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.