Greetings! I have to firstly apologise as I haven't had a second to think, let alone write since leaving Johannesburg nearly four weeks ago!! It was a race back to addis, in just over a week, and we had an unfortunate incident in Arba Minch (South Ethiopia), which delayed things further. Luckily everything was okay in the end, and I arrived at my new home in Addis Ababa just a few days behind schedule.
Since arriving in Addis, it has been none stop!! I have had to contend with visa/work permit issues, and will indeed be continuing my travels to Djibouti next month to resolve them. I basically have to leave Ethiopia! Our Director is here this week, and we have had a packed full schedule, with our main focus being supporting students with interview technique, presentation skills, and general approach for their applications to the New York University Abu Dhabi, where we currently have three EEF students on full scholarships worth $250,000. We are extremely hopeful of getting at least another two in this year, giving them arguably the richest and most diverse university experience available on the planet. Not bad considering where these young Ethiopians were 4 or 5 years ago. This years and next years selections include some students with such massive potential to achieve great things. Particularly the girls gave inspirational presentations on issues as difficult and complex as female circumcision, HIV/Aids in women, and traditional domestic practices in the Hammer Tribe of Ethiopia. The strength they showed at such a young age to talk openly about subjects that many leaders fail to address was truly wonderful to see!! Maybe the future of change in Ethiopia, and Africa.
In addition to this we have also had to contend with a couple of personal issues with some of our students. One boy, we recently discovered has been suffering from a severe bout of depression, and has been missing school as a result. This has stemmed from an extremely difficult family background, and has also resulted in an eating disorder, and a virtual incapability to eat in front of others. He is a wonderfully polite, kind, and honest boy, however, and also incredibly intelligent. We are working closely with him to resolve these issues, and already he is showing great signs of progress. There are always going to be such psychological problems within our student base, as a result of their backgrounds, and the foreign environment that our sponsorship scheme puts them into. In 7 years, we have yet to fail a student, however, and we don't intend on this happening at any time in the future. Another of our students, has suffered a lot since losing his mother two years ago, whilst he was sleeping next to her in the same bed. We can't even begin to imagine what he has been through, but again, we will offer him all the support he needs to grow into an adult with an excellent academic record, and ability to approach issues and difficulties in a positive and progressive way. The EEF hostel is truly an inspirational place to be, and I highly suggest you come out and pay me a visit at some point, to support, and see our work for yourself.
Now, onto the main subject of this email.... the 'Real Way Down'. Firstly, apologies for rambling so much about my new venture, but I have already become completely immersed in it. This does not mean, however, that my focus and passion towards 'Patchwork World' has faltered at all. My decision to take this position in April, was based on an enthusiasm to obtain more direct experience of grass roots development, whilst playing an active role in the next stage of progression of a charity with hugely impressive foundations. Everything I learn here, and the contacts I make, will be put to use in the development of Patchwork World in the future.
The 'Real Way Down'... what can I say? I owe a massive debt of gratitude to so many people that it is impossible to even begin to mention individuals. I had a vision a long time ago now, almost it seems in a different life, and never could I imagine the incredible support everyone offered me in achieving it. It is true to say that the journey wasn't a 6 month expedition, but rather a 5-year long journey, and indeed most of the difficult moments happened even before our vehicle's tyres had begun to roll. At many times, I felt an inability to achieve what I had set out to achieve. My self esteem was fleeting, and at times I felt like I had been kidding myself. In truth, without the support of so many people, I would simply have given up long before the physical journey began. It was not only tangible support, in terms of the website, fund raising events. donations etc, but more so, the incredible moral support I received almost constantly throughout the duration of the last half decade, and for this I am eternally grateful.
I haven't really had time to process the entire project yet, but all I can say is that I hope it has been part of the people following us, as it has been for both me, Phil, and Cindy. It is impossible to describe how I feel now having reached South Africa, and maybe I will have to leave that until I have a few weeks to think it all through. One thing which is for sure, however, is that the journey rolls on. It is all part of the one same vision, and I truly hope that one day this vision becomes a part of a greater vision, which truly helps to activate change and progression. We have seen many horrendous sufferings during this journey, but what has been overwhelming is the strength and hope in the face of such adversities. Still, it is true that some things were just unacceptable, and indeed many of these were in Europe, not as far from home as you may think. Africa has suffered now from disease, famine, poor education, violent leaders, and a lack of many human rights and freedoms for a number of years. There is, however, a sense of change in the air, and the young people who will be the leaders of tomorrow, have much more of a sense of equality, freedom, and human rights, than their predecessors. Progression is at the core of many of their philosophies, and truly I can see a much more prosperous future for a continent, which has had the lion's share of problems in modern history. As for the Middle East, and indeed Northern Africa, change is clear to see for everyone. The Syrian crisis, which threatened to end our journey, rages on, and with the International community merely playing a spectator's role, whose to know when a resolution will come. One thing is clear, however, and that is that people are prepared to fight until the bitter end for the rights and freedoms that we as Western Europeans take for granted. We can only hope that the next wave of Middle Eastern and Arab African leaders rebuild their respective nations on foundations of equality, and not greed. There are still many issues, however, back at home in the UK and Western Europe, and sometimes they are even more complex and subtle in their nature. There are still millions of people who fall outside the protective gloves of such nations, and there is a need for a deep and thorough investigation into how we can limit this. Many people would suggest that there will always be those who suffer, and those who prosper, and perhaps to a certain extent they are right. As an idealist, however, and a great believer in humanity, I don't accept this is the case, and believe we should work towards a future where everyone has access to the potential of a prosperous and happy existence on the land mass that we all call home.
The world is a small place, I truly feel that way now, and the differences so minute and subtle, that to an outsiders eye we would all be deemed to be the same. Religion, race, tradition, and shoe size apart, we all have the same foundations at our core, and to focus on this in a world where leaders are determined to create divisions, is a challenge which we should all strive towards. For too long our world has been under the 'management' of weak men, driven by fear, greed, and self importance, when truly it is the people who have the power to create, progress, and develop our world. To this end, we must focus on education, women's rights, and the empowerment of individuals ahead of governments and corporations, in addition to providing the basic necessities for human life. There are those driven by power, destruction, and complete domination of the world, there are however many more driven by a passion to share, unite, and live in peace. The 'Real Way Down' rewarded us so much for our belief in humanity, and truly despite passing through several regions suffering from internal struggles, namely Syria, Egypt, and Sudan, we were much more aware of the kindness, hospitality, and great spirit of everybody we met. This was indeed the greatest lesson in not basing opinions on news stories or television, but rather to form opinions based on individual experiences, and I encourage everyone else to do the same.
All I have left to say at this point, is that I owe a huge amount of gratitude to each and every person who helped along the way, even if it was just to tell a friend about what we were doing. All of the people we met along the way were such inspirations, and again their belief in our project was humbling. There is one person who I have to thank ahead of everyone else, and that is 'video monkey', Phil. Without him the 'Real Way Down' would have been nothing. It would have been one slightly misguided young man on a kamikaze mission of self discovery. Phil made it so much more than that. We were at each others side constantly for 6 months, and rarely, if ever did we fall out. As many of you will know, I'm not always the easiest person to be around, and so thanks man for your patience and trust. I truly hope that when all is said and done, you don't feel that you were simply along for the ride, but that both of us experienced a shared vision. It was epic, that is for sure, there were ups and downs, but the latter were far outweighed by the positives. We met so many wonderful people, and such little negativity. The entire journey seemed to be riding on a wave of positivity, fortune, and unbelievable kindness.
I apologise for only sharing rambled and rushed thoughts, but I will be writing somthing much more considered in the near future.
Love to you all once more!!! Thank you for being a part of the journey!!
Peace by Piece!!!
Friday 28 October 2011
Saturday 17 September 2011
Road to Zion
Eventually we left Harare, and as always, it was against our will. It had been so great being a part of the Makokoro family for a week, and really Zim was a place that entered both of our hearts. We were now heading inland towards Bulawayo, and from there we would head back up the continent towards Livingstone, and Victoria Falls.
After spending a night in Bulawayo, we hit the road early doors, and had hoped to perhaps catch a glimpse of Victoria Falls. Unfortunately though, when we arrived, we were in a race to hit the border, and so after discovering that we would have to pay to even catch a glimpse of the falls, we decided to add it to the list of tourist attractions omitted from our itinerary. We would be crossing into Botswana, and then after an hour, further into Namibia, where we would be staying with ‘Children of Zion’, a Christian orphanage, in Katima Mulilo.
Our progress was slightly delayed by traffic cops in Zimbabwe, who with something resembling a 1950s hair dryer, suggested that we were going to fast. After almost an hour of debate, we decided to pay the $5 fine, and be on our way. In truth, I probably was going a little too fast, but an 80km/hour speed limit on a straight, tarred, and empty road was a little limiting. Anyway, eventually it was an hour that we couldn’t spare, and after passing through the border in Botswana, we were informed that we would be too late to make the Namibian border. It was a shame, but not the end of the world.
We headed to the only major town in the area, Kasane, to get some cash, and having eaten a late lunch, decided to head to the border, and buy dinner once we arrived. Once we got to the border, it was indeed closed, and thus we headed off in search of food and a place to stay. We hadn’t quite realised how little there was in North Botswana, however, and after driving around for an hour or so, we accepted the locals answer of ‘there is nowhere to buy food anywhere’. We were used to finding small local restaurants, or at least someone cooking on a grill, but there was literally nothing. As we headed back towards the border, we decided to veer off the road towards a safari lodge. It would probably be expensive, but it had been a long day, and the idea of setting up our stove and cooking some of our remaining tins didn’t appeal.
We drove up to the lodge, and felt a little out of place nervously walking into a luxury restaurant with our travel withered faces, and dusty clothes. At first it seemed that we were going to have no joy getting food, as it was bought in especially to order for the guests. But after hanging around chatting for a little while, the mood changed, and soon we were given meals in little takeaway boxes, and drinks free of charge. It was a massive relief. We were both tired and hungry, and have to extend a massive thank you out to J.J Nyathi, at Muchenje Safari Lodge in Chobe Nature Reserve, Botswana. After eating our delicious meal in the car with the border in sight, we chanced upon an accommodation block for local lodge workers, and were granted permission to use their bathroom and toilets. After spending a short time, watching ‘The Patriot’ with a couple of guys in their outdoor bar area, we headed back to the car to sleep.
We had been used to sleeping in strange places, and indeed the car, so we didn’t think it would prove to be much of a problem. We did not, however, take into account the vast quantity of mosquitoes in the area. It was like a never-ending chorus of piercing hums. Eventually it got to the stage where neither of us could sleep, and instead spent hours trying to execute as many of the damned things as possible. Eventually nature balanced out again, and as a reward for being kept up by the mosquitoes, we got to see a small family of elephants grazing right in front of our car. It wouldn’t help to clean the cobwebs from our souls, but it certainly reminded us of the beauty of nature in the face of the annoying.
Early doors it was time to progress, and soon we were in Katima Mulilo, having successfully crossed the border. We found a great little café with wifi, and after getting our breakfast inside us and doing some work, headed to the Children of Zion Village. We were met there by Travis and Lorna, who have been the managers at the village for 11 months now, and who would be our hosts for the week. The organisation was set up in 2003 as an orphanage, mainly supporting children who have lost family members through HIV/Aids, and is now home to 59 children. In their own words, “Each year, millions of children are being orphaned or abandoned in third world nations as a result of war, poverty, neglect, and the AIDS Pandemic. Too many times, these children have no one to turn to for help. Children of Zion, Inc. is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization that supports a Christian Children’s Home in Namibia, Africa”.
Having been running now for 8 years, Travis and Lorna have arrived at a time, where many new issues need to be addressed. One of their first initiatives was to attempt to empower the community more. It has been a recurring factor on this journey, that people are starting to move more towards sustainable, and community driven projects, and repair some of the damage caused by earlier mistakes within the sector. Travis and Lorna were both keen to be a part of this transition, and so they have begun the process of making the village more inclusive to the local communities, firstly by the simple gesture of opening the gates, and secondly by involving themselves more within community life as a whole. In addition to this, they have also given more responsibility to the local Namibian employees, who have thrived, and began to develop a real sense of ownership over the village. Travis and Lorna commented that initially there had been some reluctance towards these new responsibilities, but now they have proved they are capable, and their confidence and self esteem has grown incredibly as a result.
The next hurdle that Travis and Lorna are working at overcoming is the fact that the initial group of children, who first entered the home eight years ago, are now adults, and thus a plan of how they can move on from the village and back into the community is vital. The first piece in this puzzle was ready to be put to the test soon after our departure, with the founding of the Transition home. This would be a first step for some of the older children to begin learning about how they can live independent lives. Here they would have to cook, clean, and tidy for themselves, as well as after an initial month settling period, be required to earn their own money, and budget for themselves, for food and bills. They would earn money by working within the village, and this would give them their first taste of how life might be in the outside world. In addition to this, the children were also encouraged to spend their school holidays with family members within the communities in which they will most likely return to at some stage in the future. This was to ensure that in addition to the education they received through COZV, they would also pick up many of the skills needed to live within mainstream Namibian society.
The one thing that will stick with me the most from my time in the village is the incredible personality and character of the children. They were truly a lovely bunch of kids, all offering something different and equally rewarding. They had experienced extreme difficulties and grief within their young lives, and they still held themselves in such a positive way. I laughed an awful lot during my time there, and really learnt to respect a lot of them for being so kind, friendly, open, and positive in the face of such adversities. Although this all sounds incredibly clichéd, it was really the overwhelming feeling I had during our stay. The abilities of some of the young men on the football pitch also, was incredibly impressive. They weren’t just good, but several truly displayed a great potential to play at a higher level. The village really offers these children a chance they otherwise wouldn’t have, a home and a family. It is always difficult to know when to let go, and be able to move on in this respect, but work is certainly being done to find a balance.
The religious aspect of the orphanage is one, which to me personally is not important. The fact that these children are being raised in a kind and loving environment is really enough to justify its existence. We could go into deeper debate about the long-term implications of such external influence, but really I feel no need to. Lorna and Travis both understood, and indeed had experience in the complexities and sensitivities of what the village offered, and although Christianity was at the core of the children’s syllabus, the main aim was to empower the children, and allow them to grow into good, healthy, and inspirational Namibian citizens. I have my own opinions about the involvement of a religious context in humanitarian work, but really for now I’d rather focus on the positive work being done. There is still a huge need today to support people, and especially children, affected by HIV/Aids. It has had such huge negative implications on countries and communities now for years, and although there is a major effort on the behalf of several NGOs to address the issue, there is still a lot of work to be done, and like everything it begins with the children, and indeed education.
We were incredibly humbled once more, by how welcoming and friendly everyone was to us. It was a place that could very easily have been depressing and almost hopeless, but due to the fantastic work of the local staff, Lorna and Travis, and indeed the children, it was a place full of positivity, hope, and an ambition to look forwards. It was extra difficult to leave these children, and it would be very easy to want to stay forever. It really is an incredibly challenging aspect of development work; to be able to help, but also to be strong enough to be able to let go when the time is right.
After, a wonderful and thought provoking few days, it was time to hit the road once more. We were heading back into Botswana, and hoping to reach Francistown in a day, where we would be filming with the ‘Tachila Nature Reserve’. South Africa was getting ever closer, and soon it would be time to digest everything we had experienced on this incredible journey.
After spending a night in Bulawayo, we hit the road early doors, and had hoped to perhaps catch a glimpse of Victoria Falls. Unfortunately though, when we arrived, we were in a race to hit the border, and so after discovering that we would have to pay to even catch a glimpse of the falls, we decided to add it to the list of tourist attractions omitted from our itinerary. We would be crossing into Botswana, and then after an hour, further into Namibia, where we would be staying with ‘Children of Zion’, a Christian orphanage, in Katima Mulilo.
Our progress was slightly delayed by traffic cops in Zimbabwe, who with something resembling a 1950s hair dryer, suggested that we were going to fast. After almost an hour of debate, we decided to pay the $5 fine, and be on our way. In truth, I probably was going a little too fast, but an 80km/hour speed limit on a straight, tarred, and empty road was a little limiting. Anyway, eventually it was an hour that we couldn’t spare, and after passing through the border in Botswana, we were informed that we would be too late to make the Namibian border. It was a shame, but not the end of the world.
We headed to the only major town in the area, Kasane, to get some cash, and having eaten a late lunch, decided to head to the border, and buy dinner once we arrived. Once we got to the border, it was indeed closed, and thus we headed off in search of food and a place to stay. We hadn’t quite realised how little there was in North Botswana, however, and after driving around for an hour or so, we accepted the locals answer of ‘there is nowhere to buy food anywhere’. We were used to finding small local restaurants, or at least someone cooking on a grill, but there was literally nothing. As we headed back towards the border, we decided to veer off the road towards a safari lodge. It would probably be expensive, but it had been a long day, and the idea of setting up our stove and cooking some of our remaining tins didn’t appeal.
We drove up to the lodge, and felt a little out of place nervously walking into a luxury restaurant with our travel withered faces, and dusty clothes. At first it seemed that we were going to have no joy getting food, as it was bought in especially to order for the guests. But after hanging around chatting for a little while, the mood changed, and soon we were given meals in little takeaway boxes, and drinks free of charge. It was a massive relief. We were both tired and hungry, and have to extend a massive thank you out to J.J Nyathi, at Muchenje Safari Lodge in Chobe Nature Reserve, Botswana. After eating our delicious meal in the car with the border in sight, we chanced upon an accommodation block for local lodge workers, and were granted permission to use their bathroom and toilets. After spending a short time, watching ‘The Patriot’ with a couple of guys in their outdoor bar area, we headed back to the car to sleep.
We had been used to sleeping in strange places, and indeed the car, so we didn’t think it would prove to be much of a problem. We did not, however, take into account the vast quantity of mosquitoes in the area. It was like a never-ending chorus of piercing hums. Eventually it got to the stage where neither of us could sleep, and instead spent hours trying to execute as many of the damned things as possible. Eventually nature balanced out again, and as a reward for being kept up by the mosquitoes, we got to see a small family of elephants grazing right in front of our car. It wouldn’t help to clean the cobwebs from our souls, but it certainly reminded us of the beauty of nature in the face of the annoying.
Early doors it was time to progress, and soon we were in Katima Mulilo, having successfully crossed the border. We found a great little café with wifi, and after getting our breakfast inside us and doing some work, headed to the Children of Zion Village. We were met there by Travis and Lorna, who have been the managers at the village for 11 months now, and who would be our hosts for the week. The organisation was set up in 2003 as an orphanage, mainly supporting children who have lost family members through HIV/Aids, and is now home to 59 children. In their own words, “Each year, millions of children are being orphaned or abandoned in third world nations as a result of war, poverty, neglect, and the AIDS Pandemic. Too many times, these children have no one to turn to for help. Children of Zion, Inc. is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization that supports a Christian Children’s Home in Namibia, Africa”.
Having been running now for 8 years, Travis and Lorna have arrived at a time, where many new issues need to be addressed. One of their first initiatives was to attempt to empower the community more. It has been a recurring factor on this journey, that people are starting to move more towards sustainable, and community driven projects, and repair some of the damage caused by earlier mistakes within the sector. Travis and Lorna were both keen to be a part of this transition, and so they have begun the process of making the village more inclusive to the local communities, firstly by the simple gesture of opening the gates, and secondly by involving themselves more within community life as a whole. In addition to this, they have also given more responsibility to the local Namibian employees, who have thrived, and began to develop a real sense of ownership over the village. Travis and Lorna commented that initially there had been some reluctance towards these new responsibilities, but now they have proved they are capable, and their confidence and self esteem has grown incredibly as a result.
The next hurdle that Travis and Lorna are working at overcoming is the fact that the initial group of children, who first entered the home eight years ago, are now adults, and thus a plan of how they can move on from the village and back into the community is vital. The first piece in this puzzle was ready to be put to the test soon after our departure, with the founding of the Transition home. This would be a first step for some of the older children to begin learning about how they can live independent lives. Here they would have to cook, clean, and tidy for themselves, as well as after an initial month settling period, be required to earn their own money, and budget for themselves, for food and bills. They would earn money by working within the village, and this would give them their first taste of how life might be in the outside world. In addition to this, the children were also encouraged to spend their school holidays with family members within the communities in which they will most likely return to at some stage in the future. This was to ensure that in addition to the education they received through COZV, they would also pick up many of the skills needed to live within mainstream Namibian society.
The one thing that will stick with me the most from my time in the village is the incredible personality and character of the children. They were truly a lovely bunch of kids, all offering something different and equally rewarding. They had experienced extreme difficulties and grief within their young lives, and they still held themselves in such a positive way. I laughed an awful lot during my time there, and really learnt to respect a lot of them for being so kind, friendly, open, and positive in the face of such adversities. Although this all sounds incredibly clichéd, it was really the overwhelming feeling I had during our stay. The abilities of some of the young men on the football pitch also, was incredibly impressive. They weren’t just good, but several truly displayed a great potential to play at a higher level. The village really offers these children a chance they otherwise wouldn’t have, a home and a family. It is always difficult to know when to let go, and be able to move on in this respect, but work is certainly being done to find a balance.
The religious aspect of the orphanage is one, which to me personally is not important. The fact that these children are being raised in a kind and loving environment is really enough to justify its existence. We could go into deeper debate about the long-term implications of such external influence, but really I feel no need to. Lorna and Travis both understood, and indeed had experience in the complexities and sensitivities of what the village offered, and although Christianity was at the core of the children’s syllabus, the main aim was to empower the children, and allow them to grow into good, healthy, and inspirational Namibian citizens. I have my own opinions about the involvement of a religious context in humanitarian work, but really for now I’d rather focus on the positive work being done. There is still a huge need today to support people, and especially children, affected by HIV/Aids. It has had such huge negative implications on countries and communities now for years, and although there is a major effort on the behalf of several NGOs to address the issue, there is still a lot of work to be done, and like everything it begins with the children, and indeed education.
We were incredibly humbled once more, by how welcoming and friendly everyone was to us. It was a place that could very easily have been depressing and almost hopeless, but due to the fantastic work of the local staff, Lorna and Travis, and indeed the children, it was a place full of positivity, hope, and an ambition to look forwards. It was extra difficult to leave these children, and it would be very easy to want to stay forever. It really is an incredibly challenging aspect of development work; to be able to help, but also to be strong enough to be able to let go when the time is right.
After, a wonderful and thought provoking few days, it was time to hit the road once more. We were heading back into Botswana, and hoping to reach Francistown in a day, where we would be filming with the ‘Tachila Nature Reserve’. South Africa was getting ever closer, and soon it would be time to digest everything we had experienced on this incredible journey.
Thursday 15 September 2011
Making of: Real Way Down documentary (part 13 - Sudan)
Latest behind the scenes video, courtesy of Mr Phillp Wright
Making of: Real Way Down documentary (part 13 - Sudan) from Patchwork World on Vimeo.
Thursday 8 September 2011
Zim Zimmer!!
After the delays of the immigration and customs procedures, we didn’t leave Lusaka until mid afternoon, and thus decided to head for the border, where we would spend the night, before heading to Harare the next day. We had hoped to cross at night to save time in the morning, but unfortunately arrived just after it had closed. We found a cheap lodge again, and had the bonus of catching the football once more. My worries about missing the premier league have been completely laid to rest, as it seems even easier to catch the games in Africa.
The following morning we headed off early, and were surprised at how easy and organised the Zimbabwean immigration was. They have a special system where you can both exit Zambia, and enter Zimbabwe in the same room. It makes everything a lot easier, and soon we were heading off to Harare. There was very little between the border and the first major town, approximately 150 miles down the road. We stopped in the second town for lunch, and soon we were closing in on Harare. I had been excited about seeing Zimbabwe, and Harare, as it is of course more renowned for it’s dictatorial leader, Robert Mugabe, than tourism.
Once we arrived in Harare, we gave our contact Patrick, a call, and he drove out to meet us. Patrick and I had been in communication a lot over the entire project, during the preparation and the journey itself, and it was great to see he was as enthusiastic and energetic in real life. After brief introductions, we headed off to his home, and the Goromonzi head office, where we would be staying. Patrick is the Director of the Goromonzi Project, and is currently working on a complete restructure of the organisation.
The house/office was incredible. We couldn’t believe our luck. We had a bedroom each, and the family environment was nice having been on the road for nearly five months. Patrick, and his wife lived there with their two-year-old daughter ‘cheche’, who was troublesome, but adorable. They were all lovely and incredibly welcoming, and we felt instantly at home. The Goromonzi Project was set up by Janet Shaw, who in 2005, whilst visiting her home land of Zimbabwe, had seen the devastating impact of AIDS on orphaned children and their families and communities. While in many cases the need for shelter was being addressed, the local resources were not adequate to respond to shortages in food supplies and basic health care, or lack of money to pay for education. As a result of this experience Janet formed an organization to find support for the basic needs of food, education and healthcare for orphaned and vulnerable children of Zimbabwe. Patrick had recently taken over the reigns completely and was looking at adjusting their approach slightly.
Although during our time there, we couldn’t see an awful lot of actuality, it was an inspiring period nonetheless. We visited Goromonzi, which is a poor area about 40 km from Harare, and a couple of the schools who have benefited hugely from the oranisation. As Patrick said, extremely passionately, on several occasions, pre-primary education is really key to the development of a child’s brain, and this was backed up by interviews we conducted with some of the schoolteachers. It was commented on several occasions that children who have studied in pre-primary can adjust to life, and learn a lot quicker once they enter primary school. It makes the teacher’s jobs a lot easier, and not only are the children use to the process of learning, but also they often have a lot more confidence, and comfort within their environment. The children, unfortunately, were on holiday during the time we were there, and so we couldn’t see them within the classrooms. We did, however, see the rooms, and it was clear to see how they help the early development of a child’s brain.
In addition to seeing Goromonzi, and a couple of the projects the organisation have realised already, we also were given an in depth tour of Harare itself by Patrick. We visited some of the most affluent areas, with high walls and gates protecting their privacy. Some of the houses were ludicrous, with incredible views, huge gardens, and enough rooms to house a small army. In stark contrast to this, we also visited Mbari, which was an inner city slum area, and one which had experienced its fair share of political problems in the past. Here there was a major issue of crime, and poverty, and also a huge amount of political oppression at the hands of the Zanu-PF youths.
To talk about Zimbabwe’s political situation would take a long time, and an awful lot of research on my behalf. In short, Robert Mugabe has ever increasingly lost control over the country. In the early years, back when Zimbabwe first became independent, Mugabe was a huge success, and widely celebrated, even supported by the British who he had recently defeated. He had, however, over the course of the following thirty years increasingly lost his grip on the country, and begun to run an ever more erratic, violent, and oppressive government, killing and beating anyone who opposes him, and fundamentally standing in the way of democracy. He has been responsible for the killings of thousands of people in the Matebeland region of Zimbabwe, and his displaced many more. His increasingly paranoid outlook had also lead him to drive a division between white and black Zimbabweans, as well as between different tribal groups, and alienate the country from most of its neighbours.
The political background of Zimbabwe made it particularly difficult to film. Freedom of press was not high on Mugabe’s agenda, and thus journalists were often given a rough ride in Zimbabwe. Many of the shots we got of both Harare City, and Mbari district had to be done quickly and subtly, and there were several occasions when we had to drive off from being shouted at. It was frustrating, but part and parcel of filming in a ‘paranoid’ environment. Again, Patrick did his best to ensure that we got the footage that we wanted, but having once before been at direct risk himself, from Zanu-PF, was understandably cautious.
The recent developments with Patrick, and the Goromonzi project are structured around a plan to form a coalition of community-based projects around the Harare area. All of these projects have a focus on pre-primary education, and it is great to see someone as switched on and as focussed as Patrick. He has a huge focus on sustainability, and stressed the importance of donor understanding. He suggested that in the past donors had wanted to see specific things done with their money, but it didn’t fit in with a long-term sustainable plan. It was clear that he had great integrity, and truly wanted to put plans in to action to catalyse progression. He had put himself and his family in a more unstable situation as a result of wanting to ensure the true benefit of the organisation, but had the faith that his hard work and vision would pay off in the end.
As mentioned earlier, it wasn’t easy to get the footage we needed, but I was, however, extremely satisfied during our time there. In recent years the level of cynicism towards the charity sector has grown massively, as a result of a number of issues, including corruption, high salaries, administrative costs etc. It is, however, incredibly important to understand that a huge amount of development work does indeed take place in an office, and not at a school, or in a children’s home. It is vital that donor money isn’t wasted, and that the donor to field ratio is high, but it is equally important to ensure that the money is being used responsibly, and with the ownership of a community. It is important to focus on long term and sustainable solutions, and not to please a donors wishes of having nice photos and a building to show for 12 months labour. Again it is about intent. Corporate bodies who decided to support charitable work need to do it with the intent of supporting a just cause, not enhancing their public profile. Too often money is used to achieve short-term visions, without any consideration for long term and sustainable benefits.
Another interesting conversation we had during our time in Harare added further zest to this issue. A guest at our Zimbabwean barbeque, Hugh Brent Solvason, of Stanford University’s Department of Psychiatry, spoke at length with us about the psychiatry of development. This is a prime example of long-term objectives. He had focussed some research on working with sub-Saharan orphans and vulnerable children in Southern Africa, and noted that often when a charitable objective can seem to have been achieved, it is often blind to the long term reality. For example, for children who have grown up in a violent, paranoid, post-conflict (or conflict) state, there are longer-term implications to their experiences than simply missing out on education, or needing food and shelter. There are often permanent implications to the development of the brain, and this needs to be considered. Also, incredibly, he mentioned that research had suggested that exposure to violence, suffering, or oppression can pass through generations genetically. This means that a vast and deep understanding of history, and past experiences is vital for the true understanding of how to progress. Again, some times this as a stem of charitable work, which doesn’t attract a huge amount of donor support, as it offers no short-term tangible results.
In short, there is a very difficult balance to strike, in ensuring that both a high donor to filed ratio is present, and that a long term and sustainable focus is in place. There is an incredible importance for a depth of research to be carried out, and when connected to development, it’s vital that this is donor supported. Again, still for me, the answer lies in a cooperative path to long term objectives, and with a focus on small community based, grass roots NGOs, supported by a whole range of professionals in various fields, from Development to Psychiatry, and Anthropology to History. It seems to me a little like ‘development experts’ have carved there own little niche, and have become rather arrogant in thinking that they know the best path to progression, without considering the views of the above mentioned experts, or indeed the community members themselves.
After, a slight false start, we decided to take the car in for a quick check-up, before we left the city lights of Harare, and headed back out into the wilderness for another few weeks. The end was getting closer, and the picture clearer. One thing, which was for sure, was the cemented view that the ‘Real Way Down’ was very much the first step in a life long journey.
The following morning we headed off early, and were surprised at how easy and organised the Zimbabwean immigration was. They have a special system where you can both exit Zambia, and enter Zimbabwe in the same room. It makes everything a lot easier, and soon we were heading off to Harare. There was very little between the border and the first major town, approximately 150 miles down the road. We stopped in the second town for lunch, and soon we were closing in on Harare. I had been excited about seeing Zimbabwe, and Harare, as it is of course more renowned for it’s dictatorial leader, Robert Mugabe, than tourism.
Once we arrived in Harare, we gave our contact Patrick, a call, and he drove out to meet us. Patrick and I had been in communication a lot over the entire project, during the preparation and the journey itself, and it was great to see he was as enthusiastic and energetic in real life. After brief introductions, we headed off to his home, and the Goromonzi head office, where we would be staying. Patrick is the Director of the Goromonzi Project, and is currently working on a complete restructure of the organisation.
The house/office was incredible. We couldn’t believe our luck. We had a bedroom each, and the family environment was nice having been on the road for nearly five months. Patrick, and his wife lived there with their two-year-old daughter ‘cheche’, who was troublesome, but adorable. They were all lovely and incredibly welcoming, and we felt instantly at home. The Goromonzi Project was set up by Janet Shaw, who in 2005, whilst visiting her home land of Zimbabwe, had seen the devastating impact of AIDS on orphaned children and their families and communities. While in many cases the need for shelter was being addressed, the local resources were not adequate to respond to shortages in food supplies and basic health care, or lack of money to pay for education. As a result of this experience Janet formed an organization to find support for the basic needs of food, education and healthcare for orphaned and vulnerable children of Zimbabwe. Patrick had recently taken over the reigns completely and was looking at adjusting their approach slightly.
Although during our time there, we couldn’t see an awful lot of actuality, it was an inspiring period nonetheless. We visited Goromonzi, which is a poor area about 40 km from Harare, and a couple of the schools who have benefited hugely from the oranisation. As Patrick said, extremely passionately, on several occasions, pre-primary education is really key to the development of a child’s brain, and this was backed up by interviews we conducted with some of the schoolteachers. It was commented on several occasions that children who have studied in pre-primary can adjust to life, and learn a lot quicker once they enter primary school. It makes the teacher’s jobs a lot easier, and not only are the children use to the process of learning, but also they often have a lot more confidence, and comfort within their environment. The children, unfortunately, were on holiday during the time we were there, and so we couldn’t see them within the classrooms. We did, however, see the rooms, and it was clear to see how they help the early development of a child’s brain.
In addition to seeing Goromonzi, and a couple of the projects the organisation have realised already, we also were given an in depth tour of Harare itself by Patrick. We visited some of the most affluent areas, with high walls and gates protecting their privacy. Some of the houses were ludicrous, with incredible views, huge gardens, and enough rooms to house a small army. In stark contrast to this, we also visited Mbari, which was an inner city slum area, and one which had experienced its fair share of political problems in the past. Here there was a major issue of crime, and poverty, and also a huge amount of political oppression at the hands of the Zanu-PF youths.
To talk about Zimbabwe’s political situation would take a long time, and an awful lot of research on my behalf. In short, Robert Mugabe has ever increasingly lost control over the country. In the early years, back when Zimbabwe first became independent, Mugabe was a huge success, and widely celebrated, even supported by the British who he had recently defeated. He had, however, over the course of the following thirty years increasingly lost his grip on the country, and begun to run an ever more erratic, violent, and oppressive government, killing and beating anyone who opposes him, and fundamentally standing in the way of democracy. He has been responsible for the killings of thousands of people in the Matebeland region of Zimbabwe, and his displaced many more. His increasingly paranoid outlook had also lead him to drive a division between white and black Zimbabweans, as well as between different tribal groups, and alienate the country from most of its neighbours.
The political background of Zimbabwe made it particularly difficult to film. Freedom of press was not high on Mugabe’s agenda, and thus journalists were often given a rough ride in Zimbabwe. Many of the shots we got of both Harare City, and Mbari district had to be done quickly and subtly, and there were several occasions when we had to drive off from being shouted at. It was frustrating, but part and parcel of filming in a ‘paranoid’ environment. Again, Patrick did his best to ensure that we got the footage that we wanted, but having once before been at direct risk himself, from Zanu-PF, was understandably cautious.
The recent developments with Patrick, and the Goromonzi project are structured around a plan to form a coalition of community-based projects around the Harare area. All of these projects have a focus on pre-primary education, and it is great to see someone as switched on and as focussed as Patrick. He has a huge focus on sustainability, and stressed the importance of donor understanding. He suggested that in the past donors had wanted to see specific things done with their money, but it didn’t fit in with a long-term sustainable plan. It was clear that he had great integrity, and truly wanted to put plans in to action to catalyse progression. He had put himself and his family in a more unstable situation as a result of wanting to ensure the true benefit of the organisation, but had the faith that his hard work and vision would pay off in the end.
As mentioned earlier, it wasn’t easy to get the footage we needed, but I was, however, extremely satisfied during our time there. In recent years the level of cynicism towards the charity sector has grown massively, as a result of a number of issues, including corruption, high salaries, administrative costs etc. It is, however, incredibly important to understand that a huge amount of development work does indeed take place in an office, and not at a school, or in a children’s home. It is vital that donor money isn’t wasted, and that the donor to field ratio is high, but it is equally important to ensure that the money is being used responsibly, and with the ownership of a community. It is important to focus on long term and sustainable solutions, and not to please a donors wishes of having nice photos and a building to show for 12 months labour. Again it is about intent. Corporate bodies who decided to support charitable work need to do it with the intent of supporting a just cause, not enhancing their public profile. Too often money is used to achieve short-term visions, without any consideration for long term and sustainable benefits.
Another interesting conversation we had during our time in Harare added further zest to this issue. A guest at our Zimbabwean barbeque, Hugh Brent Solvason, of Stanford University’s Department of Psychiatry, spoke at length with us about the psychiatry of development. This is a prime example of long-term objectives. He had focussed some research on working with sub-Saharan orphans and vulnerable children in Southern Africa, and noted that often when a charitable objective can seem to have been achieved, it is often blind to the long term reality. For example, for children who have grown up in a violent, paranoid, post-conflict (or conflict) state, there are longer-term implications to their experiences than simply missing out on education, or needing food and shelter. There are often permanent implications to the development of the brain, and this needs to be considered. Also, incredibly, he mentioned that research had suggested that exposure to violence, suffering, or oppression can pass through generations genetically. This means that a vast and deep understanding of history, and past experiences is vital for the true understanding of how to progress. Again, some times this as a stem of charitable work, which doesn’t attract a huge amount of donor support, as it offers no short-term tangible results.
In short, there is a very difficult balance to strike, in ensuring that both a high donor to filed ratio is present, and that a long term and sustainable focus is in place. There is an incredible importance for a depth of research to be carried out, and when connected to development, it’s vital that this is donor supported. Again, still for me, the answer lies in a cooperative path to long term objectives, and with a focus on small community based, grass roots NGOs, supported by a whole range of professionals in various fields, from Development to Psychiatry, and Anthropology to History. It seems to me a little like ‘development experts’ have carved there own little niche, and have become rather arrogant in thinking that they know the best path to progression, without considering the views of the above mentioned experts, or indeed the community members themselves.
After, a slight false start, we decided to take the car in for a quick check-up, before we left the city lights of Harare, and headed back out into the wilderness for another few weeks. The end was getting closer, and the picture clearer. One thing, which was for sure, was the cemented view that the ‘Real Way Down’ was very much the first step in a life long journey.
Tuesday 6 September 2011
Kasanka National Trust
The short drive down from Mpika to Kasanka was easy enough, and soon we had arrived at the National Park for which the Trust are responsible. Once again we had arrived later than expected, and so after being showed to our room, headed straight to the lodge to find food. It was the first time on this journey that we had entered into tourist territory, and as well as being lovely, it was also strangely alienating. Due to the nature of the project, we have only really seen a high number of tourists in passing, and have of course been staying away from such areas. It is one of the huge benefits we have found throughout the course of this journey. Not only have we driven through each country, and thus seen a good proportion of the varying communities and landscapes, but also we have been based in places where tourists wouldn’t visit, and thus have had a unique view of their day-to-day life.
The Kasanka Trust was set up when in 1985, a British expatriate, David Lloyd, who had lived in Zambia on and off for many years, visited Kasanka out of curiosity. There were no roads or bridges and no tourists had penetrated the Park for many years, but he managed to explore a little on foot. On hearing the crack of gunshots he concluded that if there was still poaching, there must still be animals! He was impressed with the beautiful habitats he found and decided to try and save the Park from complete destruction and the threat of losing its National Park status. He teamed up with a local farmer who had also explored the Park a little, and the two used their own resources to employ scouts and build roads, bridges and temporary camps. These early efforts were encouraged by the government, which had been unable to manage the Park itself. In order to help raise funds and formalise their position, they formed the Kasanka Trust, which was registered in Zambia (1987) and UK (1989).
The Project soon attracted attention from conservationists, and tourism started to bring in a little money to help cover costs. In 1990, the National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) was sufficiently impressed by the progress to sign an agreement allowing the Trust to manage the Park and develop tourism to help fund its activities. This agreement recognised the importance of co-operation with the local community, which has always been central to the trust’s philosophy. In May 2003 the new Zambia Wildlife Authority which took over from National Parks and Wildlife Service, signed a new agreement for a further 5 years which automatically renews for a further 5 years at expiry. This agreement grants the Kasanka Trust “exlusive rights to manage and develop Kasanka National Park….” Kasanka is Zambia’s first national park under private management and is entirely reliant on tourism revenue and charitable funding.
Today we find the park thriving and full of animal species. For both of us, it is our first safari-esque experience and thus we can’t really compare it to any other parks, it was however truly beautiful. The view from the Wasa Lodge, where we spent most of our down time, and enjoyed our evening meals, overlooked a wetland, which was home to numerous bird species, hippos, and crocodiles. The evening sounds were completely bewildering, reminiscent of a Disney film soundtrack. The roars of the hippos, the bell like chorus of the birds, and the constant hum of insects, created a sensory overload, unlike anything I have ever experienced (well, since Ethiopia).
The original purpose of the trust, as stated above, was to rejuvenate a park depleted in animal species, and falling foul of hunting and neglect. The mission, however, involved a great deal of community interaction, and it was imperative to their ambitions to simultaneously protect the park, and instigate community development. The premise was an extremely strong one, which involved the local community learning and seeing for themselves the great benefit of conservation work. The idea was that if they saw tangible benefits from the conservation, anti-poaching, tourism etc, they would embrace the park, and be happy to adopt different approaches to earning a living (other than poaching). The model was that the park conservation helped to increase animal numbers, which in turn attracted a greater number of tourists, and thus more revenue, which would be shared with the community through development projects. This model, as well as helping to display the above-mentioned benefits of conservation, also gave the local communities a feeling of ownership over the park, and thus a sense of pride.
For once our timing was good, and we had arrived at a time when the sponsored secondary school students were doing a field trip at the park. To our delight, one of the community projects that the Trust embarked upon was to assist local children with secondary education. This had been an issue in most if not all of the African countries that we had passed through. There seemed to be almost an excess of primary education projects, but very few which maintained support to that next stage. The children were at the park for a few days to learn about conservation, animal species, and everything else connected to the Kasanka National Park and Trust. It was certainly a great place to start the community development focus, and many of the children displayed a keen interest to become involved within nature conservation in the future.
Our first morning in Kasanka was an early one, as it had been decided that we would join the sponsored students, and the Officer for Education, Given, on a morning safari. We had limited expectations, as we had only ever heard about safaris second hand, and thus were extremely excited when after only a short time we had our first big sighting. We had stepped out of the vehicle at the first base camp, and immediately were pointed in the direction of some Elephants. At first they were just grey lumps hiding in the long grass in the distance, but after a short period they came out into full view, and soon the incredible grandeur of one of Africa’s most famous animals was clear to see. This sighting set the tone for the day, and after walking a good few miles, we had seen several species of antelope and bird, some monkeys, and four hippos. It had been an incredibly successful morning, and not only on the animal front, but also with the children who were really great examples of why education is a key component of development of any kind. As if to put a cherry on top of proceedings, as we headed back to where we had left the vehicles at base camp and just before Phil and I headed back to base, the elephants had grown in number, and soon 13 elephants were walking across the plains in front of us. It was an incredible sight, and the presence of a three-day old just enhanced the experience further.
After a quick rest for lunch, we headed off into the bush to visit some rangers out on patrol. Teams of around six or seven men would spend just over a week on patrol out in the park, looking for any signs of poaching, or trespass. The problem had been catastrophic in the past, and had played a huge role in dilapidating the animal numbers. The rangers were very welcoming to us, and incredibly articulate. Many had worked in the park for over ten years, and there was an apparent sense of pride towards the work they did. They all commented on how they had seen an incredible increase in animal numbers in their time working there, and also mentioned that the community had come to accept the work they do now, where as before they had been met with some negativity. This was down, in their opinion, to the understanding now within many members of the community that protecting the park, and its wildlife, was also helping to enrich their community, and provide them with opportunities for the future. Poaching, however, hadn’t by any means disappeared completely, and one member of the team had recently had a frightening encounter where he had been shot at a couple of times by someone out hunting. The issue is certainly, however, improving, and with further work within the community, will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
After a second day spent exploring the lodge, chatting to tourists, employees, and volunteers, and running interviews with both Inge, the Park Manager, and Given, our final day was spent with the community development team, with whom we visited several development projects in the local area. One of the key approaches of the community development section of the Kasanka Trust was to focus on income generating activities, which could replace the necessity to poach. There was a chronic lack of employment opportunities in the area, with Kasanka really offering the only real jobs, and thus money was hard to come by. The focus was thus on several different farming initiatives. We visited vegetable farms, where seeds had been provided for by the Trust, fish farms, and bee keeping projects, all of which seemed to be successful. Again, however, as we’ve seen many times on the continent, it is not the growing of crops, which is the problem, but rather the selling, as there is a limited market within the poorer rural areas. It did, however, provide families with good food, and made enough additional money to buy other necessities. The one problem we encountered, however, was that there wasn’t enough income generated to make the farms sustainable, and the Trust faced an issue of many people requesting supplementary support to help expand their businesses, meaning that they were becoming slightly dependent on the financial support.
Again, a recurring theme we have encountered during our time in Africa in particular, is many repeat projects. They are always good starting blocks. You have primary education, micro-finance business grants, school buildings, feeding centres etc, but often, due to the grass roots nature of the charities involved, they end there, at this initial stage. It is not a criticism of such ventures, but rather an observation. This is perhaps where larger NGOS, or government bodies should become involved, however, I also feel that it is a clear sign that there is a need for a new approach, and an increased diversity with regards to grass roots development in Africa. It is the lack of innovation that inspired our project in the first place, and shows exactly the problem caused by the massive gap between community projects and the major NGOS. The community projects are aware of the problems, in respect to moving on to the next stage, but have a specific goal, and a lack of resources to expand. The larger NGOs, and maybe I’m being a little harsh, but am speaking from my observations, simply don’t seem to have that same understanding.
Again, this simply cements the philosophy of Patchwork World, which is to work as a force in between the small community based projects, to catalyse cooperation and innovation, to overcome the next level issues, and move development on to that next stage. Development on this level has existed for long enough now, with the same recurring problems, that something should exist to help overcome them. From my experiences thus far on this journey and before, however, it doesn’t. I hear of major NGOS carrying out initiatives with grass roots charities, however the few times I have seen anything of this ilk, it has been at arms length, and through funding only. Once more, it is time for some people in development to think ‘what’s next?’ and to begin to consider the steps in between the initial support stage, and the level of sustainability and prosperity that is being sort in the long run. It is key, in my opinion, for a new energy, and level of innovation to be injected into the sector to boost the good work being done thus far, and really I believe this needs to be the core focus of Patchwork World.
The community projects carried out by Kasanka Trust, however, were successfully achieving their objectives. In addition to the farming ventures, there was also support given to many local primary schools to enhance sustainability, in addition to supplementing education, with conservation groups, workshops, and field trips. The poaching had decreased rapidly over the years that the Trust’s community work has been active, and certainly the community felt a new sense of importance towards both education and conservation. The model wasn’t completely functional in reality, in the respect that they were reliant on a large amount of donor support to maintain the community development section of their work. As Inge mentioned during her interview, the primary objective of their work would always be on the direct running of the park, and thus if the money received by donors was taken away, the community development section would suffer first. This, again, is a sign of a small grass roots organisation, clearly achieving their objectives, but now requiring cooperation, and innovative approaches from outside to advance their work onto the next level.
After a final treat of oven baked pizza on our last afternoon, we decided to eat a little way into the journey down towards Lusaka, and put a few miles on the clock. We only managed to get a few hours in before darkness descended, but it meant that the journey down the following day would be quick and easy, and that we should arrive at a decent hour. We still had the issue of having neither passed through immigration or customs, and thus we would have to contend with that there. We hoped it wouldn’t pose too much of a problem, but as it was, we had to stay in Lusaka for the weekend, and sort out our various issues on the Monday. After some confusion, a couple of heated discussions, and long long waits, we eventually had both our passports and carnet stamped, and could continue onwards to Zimbabwe, where we would be visiting the Goromonzi Project, in the capital, Harare.
The Kasanka Trust was set up when in 1985, a British expatriate, David Lloyd, who had lived in Zambia on and off for many years, visited Kasanka out of curiosity. There were no roads or bridges and no tourists had penetrated the Park for many years, but he managed to explore a little on foot. On hearing the crack of gunshots he concluded that if there was still poaching, there must still be animals! He was impressed with the beautiful habitats he found and decided to try and save the Park from complete destruction and the threat of losing its National Park status. He teamed up with a local farmer who had also explored the Park a little, and the two used their own resources to employ scouts and build roads, bridges and temporary camps. These early efforts were encouraged by the government, which had been unable to manage the Park itself. In order to help raise funds and formalise their position, they formed the Kasanka Trust, which was registered in Zambia (1987) and UK (1989).
The Project soon attracted attention from conservationists, and tourism started to bring in a little money to help cover costs. In 1990, the National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) was sufficiently impressed by the progress to sign an agreement allowing the Trust to manage the Park and develop tourism to help fund its activities. This agreement recognised the importance of co-operation with the local community, which has always been central to the trust’s philosophy. In May 2003 the new Zambia Wildlife Authority which took over from National Parks and Wildlife Service, signed a new agreement for a further 5 years which automatically renews for a further 5 years at expiry. This agreement grants the Kasanka Trust “exlusive rights to manage and develop Kasanka National Park….” Kasanka is Zambia’s first national park under private management and is entirely reliant on tourism revenue and charitable funding.
Today we find the park thriving and full of animal species. For both of us, it is our first safari-esque experience and thus we can’t really compare it to any other parks, it was however truly beautiful. The view from the Wasa Lodge, where we spent most of our down time, and enjoyed our evening meals, overlooked a wetland, which was home to numerous bird species, hippos, and crocodiles. The evening sounds were completely bewildering, reminiscent of a Disney film soundtrack. The roars of the hippos, the bell like chorus of the birds, and the constant hum of insects, created a sensory overload, unlike anything I have ever experienced (well, since Ethiopia).
The original purpose of the trust, as stated above, was to rejuvenate a park depleted in animal species, and falling foul of hunting and neglect. The mission, however, involved a great deal of community interaction, and it was imperative to their ambitions to simultaneously protect the park, and instigate community development. The premise was an extremely strong one, which involved the local community learning and seeing for themselves the great benefit of conservation work. The idea was that if they saw tangible benefits from the conservation, anti-poaching, tourism etc, they would embrace the park, and be happy to adopt different approaches to earning a living (other than poaching). The model was that the park conservation helped to increase animal numbers, which in turn attracted a greater number of tourists, and thus more revenue, which would be shared with the community through development projects. This model, as well as helping to display the above-mentioned benefits of conservation, also gave the local communities a feeling of ownership over the park, and thus a sense of pride.
For once our timing was good, and we had arrived at a time when the sponsored secondary school students were doing a field trip at the park. To our delight, one of the community projects that the Trust embarked upon was to assist local children with secondary education. This had been an issue in most if not all of the African countries that we had passed through. There seemed to be almost an excess of primary education projects, but very few which maintained support to that next stage. The children were at the park for a few days to learn about conservation, animal species, and everything else connected to the Kasanka National Park and Trust. It was certainly a great place to start the community development focus, and many of the children displayed a keen interest to become involved within nature conservation in the future.
Our first morning in Kasanka was an early one, as it had been decided that we would join the sponsored students, and the Officer for Education, Given, on a morning safari. We had limited expectations, as we had only ever heard about safaris second hand, and thus were extremely excited when after only a short time we had our first big sighting. We had stepped out of the vehicle at the first base camp, and immediately were pointed in the direction of some Elephants. At first they were just grey lumps hiding in the long grass in the distance, but after a short period they came out into full view, and soon the incredible grandeur of one of Africa’s most famous animals was clear to see. This sighting set the tone for the day, and after walking a good few miles, we had seen several species of antelope and bird, some monkeys, and four hippos. It had been an incredibly successful morning, and not only on the animal front, but also with the children who were really great examples of why education is a key component of development of any kind. As if to put a cherry on top of proceedings, as we headed back to where we had left the vehicles at base camp and just before Phil and I headed back to base, the elephants had grown in number, and soon 13 elephants were walking across the plains in front of us. It was an incredible sight, and the presence of a three-day old just enhanced the experience further.
After a quick rest for lunch, we headed off into the bush to visit some rangers out on patrol. Teams of around six or seven men would spend just over a week on patrol out in the park, looking for any signs of poaching, or trespass. The problem had been catastrophic in the past, and had played a huge role in dilapidating the animal numbers. The rangers were very welcoming to us, and incredibly articulate. Many had worked in the park for over ten years, and there was an apparent sense of pride towards the work they did. They all commented on how they had seen an incredible increase in animal numbers in their time working there, and also mentioned that the community had come to accept the work they do now, where as before they had been met with some negativity. This was down, in their opinion, to the understanding now within many members of the community that protecting the park, and its wildlife, was also helping to enrich their community, and provide them with opportunities for the future. Poaching, however, hadn’t by any means disappeared completely, and one member of the team had recently had a frightening encounter where he had been shot at a couple of times by someone out hunting. The issue is certainly, however, improving, and with further work within the community, will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
After a second day spent exploring the lodge, chatting to tourists, employees, and volunteers, and running interviews with both Inge, the Park Manager, and Given, our final day was spent with the community development team, with whom we visited several development projects in the local area. One of the key approaches of the community development section of the Kasanka Trust was to focus on income generating activities, which could replace the necessity to poach. There was a chronic lack of employment opportunities in the area, with Kasanka really offering the only real jobs, and thus money was hard to come by. The focus was thus on several different farming initiatives. We visited vegetable farms, where seeds had been provided for by the Trust, fish farms, and bee keeping projects, all of which seemed to be successful. Again, however, as we’ve seen many times on the continent, it is not the growing of crops, which is the problem, but rather the selling, as there is a limited market within the poorer rural areas. It did, however, provide families with good food, and made enough additional money to buy other necessities. The one problem we encountered, however, was that there wasn’t enough income generated to make the farms sustainable, and the Trust faced an issue of many people requesting supplementary support to help expand their businesses, meaning that they were becoming slightly dependent on the financial support.
Again, a recurring theme we have encountered during our time in Africa in particular, is many repeat projects. They are always good starting blocks. You have primary education, micro-finance business grants, school buildings, feeding centres etc, but often, due to the grass roots nature of the charities involved, they end there, at this initial stage. It is not a criticism of such ventures, but rather an observation. This is perhaps where larger NGOS, or government bodies should become involved, however, I also feel that it is a clear sign that there is a need for a new approach, and an increased diversity with regards to grass roots development in Africa. It is the lack of innovation that inspired our project in the first place, and shows exactly the problem caused by the massive gap between community projects and the major NGOS. The community projects are aware of the problems, in respect to moving on to the next stage, but have a specific goal, and a lack of resources to expand. The larger NGOs, and maybe I’m being a little harsh, but am speaking from my observations, simply don’t seem to have that same understanding.
Again, this simply cements the philosophy of Patchwork World, which is to work as a force in between the small community based projects, to catalyse cooperation and innovation, to overcome the next level issues, and move development on to that next stage. Development on this level has existed for long enough now, with the same recurring problems, that something should exist to help overcome them. From my experiences thus far on this journey and before, however, it doesn’t. I hear of major NGOS carrying out initiatives with grass roots charities, however the few times I have seen anything of this ilk, it has been at arms length, and through funding only. Once more, it is time for some people in development to think ‘what’s next?’ and to begin to consider the steps in between the initial support stage, and the level of sustainability and prosperity that is being sort in the long run. It is key, in my opinion, for a new energy, and level of innovation to be injected into the sector to boost the good work being done thus far, and really I believe this needs to be the core focus of Patchwork World.
The community projects carried out by Kasanka Trust, however, were successfully achieving their objectives. In addition to the farming ventures, there was also support given to many local primary schools to enhance sustainability, in addition to supplementing education, with conservation groups, workshops, and field trips. The poaching had decreased rapidly over the years that the Trust’s community work has been active, and certainly the community felt a new sense of importance towards both education and conservation. The model wasn’t completely functional in reality, in the respect that they were reliant on a large amount of donor support to maintain the community development section of their work. As Inge mentioned during her interview, the primary objective of their work would always be on the direct running of the park, and thus if the money received by donors was taken away, the community development section would suffer first. This, again, is a sign of a small grass roots organisation, clearly achieving their objectives, but now requiring cooperation, and innovative approaches from outside to advance their work onto the next level.
After a final treat of oven baked pizza on our last afternoon, we decided to eat a little way into the journey down towards Lusaka, and put a few miles on the clock. We only managed to get a few hours in before darkness descended, but it meant that the journey down the following day would be quick and easy, and that we should arrive at a decent hour. We still had the issue of having neither passed through immigration or customs, and thus we would have to contend with that there. We hoped it wouldn’t pose too much of a problem, but as it was, we had to stay in Lusaka for the weekend, and sort out our various issues on the Monday. After some confusion, a couple of heated discussions, and long long waits, we eventually had both our passports and carnet stamped, and could continue onwards to Zimbabwe, where we would be visiting the Goromonzi Project, in the capital, Harare.
Friday 2 September 2011
The Invisible Border
After studying our paper maps and GPS for quite some time, it suddenly dawned on me that we could in fact avoid going the long way round, through Lilongwe and Lusaka, and instead cut across into Zambia, via Rumphi. We had planned to research the possibility of crossing this border as an international, but having failed to do so, went with the 'well lets just go and find out' approach.
At first, all seemed well, the road, by African standards, was okay, and the GPS seemed to be picking up a direct route to the border. Things began to get a little bit worrying, however, when the road began to narrow, and soon disappeared into little more than a cycle path. We ploughed on. At one point the road/path had collapsed, and it was only after a local lady shouted at us that we realised we could take an even narrower path around it. We were intrigued to see what kind of border post laid in wait for us, and soon we found out.
'We're in Zambia!' Phil's exclamation from the passenger seat came as a result of our GPS informing us that we had crossed the border. We looked at each other, and then the map, and then the road ahead, and conceded to continuing until the first town to access our situation. As we approached the first town, still there was no sign of a border. We asked around a few confused locals, and were eventually instructed to return back the way we came in search of the Malawian immigration. After, a relatively short but frustrating drive back to the 'border', we managed to locate the Malawian immigration on our GPS, and soon we were approaching it from the wrong side.
There was a barrier, and a small hut, and a few young men, and the remnants of a flag. After informing the young men that we were in fact leaving Malawi, and not entering it, we waited inside the semi-abandoned building for the immigration officer to arrive. The process once he did arrive was very straight forward, and after talking him through the Carnet, we were on our way out of Malawi and into Zambia for the second time of the day. We still had no idea where we could be stamped into Zambia, but again conceded to the idea of driving further in, and seeing what happened. It was preferable to a long and frustrating journey back along the cycle path, and plus, we were out of Malawi now, we didn't really have another option.
Again we headed back towards the 'border' town, and this time bumped into someone saying he was the immigration officer. We headed back with him to a small office, and after informing him of our situation, he made a phone call to the 'man with the stamp'. Unfortunately, the 'man with the stamp' was in Lusaka, and thus we couldn't have either our passports or our carnet stamped here. He did, however, offer to write us a letter to present to the immigration office in Zambia's first 'major' town, ensuring that we didn't get into trouble for entering the country illegally. We were happy that this had sorted any potential problems, and were keen to get back on the road towards Isoka, approximately four hours away.
Believe it or not, that was just the start of our problems. After driving a short distance further towards Isoka, the car suddenly cut out, and refused to restart. It was awful timing, and although it didn't seem to be a major issue, it would delay things a day at least. We were lucky, again, in finding a nearby 'bush' mechanic, and after a night spent in the car, we were heading off again. Unfortunately, we didn't get very far, until the problems returned yet again, and to add to this problem we were critically low on petrol, and due to election fever, there was none around. All fuel in this area was black market, but everyone had run dry. It left us with a dilemma. We were broken down on the side of a road, with no fuel, and only a bush mechanic. We eventually decided to head off in search of fuel, and after Phil's missions to the nearby towns failed, I jumped on the back of a lorry for the four hour journey to Isoka.
I was lucky, in that the lorry was being driven by our bush mechanic friend, and thus I got a seat up front. I was, however, unfortunate in that the Lorry was going to Isoka to have some work carried out on its suspension, and thus each bump in the road was ever increasingly painful. When I eventually arrived, however, I was relieved not only to find fuel, but also a place showing the first day of the football premier league season. It had been a long day, and the lorry wouldn't be heading back until the following afternoon. After finding the cheapest hotel in town, I retired to spending the day in front of the tv screen, enjoying the football.
The day got even better when I received a phone call from Phil, who by chance had bumped into Harrisson, a Zambian guy working on a road construction project. He had agreed to tow phil and our car all the way to Isoka (approx 200 miles), and thus I wouldn't need catch a ride back, also it meant that we could find a slightly more qualified mechanic to get the car ship shape once more. It was a huge relief, and we owe a massive debt of gratitude to both Harrisson and his driver. Several hours later, and just as the Arsenal game had kicked off (I got to watch Villa anyway), a men named Harrisson entered the bar, and told me that Phil was with the car just outside town. The car had made it all the way, but just a couple of miles short, there was a steep hill, and his car didn't have the power to tow ours up it, and into Isoka. We headed back with the petrol to see if it would start, and when it didn't, it was another quick call to Mike (our bush mechanic), who caught a taxi out to us, and within half an hour we were pulling up outside our lodgings for the night.
The following day, we managed to find two local mechanics who set about getting the car back on the road. It was our hope that as long as we could get to Mpika (a slightly bigger town), then we could get it properly fixed up there, and then continue onwards. It worked. After half a days work, and a five or six hour drive, we stuttered into Mpika. The car had just started to show signs of not being altogether well, and we were relieved to have made it. It was late, and so after dinner we went straight to bed. The following morning we located a local mechanic, and after a couple of days work, we were ready to get back on the road once more. We still weren't officially in Zambia, and had seen no sign of an immigration or customs office, but with time ticking away, we headed straight for Kasanka, and our partner organisation 'The Kasanka Trust'.
At first, all seemed well, the road, by African standards, was okay, and the GPS seemed to be picking up a direct route to the border. Things began to get a little bit worrying, however, when the road began to narrow, and soon disappeared into little more than a cycle path. We ploughed on. At one point the road/path had collapsed, and it was only after a local lady shouted at us that we realised we could take an even narrower path around it. We were intrigued to see what kind of border post laid in wait for us, and soon we found out.
'We're in Zambia!' Phil's exclamation from the passenger seat came as a result of our GPS informing us that we had crossed the border. We looked at each other, and then the map, and then the road ahead, and conceded to continuing until the first town to access our situation. As we approached the first town, still there was no sign of a border. We asked around a few confused locals, and were eventually instructed to return back the way we came in search of the Malawian immigration. After, a relatively short but frustrating drive back to the 'border', we managed to locate the Malawian immigration on our GPS, and soon we were approaching it from the wrong side.
There was a barrier, and a small hut, and a few young men, and the remnants of a flag. After informing the young men that we were in fact leaving Malawi, and not entering it, we waited inside the semi-abandoned building for the immigration officer to arrive. The process once he did arrive was very straight forward, and after talking him through the Carnet, we were on our way out of Malawi and into Zambia for the second time of the day. We still had no idea where we could be stamped into Zambia, but again conceded to the idea of driving further in, and seeing what happened. It was preferable to a long and frustrating journey back along the cycle path, and plus, we were out of Malawi now, we didn't really have another option.
Again we headed back towards the 'border' town, and this time bumped into someone saying he was the immigration officer. We headed back with him to a small office, and after informing him of our situation, he made a phone call to the 'man with the stamp'. Unfortunately, the 'man with the stamp' was in Lusaka, and thus we couldn't have either our passports or our carnet stamped here. He did, however, offer to write us a letter to present to the immigration office in Zambia's first 'major' town, ensuring that we didn't get into trouble for entering the country illegally. We were happy that this had sorted any potential problems, and were keen to get back on the road towards Isoka, approximately four hours away.
Believe it or not, that was just the start of our problems. After driving a short distance further towards Isoka, the car suddenly cut out, and refused to restart. It was awful timing, and although it didn't seem to be a major issue, it would delay things a day at least. We were lucky, again, in finding a nearby 'bush' mechanic, and after a night spent in the car, we were heading off again. Unfortunately, we didn't get very far, until the problems returned yet again, and to add to this problem we were critically low on petrol, and due to election fever, there was none around. All fuel in this area was black market, but everyone had run dry. It left us with a dilemma. We were broken down on the side of a road, with no fuel, and only a bush mechanic. We eventually decided to head off in search of fuel, and after Phil's missions to the nearby towns failed, I jumped on the back of a lorry for the four hour journey to Isoka.
I was lucky, in that the lorry was being driven by our bush mechanic friend, and thus I got a seat up front. I was, however, unfortunate in that the Lorry was going to Isoka to have some work carried out on its suspension, and thus each bump in the road was ever increasingly painful. When I eventually arrived, however, I was relieved not only to find fuel, but also a place showing the first day of the football premier league season. It had been a long day, and the lorry wouldn't be heading back until the following afternoon. After finding the cheapest hotel in town, I retired to spending the day in front of the tv screen, enjoying the football.
The day got even better when I received a phone call from Phil, who by chance had bumped into Harrisson, a Zambian guy working on a road construction project. He had agreed to tow phil and our car all the way to Isoka (approx 200 miles), and thus I wouldn't need catch a ride back, also it meant that we could find a slightly more qualified mechanic to get the car ship shape once more. It was a huge relief, and we owe a massive debt of gratitude to both Harrisson and his driver. Several hours later, and just as the Arsenal game had kicked off (I got to watch Villa anyway), a men named Harrisson entered the bar, and told me that Phil was with the car just outside town. The car had made it all the way, but just a couple of miles short, there was a steep hill, and his car didn't have the power to tow ours up it, and into Isoka. We headed back with the petrol to see if it would start, and when it didn't, it was another quick call to Mike (our bush mechanic), who caught a taxi out to us, and within half an hour we were pulling up outside our lodgings for the night.
The following day, we managed to find two local mechanics who set about getting the car back on the road. It was our hope that as long as we could get to Mpika (a slightly bigger town), then we could get it properly fixed up there, and then continue onwards. It worked. After half a days work, and a five or six hour drive, we stuttered into Mpika. The car had just started to show signs of not being altogether well, and we were relieved to have made it. It was late, and so after dinner we went straight to bed. The following morning we located a local mechanic, and after a couple of days work, we were ready to get back on the road once more. We still weren't officially in Zambia, and had seen no sign of an immigration or customs office, but with time ticking away, we headed straight for Kasanka, and our partner organisation 'The Kasanka Trust'.
Wednesday 24 August 2011
New 'Making of: Real Way Down documentary (Part 12 - Egypt)'
Coming courtesy of the Phillip Wright kitchen of video dreams...
Making of : Real Way Down documentary (Part 12 - Egypt) from Patchwork World on Vimeo.
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