African Community Project

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.