DISCLAIMER: This blog post delves deeply into my inner feelings and may be darker and more thought-provoking than my other posts. When people ask me to describe Zambia so far, the only words that leave my mouth are usually “friendly people”, “beautiful waterfalls”, “incredible food”, and “amazing experience.” But these few words barely encompass a country that is plagued with many other underlying issues that I even delude myself they don’t exist, especially poverty. I once read about Zeus and Hermes, Greek gods, who disguised themselves as beggars in Phrygia. Zeus doubted the goodness of humanity and was willing to give humans one more chance before he wiped them all out. After being rejected from the rest of the townspeople, they knocked on the door of the last small cottage belonging to an elderly couple, Baucis and Philomen. Though poor, they heartily welcomed the two beggars, providing them with warmth in front of the fire, a meal, and true kindness. At the end of the night, the gods revealed their true identities and as retribution to all the other townspeople who rejected them, flooded the rest of the town. Yes, I know it’s only a myth, but every time I pass someone on the street with their hand out and their eyes pleading, I can’t help but recall this story. Sure, not all beggars are disguised gods and I’m not worried about the retribution, but at times, I worry about the human condition. Are we too conditioned to the plights of the poor that we don’t feel a pang of guilt each time we walk past one on the street? Or that we need to refer to them as the “socioeconomically disadvantaged”, trying to distance us from even using the word “poor”? Do we even understand other human beings or are we too focused on our own self-identity that we fail to recognize who others are? Perhaps this is the question I’ve struggled with the most throughout my fellowship. Living in one of the wealthier parts of Lusaka, poverty feels so distant as we eat at fancy restaurants and taxi around, but we still see children on the streets who plead for money. As they cling to your arm hoping for spare change, what can you do? If you give them money, aren’t you perpetuating their situation and teaching them that begging earns them money? But if not, how will they survive? Will giving them enough money or aid actually help them escape poverty (i.e. a simplified explanation of the poverty trap)? Then there are the numerous vendors at all the bus stations. Each time a bus pulls up, they all rush over, their hands clutching plastic bags of tomatoes or bananas or bags of potato chips. There’s that woman standing in the back with her left hand clutching her right wrist, head downcast, knowing that very few people will buy her oranges and they’ll rot so she can’t feed her family. There’s the adorable boy with no shoes that tries to make eye contact with you and in his hand, he clutches a bucket of sodas, hoping that each sale will get him closer to an education. Of course, these stories are all just whims of my imagination (and I guess poverty porn) because I never had the chance to talk to them, but as I stare out the bus window, I can’t help but feel pity. Yes, pity. And in my heart, I want to buy from all of them, just to support their businesses. But would I be devaluing their dignity if I buy from pity? On the other hand, would paying 50 cents for a bag of oranges actually help them if they only receive 10 cents at most?
Maybe I’m overthinking this, but as I continue working with VITALITE, these stories are the ones that clearly stick in my mind. I know VITALITE is doing amazing work for Zambia by empowering business owners rather than giving them handouts. They originally started by selling solar home systems but are now entering other aspects of society that burden the poor. In the last year, they partnered with agricultural companies to create a savings account system for farmers to receive certified, quality agricultural inputs at affordable prices by making smaller deposits. VITALITE also sells solar irrigation pumps, clean cook-stoves, Ecosacs that maintain the temperature of food, and cell phones. Their business approach is hence two-fold: train shop owners to become entrepreneurs that impact their communities and provide access to products and services to those that would usually not be able to afford it. But in my head, there is the continual doubt that we’re not doing enough. As we attend the trainings and interview agents, there is clearly a disconnect between VITALITE’s goals and execution—precisely why we’re here. They believe that improving the training methods will lead to a shift in these shop-owners who will be inspired to further change, essentially aiming to shift the mindset of these people. Call me an anti-capitalist or what you will, but I don’t believe that private businesses, even social enterprises should bear this full burden. I’m not bashing social entrepreneurship; it is filling a neglected sector and creating incredible change, but perhaps business is not always the answer. And if aid is also not the answer, then what is? Government? Perhaps, but not the way it is now. Given the short-term goals of politicians who aim to get re-elected, many do not focus on implementing long-term changes, rather focused on their own “job security.” Although I might sound a little jaded or pessimistic, let me reassure you that this is quite the opposite. After living my life with climate change deniers and stressing the importance of little tasks like taking shorter showers and recycling to everyone I meet, I find myself quite hopeful. Here is an opportunity for all of us to create a world we want to live in. Sure, I want to create change at a faster and more impactful rate, but since I can’t, why not just do something despite not knowing any of the answers? Maybe I’ll find them along the way. Maybe I won’t. But it’s better to start doing than worrying.
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Upon our arrival in Shiwang’andu, I was amazed by how empty the streets were. Having been “created” 3 years ago, this was still a growing town that had a lot to offer. Known for their lake, hot springs, and crocodiles (andu), Shiwang’andu is an incredible place to simply relax, enjoy the pace, and my favorite part, looking up into the night sky. And on this particular night, as we stood outside the lodge, we were in the middle of a syzygy—when three celestial bodies align (probably not what you originally thought, huh?). We saw Venus to our east and Mars rising directly to our west; not to mention Jupiter directly above us. Although in the technical sense, these planets were not fully aligned, it felt as if they were. But what really stood out to me that first night were the stars. Everyone always talks about how amazing it is to stargaze and be able to see constellations, but very few people will have ever experienced something quite like this. Even though I’ve been camping all over the United States and been to places with minimal light pollution, this was so…different. Maybe it’s because I’m in the southern hemisphere or it was unexpected, but with no lights shining, the town was completely dark (save one or two lights in front of a store) and as we stepped out to get water bottles from a general store, I was blown away by how clear the sky was.
There it was, a clear 360-degree view of all night sky and though I still cannot comprehend the wave of awe and emotions, I remember that I just stopped walking and stood there, my neck craned back and my breathing slowed. There was the milky way, and Sagittarius shooting at Scorpio. Libra had Jupiter in its midst, while Leo pawed at Venus. Capricorn held onto Mars while Saturn stabilized Sagittarius. But even before I learned about these constellations, I just watched the night sky, imagining that each of these stars had travelled light years to reach my eyes. Each one existed somewhere far beyond me. Beyond the course of humanity. Yet, this was not a moment in which I felt small or overpowered by nature. Rather, I appreciated the fact that only in Zambia had I been able to experience this. Yes, they do burn their trash without proper incinerators and they do have no catalytic converters on their cars and they do use fossil fuels for a portion of their electricity, but nowhere else has the sky been so clear that I can witness this sight. Nowhere else (besides Kentucky for now), can I see a lunar rainbow because the moonlight is able to pierce the air and shine onto a waterfall’s mist. While we may give crap to developing countries for their actions towards the environment, it’s interesting to note that at least they have not reached America’s level of pollution that the sky can still be seen. I hope it remains this way. Starting at 4:30 AM and another 9.5 hour bus ride (I swear I never want to get on another bus in my life), we ended up in Mpika in the North part of Zambia. Unlike Luangwa, the weather here is quite chilly and the sky was rather overcast. Drew and I had just improved upon the training manual and we were ready to give this new and improved one a go. Unfortunately, either due to bad food or the bumpy road, Drew received a severe case of stomach issues and had to rest for our first day and a half (don’t worry, he’s much better now). In the end, I observed the training on the first day and then we both interviewed the 20 agents the following day (it took a long time). Before you continue reading, I apologize for the lack of photos in this post, but this is an important topic. But as the title mentions, today I’ve decided to focus on farming, especially since Mpika is a large on agriculture and over half of the new agents we were training were farmers. I will refer to him as Gordon, in order to preserve his anonymity. It all started with a bottle of Embe. We were at the counter about to buy something to drink and I asked Gordon what he liked to drink. He told me mango juice (Embe to be precise), so I bought us both a bottle and we sat down to eat lunch and converse. I asked him what Embe meant and he told me it was the word for mango in the native tongue of Tanzania. Now, this led him to open up much more about his own goals, which was to start an all-natural fruit juice company in Zambia. “Most of the juice is imported,” Gordon said, “But with the right inputs and technology, we could have our own juice right here.” I was very interested in what he had to hear, so Gordon told me all the details about agriculture and his life. Currently a researcher at a local university, he graduated from Copperbelt University in a prestigious agricultural program, set up by a very knowledgeable Zambian. Although he works as a researcher, he considers himself a farmer. Even though he owns 1/4 of a hectare, which is about half the size of a football field, he hopes to one day be able to increase his business, and here’s his insight into the farming in Zambia.
I thought it was very interesting that he never mentioned outside aid, rather the need for Zambians to help each other internally. He believed all the resources existed, but Zambia needed better distribution of inputs focused more on agriculture. Having companies providing these inputs to these rural areas truly makes a difference in their lives by increasing annual yields which lead to an increase in sales, so farmers can invest more and more until they have larger plots of land from which to start pursuing other goals, such as a juice company. At least this is the goal. One quote stuck out in mind when I asked him what the situation for most farmers now. Gordon said that people were too comfortable on their small plots of land, so they could not improve their livelihoods: “Comfortability Prevents Progress”Later, I met another agent who grew tilapia and three-striped bream in his fish pond. When I asked him why he decided to join the training, he told me that climate change and overuse of water was drying up all the wells, so he no longer had enough water for the pond.
SIDENOTE: I’m really excited to work on my senior design project which is an aquaponics system that reduces water use for fish farming and agriculture by 95%. Although we hope to implement it in Uganda, I would love to scale the product for use in Zambia one day as well! Both Gordon and the fish-farmer hoped to be VITALITE agents so that they could make additional money to expand their farming industry by being able to afford products. But at the same time, they wanted to help their communities be able to afford these inputs by advertising about VITALITE products. For those of you still confused about the title. Let me give you some insight into American history. Back in the day, Ben Franklin anonymously called himself Poor Richard and created a field guide for farmers to help them succeed and increase yields. Similarly, VITALITE aims to provide the inputs necessary for Zambian farmers to succeed. Different century, same problems. Fortunately, the closest I’ve gotten to a croc is the cooked crocodile burger in front of me, but this was a very interesting story. On a safari game drive, our driver shared a story from his youth. He was wading across the river with his friends (holding hands to act as an impenetrable wall because crocodiles try to spot the weak link) and they made it safely to the other side. But one of his friends wanted to go back in and went by himself. All of a sudden, his friend yelled out and said something had bitten his leg. The driver originally thought it was a joke, but seeing the tears, he knew it was real. He and his friends jumped into action. Some of them helped his friend by grabbing him and creating a larger wall, while he jumped behind the croc and lifted its tail, effectively saving his friend Since crocodiles rely so much on the tail for balance and for swimming (since crocodiles drown their prey and only attack in water), lifting the tail is a power move. Plus, the crocodile only has one mouth and will not release its prey just to go after another one. Main lesson I learned: African children are incredibly brave. Had this happened in America, I probably would have screamed and ran away. But, now that I’ve got you here (and I do apologize for the clickbait), let me tell you all about Victoria Falls, so that one day when you go, you’ll know exactly what to do (skip the reading for tips at the bottom). After an EXTREMELY hot and bumpy (trust me, Zambian speed bumps and roads are nothing like you’ve seen before) 9-hour ride, Drew and I arrived in Livingstone, the town right next to Victoria Falls, the largest waterfall in the world and one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World. Immediately upon arrival, taxi drivers and vendors approached us, asking if we needed a ride. Although we politely said no, one or two would walk beside us to continue peddling by introducing himself, asking for our names, and asking lots of questions (this is very common for many Zambians as to make us feel more welcome). After shaking them by continuing to walk and curt responses, we travelled to Jollyboys Backpackers, a backpacker’s lodge and a hostel of sorts. Once I shared the location with Spencer and my mom, they both told me that I should go and make friends (makes it sound like I need to be pushed to make friends?) Well, the first night we kept to ourselves headed to Victoria Falls at night. We had come at an opportune time because a few days before and after the full moon, a lunar rainbow or “moonbow” can be seen through the mist. Similar to a rainbow, a moonbow is formed by the light from the full moon as it refracts across the water particles in the mist. Unfortunately, both our phones were unable to capture this natural phenomenon, so here’s a professional picture for you: We went to bed rather early, as we always do (for some reason, being in Zambia has changed our sleep schedule to sleeping at 9:00-10:00 PM and waking up at 7:00 AM). Waking up in the morning, we quickly made it to the 8:00 bus that would take us to the rest of our day’s activities. On this bus, we met two Americans students who worked in the health sector and two Germans who worked in agriculture. In a somewhat unlikely friendship, we banded together, and though they went white-water rafting, we reconvened at the sunset cruise. Instead, Drew and I started with a 7-mile morning canoe trip down the Zambezi River, Africa’s 4th largest river (after the Nile, the Congo, and the Niger), spotting a few hippos and birds. Then, we had a quick lunch followed by a game drive through the Mosi-oa-Tunya park. It had no big cats or predators, but we did get to see elephants, giraffes, zebras, kuru, and a few crocodiles Now, sunset cruises truly solidify friendships. As we ate good food and sat on the top deck, we talked about our days, found out more about each other, and ended up spending the rest of the night together, just learning more about what everyone was doing in Zambia and how they had gotten there Anyways, the last day involved some wild activities. Since Livingstone is known as the adventure capital of the world, we decided to embark on adrenaline-inducing activities, with Drew going bungee jumping and me skydiving. We also took this opportunity to visit Victoria Falls during the day, making another friend there. All of us didn’t want to buy ponchos, so we ended up soaking wet by the mist (word of advice: either go in the dry season or dress accordingly for the weather). At night, we went to Café Zambezi and watched the soccer match between Belgium and Japan, ending the trip with a good meal and an incredible comeback. LIVINGSTONE TRAVEL TIPS
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