MIT International Development Initiative 2007

An opportunity for learning the view of the children of Mwape came in activity sessions we led each afternoon. We’ve just asked these children to write down a few of their favorite things.	We’ve been fortunate to have University of Zambia students working with us in Mwape. Jones Yengwe, a recent graduate in Agricultural Science, led this trip to some of the more distant fields.	A Meeting with community partner Lawrence Njobvu at his home. Lawrence helped with water testing and training, is a headman, and at age 31, father of 10!
Using Jock Brandis’ mold set, we were able to make 3 concrete ground nut shellers, and demonstrate them to the community.	UNZA student Sham Tembo, recent electrical engineering graduate, presents a birthday rose to Mariel.	Rasta (pink shirt, center) builds wheelchairs for community partner Disacare. Rasta invited us to his home in Mutendere compound, Lusaka, for Sunday dinner.
After the daily childrens’ activity sessions, some of the children would follow Mariel and Evita home for more practice in reading.	We installed solar lighting in one classroom and the office of the Kalongo-Mwape Basic School. Evening homework for the students and literacy training for adults will now be possible.	As part of training sessions in water disinfection, we taught community members to do absence tests for bacteria. These help community water trainers to get their message across to village residents.
A quick game of wheelchair basketball helps the staff at Disacare to blow out the cobwebs after a hard day’s work. They let us play too.	Esther gives a young friend a ride in the way that Zambian mothers carry their children.	We wondered how that yummy cabbage we often ate was made. No better way to find out than to cook it ourselves.