Community Entry

I have completed month one of community entry. I got a small break to come to Kasama as a result of a minor sickness which will be common and hopefully not too frequent throughout my service. I have avoided most requests for charity but am hoping that people will realize that I am not there for handouts sooner than later. I am both fortunate and cursed by being a third generation volunteer at this site. People compare me to past volunteers, yet they already know what the Peace Corps' intentions are in Zambia. My program is different than prior volunteers so I won't have the issues of being compared entirely.
The family compound where I stay consists of 3 brothers and their families. I have no idea how many people are in the family as people seem to come and go. Grandma seems likes she will live forever. She likes to steal things. So far she has only taken some toilet paper, tuna cans and some charcoal. I told her that she doesn't need charcoal because her kids cook for her, but she is always hungry and always asking for cibwawa. Which is ironic because I haven't seen any cibwawa since I've been in Chimba. Anyways, I felt as if I was getting more and more frustrated in the past week so I'm glad to have a break from village life for a bit. It's tough being sick, trying to speak a language that I'm still not familiar with and having to haul water and cook for yourself constantly. However, it gives a perspective into people's lives that I've never could experience while traveling.
I met the chief of the Chimba and he expressed that he wanted the road paved. Most people also want stands of pine and eucalyptis. I am trying to teach them that this is not why I am there. I usually just say that I will look into it and then never follow up with the requests that I cannot fulfill. Plus, improvement projects are the government's jobs and I am certainly not here to replace them. Fortunately, some people really seem to understand what I am here to provide. Knowledge. Unfortunately, the people who don't ask for anything and want to learn better farming techniques are my family so working with them will only exacerbate jealousy issues that I am already seeing in the village. Out of the three wives of the brothers, only Monica speaks English. She plays on my women's football team and is the youngest. Plus she's Monica, she's my namesake! However, the other wives are upset that I hang out with her. She is also a vegetable farmer and he husband is the only person who has asked me about conservation farming. He said he loves to farm and always seeking more knowledge and better techniques. So these are the type of people I have seeking to work with and its difficult for them because they get harassed for becoming so close to volunteers.
I have started a women's football team and am gathering farmers for a sustainable farming/agroforestry/beekeeping group. They want to do everything so it seems a little overwhelming at times, but luckily my family is there to help and there is a headman with excellent English that helps translate. My Bemba isn't improving as a result of my access to so many English speakers but once things gets rolling, I will have more time to practice.
I have also spent some of my down time helping at the clinic. It has been good experience to see what the health issues are and what my program can do to help solve them. It seems like better sanitation and nutrition will be the link between agriculture and health. Seems a little obvious, you say? The health problems are generally and not surprisingly diarrhea, malaria, respiratory ailements and HIV. I am fortunate to be so close to the school, clinic and even a cell phone tower to work with many groups of people. I want to make a better effort to see the extent of my catchment and reach out to those who cannot make it to my meetings due to the distances. Luckily I enjoy biking!