Water is Life

“Water is Life”.  This is a statement that I heard over and over and over again yesterday.  Why yesterday?  Well, March 22^nd happens to be World Water Day.  An event celebrated throughout the globe to pay homage to and raise awareness about human’s most valuable resource. 

This was my second year of really celebrating the day.  Last year I celebrated world water day with CAWST and a whole crew of youth who were proudly displaying their inspiring water action projects.  As much as I would have LOVED to be there this year to see what the local youth have done and take part in the festivities, I am so happy that I was here in Zambia. 

It was just by chance that I ended up in Lusaka for this exciting day.  My original plan was to be back in Ndola to be at the Seeds of Hope (the organization I am working alongside with here) main office for World Water Day. They had planned a big day and invited the mayor, councilors and school children.  I have heard that the day went brilliantly and that incredibly, the two chefs with one helper managed to feed those 150 people! But alas, my reason for being in Lusaka was delayed an extra day and I am quite pleased that it was. It meant I would still be in Lusaka on March 22^nd.  World Water Day Lusaka, here I come!  

Getting into the spirit!  

Booth Displays

Amazing Dancers! I would have put a video up but my internet is too slow. 

The celebration started off with a few hundred celebrators holding banners marching for 2 km behind a band and dance team of little girls dressed in white.  At the finish line the marchers were greeted by traditional tribal dancing from the Eastern province - an incredible display of hip shaking, beautiful singing and cowhide costumes.  There was a promenade of booths from over a dozen government agencies and organizations involved in the water sector of Zambia .  Finally, there was a large tent set up where speeches were given by ministers and UN representatives.  I have to be honest, I didn’t really listen to the speeches, the glorious feast of information, hands on displays, song and dance sufficiently distracted me. I may not have listened to what was being said, but I did hear these words over the speakers numerous times “Water is Life”. A phrase I have heard many times and have a deep appreciation for, but hearing it in my current context allowed me to appreciate it even more.

 I’d like you to stop reading right now, take 45 seconds out of your time and think about what that phrase means “Water is Life”. 

No really. STOP.  Take a few seconds.

This is what it means to me.  I saw a man, probably homeless in the downtown area of Ndola,  bending down and scooping water with his hand out of a roadside puddle and hastily gulping it down.  Here is a short list of what is in that water, and these are only the things I could physically see: garbage, dirt, oil, diesel.  Why is the man scooping obviously contaminated water? I would call this drinking to sustain life.  How life sustaining is that water? Momentarily, it quenches - tomorrow he is sick, potentially life threatening. Safe water is precious and essential for the health and longevity of all people no matter who you are or where you’re from or the different challenges we all face.

So if you didn’t do anything to mark the very special occasion of world water day, I challenge you to do something to celebrate it today, tomorrow or even next week to show what water means to you (if only all challenges in life were to celebrate something).  Be creative!!! Even if it’s as small as taking an extra few seconds to really appreciate your next long gulp of cool, clear and safe water that is probably coming right out of your tap.  I’d love to hear what you did or plan to do, and I am sure everyone else would too, so please feel free to leave a comment at the end of my blog!

With lots of love from the rainy skies of Zambia,

Taryn

Community

I have been in Ndola, Zambia for just over a week.   It has been such a blessing to be here at any time other than October  (the end of their dry season) even though I have given up smooth(er) roads carpeted in the purple flowers of the Jacaranda trees.   The rains have released the stifling heat, smoke and dust and has allowed me to breathe easier  and even wear a jacket!  And although the Jacaranda trees are not in bloom, all of the trees are full and there are grasses taller than you can reach.

I am here to work with an organization called Seeds of Hope International Partnership (SHIP).  An organization based here in Ndola, Zambia that does a multitude of activities in the communities including implementing biosand filters, borehole drilling, hygiene and sanitation training and community health promoter training.  The last of these is the reason I am here. 

In my last trip, my colleague Heidi and I worked with SHIP’s training team to develop a program to train volunteer community health promoters (leaders in communities that see the need for improved health through changes in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene and that want to take the information to their neighbors and make lasting change).  This program took on a two phase approach and Lisa (the third member of our team) came a month after us to finish the development.  The program now runs as a two part training, a month apart with two follow ups after completion. What does this mean?   Well, I want to share with you exactly what this means based on my experience on Monday.

I quietly followed Obby and Stella (two of SHIP’s amazing trainers) into a community called Nkwaze.  We got dropped off outside of a bar that was blasting sweet hits from the early 90’s, and quickly walked towards the homes.  We walked between houses along a footpath that also seemed to double as community drainage, garbage dump and duck foraging ground.   However, looking at the homes, they were kept immaculately on the outside – well swept, tidy and decorated with some potted plants.   We approached a home where we found 6 community health promoters patiently waiting for us on the front verandah.   We all made our polite hellos, shook hands and then sat down and got to business.

I sat watching the expressions and hearing the passion in their voices as they described how their work has been going since leaving the formal training, Stella dutifully translating their words in my ear.  I always knew the intended results of this community health promotion program but at this moment all the faith and trust in the process was cast in gold.  Here were graduates, sitting with their official community health promotion badges, carrying their program certificates and monitoring forms carefully stored in protective plastic envelopes,  describing the challenges they have faced and the solutions they have offered.  Every single challenge was problem solved to perfection,  a testament to the capabilities, passion and intelligence of these amazing people who  consciously take the time from immense daily duties of work and home to visit their neighbors and improve their health.  

I could no longer hold my tongue by the end of the session because I was burning to ask “What does it mean to you to be doing this work in your community?” I would like to share some of the responses.

“We are doing this work because it OUR health”

“We used to die a lot from diarrhea cases”

“The goodness of this kind of work, we are saving the lives of others”

“When you go to the clinic, even the health management is grateful because cases have decreased.  People used to go at 5:00 am to lineup”

“A lot of diseases have been combatted by the community because of changing their habits”

“At the market, kids used to pick up and buy uncovered and dirty food.  Now marketeers are stopping kids from doing this”

At this point the engineering side of me took over and I started to put some numbers down on paper. “What impact are these 6 individuals having on their neighbors?”  I calculated is that these 6 community health promoters are currently touching the lives of 155 people in their community, a number that is sure to increase profoundly as they continue their work.   There have been 5 classes of community health promoters go through the program so far with at least 12 participants in each.  My rough estimate is that there are at least 1500 people in Ndola’s communities that are benefiting from the knowledge, skills and incredible attitudes of newly trained community health promoters over the last 4 months.

I left with a sense of respect, awe and an affirmation of the work that I am doing and with these words “As a community we need to rise up and work hand in hand to improve the community”.   I would like to leave you with a challenge to answer this:  who are you working hand in hand with to make a difference in your community?

Love from Zambia

P.S. Happy International Women's Day.  A holiday taken so seriously here that everyone gets the day off work.