Title: Rob Wootton (
Zambia)
Status: Active
URL:
http://robwootton.blogspot.com/
All Posts Cached via RSS
Fire, Fire, pour on water, pour on water - 19/May/2012 14:52 - 4359 days ago
But tragically there was little water. Back in Maz again, catching up with Stefan and Ayano, I wandered along on Saturday morni...
Clocking up the kilometres and the hours - 12/May/2012 14:58 - 4366 days ago
A summary of the week in Western Province, mainly to show that getting around just one province in Zambia can be a lengthy, time...
Technical Support - Western Province - 11/May/2012 16:00 - 4367 days ago
An interesting week, my first time to go west and see parts of Western Province and Barotseland, which by all accounts did appea...
All on my own - 07/May/2012 16:01 - 4371 days ago
Technical IT genius Mike has left the building, or he would probably say escaped. With a huge amount of jealousy on my part Mike...
Photos from Ennie and Henry's big day - 05/May/2012 15:57 - 4373 days ago
Part 1: The salonPart 2: The Church Part 3: Posing for photos Part 4: The Civic CentrePart 5: The reception ...
Ennie and Henry get married - 04/May/2012 15:34 - 4374 days ago
Weddings can be exhausting and I was only taking the photos! Today, and many congratulations to them both, Ennie and Henry got ...
Technical Support - Southern Province - 02/May/2012 15:59 - 4376 days ago
Time to get out and about, and push a little to get some of the people that we trained to move along a little bit quicker with t...
Siavonga chilling - 15/Apr/2012 16:10 - 4393 days ago
Simple ingredients for a relaxing weekend– good friends, gin and tonics, tasty food, warm weather, silly games, smiles, laught...
Itezhi Tezhi - 09/Apr/2012 15:46 - 4399 days ago
A great sounding name for a town but initially the discussion went something like this . . . So what’s there to do in Itezhi T...
Testimonies - 06/Apr/2012 14:09 - 4402 days ago
In case you are interested here are a few quotes from replies that I received from the DACAs. It is nice when people say nice t...
Looking back at the training– highlights and low points - 02/Apr/2012 14:10 - 4406 days ago
The positives . . .The enthusiasm and interest of the DACAs for taking on, testing and using the E-Mapping tool– generally sho...
Last but not least Lusaka - 28/Mar/2012 14:28 - 4411 days ago
We returned to base for the last leg of the training, involving the provinces of Eastern, Southern and Western. By this point i...
Part two in Kabwe - 24/Mar/2012 13:44 - 4415 days ago
To be honest there was nothing particularly memorable– good or bad – about the Kabwe workshop. Mike and I went through the s...
First stop on the E-Mapping tour - Kitwe - 21/Mar/2012 13:27 - 4418 days ago
All in all the first of the three E-Mapping workshops went well, though both Mike and I did find the talking, standing and non-s...
7,000+ sheets equals . . . a lot of reams of paper - 16/Mar/2012 13:32 - 4423 days ago
As we finally began preparing for the E-Mapping training there was sadly no time to save any trees and instead I experienced wha...
Return to Maz - 07/Mar/2012 15:10 - 4432 days ago
Back in Mazabuka for the day for a meeting with members of the DATF Executive Committee and the experience was a mixed one. Even...
Home sweet home - 01/Mar/2012 08:24 - 4438 days ago
I am settling in to Lusaka and here are few pics of my new place to show it. The maps and chitenge all made it from Maz to Lusa...
Valued . . . question mark? - 28/Feb/2012 19:50 - 4440 days ago
Now I am not surprised but still somewhat disappointed.To explain, and therefore have a bit of a moan, there are two things on m...
Valued . . .? - 28/Feb/2012 08:21 - 4440 days ago
Now I am not surprised but still somewhat disappointed. To explain, and therefore have a bit of a moan, there are two things on ...
Welcome braii for the new vols - 19/Feb/2012 19:50 - 4449 days ago
Tradition dictates that a welcome braii is always held for the new VSO volunteers, organised by the current ones. Hopefully, th...
Welcome to the neighbourhood - 15/Feb/2012 19:48 - 4453 days ago
A week into my stay in Lusaka and a tenants’ meeting for Courtyard 2D was called.Our little courtyard consists of 4 cottages a...
Champions of Africa - 12/Feb/2012 19:49 - 4456 days ago
It is a very good time to be in Zambia. The mood and atmosphere around the country feels even friendlier and happier than usual...
New addresses - 08/Feb/2012 09:12 - 4460 days ago
In case you want to do a bit of searching around Lusaka on Google maps then my new house can be found here (stick Nsunzu road an...
All packed up and on the move - 07/Feb/2012 19:52 - 4461 days ago
So this is what all my belongings look like, expertly squeezed on to the back of a small canter and tied together to make sure t...
Progress at last - 02/Feb/2012 08:45 - 4466 days ago
All of sudden it is full steam ahead and we need to be working in Lusaka from yesterday, or maybe even before that.The good news...
Interesting road logic - 29/Jan/2012 20:24 - 4470 days ago
Over the weekend I travelled north to the Copperbelt using the Mazhandu bus company who in terms of reliability, timeliness and ...
Introducing baby Robert - 27/Jan/2012 21:09 - 4472 days ago
As promised here is a photo of Robert who his mother Beauty says is absolutely perfect - so far a happy, hungry little chap. Mu...
In limbo - 19/Jan/2012 08:44 - 4480 days ago
We are sitting by the phone waiting for it to ring. I am exaggerating of course but at the moment I am unsure whether I should ...
The last stakeholder's meeting - 12/Jan/2012 21:09 - 4487 days ago
My last Mazabuka DATF stakeholder's meeting and it was a pretty good day.The vital statistics: well attended with over 40 people...
Burgled (again) - 07/Jan/2012 20:40 - 4492 days ago
This was burglary number three I think– frustrating but in the scheme of things minimal damage was done. To back track Abi, m...
A long journey back - 05/Jan/2012 20:55 - 4494 days ago
A quick summary of the transport that we used to get back to Mazabuka from Tofo:Local bus (very uncomfortable) at 0400hrs in the...
Tofo and Tipo Tinto - 03/Jan/2012 16:38 - 4496 days ago
A piece of advice on how to end the New Year and then start the new one– be near a beach. Zanzibar last year was wonderful an...
Coffee and cakes in Maputo - 30/Dec/2011 16:29 - 4500 days ago
My impressions of Maputo are that it feels like a proper city with its wide pavements, people busily hawking anything and everyt...
Christmas in a stable - 26/Dec/2011 16:07 - 4504 days ago
The title says it all really. We awoke on Christmas morning after spending the night in a stable that had been converted into a...
Swaziland or is it somewhere back home? - 24/Dec/2011 16:04 - 4506 days ago
The place is very green. There are hills, some look like mountains, very few people and it is drizzling. At first I was a bit ...
Durban and Zinkwazi - 21/Dec/2011 15:55 - 4509 days ago
The first stop on the three country Christmas tour was South Africa and Durban. It was hard to fairly judge Durban. On the one...
New opportunity - 16/Dec/2011 15:51 - 4514 days ago
Really by this date I should be writing something on this blog along the lines of almost time to pack my bags for returning back...
The Last Supper - 14/Dec/2011 15:29 - 4516 days ago
There is little to say here. The Maz crowd gathered together at Marco’s spacious house for one last time – for our usual fe...
A New Boy in Town - 06/Dec/2011 15:33 - 4524 days ago
Next door to my office is a local organisation working for people with disabilities and run by two friendly, charming women call...
HIV and AIDS Workplace Policy - 03/Dec/2011 15:30 - 4527 days ago
Feeling exhausted after all the running around from and the chaos of World AIDS Day there was little time to rest as I travelled...
Photos from World AIDS Day 2011 - 01/Dec/2011 16:17 - 4529 days ago
...
World AIDS Day 2011 - 01/Dec/2011 15:12 - 4529 days ago
“My last commemoration event”, spoken with a mixture of relief and joy, mainly because so much of the work ends up being don...
The volunteer exodus begins - 27/Nov/2011 19:26 - 4533 days ago
Something which I had failed to appreciate before coming out to Zambia to volunteer is how transient volunteering can appear, pa...
The luggage saga - 19/Nov/2011 19:22 - 4541 days ago
Take a closer look and some of you might be thinking that Mike was wearing the same clothes again and again during his Zambia ho...
Both sides of the Falls - 18/Nov/2011 19:21 - 4542 days ago
No trip to Zambia can ever be complete without a visit to the Falls and Mike even went up in a helicopter to get the best possib...
Bat-astic - 13/Nov/2011 19:20 - 4547 days ago
Next it was time for more wildlife watching but of a very different kind– millions of bats! Five of us (Mike and I plus three...
Luxury and up close with the wildlife in the Lower Zambezi - 09/Nov/2011 19:19 - 4551 days ago
Hooray, another visitor from the UK! Sadly Mike arrived with a bit of a bump as British Airways managed to lose his luggage (mor...
Patience is required - 04/Nov/2011 17:58 - 4556 days ago
Six months after my test, and after regular visits to get my paper version stamped again and again, I now have a smart, new Zamb...
Progress - 28/Oct/2011 16:35 - 4563 days ago
I am sure that I have moaned on the blog before, and definitely to friends and family, about how organising events here often re...
Mazabuka Prison - 27/Oct/2011 10:36 - 4564 days ago
Some opportunities happen by chance and the visit to the Mazabuka prison was one of these occasions. I have been to the prison ...
Independence Day 2011 - 24/Oct/2011 09:39 - 4567 days ago
In case you were wondering what the colours of the Zambian flag represent, here is a short explanation. The green background re...
Kafue National Park - 23/Oct/2011 09:51 - 4568 days ago
As Zambia prepared to celebrate its 47th year of independence on 24th October, and whilst flags of green, red, black and orange ...
A slow, slow day - 18/Oct/2011 11:53 - 4573 days ago
Little to report but just want to moan as first there was no water at the office and then the power went, and stayed off. So I ...
The new rules - 17/Oct/2011 11:37 - 4574 days ago
Today the new District Commissioner addressed the Heads of Department within the Council and Government Line Ministries in Mazab...
Changes - 13/Oct/2011 21:56 - 4578 days ago
It has been a strange few weeks. Post the elections the new Government has made a stream of appointments and announcements and ...
Cheering on the Chipolopolo - 09/Oct/2011 21:38 - 4582 days ago
The big match, and the last one of Zambia’s qualification campaign for the 2012 African Nations Finals and we managed to get t...
Sportastic - 02/Oct/2011 21:33 - 4589 days ago
Quite a good weekend of sports entertainment– shouting at the TV and getting burnt in the sun. SaturdayEngland vs. Scotland a...
Welcome to the new President - 24/Sep/2011 15:57 - 4597 days ago
The waiting was tense, then finally in the early hours of Friday morning the Presidential election results were announced and th...
Inside a polling station - 20/Sep/2011 14:30 - 4601 days ago
Aside from being interested in the election results my main curiosity was in how a polling station is supposed to function– wh...
Polling Day - 20/Sep/2011 07:59 - 4601 days ago
The waiting is over and at last Zambians can cast their vote in the Presidential, Parliamentary and Council elections. With the...
Home time - 14/Sep/2011 13:41 - 4607 days ago
A few of the smiley faces from home ...
Back home - 13/Sep/2011 13:19 - 4608 days ago
I have been home in the UK for the last few days, only a short visit, back to attend the funeral of a good friend, huge Watford ...
The end game - 30/Aug/2011 10:55 - 4622 days ago
For now office move number 4 is a dull space with a couple of desks but imagine . . . in a month’s time (or probably two) it w...
Kitchen party - 27/Aug/2011 13:53 - 4625 days ago
Little by little I am slowing experiencing different bits of Zambia culture, though one thing that I did not expect to see or at...
Let's make some noise - 23/Aug/2011 14:07 - 4629 days ago
It did not take long for the noise to start. Mazabuka, probably like every other town across Zambia, now has campaign vehicles b...
Lazying around in Siavonga - 21/Aug/2011 21:03 - 4631 days ago
After a busy week it felt good to escape Maz and do very little over the weekend. We barely moved from a friend’s house in Si...
Plans, plans, plans - 18/Aug/2011 21:02 - 4634 days ago
To be honest I am somewhat circumspect about the value of strategic planning. Whilst there is definitely a need to think and pl...
More on the mini sports tournament - 14/Aug/2011 20:55 - 4638 days ago
Here are some photos of the footy and netball games being played between Nega Nega and Manyonyo schools. The girls in the photo...
A little bit of Watford in Zambia - 14/Aug/2011 08:16 - 4638 days ago
Today I headed off to Nega Nega– a rural area around an hour from Maz - where I handed out all the Watford footy shirts that m...
Smelling and slurping coffee - 13/Aug/2011 08:16 - 4639 days ago
There are some weeks that I make endless lists of things to do and on one of them I have resolved to ensure that by the time I l...
Stella's birthday - 04/Aug/2011 08:17 - 4648 days ago
Stella celebrated her 40th birthday this week and we (Kristin, Alice and I) organised a little party with her family to mark the...
New flatmate - 02/Aug/2011 08:17 - 4650 days ago
With Andrew gone a five bedroom house can seem pretty big and empty sometimes but not for the next month as I have a new flatmat...
Updating Maz - 30/Jul/2011 08:18 - 4653 days ago
A few weeks ago someone from one of the guidebooks got in touch having seen this blog to ask me to provide an update on Mazabuka...
Elections - 28/Jul/2011 08:30 - 4655 days ago
Finally! At last! The date of the Zambian National Elections has now been announced and they will take place on Tuesday 20th Se...
Back to NAC - 25/Jul/2011 20:34 - 4658 days ago
A few weeks later we were back at NAC with high hopes and expectations and this time in front of the director General and his ot...
Another office move - 19/Jul/2011 07:34 - 4664 days ago
So with little notice– about 5 minutes – we have moved office. The new place smells a bit (someone was living here before w...
And here are the waterfalls - 11/Jul/2011 14:10 - 4672 days ago
Starting from the left, moving clockwise, first up is Chishimba Falls near to Kasama, then the view from the top of Kalambo Fall...
Pics from the warm North - 11/Jul/2011 13:27 - 4672 days ago
...
It's beautiful up North - 10/Jul/2011 20:33 - 4673 days ago
Zambia has numerous public holidays and this year with Heroes Day and Unit Day falling during the week it was a case of what sha...
VCT Day 2011 - 30/Jun/2011 17:12 - 4683 days ago
VCT Day arrived and there were a few hiccups along the way - the marching that kicks off every one of these commemoration days s...
Meeting with NAC - Small steps - 28/Jun/2011 17:19 - 4685 days ago
No system is perfect and as I have found out there are a number of limitations with the Monitoring& Evaluation system that i...
More on VCT - Get Tested Together, Get Tested Today - 23/Jun/2011 17:16 - 4690 days ago
A week to go and I thought that for whoever does read this blog (I think there are one or two out there) then it would be helpfu...
Good shot, bad shot - 19/Jun/2011 08:12 - 4694 days ago
There’s not normally much to do in Maz at the weekends (aside from the occasional party!) but for the second time in a couple ...
VCT prep - 14/Jun/2011 08:11 - 4699 days ago
It is only a few weeks to go and our preparations for this year’s VCT Day are beginning to get going. The organising committe...
Male Circumcision Research - 08/Jun/2011 08:10 - 4705 days ago
The Tonga tribe dominate the Southern Province of Zambia where Mazabuka is one of the major towns in the area. In terms of HIV ...
Goodbye to a great flatmate - 30/May/2011 15:04 - 4714 days ago
A top weekend for a good friend and a wonderful flatmate. It was a busy few days and for me both happy and sad times with Andre...
After the fire - 27/May/2011 16:06 - 4717 days ago
Then this is what happens after the burning on the sugar estate which is somewhere around 10,000ha in size; lots of growing, bur...
Fields on fire - 26/May/2011 15:02 - 4718 days ago
I could have written this entry any time from a few weeks ago or even over the next few months as April to September is sugarcan...
Chobe - 20/May/2011 15:00 - 4724 days ago
Chobe was Chobe. As I had been there before little was new to me so it was more wonderful wildlife spotting by boat and safari ...
More from the Falls - 19/May/2011 07:45 - 4725 days ago
Given how much we managed to do in Livingstone and the fun we had, here are few more photos including the delicious selection of...
Treats and cruising in Livingstone - 18/May/2011 14:59 - 4726 days ago
To put it mildly our time in Livingstone was busy and anything that we did I would happily do again, and hopefully Mum, Dad and ...
Lighting candles for HIV and AIDS - 15/May/2011 14:58 - 4729 days ago
So we travelled onto Mazabuka - the highlight of the trip! First we had to spend a good few hours waiting at Lusaka’s inter c...
More on magical South Luangwa - 13/May/2011 07:12 - 4731 days ago
And here are a few of those special animals...
Glorious South Luangwa - 11/May/2011 11:59 - 4733 days ago
A long time planning, a long time since I had last seen the family and then they were here (Mum, Dad and my brother Tom) at Lusa...
Driving test of sorts - 04/May/2011 20:30 - 4740 days ago
So my international driving licence had expired and after various form filling, photos, handing over money and some waiting arou...
Some of my favourite things - 02/May/2011 20:10 - 4742 days ago
I remember liking this time of year first time around and now it is back again! Winter is slowly on its way here with the eveni...
Allowances - 27/Apr/2011 13:31 - 4747 days ago
Despite now being in Zambia over a year I can still find the allowance culture frustrating and annoying. In brief, rather than ...
Easter is the new Christmas - 24/Apr/2011 16:54 - 4750 days ago
Never give up hope or good things come to those who wait. Either of these mottos could refer to waiting for the post to arrive ...
Nshima making night - 23/Apr/2011 10:38 - 4751 days ago
Nshima is a strange white, almost mash potato like, substance which Zambian’s have a never ending appetite for eating. When it...
Reviewing HIV and AIDS - 21/Apr/2011 13:30 - 4753 days ago
For much of this week I was at VSO HQ Zambia as part of the team reviewing the work of volunteers working in the field of HIV an...
Party #2: Phyl and Judy - 16/Apr/2011 08:02 - 4758 days ago
A double, or was it really a treble celebration?– birthdays for fellow Mazabuka volunteers Phyl and Judy, as well as a house w...
Party #1: Andrew's Big Day - 13/Apr/2011 13:24 - 4761 days ago
This was the beginning of the birthday bonanza with four Mazabuka friends all getting a year older within a week of each other. ...
Working with the Disabled - 12/Apr/2011 13:25 - 4762 days ago
Some days things fall into place: the workshop starts on time; the commitment and involvement from the people present is inspiri...
The importance of religion in Mazabuka - 07/Apr/2011 18:56 - 4767 days ago
Admittedly very briefly (as this is a blog not a research paper), I want to try and capture the how strongly religion features i...
On your marks, get set, go .... sushi rolling time - 02/Apr/2011 14:51 - 4772 days ago
To celebrate Ayano's birthday she trained us all (or at least tried to) in the art of making sushi. This meant rolling out our s...
Trucks, brakes and accidents - 28/Mar/2011 14:44 - 4777 days ago
Mazabuka, sadly, never seems far from the news at the moment and for all the wrong reasons. Ever since I have arrived here, and ...
Time in and out of Lusaka - 25/Mar/2011 15:29 - 4780 days ago
An interesting and enjoyable few days in Lusaka, which is something I had not experienced much in the past as Lusaka cannot real...
Back to normal in Maz - 15/Mar/2011 16:13 - 4790 days ago
I can happily report that Mazabuka now seems back to its hot, sleepy self. The riots are yesterday’s news with conversations b...
Food glorious food - 13/Mar/2011 15:38 - 4792 days ago
The trip around the Western Cape was a culinary delight though probably not so great for my wallet and waistline. Here is how I ...
Wilderness - 11/Mar/2011 17:07 - 4794 days ago
Long sandy beaches on one side and then forest, rivers and waterfalls on the other is a difficult combination to beat; welcome t...
Tasty grapes of Stellenbosch - 09/Mar/2011 17:00 - 4796 days ago
To escape (or sadly leave) Cape Town we hired a little Chevrolet Spark (a toy like car) and travelled to Stellenbosch which is l...
Luxury in Cape Town - 07/Mar/2011 16:49 - 4798 days ago
After a few days in Cape Town I easily understood why many others rate this city so highly with its coastline, beaches, history,...
Worrying times in Mazabuka - 03/Mar/2011 13:49 - 4802 days ago
Honestly, until now Mazabuka has been a quiet and friendly place. This all changed when the local police decided to halt the wat...
The 2011 Mazabuka Olympics - 26/Feb/2011 13:58 - 4807 days ago
Why wait for London 2012 when we can have our own version of the Olympics in Mazabuka. The main sports were table tennis (Olympi...
Goodbye to Emily - 20/Feb/2011 14:48 - 4813 days ago
Little I say can do this justice or really explain how this all came about. Simply, a couple of VSO vols put together a sh...
Mapping HIV and AIDS in Mazabuka - 17/Feb/2011 15:41 - 4816 days ago
Now this takes me back. In my early days at SQW I worked on a number of projects where we were commissioned by local counc...
More time at the Falls - 13/Feb/2011 14:40 - 4820 days ago
An opportunity to visit the Falls should never be passed up as it always seems different. On this occasion the Falls was p...
Stakeholder meeting - 11/Feb/2011 14:31 - 4822 days ago
On the work front (as I do do some work here rather than just travel around!), we recently held our quarterly stakeholder meetin...
Gladys' house - 10/Feb/2011 14:27 - 4823 days ago
I was not entirely sure why I was asked by the DAO (District Administrative Officer) to help out but it probably had much to do ...
Nomankanjani - 05/Feb/2011 14:54 - 4828 days ago
One of the things that I do miss from home is live music and so far some of the musical peformances that I have seen in Maz have...
Full circle - 28/Jan/2011 10:09 - 4836 days ago
The rains have been earlier and heavier this year so it was only a case of when there would be a call from one of the rural comm...
Out in the fields - 15/Jan/2011 15:22 - 4849 days ago
“Just turn right, there” Teddy said as he directed the car to head into a grassy, potentially swampy, field with no apparent...
Back down to earth - 14/Jan/2011 15:38 - 4850 days ago
The magical world of Zanzibar is a fading memory, as back in Maz life continues with a few bumps and hiccups along the way . . ....
Bemba meal - 08/Jan/2011 09:11 - 4856 days ago
As a sort of welcome back a Mazabuka friend invited us around to her house for a Bemba meal a few days after we had returned fro...
Back on the Tazara train - 05/Jan/2011 09:36 - 4859 days ago
Throughout our Zanzibar trip we had remained undecided or did not really want to think about how we would make it back to Zambia...
New Year in Nungwi - 03/Jan/2011 09:19 - 4861 days ago
On New Year’s Eve we headed to the north of the island, and Nungwi, which is much busier with more lodges and lots more people...
Relaxing in Bwejuu - 30/Dec/2010 09:05 - 4865 days ago
After the hustle and bustle of Stone Town we ventured to the east of Zanzibar to a place called Bwejuu; a quieter, less develope...
Spicing things up - 26/Dec/2010 09:43 - 4869 days ago
Lemongrass, cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, nutmeg, vanilla, cloves and many more spices that I have now forgotten; Starfruit, jac...
Christmas in Stone Town - 25/Dec/2010 08:41 - 4870 days ago
My first Christmas away from home and away from the warm, cosiness and familiarity of my parents house in Somerset. I have to ad...
Getting to Zanzibar - 24/Dec/2010 08:26 - 4871 days ago
Car, bus, train, taxi, foot, ferry and then finally we reached Zanzibar four days later! A bit of a journey to say the least but...
Wheels - 07/Dec/2010 06:50 - 4888 days ago
It sounds strange but it is nice to be driving again, even if I will only have this car for a few weeks. Basically a friend of m...
Movies party night - 05/Dec/2010 06:51 - 4890 days ago
Another party and for no particular reason we dressed up as characters from films. There was the usual great food, lovely people...
Day of the Disabled - 04/Dec/2010 06:50 - 4891 days ago
To cut a long story short, re-read my comments about Gender Day in late November but then picture this as day as being much wors...
World AIDS Day 2011 - 02/Dec/2010 06:49 - 4893 days ago
For me this was the big one– World AIDS Day 2011. Judy and I had spent a good few weeks planning, organising, and worrying abo...
Malaikha - 27/Nov/2010 14:27 - 4898 days ago
An Austrian friend here is impressively and passionately trying to establish and build a school for local blind children in Maza...
Gender Day - 25/Nov/2010 14:14 - 4900 days ago
This will sound all very cynical but . . . another week and along comes another commemoration day. I agree with the message and ...
Back to the Falls - 20/Nov/2010 14:01 - 4905 days ago
I had not been to Livingstone for months and the contrast from my previous visit to the mighty Victoria Falls could not have bee...
DATF Executive Team on tour - 19/Nov/2010 14:25 - 4906 days ago
The Mazabuka DATF where I work is often quoted as being one of the best of its kind in Zambia but we can still learn from others...
Rebecca's birthday party - 07/Nov/2010 13:45 - 4918 days ago
Stella, and her family, have been an integral part of our lives here so when she asked Andrew and I if we could help fund her da...
Strategic planning - 02/Nov/2010 12:55 - 4923 days ago
The work continues on the DATF Strategic Plan.The meetings can be an absolute pain to organise as I can never be too sure how ma...
Malawi Study Tour - 31/Oct/2010 13:23 - 4925 days ago
I did not think that I would be back in Malawi so soon but within days I was travelling along the same stretch of road and passi...
Malawi - Cape Maclear - 19/Oct/2010 12:32 - 4937 days ago
Then we packed up our tents, happy but a bit tired from dancing into the early hours night after night. So for a few days relaxa...
Malawi - Lake of Stars - 16/Oct/2010 12:18 - 4940 days ago
Lake of Stars has been described as a music festival like no other and it was certainly very different: intimate so that you cou...
Ode to the handkerchief - 12/Oct/2010 16:09 - 4944 days ago
Back home you were much deridedSomething for another generation and far from trendyA point of amusement when used on British bea...
More presents - 06/Oct/2010 16:09 - 4950 days ago
The time is takes for post to reach me here in Mazabuka can be very frustrating– being told that packages are on the way but n...
Toga, toga, toga! - 02/Oct/2010 16:08 - 4954 days ago
And now for something completely different! For no particular reason we threw a party but with a twist, turning it into a Toga p...
Care in the community - 30/Sep/2010 16:07 - 4956 days ago
This week in Lusaka all the VSO volunteers in Zambia gathered together– joining up to share experiences (good and bad), learn ...
Hammermill - 18/Sep/2010 15:47 - 4968 days ago
It is surprising (to me anyway but now not anymore) how much trouble a hammer mill can cause a community. Nameembo is small rura...
Office girls - 14/Sep/2010 15:44 - 4972 days ago
A few pics of some of the people that make life around the Boma (District Council office) enjoyable even when we still have no o...
Old bugger - 11/Sep/2010 15:35 - 4975 days ago
Well that’s another one for me! I chalked up 35 this weekend, and was completely spoilt by my friends here. On the Friday nigh...
Tears - 08/Sep/2010 15:13 - 4978 days ago
My job as a volunteer here, working with the HIV and AIDS stakeholders in Mazabuka, means that I know about the facts and figure...
Tonga tunes - 04/Sep/2010 15:16 - 4982 days ago
The Chikuni music festival is an annual event held in September which seeks to promote traditional Tonga music, which is the dom...
Stella - 01/Sep/2010 16:00 - 4985 days ago
A few weeks ago we gave in and decided that looking after a five bedroom house requires far too much time and effort, and decide...
Lost amongst the sugar cane - 28/Aug/2010 15:55 - 4989 days ago
Yipee, VSO has very kindly bought me a bicycle to use for both work and play. Boo, sadly it is just not the same as my mountain ...
The Bat cave - 25/Aug/2010 13:56 - 4992 days ago
In a recent email I wittered away about our office being a bit of mess at the moment in a rather dismissive way not realising ho...
Training fun - 18/Aug/2010 08:49 - 4999 days ago
Working out how to balance 12 nails on top of only a single nail * Using amateur gymnastics to lift a tyre up and down over a ne...
Karaoke Kings and Queens - 14/Aug/2010 08:41 - 5003 days ago
Wigs, hats, sunglasses, pom poms, microphones, cheesy songs (Holiday, La Bamba, New York and plenty more), a few people in tune ...
Lebanese food - 07/Aug/2010 08:23 - 5010 days ago
The little things out here can make a big difference or go a long way. Our neighbours in Mazabuka are a friendly Lebanese family...
Weekends at the Lake - 02/Aug/2010 15:52 - 5015 days ago
Zambia is landlocked but it does have one very large area of water, so for two weekends in succession we headed to different par...
Workshopping - 25/Jul/2010 15:47 - 5023 days ago
On a serious note, I am doing some work here and one of my biggest tasks at the moment is to help develop a Strategic Plan for m...
Birthdays and Goodbyes - 18/Jul/2010 15:36 - 5030 days ago
Drinking, dancing, smiles, tears and hugs. The usual weekend out in Lusaka. On a happy note it was Marco’s birthday and the ph...
New arrival - 16/Jul/2010 15:33 - 5032 days ago
My few weeks of loneliness in such a big house are now over as a new VSO volunteer, Andrew, arrived on Friday to share the house...
Football - African / European style - 12/Jul/2010 19:33 - 5036 days ago
Over the last few weeks there has been an eclectic mix of fans following the football here in Mazabuka. Marco rigged up a big sc...
Sayings and interpretations - 09/Jul/2010 15:40 - 5039 days ago
Now for something not quite as serious . . .This side, or that side (Zambian directions . . . but not always clear to where)Fine...
VCT Day (2) - 01/Jul/2010 06:50 - 5047 days ago
Lastly, here are a few extracts from the speech that I wrote for the District Commissioner to hopefully give a sense of whyVCTis...
VCT Day (1) - 01/Jul/2010 06:35 - 5047 days ago
Another celebration or commemoration day I hear you cry! I too did the same but this was the first one directly relevant to the ...
Day of the African Child - 17/Jun/2010 06:44 - 5061 days ago
The origin of the International Day of the African Child come from 1976 when in Soweto, South Africa, thousands of black school ...
And here are some people photos from the trip too! - 09/Jun/2010 06:41 - 5069 days ago
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Namibia - 06/Jun/2010 14:24 - 5072 days ago
And then we moved on to Namibia ... When we first entered Windhoek we could have been mistaken for thinking that we were somewhe...
Botswana - 28/May/2010 14:16 - 5081 days ago
Here goes a quick summary of exploring Botswana ... Dan, Helen, Emily and I– all fellowVSOvolunteers– squeezed into a Toyota...
Tour guide around Maz - 20/May/2010 13:51 - 5089 days ago
VSO has been visitingthis week and they brought with them a number of HIV and AIDS stakeholders from other parts of Zambia who w...
Lighting candles - 16/May/2010 15:56 - 5093 days ago
Today we joined many others around the world in commemorating the 27th International AIDS Candlelight Memorial. The event was he...
Labour Day in Mazabuka - 01/May/2010 13:23 - 5108 days ago
Mattresses, blankets, bed sheets, fans, carpets, TVs, suitcases, bicycles, microwaves, pots and pans, wardrobes, fridges, sewing...
Party time - 25/Apr/2010 13:20 - 5114 days ago
Mazabuka is the sort of place that you either drive through because it is only two hours from Lusaka or if you do stop here it i...
The House - 18/Apr/2010 13:15 - 5121 days ago
Welcome to the palace/botanical gardens! Well, maybe the house in Mazabuka is not quite that big but Judy and I have five bedroo...
VSO workshop - 16/Apr/2010 13:30 - 5123 days ago
Thought I would throw in a few photos to show that I am doing some work out here! I spent a few days in Lusaka working with some...
Mutinondo Wilderness - 06/Apr/2010 13:09 - 5133 days ago
Discounting the visit to Livingstone, this was my first opportunity to hit the road and see some of Zambia over Easter weekend. ...
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