Tag: Africa

Detailed Hand-Work Puts Charm Into African Pieces

Read below an excerpt from a piece in the November 2012 issue of the Kootenay Quilters’ Day Guild Newsletter. The article focuses on the work of one of the founding members of Malambo Grassroots with the women’s group in Zambia!

Squares for Quilts Drying in the Zambian Sun

The Malambo Grassroots organization is a success story that makes Marylee Banyard feel a great sense of inner contentment. Over the course of the last 20 years, Marylee has seen the women involved in the organization develop their skills and flourish. As a grassroots organization, they hone their handiwork so that it can easily be sold at fundraisers in Canada. Many quilters purchase the hand-embroidered pieces and make them into attractive wall hangings or quilts, such as the work of Nellie Shukin depicted above. Money is used to support community initiatives sponsored by the women and is also critical to the success of ongoing maintenance of plumbing in the centre and the preventive maintenance of 2 industrial sewing machines and 6 other machines. In addition to Marylee’s efforts, the Rotary Club of Nelson generously donated tables and chairs and an industrial sewing machine to the centre. Private donors have also assisted to ensure that the centre flourishes.

This year Marylee will assist with a project to enhance the work of the local PTA. A guest speaker will talk about the childrens’ education. The women of the centre will then break into 6 groups to discuss issues surrounding the presentation and will develop an embroidered banner depicting their discussion issue and possible ways to resolve the issue. This whole process is also aired in the media. The sense of community involvement and development is significant.

A great 103 miles!

Geoff Cross on a training ride up Mt.Baker

At the end of September, Geoff Cross rode for Malambo Grassroots in the 103 mile Levi’s GranFondo cycling event. Geoff had a great ride finishing 80th out of the thousands of participants! Thank you so much, Geoff, for your support!
Read here his summary of his day:

Typical of the Bay Area, the day started with some fog and cold, making way to beautiful hot sunny skies in the mountains before dropping down into the fog bank hanging over the pacific coast. It didn’t rain thankfully, as the course was even more technically demanding than I had been told- Besides the 7.500 other riders, there were lots cracks and potholes and tree-lined, switch back descents to keep one senses firing all day.

It is a spectacularly well-organized event with rest/food stations just where you need them. I knew that a key to a good performance would be eating and drinking more than you feel like. While not a recipe for day to day diet, I credit the peanut butter and jam sandwiches and coke, combined with the terrifically supportive atmosphere, and getting to share it with friends, that kept unexpected levels of pep in my legs all day.

A bike in Zambia

It was the best road ride that I have ever had the luxury of undertaking. Some/many big rides are Type 2 fun- painful and full of suffering during and only enjoyable after they are done with the sense of accomplishment; however, every so often you do a big ride that is Type 1 fun- huge smile inducing all day long, even though you are breathing hard. I think of it as being in the state of “Flow” that athletics, music, art, and other endeavors can bring when everything comes together in just the right doses.”

Geoff told us that he was happy to have had the opportunity to do the ride and support Malambo, and we are so grateful to Geoff! Thank you!

Goat or no goat? Part 3 of 3: What more could we do?

 

The children and young adults who come to us for scholarships know that a good education will change their lives, so they really want this chance.

 

Our first initiative in Zambia was an income generating project for women, the Malambo Women’s Group. But we asked ourselves, what more could we do?

My aunt, Dr. Thea Savory, had started a free medical clinic and a scholarship program. We support these programs. We wanted them to grow. My mother is an educator and used to do curriculum development. We had been courted for a few years by the local headmaster, but we held off initially because we worried about how much funds we would be able to access. We could see the need was immense, beyond our limited means. So now we are working with schools.

We are also contributing to the scholarships. I went shopping with my aunt in Choma. We were stopped by the security guard of the shop—who thanked us profusely.  He was a high school graduate and got this job on the strength of that. It was a good job.

We have had college and university graduates in a number of fields. Lately a young man graduated as a radiographer. He works in a hospital in northern Zambia and can now in turn contribute to the education of other children in his family. He is very grateful for his education and was very disappointed that my aunt could not attend his degree ceremony.


Sometimes when we are in Zambia, we help with the huge job of interviewing and processing the scholarship applications. This has to be done three times a year, and for some programs, four times. It’s an enormous effort. Our scholarship fund is limited. We have to say no to many prospective students. This is extremely hard to do—to say no to a child who really wants to go to school. The kids beg and cry. I find this tremendously difficult. These children and young adults know that a good education will change their lives, so they really want this chance.


This is what we want to give Zambians, a good education and the opportunity to have a better future.

Dispatches from Zambia: from orphans to photocopiers

 

Monze storefront

 

Here is an excerpt from a message from Marylee Banyard, who is now in Zambia. On a recent trip into the nearby town of Monze, she encounters both old and new, from technology to polygamy to children orphaned by AIDS:

“We have laminating facilities in Monze now. It sort of works, but is a little gimpy. Photocopying too… the page comes out with a dark mass at the top. 

“The man there gave me a big lecture about, “Why is it always women and orphans? What about the MEN!” He said he is a grandfather supporting an orphan at Zimba school. He also said that he was born in a hut, not a hospital, and BaTonga culture has good midwives. We foreigners don’t understand Tonga culture.

“I said we should go have a cup of coffee, as he was continually being interrupted and dealing with all sorts of people with issues while he was arguing with me and trying to laminate.

“He also said women bring it on themselves because they don’t have to be second and third wives. They have choice. [ed: Polygamy is still legal in Zambia.]

“From him I went to see Sister Lontia at the St Vincent de Paul Community School in Monze. We discussed many things. Concerning second and third wives, she pointed out their usual circumstances of poverty and insecurity. The children they bring with them into the marriages are often not accepted by the new husband, and the real father has probably died or vanished. 

“She has 204 children in the school, of which 123 are orphans, and 77 are “vulnerable”. Sometimes the economic pressure is too great for families and children are abandoned. Although the school tries to charge K5,000 ($1.25 Canadian) per term (3 terms a year ) the school accepts all, even if they can’t pay.  They are Catholic Mission funded.”

A student from St Vincent de Paul Community School paints a mural on the school walls. The Zambian flag flies high above.

Focus on Education

One of Malambo Grassroots’ main objectives is to support education in southern Zambia. In early 2010, one of our volunteers went to Zambia to work with schools. Here’s an excerpt from her letter to York House School in Vancouver, BC, who sent donations over with her:

“I have visited several schools in rural Monze and they all are doing the best they can to educate their students with very limited resources.  The Malambu School on the Moorings farm is one of the smallest schools I have been to.  There are 250 students.  They have no electricity and no running water (none of the schools here do).  To get water, they must walk back into the village about 1 km to the well. There they pump water and then carry it back on their heads in buckets. 

“Below is a picture of one of the classrooms.  It is in need of repair and they do not have enough desks.  Learnserve, an American organization, is donating 16 desks as well as money to rebuid this classroom and one other.

 

“There are no supplies in the school other than their curriculum books, most of which are donated by the two women I am staying with.  The government doesn’t have enough money to support the schools here.

“There are three teachers at the school plus the headmaster Mr. Mweetwa.

“On Thursday Jocelyn and I taught an art class to the Grade 6 and 7 classes.  After we explained what we were going to do (drawing animals first in crayon and then painting over the drawings), we handed out white paper for everyone to draw on. Many of the children just stared at the paper for a very long time and did not draw.  We were told that none of the students had ever held a crayon or painted before.

“Once they got going, they were very focused and excited and they loved the bright colours that came from the paint. 

“We later found out that there were two small boxes of crayons at the school, but they are considered so precious that the boxes had never been opened.

“Here the students are using the paint and paintbrushes that your class donated.

“I gave the school your cards today and the children stood up and read many of them out loud.  They enjoyed receiving them and they will be hung up in the school.  They spent a long time looking at the photos, the artwork, and your words.  They haven’t had an opportunity to see many of the things that you see everyday such as the ocean, beavers, mountains, snow, and snowboards.”

 

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