Projects in Livingstone
on A Zambian Experience (Zambia), 30/Aug/2010 20:00, 34 days ago
Being a‘development worker’ as sometimes VSO volunteers are referred to as, I can’t help but be amazed at some of the exciting development projects that are coming out of Livingstone. As I sat and ate Pizza at a local restaurant called Olgars, (a huge treat, considering that I hadn’t had the opportunity to dine at an Italian restaurant for almost a year now) I was inspired by the vision of the restaurant. Now most restaurants back at home don’t have visions or mission statements, but Olgars is different in the sense that the staff are made up of local young underprivileged people who have been trained in catering and hospitality and now have jobs at the restaurant. All proceeds of the restaurant go back into running the training scheme, which certainly made me feel less guilty as I browsed the delicious menu of thin crust pizzas with various toppings (totally unheard of in Chipata).The free wireless internet in the reception, which was being used by local Zambians acted as a key reminder of how important access to the internet is and how compared to Chipata (where there are no free wireless hot-spots), Livingstone appeared to be stepping streets ahead in the direction of‘education for all’ ( a statement proudly declared in the Draft Constitution of the Republic of Zambia). I wonder if I make a return to Zambia in 10 years time, whether there will be free internet in Chipata? May be that could be a future project?