In Zambia, technology is scarce but skill, creativity and an unstoppable work ethic are abundant. The people here accomplish extraordinary things with the simplest of tools and a whole lot of fortitude.
Much of the country relies on subsistence farming. Imagine working sunbaked, sandy soil with nothing but a single tool: a long heavy hoe. There are no tractors, no mechanized help, just determination. Each day families walk kilometers to their fields, hoes slung over their shoulders, ready for hours of hard work. They grow enough food to feed their families and maybe have a little left over to sell at the market. The annual income for many of these hard-working farmers is around $400 Canadian dollars.
At the schools, even the grass cutting reveals the same blend of necessity and ingenuity. To keep dangerous snakes at bay, workers use ‘slashers’, long blades shaped like a small hockey stick, to manually cut grass. With one arm swinging in rhythmic relentless motion, the job gets done.
The schools also grow their own produce and raise poultry to feed both children and staff. Without refrigeration, food is sourced daily. When Winnie requested chicken for her cooking class, she didn’t expect to be greeted the next morning by live protesting chickens, but that’s how things work here. Everything is fresh and nothing comes easy.
Two volunteers, John Gillies and John MacInnis, partnered with local tradespeople to help improve the schools’ infrastructure. The word that best captures the spirit of the Zambian workers is MacGyver, making, fixing and inventing with whatever is at hand. The pair were amazed at the clever solutions they witnessed, building, patching and repairing using scraps, resourcefulness and pure willpower.
Take the windows for example. Sister Agnes’ request was to repair all 160 broken panes across the school buildings. While some had been held in place with putty, others had cement, which had been packed in when putty ran out. A hired glazier quickly adapted. He sent them to a nearby welding shop to get rebar shaped into chisels. Cost was just 25 cents a day to re-sharpen the tools. Within a few days, the old glass was gone and new panes were being cut and fitted with precision. However, the glazier reminded them that if the stops and hardware were not fixed, the next windstorm would undo everything. That task was taken care of and the windows are now secure.
Water was another critical issue. The showers and washrooms had long been dry. Sister Agnes brought in a plumber who knew the aging system. What followed was a masterclass in low-cost innovation, rubber tubing tightly wrapped around leaking joints, hand-dug trenches for new pipework with no rocks thankfully and hours of sweat. Within four days, water flowed again. The boys could finally take real showers instead of hauling buckets from a 45-gallon drum.
Of course, water pressure wasn’t perfect and as soon as the toilets began to flush, new problems emerged, leaking pipes, blockages and yet more digging. But by the time the volunteers left, the system was well on its way to working again.
The cement floors in many buildings were cracked and uneven, making them hard to clean and difficult for visually impaired students to navigate. ICC committed to fund new tile installation and the local tilers did such excellent work that John and John said they’d be proud to have it in their own Canadian homes. The tradespeople were not only skilled but innovative, using every resource to their advantage.
Electrical repairs were another top priority. The buildings needed a lot of work, over 100 light bulbs replaced, multiple fixtures and plugs repaired and kitchen stoves brought back to life. Years of wear and limited funding had taken a toll. To remedy this, Inverness County Cares initiated a new maintenance budget of $100 per month per school to help prevent things from falling into disrepair again.
In Canada, if materials cost $100, labour usually costs the same. In Zambia, the approach is different. Labour costs around $40 for every $100 of materials. It is a system shaped by economic necessity but it allows work to be done in a way that is sustainable and fair.
Inverness County Cares were able to contribute $17,200 CDN to cover the costs of the repairs described here. Many thanks to our wonderful supporters for making this happen.
What we witnessed in Zambia was more than just hard work. It was resilience, resourcefulness and a deep sense of community. These are people who don’t wait for perfect conditions. They make do, they adapt and they get the job done with whatever is on hand. Whether it is farming, plumbing or laying tile, they do it with pride and they do it together.
Inverness County Cares (ICC) is a local charitable organization founded in 2012 and based in Inverness County, NS, Canada. ICC works in partnership with Chalice.ca, a Canadian charity based in Bedford, Nova Scotia. Chalice provides guidance and assistance to help ICC provide a better life for the children at the Kawambwa schools. The Kawambwa Project involves supporting two schools for albino and visually impaired students in Northern Zambia. Inverness County Cares always welcomes new members. Individuals who wish to donate can use the donate button on our website http://invernesscountycares.com. When using E-transfer, please include your mailing address for CRA tax receipts and a thank you message. E-transfer address: invernesscountycares@gmail.com or send a cheque to Inverness County Cares, 5414 Route 19, Judique, NS, Canada, B0E1P0. Taxation receipts provided.
