Making a Milk and Medicine Run

Today we loaded up Van #1 with nutrient packs (enough for one a day for 30 days), 20 pound bags of Roller Meal (corn meal), bottles of cooking oil, ground nuts (peanuts), and formula (Zambians are encouraged to breast feed, so it is just provided for those that can't).  Van # 2 we loaded up with people and headed out to the Matera Compound.

We pulled into the Church of Christ parking lot where women and children were waiting.  First, we sing! I love that everything here starts with a song - everyone joins in - we are even singing in the vernacular, thre is always someone who starts us and cues us in for each verse and their are great harmonies.   Kevin interviews the families of those children who have been sponsored and Matilda, a social worker (and also Kevin's wife), start the weighing and measuring of every child under 18 months.  

The mothers sat on the grass and wait their turn with their babies as the older siblings run around.  We got the bubbles and balloons going and soon there was screaming and running and the general chaos of kids at play. After chasing down several balloons in the wind, we have decided next time we will bring string!

Once the food was distributed, the moms (or grandmas) all lined up for clothing donations -  They were handed some clothes and got to the back of the line until all of the donations were distributed - there were shirts, curtains, blankets, sheets, even a Christmas decoration (which they could not figure out what they were supposed to do with it - I am sure it will be turned into some kind of jacket by the end of the day).   You could just imagine this bag of stuff coming straight from one of the parking lot bins in Andover.  I have to tell you that we often wonder if our donations make it all the way to Africa - let me tell you they are wearing your cast-offs -shoes, NFL shirts, jeans, Hello Kitty pants, Happy 13th birthday Amanda, etc. -if you have ever donated clothes, they are wearing them and wearing them and wearing them and wearing them!

We are amazed that there are so many multiples of children, two women with triplets and one with twins at this site.  Just one more reason not to drink the water here.  (Which by the way, did I mention that I had to throw out my toothbrush after day one when I rinsed it with water from the sink?!  Thank goodness they gave us toothbrushes on the plane) We wondered how these women would get the 30+ pounds of food and their babies (children have to be younger than 18 months) back to their homes.  Moments later, we watched them wrap up their children in a sling (Chitenga) on their backs and wrap up their food and put it on their heads.  

Since the moms with the triplets had 90 pounds of food to carry, each one of the vans gave one of them a ride.  The woman we drove had recently moved and had a child that was sponsored, so the program director had to see where she lived.  They keep good track of these kids - weight and height, interviews, etc.  We drove through one spot between a bush and a wall that scraped both sides of the van.  Getting stuck in the compound is not an option.  When we arrived at her two room home, her other five children ran out to greet us.  She helped us get out of the maze between the houses, not really roads at all.  I wish you all could get in a van simulator that would toss you around to experience our rides through these neighborhoods.

Once again we eat our packed lunch on the road - pbj, plain pb's and cheese sandwiches.  

When we got back we could not wait to deliver the 3 walkers that we bought for the kids outside.  The kids were thrilled with the toys in the tray and looked as if they were ready for the roller derby!  

Happy 35th Anniversay to my husband Ed - who said he was celebrating with a beer and bruschetta with the dog- I told him I was drinking Parmalat and eating deep fried caterpillars!  (Which were quite crunchy and salty - like any good snack food!)