Thursday, August 14, 2008
Failures
Chisenga has been showing me around some of the villages he works in. Today we are walking through Lunga village. From what I have seen so far, Lunga is making great progress with the project. The densely populated village has a number of families with completed latrines and the young sanitation technician is enthusiastic to finish many more latrines this year.
We were standing at the well when Chisenga said “Oh, there is a latrine just over there. Let’s go and see it.” Chisenga led me around a house and through a small, dried up garden. When I saw how close the latrine was to the well I thought, “Oh crap”. Chisenga chatted to the sanitation technician about the owner of the latrine while I took a few pictures and made some estimations. The latrine was no more than 20 metres from the well. In order to avoid contaminating the well with fecal matter, a well shouldn’t be within 30 meters of a latrine, so this is obviously a problem.
This is a typical day out in the field for me. At least once a day I will observe how the project is not being implemented properly, and possibly doing more harm to the locals. (I say possibly because in the example of Lunga, the water the villagers are using might already be contaminated).
At first the failures made me feel extremely frustrated and sad. I thought that my role in the project was hopeless and I couldn’t help in anyway. Now, I am comfortable with the failure, or at least my role in all of it. My role is to gather lessons about why things aren’t working, and hopefully these lessons will be used to help things in Milenge, or other future projects.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Shark Hunting
There is no bank in Milenge. So if people need to borrow money, where do they get it? Loan sharks? Family? Neighbours? From my detective work, I don't think people in Milenge borrow money! "You can ask your neighbour to borrow a tomato, but you cannot ask to borrow money," explains my coworker, Eddy Chitalu. "That is because, in Milenge, it is common for someone to have a tomato, but uncommon for someone to have money."
I think people in Milenge only bite off what they can chew. That is, they only do what they can afford to do. A field worker, Maybin Chishimbe, is building an additional house and he told me, "It will only have a dirt floor. I will not use cement. The money to buy cement is the money to pay for my children's schooling." Mr. Chishimbe is making his own bricks in his front yard.
In the villages it is common to live off of subsistence farming (and therefore having money is not very common, as Eddy said). It is difficult to find vegetables or fish for sale in Milenge. The market is much smaller than any of the bustling markets I've seen elsewhere in Zambia. Milenge's market is one table, one restaurant, one bar, and four shops. Sometimes there will be no women selling goods at the one table. Most families either sell their food at the edge of the road by their homes or send their children to sell the food door to door.
I have seen villagers with the following livelihoods which make some money:
- Hammer mill owner - charges a fee for people wanting to grind maize kernels
- Restaurant/Bar/Shop owner
- Farmer - sells vegetables
- Fisherman - sells fish
- Beekeepers - take their honey to Mansa to be sold there
- Carpenters - will make you almost anything you need
- Women brewing beer for sale
- Charcoal burners
- Pieceworks such as washing clothes and building bath shelters
However, every person in Milenge has a different story and their livelihoods are complicated. To finish, I want to introduce you to two women I have become friends with in Milenge. Their names are Esther and Hennedy.
Ester is a preschool teacher here in Milenge, and lives in the Boma. She is 24 years old. She came to Milenge last February after finishing her grade 12 and plans on leaving Milenge in December. She lives with her sister and her sister's family in the boma. It has taken her a long time to finish grade school because her parents separated when she was in grade seven and her mother could not pay for further education. In Zambia, families must pay for their children's schooling after grade seven. After a few years, Ester and her mother started a business. They made table cloths and knitted a lining for the tablecloths. To start the business, Ester gathered some of her sorghum and sold it at the market. "That is how I got my capital,"she told me. She used the profits from this business to finish grade school in Mansa. Now, she is saving money to pay for a three year nursing program. "I wanted to join the army, but my friends talked me out of it." Esther is saving money from working as a teacher and selling "talk time" (pay as you go cell phone minutes) with a small profit. However, this will take time. One year at the nursing school costs 1,000,000 Kwacha and she needs to improve her mark in grade 12 science before the school will accept her. Esther says she would also like to start a restaurant in Mansa some day.
Hennedy lives in one of the most rural parts of Milenge: Mumbotuta ward. She is 21 and is a single mother of a five month old baby, Steward. I lived with Hennedy and her mother for five days. The family lives off of subsistence farming - they eat what they grow and do not buy their food. Every morning, Hennedy's mother and neighbours would go out in the field to gather food and return before lunch to start preparing the meal. "There is no cooking oil in Mumbotuta," Hennedy explained to me. So when the family ate chicken, the chicken was boiled, not fried. I think the only income Hennedy has is from her work with the WaterAid project. She is a hygiene promoter and makes 130,000 Kwacha per month. Hennedy spends that money on repairing the bicycle Water Aid gave her, clothes, and special food. "I like to buy some maize mealy meal. I cannot grow it because I cannot afford fertilizer." The family makes their own mealy meal from sorghum, which does not require fertilizer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Glossary:
- boma: the "downtown" of Milenge
- livelihood: what a person does to make a living. As a Canadian example, my mother's livelihood is teaching people how to play the violin. She uses the money her students pay her for food, paying bills, etc.
- subsistence farming: a household eats what they grow
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Books I have read this summer
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
The Restaurant at the end of the Universe (Douglas Adams)
Life of Pi (Yann Mortel)
Tao of Coaching (Max Landsberg)
Critical Villager (Eric Dudley)
Mountains Beyond Mountains (Tracy Kidder)
Blink (Malcolm Gladwell)
Monday, July 28, 2008
Open Defecation (a.k.a. “Shitting in the Bush”) and Other Risky Behaviours
Risky Behaviour #1: Open Defecation (a.k.a. “shitting in the bush”)
This is what a villager must do if they do not have any sort of a latrine. So when the hygiene promoters arrive at a village without latrines, they know open defecation exists (but people don’t talk about it!). Why is it risky? I faeces is left in the open, it becomes a breading ground for bacteria and flies are also free to come and go from your food from the pile. The problem is that flies are also free to come and go from your food and can therefore transfer bacteria from faeces to food. So if you have a latrine, but your neighbour doesn’t, you’re not safe from the flies! Way forward: start building some sort of a latrine.
Risky Behviour #2: Not washing your hands
There are a variety of risky hand washing habits. The most basic risky behaviour is not washing your hands at all. Why is it risky? Toilet paper isn't used so much in the village, so it's either a leaf or your left hand! Way forward: build and use a hand washing station outside your latrine.
Risky Behaviour #3: Leaving dishes on the ground
Most cooking is done outside and dishes, even after they are washed, are left on the ground. There's no kitchen, let alone a sink or counter top. So animal like chickens, goats, dogs, and pigs can sniff, lick, and step in dishes, pots, and pans! Why is it risky? All of these animals are also free to roam in the bush (see Risky Behaviour #1). Way forward: build a dish rack to dry & store your dishes.
Risky Behaviour #4: Washing hands in shared water
It is a tradition in Zambia to rinse your hands with water at the dinner table before eating nshima. At restaurants there are water dispensers to wash your hands. In homes you use a bowl of water. Why is it risky? Everyone at the table washing their hands in the same bowl of water means your sharing germs with everyone at the table! Way forward: pour water from a pitcher of water and use soap.
...etc.
So what do you think about this? It may seem like common sense to wash your hands after going to the bathroom in the west. Why do you wash your hands after going to the bathroom? Why do you bother using the bathroom?
*Drawings are from a PHAST training guide*
Friday, July 25, 2008
A Typical Day in Milenge District
I return to the Mumba's house and find the mother sweeping,
We wait for maybe 30 minutes for the villagers to gather. Time is very relaxed! Throughout the meeting, the hygiene promoters discuss "Risky Behaviors" such as not washing your hands before eating. I am learning Bemba and understand some of it brokenly and the hygiene promoters also translate for me.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
What am I eating?
Chicken
Fish, lots and lots of fish
Goat
Hippo
Game meat
Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoe leaves
Cassava tubers
Cassava leaves
Pumpkin leaves
Pumpkin
Cabbage
Soya pieces (really good!)
Tomatoes
Beans
Popo
Peanut butter (home-made!)
Bread
Oatmeal
Sweet bread (made in a pot)
Fritters
Rice
Boiled sorghum
Popcorn, shortbread cookies
Oranges, watermelon, apples, bananas
Water, orange juice, fanta, coke, sprite, carbonated apple juice, tea, honey
Friday, July 18, 2008
From the Black Proboscis to Zambian Bicycles
Here is a short dialogue I had on my first day of work at the health clinic in Milenge:
Doctor: “You have Malaria.”
Me: “Haha, okay where do I go to get the treatment?”
So starting work in Milenge was delayed about a week and a half for me because I got Malaria. I am trying to avoid the black proboscis (aka the mosquito) with a mosquito net at night, mosquito repellent, and covering as much skin as possible! I guess the mosquitoes in Milenge are really sneaky!
In Milenge, I am living with a woman named Charity who is a secretary at the Ministry of Education office. Charity’s niece and cousin (Cathrine and Penlope) also live in the house. Cathrine is 17 and Penlope is about 15. They both go to school in Milenge. They were awesome help when I was sick and, when I was healthy, introduced me to a lot of Zambian culture! For example, they taught me how to cook nshima – the staple food in Zambia – and I made my first pot of nshima on June 22! They said it tasted great. Until that point my arms weren’t strong enough to stir the nshima until it was done, so the girls would always finish preparing it.
Penlope
The chicken that sometimes sleeps in my room
Her eggs, which are taking a long time to hatch!
I have actually only lived with Charity and the girls for about two weeks because I’ve been traveling around Milenge. For one week I lived in Kapalala ward with Mr. Anthony Mumba, a hygiene promoter, and his family. Another week I stayed with Ms. Hennedy Mwewa Perfecta and her family in Mumbotuta ward. I have been living in the wards to learn as much as possible about the projects in my first month here. The project officer for the Milenge WaterAid project has not been so there wouldn’t be much to do alone in the office.
Hennedy (top left) and her family
Hennedy and her son, Steward, at Mumbotuta falls
Me, grinding sorghum. Hennedy makes nshima from sorghum flour.
I received my bicycle before leaving for Hennedy’s home. But I had some bike problems in Mumbotuta. My front tire punctured the first day with Hennedy. After a group of village men tried to repair it, justified that I was “so very fat”, and the tire punctured again, everyone agreed I needed a new tire. (Here it’s a compliment to be called fat) The next day my other tire punctured but we replaced it immediately.
I am on my way to the middle-of-term retreat with the other JFs. I will return to Milenge, the land without internet or chocolate, on July 12!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
WaterAid in Milenge (cnt'd)
When a location is selected for a well, the villagers around that site are responsible for digging he well and collecting sand and stones for the well structure. Sand and stones are available locally. The water technicians use the sand, stones, and concrete (provided b he MDC and WaterAid) to cast rings that line the hand dug well. Once the rings are lowered into the well, it is capped with a concrete slab. This is a reliable source of clean water year round for the village. To complete a well, the water technicians will also install a pump (if there is no pump, villagers lower a bucket by rope to fetch water) and cast a concrete ˝apron˝. The purpose of the apron is similar to when a baby wears an apron: it helps maintain the cleanliness around the mouth of the well b carrying water down a slope away from the mouth of the well.
Water technician starting to measure out sand. Next he will add stones, concrete, and then water.
The concrete is then poored into the ring mold. This will be left for one day and then the mold can be popped off.This is a well that was dug and is waiting for concrete lining. The well is eight metres deep and requires 17 concrete rings!
Part 2: Sanitation Platforms
When a household is selected to receive a lartrine, the household is responsible for digging he pit for the latrine and gathering bricks, sand, and stones. For a household larine, he sanitation technicians use mud and bricks to build a sort of pyramid above the pit. Then, the technicians cast a sanitation platform (sanplat) that is placed above the pyramid. The household is then responsible for building a superstructure around the sanplat for privacy. (We also build latrines for schools, but I haven't learned too much about that yet)
Sanitation technician leveling the ground around the pit for this latrine
Sanitation technicians building a "pyramid" of bricks and will place the sanplat on top
Sanplat
Finished latrine (household built superstructure around sanplat)
Villagers make their own bricks
Part 3: Hygiene Promotion
The hygiene promoters in the wards have variety of responsibilities. They hold meetings in villages (with men, women, and children) and in schools to discuss hygiene issues in that village and promote hygienic behaviours (ie. Washing hands with soap) They also meet with village headmen, church committees, and school managers so that all of the community leaders/groups know about the WaterAid program and can help promote them. Hygiene promoters also report to Eddy, the program officer, on the progress of building wells and latrines and monitor the quality of these facilities.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
WaterAid in Milenge
WaterAid is an international non-governmental organization based out of the
In Milenge district, where I`m working, WaterAid works with the local government, the Milenge District Council (MDC). Mr. Eddy Chitalu is the Program Officer (an employee of the MDC) and is in charge of the WaterAid project. Milenge ditrict is divided into wards. We work in four wards: Mikula, Kapalala, Sokontwe, and Mumbotuta. In each ward there are hygiene promoters, water technicians, and sanitation technicians. Each are local members of their communities:
What do we do in Milenge?
Overall, we are working to provide safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene education…tune into my next post for more info on all three!!
Here is a pic of the Luapula River, which is just next to my office in Milenge!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
What is the "E" in EWB?
The University of Waterloo chapter of EWB has launched a webpage where students can ask JFs questions. I just answered this one and thought it would be an interesting blog post worthy of many comments!!! What do other JFs, LTOVs, and EWB members think?
Question:
Is what I'm doing actually engineering? What sets EWB apart from a doctors or lawyers without borders?
Answer:
Great questions!
I'll first answer your question about how EWB is different from Doctors Without Borders and Lawyers Without Borders. I am not familiar with Lawyers Without Borders. From what I do know, Doctors Without Borders responds to health crises to solve short term problems and I have just heard of some student chapters starting up in Canada. EWB volunteers work with partner organizations overseas on existing projects in agriculture and water and sanitation. This builds a foundation for long term solutions. EWB's overseas work focuses on the capacity building of organizations, such as monitoring and evaluation programs and skill development. I think the "E" in EWB represents the problem solving approach and frameworks it uses, as well as the professionalism and technical nature of its work.**This is just my opinion, NOT the opinion of EWB**
My answer to your question about if my work is engineering/not is in the context of my placement and my environmental engineering discipline, so feel free to ask more EWB volunteers in order to get a well rounded answer! It may also be interesting to hear from non-engineering students who have worked as Junior Fellows. I do think that my JF placement is an engineering co-op placement because it is developing both the technical and soft skills required in an engineer.
As for technical skills, I am learning about a possible environmental engineering sector, working with different technologies, and using my data management and analysis skills. I am working in the water and sanitation (watsan) sector here in Zambia, which is one work avenue for the environmental engineering discipline. One career option I am considering is water and wastewater treatment. Throughout the summer, I will work with different technologies such as different types of pumps used to retrieve water from wells as well as different types of latrines. The types of pumps and latrines used in a village depend on what is appropriate for each community. As I learn and develop new skills from the NGO I'm working with, I will also share my knowledge and experience by working with coworkers to design and use spreadsheets to record data. Exposure to a new sector, expanding my technical knowledge, and using my computer skills is very similar to the previous co-op terms I have completed during my undergraduate so far.
The soft skills that I will develop include problem solving, leadership, integration, and communication skills. I will develop my problem solving skills by analyzing if certain technologies are actually appropriate in the region I am working in. For example, rope pumps have been successful in Zimbabwe and some other countries and have just been introduced in the region I am working in this summer. However, WaterAid Zambia wants to monitor if villagers are actually using the rope pumps and/or if they can maintain them. I will develop my leadership skills in the workplace as I help coworkers develop new skills such as computer skills. In addition to that, I will continue to develop my leadership skills at the UW chapter of EWB by coaching directors and new members. To be an effective leader it is also important to be aware of your own strengths, weaknesses, and personality traits. EWB is helping me develop my self awareness with goal setting, receiving feedback, and using the Meyers-Briggs Trait Index (MBTI). Integration into a new community and new workplace is necessary in co-op placements to gain trust and work effectively. I have already begun learning the local language and about the background of the watsan sector here in Zambia. I will also develop communication skills at work (there are many challenges in this since there are cultural customs which I am unaware of at the moment), by reporting to EWB, and communicating my experiences back home to the chapter, my family, my friends, and you! These soft skills are assets to engineers/engineering students.
That was a long winded answer but I would be happy to discuss this further if you have any follow-up questions!