My first official workshop as a Peace Corps volunteer was held 5th August and attended by around 120 men and women. It was on the topic of family planning, as so many women expressed interest in being able to attain it in the village. I bought a huge box of male condoms and Safeplan, the contraceptive pill, to sell after I explained about the pros and cons and how to use both. Unfortunately, I was not able to get as many women on Safeplan as I had hoped, because most of those in attendance were nursing babies, and Safeplan decreases the quality and quantity of breast milk.
I spoke to the women, through Ba Catherine, who translated, while Chris and Ba Allan spoke to the men. Men, quite unfairly, hold most of the power when it comes to making decisions regarding sex, so it was very important to convince them that contraceptives are beneficial to their family's health. Women in the village have an average of around eight children, usually starting when they are in their late teens, and give birth in their homes. There aren't even any traditional birth attendants, let alone trained midwives. So introducing contraceptives not only saves lives but also empowers families to be able to have the number of children they want, when they want them.
The next day, I held an end of the term academic awards ceremony at the school. My mom had sent me a box filled with all sorts of wonderful toys, so I decided to use them to promote education in the village, something that is seriously undervalued here. The two children who received the best overall grades on their exams in each grade level, were recognized and given a toy. It was the first time in the teachers' memories that such a ceremony had been held. Usually, academic accomplishment is not acknowledged; exams only serve to admit the student to the next grade. Needless to say, the children seemed very excited to get toys and puzzles and balls. I wrapped each prize in plain paper, so there were delighted rushes of children who mobbed the students unwrapping their prizes.
I spoke to the women, through Ba Catherine, who translated, while Chris and Ba Allan spoke to the men. Men, quite unfairly, hold most of the power when it comes to making decisions regarding sex, so it was very important to convince them that contraceptives are beneficial to their family's health. Women in the village have an average of around eight children, usually starting when they are in their late teens, and give birth in their homes. There aren't even any traditional birth attendants, let alone trained midwives. So introducing contraceptives not only saves lives but also empowers families to be able to have the number of children they want, when they want them.
The next day, I held an end of the term academic awards ceremony at the school. My mom had sent me a box filled with all sorts of wonderful toys, so I decided to use them to promote education in the village, something that is seriously undervalued here. The two children who received the best overall grades on their exams in each grade level, were recognized and given a toy. It was the first time in the teachers' memories that such a ceremony had been held. Usually, academic accomplishment is not acknowledged; exams only serve to admit the student to the next grade. Needless to say, the children seemed very excited to get toys and puzzles and balls. I wrapped each prize in plain paper, so there were delighted rushes of children who mobbed the students unwrapping their prizes.
This week, we are in Kasama for a PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) workshop. Each volunteer was allowed to bring one village counterpart to learn and help implement HIV/AIDS prevention, education, and support for the individuals that are HIV-positive in our village. Chris and I brought Ba Allan and Ba Catherine, respectively, who each are already involved in doing community health work. In sub-Saharan Africa, the vast majority of people with HIV are infected through unprotected sex. Young women are especially vulnerable due to many factors. Young girls are often enticed into sex for material gain, and in Zambia especially, it's not uncommon for men to have a "spare wheel." This is the disgusting term for a man having girlfriends, in addition to a wife. Sadly, spare wheels are all too common and excepted here. Often, men will have unprotected sex with their girlfriends, become infected with HIV, and give it to their passive, ever-faithful wives, then their children will be born with HIV. It's a sad phenomenon I observed in Ghana, West Africa, while working there as a VCT counselor, and also something I spent several months investigating for my senior thesis in college. The opressive chauvinism of males here is unbelievable sometimes, and we are working on gender relations in the village, but sometimes the problem is just so overwhelming and frustrating.
Tommorrow, we will start off for the capital city, Lusaka, a 12-hour ride by car. We'll spend ten days there for In-Service Training. This is additional training after our community entry period, after which we can begin to actually implement projects. Afterwards, we are going to take some cultural days to visit our former host family (who are now hosting a new couple), go Christmas shopping (a bit early, but Northern Province is not a tourist area), and visit the National Museum. Then we are going to return to Kasama via hitching rides, do some errands, and accompany our new Rural Aquaculture Program neighbor, who will be posted to his/her site in October, to visit their new site, 30 kilometers from our own. We'll return to our site around the 3rd or 4th of September, to marvel over how large our puppy has grown in our absence, and begin working on projects. The things I have in mind are a Halloween party for the kids in the village at the school (not that beneficial, but it'll be fun), holding an adult literacy interest meeting before we begin to plan classes and the corresponding nursery school, beginning an English club and an anti-AIDS club at the school, and strengthening some area women's groups.
For IST, we were instructed to prepare a presentation explaining some high points and low points during our first three months at site. It got me thinking, and I thought I'd share some moments. High Points: 1. Ba Allan informed us recently that he and his wife, who will have their eighth child any day now, are going to name the baby after me if it is a girl, or Chris if it is a boy. 2. Chris and I went down to the well together to wash dishes, as we do most days. A woman greeted Chris enthusiatically, then, in icibemba, proudly explained to her young daughter that in America, men wash dishes, too. She then mentioned something about how her husband should do it as well. We were very proud because we try to set an example of an even distribution of work, and change the attitudes concerning women, and it is nice to hear that people are getting it.
Low Points: 1. Receiving news that a friend of ours in our training group was hit and run over by a truck while buying vegetables at the side of the road. He broke many bones in his face and legs, and has spent the past month recovering in a hospital in South Africa. He was just moved to the U.S., where he faces several more months of recovery. He's a great guy and would make an excellent volunteer, so we hope he recovers and is able to return. 2. Returning to our house after five hours of absence, and finding two of our chickens mysteriously dead. One was a hen, the other a week-old chick. When slaughtering the hen, we found the cause of death was natural; an egg had burst inside of her. The chick had been crushed between the chicken wire and a brick chicken house. We think she got stuck and either a hawk or dog lunged at her and crushed her little body in the small gap. 3. About a month and a half ago, our host father was away one day, and our host mother sold beer at their house to make money. Naturally, there was a crowd of staggering drunks hanging out near our house. Chris was inside, sleeping because he was sick. I saw a guy going next to our bathing shelter to pee, which made me fume silently. Then I saw a man actually go inside our bathing shelter to relieve himself. I woke Chris, and he stormed over and began to scream in icibemba, at both the man and our host mother. Our host mother denied it happened, but the party broke up. Shortly before we left to come here, a new bathing shelter was built for us, on the other side of the house, in a more private location. 4. Our keys were pickpocketed at a large market the next village over, which meant we had to spend about two hours breaking into our house, and another three hours repairing the damage we'd caused.
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A Plea to Get People to Visit: We are going to be in Zambia for another year and nine months. This is your chance in a lifetime to visit Southern Africa and experience culture and get an insider's tour of the country. We really want to show people our new home, and writing about it can never adequately capture our life here. It's breathtakingly beautiful in parts, the people are friendly and open, and Zambia is home to both Victoria Falls and about a dozen national parks. Book soon to get a flight here for next summer.
Mom: I am going to send a package to your house in approximately three weeks. Expect to receive it around Halloween time.
Tommorrow, we will start off for the capital city, Lusaka, a 12-hour ride by car. We'll spend ten days there for In-Service Training. This is additional training after our community entry period, after which we can begin to actually implement projects. Afterwards, we are going to take some cultural days to visit our former host family (who are now hosting a new couple), go Christmas shopping (a bit early, but Northern Province is not a tourist area), and visit the National Museum. Then we are going to return to Kasama via hitching rides, do some errands, and accompany our new Rural Aquaculture Program neighbor, who will be posted to his/her site in October, to visit their new site, 30 kilometers from our own. We'll return to our site around the 3rd or 4th of September, to marvel over how large our puppy has grown in our absence, and begin working on projects. The things I have in mind are a Halloween party for the kids in the village at the school (not that beneficial, but it'll be fun), holding an adult literacy interest meeting before we begin to plan classes and the corresponding nursery school, beginning an English club and an anti-AIDS club at the school, and strengthening some area women's groups.
For IST, we were instructed to prepare a presentation explaining some high points and low points during our first three months at site. It got me thinking, and I thought I'd share some moments. High Points: 1. Ba Allan informed us recently that he and his wife, who will have their eighth child any day now, are going to name the baby after me if it is a girl, or Chris if it is a boy. 2. Chris and I went down to the well together to wash dishes, as we do most days. A woman greeted Chris enthusiatically, then, in icibemba, proudly explained to her young daughter that in America, men wash dishes, too. She then mentioned something about how her husband should do it as well. We were very proud because we try to set an example of an even distribution of work, and change the attitudes concerning women, and it is nice to hear that people are getting it.
Low Points: 1. Receiving news that a friend of ours in our training group was hit and run over by a truck while buying vegetables at the side of the road. He broke many bones in his face and legs, and has spent the past month recovering in a hospital in South Africa. He was just moved to the U.S., where he faces several more months of recovery. He's a great guy and would make an excellent volunteer, so we hope he recovers and is able to return. 2. Returning to our house after five hours of absence, and finding two of our chickens mysteriously dead. One was a hen, the other a week-old chick. When slaughtering the hen, we found the cause of death was natural; an egg had burst inside of her. The chick had been crushed between the chicken wire and a brick chicken house. We think she got stuck and either a hawk or dog lunged at her and crushed her little body in the small gap. 3. About a month and a half ago, our host father was away one day, and our host mother sold beer at their house to make money. Naturally, there was a crowd of staggering drunks hanging out near our house. Chris was inside, sleeping because he was sick. I saw a guy going next to our bathing shelter to pee, which made me fume silently. Then I saw a man actually go inside our bathing shelter to relieve himself. I woke Chris, and he stormed over and began to scream in icibemba, at both the man and our host mother. Our host mother denied it happened, but the party broke up. Shortly before we left to come here, a new bathing shelter was built for us, on the other side of the house, in a more private location. 4. Our keys were pickpocketed at a large market the next village over, which meant we had to spend about two hours breaking into our house, and another three hours repairing the damage we'd caused.
-----------------------------------------------------
A Plea to Get People to Visit: We are going to be in Zambia for another year and nine months. This is your chance in a lifetime to visit Southern Africa and experience culture and get an insider's tour of the country. We really want to show people our new home, and writing about it can never adequately capture our life here. It's breathtakingly beautiful in parts, the people are friendly and open, and Zambia is home to both Victoria Falls and about a dozen national parks. Book soon to get a flight here for next summer.
Mom: I am going to send a package to your house in approximately three weeks. Expect to receive it around Halloween time.
Hi guys, Happy Thanksgiving. Kristen and I are happy you two are doing so well. The pictures are very cool, as well as the articles. Keep up the hard work everyone is proud of you. Jake and Kristen.
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