Summer Days!
18 Jul 2010 04:35 pm
Well it has been awhile since I got to this blog! I don’t know where the time goes. There is a lot of work to keeping ACP afloat. The work at the Moringa Orchard is taking off. Our trees across Zambia are all growing well. Water levels are dropping so work can know start on the promised wells. Reports from some facilitators are rather slow. But we are working around that. The slowest but most reliable and cheapest way of getting reports is through the Post Office. The internet is fine but not all facilitators are computer smart. Also they may arrive in town after traveling some distance to find the internet down. We have not got a country office as of yet so all reports come to Canada. The postage costs are paid from the sale of returnable bottles given by my fellow owners at our condominium here in Victoria. And yes, I have become a “dumpster diver”; I wonder if I should add that skill to my resume? I have lots of competition but “sorry fellow divers but I have needs too!”
Also a new web page is in the works!
MUKASIAMACHOKA MORINGA ORCHARD
19 Jun 2010 08:38 pm
Our future Moringa orchard at Mukuni village has finally got a name. After much consultation it will be called Mukasiamachoka Moringa Orchard (MMO). It is located on the main road into Mukuni Village. The perimeter fence is being built as we can afford it. A compound will soon be built on site for Luke, his wife and their new baby. Luke is the nurseryman at the tree nursery in Mukuni Village. As many Moringa will be grown on the 2 hector site as possible and they will be cared for by Luke’s wife and other young mothers from Mukuni Village. The leaves will be cured, ground into powder and packaged for sale, both locally and for export. A chalet will also be built on site for a office and accommodations for visiting foresters from Canada and ACP personnel.
BUSY
29 May 2010 02:11 pm
I did not think that being away would create so much work when I returned home to Victoria. Perhaps it is because things are moving along very nicely. We have decided on using the fax machine more to shuffle documents back and for since not everyone is close to the internet. It also gives the facilitators practice in writing reports and managing budgets. We are starting to expand into Northwest Province with Jackson leading the way. Bicycles are no longer an option for transport for the crew. The distances are getting further and further. We need motor bikes. I used a Honda 125 when I was with VSO and have found it the best; so the next thing is to source the money for them. Like I said I am busy, perhaps I should change that to very busy.
Back Home
10 May 2010 09:36 pm
Well that has been the fastest month every in my life. I have been to Zambia, did all that I needed to do and have returned home safely. Over the next while I will post some reports on what we accomplished this trip. I will say that I kept healthy and moved about even though our logistical plan had collapsed with the engine blowing up near Zimba on our way to Livingstone. Even the Spitting Cobra we surprised on a forest trail at our Kamalamba Demonstration Forest missed its mark; namely me. He was just as scared as me but his reflexes were quicker. It only took him a second to stand on his tail and strike. The pause in my reflexes almost cost me fang holes in my shirt and soiled shorts. Thanks Fred for pulling me back and breaking its spell.
Livingstone
21 Apr 2010 01:20 pm
I am finally back where I can send emails. Yesterday we travelled to Livingstone from our newly created Kamalamba Demonstration Forest and Nursery off the Great North Road where we have been getting things organized. We also planted out trees from the nursery and replanted in the nursery with more seeds. There is 70 hectors of denubbed forest that will be reforested within KDF.
We left at 3:00am and arrived in Livingstone afternoon. Our trip was interrupted at Zimba (80 kilometres from Livingstone) when the engine in our transport seized. The bearings have gone. We continued by mini bus to Livingstone and are now settled in to start work. The road into Livingstone is being redone by a Chinese company. It is strange to see coulees working in Africa.
Donations are always needed and appreciated to expand our program of Reforestation and Environmental Education.
New Demonstration Forest
13 Apr 2010 09:49 am
It is Monday afternoon here in Lusaka and things are moving along. Lots of small curves like my phone is giving me trouble on the communications side. I am waiting for the facilitators to come for a small workshop. It is good to get them in so they can visit and be brought up to speed on things. Yesterday we visited our Demonstration Forest and admired the progress of the seedlings. The nursery there will be upgraded and slashing will continue to prevent wild fires later in the dry season. In the photo I am with Geoff and behind 2 Jatropha that we planted just a short year ago when we first started got the land.
Back in Zambia
09 Apr 2010 04:59 pm
It has been a year since I was here but it seems like I never left. I am settling in to lodgings for the next 2 weeks here in Lusaka. Will get the crew in for their workshop next week.
I AM OFF!
06 Apr 2010 06:43 pm
Well here I am writing my last blog in the comforts of my own home. The chair is comfortable, and the computer is fast. What will happen in the next month is an adventure I have done many times but as always there is a certain rush to it. I will try to keep things posted here as much as I can. The wallet is a little thinner and the credit card is full but what the heck you can’t take it with you!
Zambia Itinerary
01 Apr 2010 06:42 pm
The last year has been a steady climb back to health. In January of 2009 the Doctors had given me a few hours to live and I was ready to go. But as the medicines started to take effect so did my will to live and now I am ready to continue. If it had not been for my crew in Zambia working unselfishly toward our goals things would be different. Special thanks to Ryan Kratzer who has turned out to be a great asset. What a volunteer! I leave Victoria on the 6th of April going through London and Addis Ababa to Lusaka. In Lusaka I have many meetings with officials in government (some postponed for a year) and a workshop with the whole crew. This workshop will enable us all to get together and review the booklet I have composed. It looks more like a book since it has 250 pages. Then it is off to Livingstone to break ground on our Eco-tourism Centre close to the falls. And finally to Petauke my old stumping grounds to pay visits to as many community schools and tree nurseries as possible. A visit to the new school site of Nkhola Community School to see how the brick making is coming along for the school. Lots to do. The month will go fast. So will the money. But it always seems to get done. Thanks to the many donors who keep faithfully sponsoring the project. The web page is continually being up graded by Reed Kirkpatrick a volunteer in Victoria.
TICKET TO ZAMBIA!
25 Mar 2010 11:27 pm
I bought my ticket to Zambia today. I leave Canada on April 6th. This trip is only for a month but it will be a very busy one.