villages, where farming is the main source of income. Parents work every day in their fields in the heat with minimal resources in order to produce enough to send all of their children to school. Although we don’t charge school fees at SWSC, we do ask these parents to pay for uniforms and their children’s food each month. I’m guessing that the cost of food can’t be much more than $40.00 CDN a month per student. Regardless, this cost is a huge burden to parents, and yet they never stop working to earn enough to send their children to school. If the girls themselves could earn enough each month to pay for their own food, clothes and other necessities; their parents would be relieved of this burden and the girls would have the pride of fully supporting themselves. 

Linda from FREE (purple shirt) showing the girls how to mold and size rings.

And so with that…. Dawn went to work writing a proposal to Kansanshi requesting funds for the workshop, as well as for the costs of the necessary tools and equipment. Kansanshi approved the proposal and a date was set for September for the workshop. Another valuable piece of the puzzle fit in, when a member of the Church I go to in Solwezi commented on the copper jewellery I was wearing one day. When I told her about FREE and the upcoming workshop, she mentioned that she was also a jewellery maker (her expertise being in silver), and that she’d be interested in coming to partake in the workshop and possibly helping out with this project. Since last week, Michelle has now committed herself to volunteer 2 days each week to continue the training, as well as supervise the girls’ work. She believes the girls will have sell-able items in about 2 months! Get your orders ready. Each piece of jewellery will be marketed with the producer’s name, and therefore the buyer will be able to make a connection with that student. Students will receive a percentage of each sale they make. Another percentage will go to sustaining the project.  

 

Eliza (seated in the middle) helping Lyness perfect bangle making.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall, this has been a great experience. I LOVE the idea that 2 incredible Zambian organizations, FREE and SWSC, can work together to make things better. A highlight of all of this, was watching one of our academically weaker students, Eliza, excel immediately at this skill. During the workshop, I had to practically carry the students out of my house on a Saturday night at 9:30pm because they still wanted to work on their jewellery. They’d already been at it since 8:00 that morning and had no interest in stopping. It was nice to see the girls take to something so keenly that will have almost an immediate impact on their lives; an opportunity once again for them to create their own positive futures.

SWSC's Noah

Well, it’s official; SWSC has finally got wheels of our own. My favourite part of this entire vehicle purchasing spectacle, you ask? It was when the seller of the vehicle asked if we wanted to buy another vehicle from him. This is how the conversation went: 

Seller: “I have another one if you’re interested”.

Me (laughing): “It took us almost 6 years to buy this one; I don’t think we are ready for another one quite yet”.
Seller (laughing in disbelief): “Are you sure”?
Me (wanting to say, but only thinking): “Buddy, don’t let my skin colour deceive you. I have been hitch hiking around this country for 6 years. You have no idea how much effort we have put into making a decision on this one”.
Seller (probably thinking but not saying): “Lady, you are the craziest and I guess the poorest mzungu (white peson) I have ever met”.
Me (now feeling in disbelief as I walk out of his office and the entire way home): “I can’t believe I don’t have to hitch hike home. I can’t believe we finally bought a vehicle. I can hardly believe this, but I have to….this is way too good to be true”. 

 SWSC's first vehicle purchase, a Toyota Noah

So, every time I walk into my bedroom and peer out my front window and see a vehicle parked in my driveway, I still get excited thinking there is somewhere here to visit me; then I remember that it’s ours. As I sit here and write this at my dining room table, I can see a silver coloured Mom-Mobile sized machine that has so much potential (not likely for carting kids to soccer practice although it certainly could play that role). Our new vehicle has the potential to drive (excuse the pun) this organization to a new future. Here are some of the advantages:

·         Trips to Solwezi can be made on a schedule (no more walking 25 minutes out to the highway, waiting for whatever vehicle we can hike in at whatever time to take us to some unknown destination in town once we have arrived).

·         Efficiency is now possible (despite the horrible traffic in Solwezi…that has only one 2 lane road that reaches from one end of town to the other, not to mention that it is the only way to reach the rest of Northwestern Province north-west of Solwezi, or the entire rest of the country south-east of Solwezi). We are able to visit council offices, do shopping, have meetings and make so many other SWSC errands in the same day.

·         We can assist a community member in an emergency situation (no more walking 10km to a rural health post when you are suffering from malaria). We will be able to take those who are in serious need of medical attention to the nearest clinic for assistance.

·         Supporting local just got easier! In our own vehicle, we can stop and buy what we need, from local farmers (beans, bananas, potatoes and vegetables…all that we can from the side of the road). 

Truly, the list of advantages is endless, but I will leave it at that. I often find it difficult to FEEL the progress of SWSC when I have never been separated from its operations, not once in almost 6 years. Although it will take some time to completely set in and although I know that this is only a small piece of completing the puzzle….it is entirely satisfying to be reminded that we moving along just fine. We aren’t finished yet, there is so much more to do. We’ve hit speed bumps (yet another clever pun), been delayed at road blocks (mhmmm), paid a few unjustified tickets (still going), and have never once put ourselves into reverse (I’m done now). One day, I hope I’ll be able to look back and REMEMBER how much we have struggled so I can FEEL grateful for how far we will have come.

Water for SWSC

The last few days have been noisy ones. We’ve had a drilling company on site working every single hour of daylight just a few hundred metres from my house. The noise is welcomed though. The noise equals water. The company has drilled just over 60 metres deep through the Kibombomene soil and the proper geographic layers until hitting fresh and clean water. 

 

Drilling Company hard at work

It has been proven that drinking clean water helps students focus. It has been proven that drinking clean water helps prevent illness. It has been proven that drinking clean water is a privilege to those of us from the developed nations; the places where we can afford to buy it or from the places where our Governments have been able to make this a priority for their citizens.....until now!  

Long time friend of SWSC and supporter Paul from Germany thought it was so important that we have clean water here. He thought it was so important that he secured donations from friends, families and the greatest donor from a Colleague until he was able to hire a Drilling team in Zambia to come and do the job. The organization that sourced the majority of funds was Germany’s ‘Foundation for a Social and Ecological Future’. The team has taken 3 days to drill the hole. They will be followed by another team in the next couple of weeks to install a hand pump. After this team finishes, our students, staff, volunteers and passing community members will have access to fresh water.  

It’s not been easy without running water. When I go to visit friends in the cities over the weekends, I usually really enjoy a good hot shower. Washing dishes in a sink becomes a breeze and I reserve a lot more energy from throwing my clothes into a washing machine instead of washing them from hand. However, it is interesting to keep track of exactly how much water I use every single day. There is next to no wasting. On an average day, I personally use approximately 40 Litres of water each day to do the following things:

·         5-10 Litres for bathing (water is first heated up in a metal dish over a fire)

·         10 Litres for mopping my floors (which everyone who has visited me can tell you I happen to be really good at, and boy oh boy, a mopped floor sure does looks good)

·         3-5 Litres for cooking (including boiling the kettle for the morning coffee made in my French press. Zambia’s Marika’s coffee is so far my favourite)

·         1 Litre for drinking

·         10-15 Litres for washing dishes (I only do breakfast and lunch dishes. I’m way too lazy to wash dishes after dinner)

·         40 Litres for washing my clothes by hand (only once per week including washing and rinsing)

I’m excited for clean water at SWSC. I’m happy that the well project falls into the “same world same chance” objective. We all deserve the same opportunities to develop our own futures. Our students are now one step further on their way to achieving that. Thanks goes to our friends in Germany living in the same world as us in Kibombomene.