Siavonga

We had a weekend trip to Siavonga, on the dam end of Lake Kariba.  We
 went with 6 others and had a good time, relaxing and getting to know each other better.
Some pictures:



Kariba Dam.  There is a large crocodile on the rock in the middle of the pool.

The lake.  Zimbabwe on the left, Zambia on the right

Downstream from the dam. Zambia on the left, Zimbabwe on the right

Just chillin'

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Ever hopeful....

Baobab tree

Some serious cloud!

Cholera

Cholera in Zambia has not arrived in Choma, so the effects we are feeling are only the precautions that people are taking - for us this is mostly not shaking hands when greeting.
We are being constantly reminded about personal and food hygiene, and symptoms to look out for.
The outbreak started in Lusaka in October and has as yet not been contained, although considering the virulence of the bacteria, the spread is slow.

What the papers say:

Front page on Saturday 6th January

Clean water being provided in an affected area

This is Lusaka, but the street traders in Choma have also been removed, and when I went into town today the sides of the road looked very like the top picture, where all the traders' shelters have been dismantled.

Harry Mwaanga Nkumbule

This statue was recently unveiled in the grounds of Choma Museum:

Harry Mwaanga Nkumbule

These are the information boards about the statue.  They are well worth reading.  Harry Mwaanga Nkumule was an opposition leader who put aside his own objections to single party government for the sake of peace and stability in Zambia.  He is credited with the years of peace that have followed the signing of the Choma Declaration in 1973.

"In December 1972 Nkumbule opposed the one-party state and strongly debated against the one-party state in parliament.  This led to more struggles in the country causing a lot of damage to people and property.  However since peace and unity were of the utmost importance to him Nkumbula eventually went along with the UNIP and agreed to the formation of a one-party state during the meeting that was held in Choma on June 27th 1973, which came to be known as the Choma Declaration.  ..........  Had Mr Nkumbula opted not to sign Choma Declaration, inter-party rivalry would have been perpetuated, leading to countless deaths and destruction of property."

Shower Buddies

Not actually IN the shower, but climbing up the window next to the shower

Christmas

Church in the morning:

The children

The praise team

The pastor and his wife leading us in Silent Night

We had a nativity play:

Gabriel coming to Joseph (who really could NOT work out how Mary could be pregnant)

Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem

The shepherds arrive, with some very happy sheep

The shepherds celebrated in a dance after meeting the Saviour

The cast

Then we had lunch together:

Nsima, cabbage, chicken



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We hope that all of you are having a Christmas season equally filled with good food, good company and most of all the joy of the Saviour.

6 Days; 650 Children

Bridget spent last week in Batoka (about an hour away), helping at the VBS camp (Vacation Bible School) for children of the local churches.  Children came from all over the southern part of Southern Province for 6 days of stories, creative activities, music and sport.
I will let the pictures tell their own story (but you will only see the bit she was involved in, so no sport!):



Home from home



Breakfast

The big nsima machine, one of three



Supper

The supper queue

A classroom full of 12 year olds listening to the story of the shepherds

Some of the children's art work

Presentation at the end of the week included the visit of the magi....

and 650 children with lit candles!

And we all went home on the back of a lorry

 

 

 

New Friends

Amos had another brief trip to Livingstone to meet some people from the airport, and he made some new friends: