Day 3 continued: Meeting with the Chief

Meeting with the Chief of Chipemebele and Ofonoka

Whilst we were visiting Chiyobola School we were given the chance to meet with the Chief of Chipemebele and Ofonoka wards. There was also representation from; the villagers, PTA, the council board and the head councillor for Chipemebele ward. The Chief is voted for by the ward (areas in Zambia are split into wards, there are 22 wards in the Monze district) and their name is then sent to the central Government. The President is then responsible for approving the wards choice of Chief.

The Chief of Chipemebele and Ofonoka wards

The role of Chief is to be the link between the communities and the central Government. Each Chief must be aware of what investment is being undertaken in their area so he has been very involved in the WaterAid work to date.

Before meeting the Chief we were given a briefing as to how to introduce ourselves to him. The tradition is to kneel in front of him, clap 5 times and shake his hand. It’s a very formal greeting but a sign of respect.

After we all introduced ourselves to the Chief I volunteered to give a presentation to the Chief and his delegates. I thanked them for the opportunity to spend time in his ward and gave them an insight into the aim of the trip and how we all intend to use our experiences to enthuse others about WaterAid.

Following my presentation the head councillor for the area welcomed the Chief and the WaterAid visitors and thanked us for all of our fundraising. He went on to tell us about the benefits the WaterAid investment had brought, the main one being that diseases had drastically reduced due to the access to safe water, sanitation and hand wash facilities. He also talked about the current challenges, such as having to walk for over an hour to another pump when the school pump is out of order. The councillor told us that himself and the council board had been in place since the WaterAid project had been established in 2007/08. He finished by introducing us all as supporters to aid the Governments efforts in supplying clean water and sanitation.

The Latrines and hand wash facilities installed in 2007/08

The meeting was closed by a speech from the Chief. He opened by thanking all the organisers of the WaterAid programme including delivery partners and advised that he had worked with WaterAid Monze since the water and sanitation issues were highlighted. He went on to talk about the benefits the WaterAid project brought, namely the reduction in cases of diarrhoea which is something that is no longer written about in his area as it’s no longer there. He said that he knows that WaterAid funds really do make a big difference. He continued to say that even though there have been numerous benefits he still feels that there are a few issues in the area; surrounding villages still drinking from contaminated streams and the nearest borehole being 3km away when the school pump is out of action. He urged us all to continue our support and take these messages back to the UK.

Question Time with the Chief

The Chief went on to allow us to ask him and his delegate’s questions:

Question 1: What are the other big challenges in his ward?

Answer: Medical facilities which are too far apart.

Question 2: What are your future aspirations for your ward?

Answer: To have sustainable toilets. The only issue they have is roofing which they need materials for like iron to sustain the toilets over time.

Question 3: Is there a particular area that is very hard to reach or provides significant challenges?

Answer: Longowi is an unreachable settlement. They still drink from contaminated streams and the village is cut off by mountains.

At the end of the question and answer session we finished the meeting by giving a gift to the Chief (bags of sugar and cooking oil). This seems to be a local tradition when visitors meet the Chief.

It was great getting to meet one of the local dignitaries and hear from him first hand the issues faced in his area. 

Day 3: Chiyobola School

Day3: Chiyobola School – Post Intervention (Latrines and Water Pump)

Today we visited Chiyobola Basic School in Monze district which is a post intervention area. It was only an hour’s drive from our hotel in Monze and the roads weren’t half as bad as the route to Haboombe. We received another extremely warm welcome when we arrived. All the children were gathered outside and 2 of the pupils recited some poems for us which they had written about water and sanitation.

A warm welcome from Chiyobola School

The school has 900 pupils in total ranging from age 6 all the way up to early 20’s. Children in Zambia start school at different ages and this is dictated by when the family sends them. Due to the vast number of pupils they attend in different time slots, some attend for a few hours in the morning and others in the afternoon. They all attend 7 days a week. Their journeys to the school range from a 15 minute walk to over an hour. They teach a range of subjects at the school including; English, Maths, History and Religious Education. There are 22 teachers at the school and 5 of them stay on site in the teacher’s houses. The children all seem to be quite ambitious and when asked what they would like to do when they grow up they replied with; Nurse, Soldier, Pilot and one even said a WaterAid supporter!

After our warm welcome from the school we then received a talk from the Chief Officer from the Local Authority and the Head of School. The school head talked all about the school and the help WaterAid had given them. He explained the partnership as “Swimming together in the river of development”, which I thought was very apt. He then went on to give a bit of history about the WaterAid project. In 2008 toilet blocks for the boys, girls and staff were constructed along with water tanks and taps which are used as hand washing facilities. These tanks are filled up every day by the pupils from the water pump about 100 yards away which was previously installed by the Local Authority.

Head of Chiyobola School with our translator

There was a WaterAid visit to the school in 2008 and the head of school made the comment that it was the footage and publicity from this visit which had put Chiyobola School on the map, at home and abroad. This just shows how worthwhile WaterAid trips are.

The school head went on to tell us about all the benefits which had resulted from the improved school facilities:

• Diseases have drastically reduced due to having access to clean water.
• There has been a 90% increase in girls attendance since 2008 due to them having somewhere private and safe to wash and use the toilet.
• Hygiene education is an important part of school life and has been extremely successful.
• The pass rate for girls has improved due to a better working environment.

Me outside one of the latrines which was built in 2008

He went on to say that although there have been numerous benefits realised there are still a few issues:

• At home kids still drink from contaminated water sources such as dams.
• The current water infrastructure is not sufficient, more pipes are required.
• If the schools water pump is out of action then the next available pump is a 30 minute walk away.
• The water pump is quite far from the school, if it was closer pupils wouldn’t need to miss as much school whilst filling up the hand wash facility water tanks.

Peter and Matt using the hand wash facility by the latrines

The school had also set up a good structure in order to maintain the latrines. The PTA has the responsibility to fix the latrines when cracks start to form. This is done through the schools Preventative Maintenance Committee. There is also a rule in place that states; if the cost of maintenance is below 500,000 kwacha (approx £60) then the school will cover the costs. If it’s above this then they can apply for funds from the Local Authority.

It was obvious that the WaterAid intervention had brought numerous benefits to the school, its staff and pupils but once these benefits are realised communities begin to think of future improvements that could make their lives even easier. It was great to see that people really bought into the benefits and were even thinking of future development opportunities.

Following on from the talk from the head of school we were given the chance to ask agroup of pupils a few questions about their school and daily life. One of the most startling revelations from this was the response we got from the question we asked about how many of them had lost one or both parents. We expected that a few of them may put their hands up due to the prevalence of HIV and water born diseases but we were taken aback when almost 80% of them put their hands in the air. This just proves how needed WaterAid is in a country like Zambia!

We were then taken down to be shown the water pump and get a chance to use it. We were surrounded by a large group of pupils from the school who were led into a song by one of the local councillors who was travelling with us. All the kids had such a sense of fun and I was surprised at how quiet and respectful they were even in a large group. They were extremely well behaved and seemed to have a lot of respect for their elders. One of the best parts of the morning was when we all taught the pupils how to do a Mexican wave. It took a few attempts to get it right but it was great fun teaching them.  

Me operating the hand pump at Chiyobola School 

Day 2: Haboombe Village

Day 2: 22:15 Local Time – DILO with Haboombe Village (pre-intervention)

Where do I start with today’s experiences? It’s been an amazing day.

We started the day at 4:30am for our 3 hour journey to Haboombe village. The journey started on reasonable roads with some sizable pot holes but about 20 minutes into it the road suddenly became almost non existent, just dusty soil roads or sometimes just tire tracks through the African bush. We were lucky enough to see a beautiful sunrise during our journey as we were travelling so early. The landscape in Zambia is spectacular, extremely lush and undulating.

About 2 and a half hours into our journey we stopped at a local school in the Moomba Ward for a quick break. Our convoy of 4 by 4’s drew the schools attention and we were greeted by hundreds of kids from the school. This was our first chance to see and experience Latrines as the school had 5 latrines for the children’s use. They were small brick structures with thatch roofs and a hole in the ground for the call of nature!

Not long after the school stop we were confronted with a river crossing with a fairly steep approach. This caused a few problems for our lead car which needed a few attempts to get out of the river!

We eventually arrived in the Haboombe village at around 8:30am to be greeted by a few very excited villagers who started cheering and running after our vehicles as we drove into their village. Upon arriving into the village we were then greeted by most of the village singing and dancing. It was quite an over-whelming and emotional moment, they were clearly very excited to have us all in their community.

 The singing and dancing was followed by a formal welcome from the village elder. He said that he had not seen a visit of this nature in their village within his lifetime, and he was well into his 80’s. Our WaterAid visit lead also stood up and gave a speech about why we were in their village and what we were hoping to get out of it.

After the introductions we were split into our pairs and given a local family to spend the whole day with. Matt (Yorkshire Water) and I were paired up and were invited to spend the day with Chimunga Ngandu (Head of the household, 32 years old), Prisca Muchelemba (Wife of Chimunga, 26 years old) and their family of 5 children. Chimunga has lived in Haboombe village for most of his life and 2 of their children attend a boarding school (the same school we got such a warm welcome from during the car trip into the village) where they stay with their grandmother. The school is a 2 hour walk from Haboombe so they stay at the school so they are able to attend.

After some initial discussion and introductions with the family we went to see the stream where they collect their water from. It’s only a 5 minute walk but it’s down quite a steep hill which will be quite slippery when it’s wet. The woman of the house collects the water twice a day and has to carry a 20 litre container up the slope, which is comparable to a full suitcase used for a 2 week holiday with her baby on her back. The stream the family use is extremely cloudy and used for bathing, clothes washing, for crops and by animals as a water source. As we were standing by the stream 2 pigs wondered up and started drinking from it. Chimunga also told us that they sometimes find dead animals in the stream but they still have no choice but to drink from it. In the dry season this water source dries up so they have to walk for 2 hours to collect water. They can only make this trip once a day as it’s so far away. The family is not able to wash in the dry season as water is so sparse so every drop is used for drinking water and cooking.

On the way back up the slope from the stream Chimunga showed us all the plants and trees they use for food sources. The family has little to no income so is completely self sufficient. Their main food source is Mila Mila (Nshima) and a yam/potato like root which they have to dig for. This can be sourced from the area around their house and they take out the root and replant the stem so the roots re-grow so they have a sustainable food source. He also showed us the plants they use to make Okra (boiled leaves) and other fruits and nuts which provide sustenance. He showed us one particular type of vegetation that they eat when times are really hard. This particular vegetable has to be boiled 8 times over 10 hours as it can be poisonous if not cooked correctly or if eaten raw.

In order to make the Mila Mila they walk to the school where they can collect Maize and use the grinding machine. This is over 3 hours away on foot and some do this walk every day. Chimunga does this weekly. The Maize is used for porridge and Nshima.

Nshima with okra

During our various discussions Chimunga advised that at times political hopefuls would come into their community and offer to solve their water and sanitation needs if they voted for them in the elections. Once they were voted in this offered help never came. They know that help is offered just for political power, hence why WaterAid step in to help these communities.

We asked if they had any regular source of income and they advised that they only make money from growing cotton. Cotton companies come into the community to buy it from them but they offer very small amounts of money which they have to accept as it’s either that or nothing at all. We also asked where they would get their clothes from and they answered that they would need to get a lift into Monze, which is 50,000 kwacha or they could walk which is 10 hours each way. Some people cycle but this can take up to 4 hours.

We enquired as to how and where they go to the toilet and they told us that they just go anywhere in the bush where they cannot be seen. They would like to build Latrines but they do not have any tools. The carpenters also raised this issue as they have the skills to build things for the community but no adequate tools to enable them to do this.

Another question we asked was; what are the main issues in their community they would like resolved. They advised that safe water, adequate sanitation and a local grinding mill are the three most important things. Tools and new clothes also featured quite highly.

We spoke to the family about what they saw as the main benefits of a WaterAid project and they could quite clearly see that having a safe water source and sanitation would decrease illness and give them better water for their crops and animals.

We asked the family about education and what their children could go on to do. They told us that once they completed secondary school they would just remain in the community as it’s very expensive to send children to further education. Only wealthy families can do this. They also advised that they would like a school closer by so all children could be educated. Some do not attend as it’s too far away.

As previously described the Haboombe community welcomed us with a fantastic song and dance local to their area. We asked where these songs came from and how the children were able to play instruments. They told us that the head of the village taught them and they also learnt through imitation. The songs they sing are either written after significant events (they said they would write a song about our visit) or are copied from other communities.

 One of the final questions we asked was for the family to describe a typical day in their life. They told us that most days they would get up at 4am and leave for the field to tend to their crops. This is a mandatory exercise for the whole family and they would remain there until 7pm. They need to be at the field as if they weren’t baboons, wild boars and pigs would destroy their crops. Some of the older community members stay up at the fields during rainy season as it’s too far for them to walk every day. Some people even permanently relocate to be closer to their crops. Haboombe was established in 1988 as it was good land for crops and closer to the fields (45 minute walk).

After the question and answer session myself and Matt were taken to do some filming with the family. This involved collecting water and carrying out household chores with the family. Hopefully we’ll have some great footage for our Video News Releases.

A Lesson in Tonga

The last activity of the day was receiving a lesson in Tonga (one of the 73 local languages in Zambia) from our translator. I was keen to learn some phrases so she gave me the below terms:

·        Kaboola: Come here

·        Mooli Buti: How are you?

·        Kabotu: I’m fine

·        Mwabuka Buti: Good morning

·        Ndaunka: Goodbye

·        Twalumba: Thank you (collective)

·        Ndalumba: I thank you (singular)

·        Ndagatula: I’m tired

As you can probably tell from my very long journal entry my day with the Haboombe community was a fantastic experience which gave me the opportunity to see first hand the water and sanitation issues faced by a village with no safe water or sanitation. The Haboombe village is extremely cut off (3 and a half hours drive on almost non-existent, hilly roads) which makes getting help to them very difficult. They just want the chance to help themselves so are really hopeful that WaterAid will come to their aid soon. 


You get an over-whelming feeling of helplessness but we are safe in the knowledge that WaterAid will be starting investigatory work with the community in April 2012 to understand their needs. I really hope I get the chance to return to see a changed village once WaterAid has intervened.

Day 1 continued: Our first Briefing

20:30 Local Time – Briefing for our visit to Haboombe village

We’ve just had a quick briefing from WaterAid to prepare us for our visit to Haboombe village in the Monze district which is a pre-intervention community with no clean water or sanitation. WaterAid will be commencing work within Haboombe in April 2012 so it will be interesting to see a community that has not yet benefited from an intervention. We’ll be spending the day with a local family so WaterAid gave us tips on the type of questions to ask in order to capture case studies we can use upon our return to the UK. They also gave us a few useful terms to use as the village is not English speaking. They have a local dialect called Tonga so we will be provided with translators in order to interview the family throughout the day. We’ll also be undertaking household activities with the family such as collecting water and helping them prepare meals so I’m looking forward to getting involved. 

We’ll be leaving at 4:30am as the village is very remote so it’s a bumpy 3 hour drive through the hills. On that note I’m off to bed to get my beauty sleep as I’ve now been up for over 36 hours!!

Day 1 continued: Meeting the Commissioner and the Golden Pillow Lodge!

16:30 Local Time – Arrive in Monze

We’ve just arrived out our hotel in Monze which is quite basic but nice. We’ve been told that we’re about to meet with the Monze District Commissioner so have been given some time to check in and freshen up.

18:30 Local Time – Meeting with the Monze District Commissioner

We’ve just had a meeting and welcome from the Monze District Commissioner. He welcomed us all to Zambia and told us all about the water and sanitation problems faced in Monze and why the work WaterAid does is so important. We all introduced ourselves to him so he understood where we all came from and why we support WaterAid in the way we do. It was great to get such a warm welcome from someone in his position. My first impression of Zambia is of a very warm and friendly country.

20:00 Local Time – Dinner at the Golden Pillow Lodge

We’ve just had our first dinner at the Golden Pillow Lodge in Monze and it was pretty good. I had my first taste of a local dish called Nshima (or Mila Mila) which is a corn and water porridge usually supplemented with fish, chicken or other proteins such as field mice and grasshoppers. Luckily for me they had beef, fish and chicken on the menu tonight so I managed to avoid the mice and grasshoppers!

Day 1 continued: WaterAid Briefing

10:45am Local Time – WaterAid Briefing

We’ve arrived at the WaterAid Headquarters in Lusaka in our convoy of seven 4x4’s which will be our mode of transport for the duration of the trip. Getting out of the airport was an experience as the hoards of Zambia fans that were on the runway started making their way back into Lusaka and decided to attempt to cling onto any moving vehicle they could in order to hitch a lift home. This made for some very interesting scenes involving pyramids of fans clinging onto the back of 4x4’s and vans.

We’ve just sat down with the WaterAid Zambia team to be introduced to the team, introduce ourselves and to hear a bit about the in country programme. Paul Kapote from the WaterAid Zambia office introduced his senior management team consisting of; the Technical Manager, Finance and HR Manager, Advocacy and Communications Manager, Policy and Research Manager and Monitoring and Evaluation Manager. They then gave us a background to WaterAid’s work in Zambia (the first country WaterAid had a project in) which began with a one off project in the early 1980’s which would be followed by an established project responding to a severe drought in 1993/94. Since then WaterAid have gone from strength to strength in Zambia working in the southern province of Monze and the Northern province of Luapul.

Once the meeting finished we grabbed some lunch from a local fast food outlet and jumped back into the 4x4’s to start the three hour journey to Monze where we will be spending the next 5 days.

Day 1: Departure Day

Day 1: 12/02/12 – Departure Day

Today we headed off on our adventures to Zambia. I left Edinburgh on the 1pm flight to Heathrow and met up with the group at 3pm in Heathrow Terminal 5. I was lucky enough to bump into the one and only Geordie duo, Ant and Dec at baggage reclaim. Of course I asked them for a photo and told them all about my impending trip.

We were put into two groups of six today to make the group easier to manage and also given a buddy to make sure we all get to where we need to be. Michelle Junno from WaterAid has the responsibility of looking after our group, she seems very nice.

Flight to Africa – Passing the time

We’re about 3 hours into our flight to Lusaka now and the turbulence has just kicked in, just as I was nodding off! I’m sitting with Jody Knight, an Asset Planner from Wessex Water and Kevin Buck, the WaterAid Chairman and head of the CSR for Southern Water. Kevin has an MBE for his services to WaterAid, helping to raise over £11m through his WaterAid committee, amazing effort.

My initial nerves seem to have subsided now that we’re together as a group and on our way. The reality of the trip has now hit home and I feel very lucky to be getting this experience and will make sure I make the most of every second so I can come back and give even more support to WaterAid. It’s great getting the chance to spend time with others who are just as passionate about WaterAid as I am. It’s going to be a great 8 days.

P.S. Zambia are in the final o the African Cup of Nations as I’m writing this so we’re all hoping they lift the cup so we arrive in a jubilant country. Matt Armitage from Yorkshire Water has even purchased a Zambian scarf from E-bay in preparation for the trip and to show the country his support. Here’s hoping they pull it off.

06:30 Local Time (13/03/12)

We’ve just touched down in Lusaka to the news that Zambia won the final on penalties. The plane erupted into applause and cheers when it was announced over the PA system, fantastic news.

I couldn’t have predicted this, just after I finished writing the above the plane had to grind to a halt on the runway and turn off it’s engines as hundreds of locals surrounded the plane and started banging o the sides thinking that the Zambia team were on board, amazing scenes. Airport security is just trying to clear the crowds so we can disembark.

What an interesting start to the trip and a great time to be in Zambia!