The Countdown

In 4 days I embark on my 3rd adventure to Mongu, Zambia.   This forsaken place has  a piece of my heart.  It is a very long 48-50 hour journey from Chicago, assuming all goes as planned. Travel roulette is part of the adventure.  Mileage between Chicago and Mongu and is 10,600 land miles and 7,976 as the crow flies.  I 'clicked' the directions icon on my screen and this is what I was given.  "We could not calculate directions between Chicago, IL and Mongu, Zambia."    That is just about right, there is no direct way to get from where I live to this remote part of the world.

Creating a travel brochure that compels one to come to Mongu would be quite a task.  Lots and lots of sand and brown huts along the road for 8 hours.  And no one in their right mind would just come to this place.  Even those who are given work here, look for ways to leave.

Note the water containers.  What they carry they use.  Usually dirty water is available.

View for 8 hours.

 We go through the wild life reserve, but let me tell you unless you are on a paid safari in a different part of Africa, those wild animals are next to impossible to see.  I caught the back end of an elephant one year.  Zoo's are really great places to see the animals that live in this region. :)

We enter the park and we are heading to the Dolphin Lodge! 6 hours later we arrive.

I think my #1 adjustment is the 'squatty potty' facilities.  A 'modern' one has a cement hole, the poorer one is just a dirt mound/hole.  The art of perfecting the 'squatty potty' technique as a female is ... well ... interesting at best. 

Hut Toilet Facility

 What compels me to return is that in this very desolate, forsaken remote part of the world we (Hands of Hope) are slowing beginning to see some hope.  Hope because clean water allows villages to have a chance to stay healthier.  Hope because irrigation allows gardens to grow.  Hope because those who 'grasp' the opportunity to change their lives with a micro finance loan are excited to get out of the deep deep depth of poverty.  Hope because someone cares and one small change allows me to believe that more is possible.

I am not alone in this journey, in fact, I come in on the heels of those who have been working with Hands of Hope and now in Mongu for several years.  The task is daunting.

Think about giving an average 3rd-4th grader the chance to borrow money, plant a garden, water this garden, weed this garden and then hope for a crop that grows bountifully enough to then sell.  The money earned is only partially theirs. They must pay back their loan, buy new seed and then "budget' the rest for the family.   In the between time, they might get sick, they are hungry and this work is new to them.  The adults we work with are often at this educational level.

When I reflect on the projects and the people knowing that we are starting at the very beginning in most situations, the fact that progress in these remote villages is a miracle.   There are successes and there are failures but those successes spur others on to hope.  Hope to keep going and try their own ventures.  Hope keeps all humans going on.

Some awesome stats that I leave town knowing are:

Mawawa Village since 2008 has eliminated malnutrition!
Children now drink goats milk!
The average income has gone from $130 a year to over $1,050 and it is rising!
The price of food has dropped 30% and the quality of food has increased!
Since the start of this year 2014, we have placed 20 wells in villages!  
Women from 20 villages no longer have to walk miles each day for dirty water!  

This makes the anticipation of what we will experience first hand worth it all.

To my friends from Hands of Hope and my friends outside this circle who have helped in this journey, you are being represented and these people are grateful.   

“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” John Holms