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. It has only been 4 days since I landed in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, but it feels like I’ve been here for years. Due to surviving the 24-hour flight to Lusaka (16 hours to Dubai, then 8 hours to Zambia) and the initial adjustment period of learning the layout of the city, buying groceries, dealing with stomach troubles, and figuring out internet services (not to mention jet lag), I had never felt as exhausted as I did when I entered Lusaka. Everything hit so quickly that I barely had any time to react. For the first few nights, I went to bed before 9:00 PM and woke up at 7:00 AM, and still felt exhausted throughout the day. Maybe it was the lack of sleep from finals catching up to me or the culture shock, but in all honesty, it was a rough transition. Fortunately, this adjustment period has come to an end, and it is truly exciting to be back on my feet and getting a sense of familiarity, many thanks to the friendly people of Zambia and two other college students from New York who are living in the same house and working at VITALITE too. While I expected to have some difficulty due to the language barrier and isolation due to being foreigners, I am pleasantly surprised by the friendliness of everyone that we have met. Many Zambian coworkers have given us suggestions for places to eat, clubs to visit, vacation destinations, and cultural references such as handshakes (there’s a secret way of shaking hands apparently!) and native words. I’ve really enjoyed having conversations with everyone and anyone, including a lady at the gelato stand. Z: “Where are you from?” Me: “America” Z: “Ah, no wonder you’re English is so good.” Me: “Thank you! But my family is actually from China, I was just born in America.” Z: “Can you speak Mandarin?” Me: “Yeah, I can. Can you?” Z: “I’m learning at the local university. Ni hao ma?” And this starts up a conversation where we shared a few words in the other’s native tongue, shared new words to learn, and bonded over the gelato flavors. Although it was a simple and short conversation, it was so genuine and enjoyable and not unusual at all. Through these conversations, people everywhere love to laugh and joke and maybe it’s coincidental or the fatigue or the slower pace of life, but I have truly appreciated this aspect. Therefore, despite the rough start, things are moving forward and I’m so excited to head out into the rural areas of Zambia to continue research. Tomorrow, I leave for Luangwa, a small fishing village, but tonight, I danced and laughed my heart out at the annual VITALITE party. P.S. For those of you who know my partner in the field, Drew Descourouez, and his incredible thoughts, well, let’s just say that every day is a new philosophical discussion that has me contemplating every aspect of my life, so perhaps that has increased my appreciation of Zambia.
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