The "Real" Zambia

As part of the Baha’i activities we engage in, we hold junior youth empowerment classes on the weekends that we don't travel. On average, about 20– 25 junior youth (ages about 10 to about 17) attend. Although generally junior youth classes are more focused on individual and spiritual development, these particular classes feel more like us helping kids to learn/improve their reading skills. I am more than happy to do that, as I believe that education is an essential step in the continued development of this country. The class is held at a compound, right outside of the kids’ homes, and life in compounds is what I’d like to describe in this post.

Before coming to Zambia, I always thought highly of compounds. In my mind, I pictured exclusive areas of town, where expats occupied big mansions. I imagined a tall wall around the complex secured with barbwires and cameras and military personnel guarding all gates.

Well, compounds here are just about the exact opposite. The majority of Lusaka’s population lives in compounds, and we have yet to see a single non-local, other than ourselves, when we visit. There are several compounds around town, and from what I have seen they are very similar.

Most homes are made of small one or two room brick buildings. Each one is comparable to the size of the office I had back in the States (although I did stay in the office until morning hours (during budget season) I never considered fully moving in). Sometimes a few homes are attached, and many don’t have any windows. Several people live in one room. That one room functions as the master bedroom, children bedrooms, family room and dining room. The “kitchen”, “restroom” and “showers” are located outside. The kitchen is made up of one or two small, portable fire pits that are powered by charcoal. The restroom is located somewhere outside of the homes, and is shared by several families. Finally, I have yet to see a shower. I have seen people use buckets of water to wash themselves, so I assume that’s how most of the locals shower.

Further, electricity is not available in most homes. Overall, we heard that less than one third of the population has access to electricity (and the population that does have access, loses power on a regular basis). The last home we visited had an old, small, black and white TV, powered by a car battery.

Outside, trash is often compiled in mini-landfills and dogs, chickens and sometimes goats roam around.

About 80% of kids run around bare feet. During our last visit, we saw a small group of them make a fire and play with its ashes – painting their faces with it. Some children use “metal strings” as toys. One kid attached such a string to an empty plastic gas-container and pretended it was a car. A few boys played football (soccer) by using what appeared to be a bunch of rolled up plastic bags as a ball.

Grown-ups are also around of course. In between the densely constructed “homes” are small markets, where one can buy fruits, vegetables, clothes, live chickens, and pretty much anything else you can imagine – with respect to life’s basic necessities, of course. You also see iron workers - usually they are making burglar bars, or simple frames for doors and windows - and “stone-workers” – people use hammers and other tools to “shred” big stones to different sizes. In addition, there are also bars and clubs in the middle of everything, which means that there are a few drunks running around (let’s not talk about financial management). Overall, however, I feel that people are very friendly, especially towards us muzungus (“non-locals”). A lot of them gather round to look at us. Most are curious to see why we are there.

During classes, which are held outdoors, of course, we get several interruptions, mainly by men wanting to “talk to me in private” (not sure if they want to kidnap me or offer me something to buy) and a few curious people who interrupt the class just to talk to us.

Although I am very impressed by the students, as they make an effort to make a difference in their own lives, I am also very concerned about the future of most of them, given their poor reading skills. Even the 12 or 13 year olds can barely read simple sentences. All of them seem happy to have this opportunity to get together and practice reading, and most participate actively.

Based on what I see, I assume that many of these kids cannot afford schools, or that the schools they attend aren’t effective. The experience of interacting with these kids, along with the experience gathered through volunteering for PCI and visiting its partners, has inspired Azadeh to start taking steps toward starting an NGO that would build schools and provide financial aid to students who need it most.

One of the classes


Behind the class is a "store", and to the left, well, mostly trash

The building behind the class = four homes



The inside of one of the homes

Creative!!

This is a school!!!

No electricity and no "real" windows

Students sang a welcome song

Lunch Time + Camera! Look at each individual happy face!

Restrooms for a school with OVER 250 students