Never a Dull Flight

I'm now in the British Airways lounge at London Heathrow after two flights that took me from Livingstone to Johannesburg and now to London. I've just got one more flight before I'm home to San Francisco, and I'm looking forward to resting up after a busy few weeks!

Normally I manage to sleep through all my flights, but I was awake for the first half of my trip from Johannesburg to London, so I managed to watch the four available episodes of the second season on Downton Abbey, which brought a nice dose of British scandal and drama to my flight. :)

As I was waiting to use the restroom on the flight, an adorable old British woman started up a conversation with me that started with an observation about the person who was using the restroom at the time: "Whizzing sure seems to take a long time when you're waiting!" Haha...it was quite the shocking moment for me, and the absurdity of it keeps making me think that I must have misheard her. Nonetheless, it was a priceless moment and exactly the kind of surprising humor that lightens up a 12-hour flight!

So I'm resting up for a few hours before I take my final flight, and I'm looking forward to seeing what characters I meet on this one. Thanks again for following our journey, and we're excited to share more about our work and travel in the coming months!

Fish Eyes and Other Animals

We've had a truly lovely two days in Livingstone. Yesterday, after a magical trip to see Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, we arrived back at the hotel for a calm dinner at the hotel.

Scott ordered the bream, and as is common here, he was brought the entire fish from head to tail. I shared how many Chinese families serve fish the same way and how when I was a child my sister and I used to fight over the fish eyeballs. This naturally led to me being dared to eat Scott's fish eyeballs as Jamie and Scott squirmed. :)

We rested a bit, and with an early morning we were off to Botswana for a day-long safari. No matter how often I come on these safaris, I am always in awe of everything we see. We were a mere few feet away from crocodiles, elephants, giraffes, babboons, hippos, meerkats and warthogs (not to mention a few giant dung beetles fighting over a piece of dung!). It was a beautiful day, and we relished our final dinner before we all go our separate ways today.

I will be headed home after nearly three weeks since I left. Jamie has an exciting two-week safari planned that will take her from Zambia through Botswana and Namibia into South Africa (how exciting!). Scott will return to Lusaka to work with Hope on the continued strategy and reporting of the farm. And Mama Agatha will return to the kids at Hope House, who have no doubt missed her over the last few days.

I will try to blog again through my journey home, but in the meantime, I'll say thank you for following the blog! It's been fun sharing the joyful, sad and ridiculous stories from the past three weeks!

Two Fun Stories

It’s been an action packed few days, and we’re now in Livingstone after a short trip to Lusaka to see the farm. I’m excited to share two of the best stories from the past couple days!

1. It turns out you can buy absolutely anything from your car while waiting in traffic in Lusaka. At first, while waiting in the interminable traffic, I was surprised to find young men selling car seat covers, walking from car to car showing off their wares. Then I was amazed when one young man walked by holding a pair of shorts, apparently for sale to the kind of driver who doesn’t mind not trying clothes on before purchase. But that did not compare to the utter shock I experienced when one gentleman walked by holding a PUPPY for sale! I suppose one man’s street is another man’s mall. :)
   



2. We took some of the Hope staff, including farm manager Mr. Tembo, to dinner on Friday. After being picked up from our hotel, we drove through Lusaka to pick up board chairman Roy Kaonga. As we stepped into the car, we noticed an odd smell, but we ignored it as best we could. I noticed Mama Agatha turn around in her chair to look in the trunk, and suddenly she said, “Oh! There are chickens!” Sure enough, we turn around and see ten of Hope’s chickens silently waiting in the back to be delivered to Roy, who purchased them earlier in the day. Good to know: Hope offers delivery service!

Goodbyes in Ndola

Today was a bittersweet day as we said goodbye to the staff and students at Hope Ministries in Ndola. Tomorrow morning we'll drive to Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, to see the poultry farm that Spark helped to launch in May 2011 and that has already started to help fund Hope Ministries' child programs.

I'm particularly excited about visiting the farm after having visited the building that Hope used to rent as a school building before Spark helped to build the Shelby Goldstein Schoolhouse. When we came upon the school yesterday, we saw that there was another school in session.

Two teachers were juggling seven grades with a total of 130 students in two classrooms. When founded only a year ago, the school had received its funding from a wealthy Zambian donor. The donor pulled the support just a few months into the project, and how the school is struggling to survive.

I had heard of this school from Hope earlier, and seeing it for myself immediately made me think of just how important the farm will be to Hope's long-term strength, empowerment and success. I'm looking forward to sharing with our investors our vision for how local businesses can sustain social impact for children around the world.

Wish us luck and good weather for our five-hour drive! :)

Surprises Are the Best Part.

After a rather structured morning that took us around Ndola to see and learn about the effects of colonialism, slavery and HIV/AIDS, Jamie, one of our trip participants, and I were certainly feeling a bit weighed down.

I find that it's precisely in these moments when Zambia finds a way to show us its beauty and joy.

We had lunch with the kids at the school, waiting in line the way they do every day in the hot sun for the free meal at Hope, which for many of them is the only hot, nutritious meal they get each day.

Afterwards, Jamie's sponsored child, Jane, spontaneously suggested that we go for a walk through the neighborhood. Little did we know that she wanted to take us to her house so that we could meet her family. Despite our not having given any notice of our arrival, we were welcomed into the modest cement home, which houses seven people in two bedrooms.

Jane's parents were incredibly gracious and conversed with us happily while the rest of the group of 20 or so schoolkids who had followed us horsed around. Shortly, after warm smiles and a bit of conversation, we said our goodbyes and walked back to the school.

To me, it's these moments of unexpected meetings and hospitality that make me love Zambia and relish my time here. It's been a beautiful day in every way, and I'm excited for our next two days in Ndola!

Best Quote So Far

Margaret, who used to be the manager of a major bank, is the deputy director of Hope Ministries. She is also a tall and wonderfully hilarious woman who has consistently had the best one-liners on every single trip I've taken here.

Half the time I feel like she doesn't even intend to be funny, but somehow, in talking about everything from Zambians' extraordinary skills at throwing rocks to the much more mundane topics of daily conversation, she never fails to say things that I will never forget.

Today, it happened while we were driving. It's the rainy season here in Zambia, which means most days there's at least one huge 20-minute downpour that soaks absolutely everything. This includes the dirt roads that we spend most of our time driving on. The rain plus the lack of upkeep on the roads means there are about a zillion potholes in every short stretch of road.

Drivers here usually meander across boths sides of the street on such roads, avoiding potholes and seriously testing the shocks on their cars. We faced a few doozies today, and Margaret casually mentioned that in Zambia you absolutely have to drive weaving from side to side like this. Then, she deadpanned, "Here, if you drive straight, it means you're drunk!"

Somehow after four trips and a cumulative three months in this country, I am still tickled and shocked by lessons like this. Alas, great lesson. Noted for the future. :)

Rowdy Kids, Bright Futures

Although in Zambia education is supposedly free from Grades 1-9, costs for school fees, uniforms, books and supplies add up to the point that many students cannot afford to complete even this level of basic education.

To ensure that Hope's Grade 7 graduates (who have performed above the national average two years in a row!) are able to continue their education, Hope gives scholarships to its graduates to continue their education at local government schools. I was lucky enough to sit with these students this afternoon.

It was a rowdy scene (naturally, given that we had about thirty teenagers in a room on a Saturday afternoon), but truly inspiring. The students were invested in their education, asking questions about what kind of support they might get and what support they should work to find on their own.

I'm excited to see how these students continue to represent Hope, Spark and our successes for years to come!

Change!

I love when I get to provide training workshops to Hope staff during my trips here. It's always fun and educational both for me and (hopefully!) for the staff as well.

Today I gave a workshop on managing change that was an absolute blast. I've found it's usually most helpful to include some sort of exercise, game or competition during the trainings that helps illustrate the issues being discussed. So I had the staff break up into teams and use a single sheet of paper and a single piece of tape to put together some sort of device that would hold up as many books as possible.

I told them they had four minutes, but half way through, I stopped them and had the half of each group switch to another team. There was quite a lot of mayhem, but in the end we crowned a winner and got to discuss (generally and using the exercise as a specific example) how change is only good or bad based on how you choose to adapt to it, which the Hope leadership thought would be a timely lesson given Hope's steady growth and success.

It was a blast watching all the staff members scramble and argue and laugh over the exercise. I even got so caught up in the training I forgot to take any pictures, so you'll just have to believe me that it was a riot! As always after giving a training here, I am incredibly energized and feel encouraged that the work we're doing is supporting the development of leaders who will help change the community. Yay, change! :)

Best Budget Meeting Ever.

Is it odd to say that 2.5 hour budget meeting this morning made my day?! :)

I got to spend the bulk of the morning with Charles and Margaret to work on solidifying Hope's 2012 monthly budget. Going line by line with everything from textbooks to Grade 7 exam fees, we hammered out a tight budget that will allow Hope to continue to provide all of their valuable services to the children at Hope Community School and Hope House.

While spreadsheets and accounting and budgeting are not sexy, they are the backbone of organizations around the world like Hope and Spark, enabling them to produce life-changing results for communities around the world.

For example, we recently learned that all 21 Grade 7 students from the last school year (which runs from January to December) passed the national exam that allows them entry into Grade 8. (Hope serves Grades 1-7, so after that students must go to government schools, which often have fees and uniform/shoes requirements that can be expensive.

That's a 100% pass rate compared to the national average of 90%. It's an incredible feat, especially when considering the impoverished circumstances of many of Hope's students. How is it not exciting to spend the morning pinching pennies to make sure that these students will be able to be supported to continue their education in Grade 8 and beyond?!

So, after another long and joyful day, I'm signing off. (Here's hoping I won't wake up at 3AM tonight like I have been for the three nights! Not sure why jet lag is trying so hard to knock me out on this trip!)

Kids Do the Most Amazing Things.

I love seeing ingenuity anywhere, but somehow when it comes from kids, it always seems extra amazing.

This morning, the son in my host family, Nkhongono, showed me an incredible and resourceful game he and Jeff, one of the children at Hope House, made over the weekend.

They found bottles caps of different sizes, and made a label for each one with the name and jersey number of various famous soccer players. (They even chose caps that roughly match the build of the players!)



They made goals out of old mesh and bits of wire, and chose a little acorn-like nut from a local tree to serve as the ball. They then flicked the bottle caps toward the nut, trying to eventually get it into the goal.

In moments like this, when the kids bring together resourcefulness, innovation and what can only be a true love of life, I have no doubt that this generation of Zambians will change the world!

Heartbreak vs. Inspiration

One of my favorite things to do when I come to Zambia is to record what we call Transformation Stories. These are stories of children in incredible and challenging circumstances who are steadily transforming their lives through education and the support of Hope Ministries.

Today, Pastor Judy and I walked through Twapia, where the school is located, and we visited the home of Paul, a smart and diligent student whose mother has been in prison for three years. He lives with his six siblings and his uncle, who often leaves the children alone because he has to leave town to find work. On his most recent trip out of town, he had to rush back because Paul’s brother David came down with malaria, from which David was still visibly ill when we visited their home.

To imagine these children’s lives can be heartbreaking, and for me it often is. But in my best moments I fight the instinct to feel pity or pain and instead feel inspired to find ways to enable communities like Twapia to provide children like Paul and David with the education, healthcare and nutrition they need to become their very best selves. Here’s hoping that this trip will be one more step toward solutions like that!

Reunions and an Interesting Cultural Lesson

It’s been a morning of reunions here at the Hope Ministries office. It is always fun to see and reconnect with the wonderful Hope staff members like Pastor Judy, Ba Margaret and Mama Agatha as well as meet the newest staff members, including Thelma and Phoebe, who work in the Hope office.

Mama Agatha is one of the house mothers at Hope House, and she is a lively and energetic woman who always gives me some of my best stories each time I visit. She did not disappoint this morning when, as soon as I walked in the office door she said, “You look fat!” with a warm and generous smile.

Funnily enough, Charles had just detailed to me yesterday how in Zambia, it is considered a very good thing to be fat, or plump at the very least. It demonstrates that you are well cared for and have enough money to stay well fed, so I happily joked around for a while about my plumpness. (Still, you can imagine that I won't be wearing this outfit again!) :)

Another day, another lesson in cultural similarities and differences!

Joann vs. Jet Lag

For most people I know, jet lag means waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to fall back asleep. For me, jet lag normally means sleeping twice as much as usual, which has made the past day here a bit ridiculous.

After the trip to the internet cafe yesterday, I went back to the lodge with every intention of getting some dinner at the lodge's restaurant before getting to bed. Instead, I fell asleep at 7PM, and other than waking up briefly at midnight and for about an hour at 3AM, I slept through to 8AM. Absurd, yes. But it gets worse...

After packing up this morning after my long night's sleep, I joined Charles, Rodgers (one of Hope's multi-talented staff) and Ruth (the new farm accountant) for a drive to Ndola (where Hope's school and orphanage are located). During the 4-5 hour drive that started at 10AM, I would say I slept about 3-4 hours. (This directly after having about a 12 hours of sleep overnight.) I can't tell if this means I'm winning or losing at jet lag. :)

Unsurprisingly, I was awake enough upon my arrival to help my wonderful host family, the Mulandos, prepare a lovely Zambian dinner and catch up a bit. I'm looking forward to tomorrow, which should be a much more productive day in the office, and here's hoping the worst of the jet lag is over!

New Year, New Trip!

Hello Spark friends! It is so exciting to start 2012 off with a trip to Zambia! After leaving the US on Thursday evening, I arrived in Zambia this morning and had a smooth and (relatively) restful trip. It feels great to be back in Lusaka, and I have a good feeling that this will be a smooth, calm and productive trip.

I was thrilled on this trip over that I only had to take two flights (as opposed to the usual 3-4 flights) to get here. I lost faith for a little bit when my first flight was delayed by three hours, which gave me bad memories of my last crazy trip over here, but my two flights both ended up being as smooth and comfortable as I could hope for.

[Side note: If anyone ever gets the chance to visit the British Airways lounge at the San Francisco International Airport, you absolutely should! They made ice cream sundaes for everyone...amazing!]

Once I arrived, I was greeted by the talented and visionary executive director of Hope Ministries, Charles Mumba, who was nice enough to wake up early to pick me up from the airport at 6AM. It's always so great to catch up with the staff here in person, and I got to hear all about Hope and the staff as well as how the country has changed since the recent inauguration of its new president, Michael Sata.

Our first stop was to a local grocery store where I could get some bottled water. In a moment that was simultaneously shocking and unsurprising, Adele's "Someone Like You" came on as soon as we stepped into the store. As much as Zambia seems far away (which it certainly does after being in the air for over 24 hours to get here!), I am always elated and comforted by the moments when I realize just how small the world is.

A much-needed shower, a two-hour nap and a quick snack recharged me for the remainder of the day, and Charles and I headed to the poultry farm, which is already helping Hope to move toward financial sustainability. I got a tour of some recent construction, and Mr. Tembo, Hope's utterly marvelous farm manager, shared some recent challenges and successes. It was great to hear how the farm and the organization have progressed in just the six months since I was here last.

After mingling with the chickens a bit, it was on to the exciting part...accounting! I got to meet Hope's new accounting clerk,Ruth, and sales clerk, Emily, and we had the fun task of going through the books and learning a bit more about how the Hope staff in Lusaka keep track of every chicken, bag of feed and kwacha (the Zambian currency) that comes through the farm gates.

The rest of my evening I have no doubt will be sacrificed to jet lag, so I will sign off for now. I'm looking forward to updating you all on the progress, interesting stories and funny exchanges that are in store this week!

- Joann Chen, Spark Ventures Program Director