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.

SWSC on Film

Once again, my brother is back at it with his “gun” as it was dubbed in Zambia, but what we all know clearly as a video camera. It is truly an honour to be his occasional (very useless) behind the scenes assistant from time to time. I am just as hopeless as I was when he came 5 years ago and filmed a 20 odd minute documentary about the beginnings of SWSC. I’m horrible at holding the microphone. I hate carrying the camera gear. I make the interviewees laugh when they’re trying to be serious. Overall, I am not helpful at all.

However, it is a joy to listen to the people of SWSC talk about their passion for it, as I hide behind the camera. 

I had never heard the history of SWSC revealed by Mr.Katamfya and had the opportunity when we was on camera. He spoke with pride when he added the parts where he was physically involved in construction or teaching. It broke my heart a little to hear his plea for an increased salary for himself and the other staff members. He deserves a salary in the millions. He is extremely hard working, caring and dedicated to any task he is given. 

Tears came to my eyes, when volunteers Kristen and Mandy sat side by side for the camera and spoke about their roles in the organization as volunteers. Mandy spoke with so much love for SWSC, convincing me to up and get there as soon as I could and work for SWSC. I was comforted realizing that this place is my home. I’m already here. I’m already privileged to be working with some of the most amazing people I have ever met in Zambia and in Canada. It is a true joy to teach sports to our students, make them laugh and help them learn. I’m telling you, they are some of the most beautiful people I have met.

Solwezi is dusty to the max. I was late to interview a teacher on the weekend because our cab driver (now friend) was 40 minutes late to get us. I complained all weekend about a sore throat. Black ash falls from my roof into my house all day long. The bank machine didn’t work. The nights are way too cold. 

This place is way too incredible for any of that to matter...my friends remind me of that all of the time.

Lewy and his Love

I’ve had the opportunity over the last few weeks to be reminded of SWSC’s values. I’ve been reminded of what inspired us to put them into place, and then carry on doing our work. What inspires me to continue to do the work I do with SWSC and keep up with this life changing business I am into is this picture. 

Sure it may be cheesy and corny and gushy and overly simple, (but let’s get serious) is there anything truer than what Lewy once wrote on the outside walls of his house? Is there anything more relevant? Is there anything else living for, striving for? Is there anything we so desperately need to understand besides this? Isn’t this it? 

I should point out that this photo wasn’t staged. I remember more than 5 years ago, when Kim and I were venturing through the village of Kibombomene, when we came across Lewy’s home. He had written with mud the words “love is so good”, and he was sitting outside of his house reading a book we had lent him. Some might say that Lewy would be the last person in the world to write that, to understand it, to try and achieve it. He was 17 years old at the time, dreaming to become a Doctor but out of school due to lack of funding from his family and not really on the path to pursuing his dreams at all. With most things going against him, and not a lot of reason to believe it, he knew that love just isn’t good, but that it is so good.  

I think it’s true that sometimes we like to complicate things. It’s easy to forget purpose and lose meaning in a world that guides our lives as opposed to letting our hearts do it. When love guides us, we open our lives to endless opportunities of it working. I’ve been very fortunate to see love work in my life. The news may lead on that ‘good’ no longer exists, but I have seen the very opposite. No matter where I go in the world, there is love being all it knows how to be, soooo good. There is nothing complicated about that; purely and simply the truth.