Color Me In!
Give a Loan, Plant a Tree, Paint a Life
Real Change from the Capital City?
This topic is hard to breach and I struggle with how to communicate my concern without offending our members or readers who fall within this community. I am talking about Ex-Pats.
During my brief time living and working in Zambia, I am time and again amazed at the lifestyle of us foreigners based out of Lusaka, vs. the lifestlye of those 90% we are trying to help most through policy, charity and research. I am personally spoiled because I was introuced to Zambia by immediately learning Nyanja and living in a village for 2 years....mud hut, no electricity and patience as my most constant companion. I quickly came to value my community I was working with as family and as a result here I am 5 years later, continuing to come back on my own dime and with a fierce motivation to remain an agent of change for the country.
My question, is how can an individual living behind a closed gate the majority of their
stay both touch and be touched by the real issues we are all trying to address? How do you influence change when one's understanding of the core culture you are dealing with is so limited? After all, we are at the base with development dealing with changing human attitudes and behaviors, not just providing more resources that may or may not be taken advantage of.
Break out of your comfort zone my Ex-pat friends - laugh with Zambians, really talk to your guards, stay a night or two or three in the village, and get to know on a personal level the culture, risks, and joys of the country you are trying to help.
Tags: Capital, City, Development, Ex-Pats, Zambia
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Liza Moiseeva on -
Sarah, if only all the development workers were so committed and motivated as you! I absolutely agree with you though. I always wanted to spend some time in Africa, because I believe that without close contact with people you are trying to support, you will not be able to develop a successful, effective aid program. On the other hand, I must admit that when you told me about the black mamba, I was scared to death! Of course, this was not the reason I could not come to Zambia. But yeah, not everybody is willing to deal with such hardships. But I think if you consider yourself an ex-pat aid worker, then you kinda have to.
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Permalink Reply by Christopher Kalima on -
Hi Sarah,I totally agree with you on the subject of mixing with the community you want to save,Nelson Mandela once said“talk to a person in the language he understands,it will go his/her head,talk to them in their language,it will go to their heart”. Am from another part of Zambia but I have always made it a point to as for the hearts of the people I interact with. As a result was able to successfully introduce a project that has come to enable local people take on wood harvesting in man made plantation on the Copperbelt's Lufwanyama District. This kind of service is now performed by ordinary citizens who we have now engaged in TREE PLANTING another winner so that they take charge of the raw material and put more money in their pockets in partinership with private enterprise. Best Regards, Christopher Kalima
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