frustrations and successes in the field

The entire Pemba area we are responsible for. Spans over 100 sq km and over 3000 farmers.

I apologize for the lack of postings. I haven't had reliable internet access for over a month. Time really flies by. I can't believe that November just came and gone; yet there is still so much more that I want to accomplish here in Pemba. I will be moving back to Lusaka to begin my permanent assignment starting mid-December.

I am currently in Pemba partnered with IDE (International Development Entrprises). Together with Willard we try to juggle the implementation of 8 different programs to 1500 different farmers. Not only have we been given minimal resources from IDE head office, but the arrival of a national fuel shortage has complicated things even further. It's an understatement when I say that the past 3 months have been frustrating.

After working for almost 3 months doing field work, I have come to learn many things. Many of which have been massive realizations:

• Development is hard and takes a lot of time. Unlike the engineering industry, we are working with human development. We are dealing with human behaviour change. Human behaviour is unpredictable and stoubborn and cannot be solved using physics or equations.


• Change happens at the field level. When programs are not being implemented in the field with quality, regardless of how much planning or dictating has been done at head office, development will be stalled.


• Resources are, more often than not, are not optimally allocated in the NGO sector.- Donors and many of those at the top of the hierarchy in NGO's have a lack of understanding of the realities in the field. This misalignment of supply and demand has perpetuated the continued dumping of donor money into projects that end up failing. (e.g. head office is aggressively field staff to sell and distribute loans for treadle pumps, but the problem is that farmers have no markets to sell their crops and nor is head office giving any resources toward output marketing. So in the end, the desired outcome and impact is not reached)


• When working in development, multiply the estimated completion time by 4

Despite these constructive realizations, I have enjoyed working with together Willard. He is a very easy-going and patient man with a lot of heart and love for smallholder farmers. You definitely need people like him to work in such environemnts. Our job as EWB staff members is help organizations become better at what they do. However, I have been finding it difficult to find a balance between working together with Willard (help build field staff capacity) and working apart from him (gap-filling). A lot of times, I have no choice but to work apart from him given the immense responsibilities, and the minimal resources and time. Nevertheless, I have been able to accomplish some major long term planning and problem solving with Willard.

These past few months have been challenging and sometimes frustrating. However, the experience out in the field are necessary before I move back to the big city and work at the head office of CARE International. Understanding of field realities and farmer livelihoods are necessities to the design and implementation of interventions that will create long-term positive impact. I take great pride for being a part of an organization which grounds itself in the field. There is hope to development.

Microcredit Workshop

Willard Chitimbo, IDE Pemba - Lead Field Staff

Our tiny office.

Myself and IDE lead farmer Mollison Hagakwale at his garden preparing for a demonstration plot workshop

Women irrigating existing maize fields

Previous demo plot by EWB JF Mike Henrey ... what a beautiful batch of cabbage

Women patiently waiting for the Demo Plot

my own cucumber garden

My host father has kindly allocated a small portion of the family garden for me to experiment with farming. I decided to grow cucumber.

To be honest, I have zero experience and little interest in agriculture. This experience has opened my eyes to the struggles and hardwork farmers put into their daily lives in order to earn a living for their families.

These pictures were from last month. I'll have update pictures of my cucumber garden soon.

hiv/aids in zambia

As Canadians, what comes to your mind of when you think of Africa? Poverty? HIV/AIDS? Based on my time here so far, the latter is definitely the elephant in the room. When I first arrived, I expected to visually see signs of the epidemic but instead, I saw nothing but smiling Zambians remaining optimistic about life. However; to my surprise, statistics show that 1 in every 7 people I see everyday in Zambia are living with HIV. The disease is definitely hidden and stigmatized. The seriousness of the silent killer is suppressed by its taboo nature and Zambians tend avoid any discussions or admissions of status. Even though, the percentage of those known to be HIV positive is much higher in urban areas as compared to the rural
villages, the faceless disease knows no boundaries. I have only been here for a mere 3 months and I unfortunately have already attended 3 funerals. The causes of death were disclosed as malaria, however, there is talk that it was in fact HIV/AIDS. Some in the older generations even blame it on witchcraft!

As I bike to and from work everyday, I pass by a high school and signs promoting HIV/AIDS awareness to local youth here in rural Pemba. To my dismay the words contraception and protection are not even mentioned once. Instead the local government seems to want advocate abstinence and "the changing of morals". Pemba high school is a boarding school, and to be perfectly frank, there is little for youth to do with their spare time (and there's lots of it) here in Pemba. So these kids end up turning to sex to occupy their time. I can't even count with my fingers as to how many single teenage mothers I have met here in rural Pemba alone. The high level of unprotected sex significantly increases the chance of spreading HIV/AIDS. To make matters worse, there is a myth here in rural Zambia that one can cure themselves of AIDS by having sex with a virgin! Abstinence, in my opinion, is not an option and nor is it a solution. The continued pouring and over-focus of international aid money on temporary anti-viral medication only delays and prolongs the problem instead of solving it. Protection and contraception, I feel, is the way forward.

I have invested myself into Zambia and I want to see the nation succeed. But as long as the issue is suppressed with avoidance and a lack of knowledge, HIV/AIDS will continue to ravage southern Africa.

Play safe! Use a condom! Below are pictures of the signs on route to Pemba high school.

sights of pemba town

I thought I would show some pictures of the town of Pemba. The pictures below are of the town-centre. I live in a village 5 km from the main road, pictured below. I wasn't kidding when I said Pemba consisted of one road and approximately 10 buildings.

My host sister, Moddie, and her tailoring business. Her and her friend are producing rugs made out of chitenje (African fabric) and maize bags. I bought 5 of them!

When I saw this local wearing a Crews and Tango t-shirt, I almost went into shock. For those of you who don't know, Crews and Tango was a bar (its closed ever since) that my friends and I used to hang out in downtown Toronto. Apparently Zambians buy a lot of used clothing shipped from Canada. Small world!

more pics from the muzuma homestead

My host father and I in the family maize (corn) garden

My first host mother cooking nshima

The family in the kitchen

Pounding maize

Host brother Musapara. He's adorable and always smiles!

My first host mother and neighbour Agnes Chisamu

One of my host parent's grandchildren mesmerized by light-coloured skin

My second host mother (my host-father's second wife)

My host mother and her eldest daughter Moddie

A view of my hut during rainy season

The entrance to my hut

Outside my hut during rainy season

My host brother, Crispen, outside a goat habitat he built for the family