Kalingalinga

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Closing in on the end of my second week in Lusaka. And I am not ready to leave yet.
I have now finally started to volunteer for EduSport and at this point, I really need to thank the people here for making great efforts to make me feel welcome and as part of the "EduSport family". They have been great in including me in everything and taking care of me.

To briefly explain what EduSport is all about; the foundation is built on the motto "Education through Sport" and was started and is run by Zambians. That is what makes EduSport different from other aid organizations found around here; its primary projects rely purely on local workforce. Of course they gladly accept help from foreigners (such as myself), but then it is in a way that I help them to help themselves, not coming in as a moneybag that hangs high over your head and you never know whether it is going to open or not. EduSport has established a system of peer leaders (boys and girls up to about 20 years of age) to be responsible for their own communities. Of course, the EduSport Office is there to assist the peer leaders in any way, but it has set up the system so that each community is working towards greater independence.
These peer leaders organize anything from football (by that I mean soccer for all you 'cans!), netball, volleyball and basketball practice for the younger kids, PE (physical education) classes in primary schools, and promoting EduSport projects such as "Kicking AIDS Out!", "Go Sisters", etc to HIV-awareness workshops in the nearby schools. All of these are just everyday routines for these guys, there are a lot of other projects that they are working on, but listing them would take me all night.
It is quite surreal to see how proffessional, dedicated and organized these guys are, even though many of them just started growing facial hair. The main peer leader of Kalingalinga, the community I am connected to, is only 16 years old, but the way he is working, it seems as if he had been doing this for 30 years already. Together, he and I are going to work on establishing an exchange program between Norwegian communities and EduSport in the coming year (so if you are interested, please let me know! and you don't have to be Norwegian if you know me, I'll be able to sneak you in, VIP. 😉 ).
So as mentioned, the community that I am attached to, is called Kalingalinga and is in the north-eastern part of Lusaka. The team that visited my football team Frigg in 2003, came from this community. Actually I have already met a couple of guys who were on that team and after a few minutes of trying to recognize each other, we fell into deeply nostalgic conversations, remembering the times we would stir up the Norway Cup scene with drums, Zambian songs and poor efforts of combining African rythms with Norwegian Hallingdans.
Boy, those were the good times...

A usual day in Lusaka would start off by going to one of the community schools in Kalingalinga early in the morning for PE. The first time we went to "Mama Stella's", I was a bit overwhelmed by the flood of children that bursted out the doors once they saw a mzungu (white person). Like a strong wave that hits your legs just hard enough so you don't fall over, they "attacked" me with hugs and kisses. After a few minutes of struggling to keep my balance in the strong current of kids pushing in all directions, I finally managed to shake of the last of the kids that were clinched around my legs and arms like a snake around its prey. PE class could finally begin. I stood back and observed their games, which regularly include a lot of singing and clapping. When it was my turn, I tried to surprise them by doing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" in Norwegian, but all I achieved was to start an immense confusion, as they wouldn't accept this new language being taken into their familiar game. So before I would cause more chaos, the other peer leaders jumped in and continued with games they knew. But later today, we are going back. And I have prepared another little surprise. I am taking quite a chance on this one, as I risk two failures in a row, but nonetheless I had the idea and now I have to try it. If not for the kids' sake, then for my own.. In case of success, I will post a video clip soon and it might even be the coolest thing you have seen.
After PE at one school we might visit another one, or have meetings to discuss projects. If we finish that early, I'll run back to my hostel and take a dip in the swimming pool, before coaching the football team in the afternoon.
Practice is on an uneven, sandy field. Most kids run around barefoot, but they don't seem to care about the pointy rocks that lie scattered around. Occasionally the wind picks up speed, and in a circular motion it drags the dust up in the air and for a few seconds it covers the whole of the field with a cloud, thick enough to block out the sun. While I try to merge into a turtoise, dragging my head under my t-shirt to avoid the sand, the kids play on unaffected by their surroundings. They can't let something like that disturb their chances of getting a goal.
Many of those kids have great potential to achieve big things in the world of football, but it is hard to improve their skills when there are 50 kids and only 2 balls.
After football practice, I usually go back to the hostel to relax. I rarely make it back before the sun has come a long way in its descend towards the horizon, as one trip to or from Kalingalinga takes me almost an hour; 10 minutes of sitting in a bus and 40 minutes of walking. that trip is my daily exercise and is tiring, when I have to go there and back 2 times a day. that sums up to almost three hours of walking per day just to get there and back to the hostel! and then I run around the field and in the schools aswell. no wonder i knock out before 10PM everyday... my legs are now getting heavier everytime i walk through the dried grass fields I have to cross in order to get to Kalingalinga. But once I get there I have so much fun that I forget everything else.

Really guys, doing volunteer work like this is an extraordinary experience that everybody should have tried once! If you think that this sounds interesting, and you are considering volunteering, or just want more information about EduSport, please feel free to contact me. I would be more than glad to help you or direct you to someone.

So, besides from working I really don't do much besides strolling around the city once in a while. I meet new travellers from all over the world (today there are people from D.R.Congo, India, Ethiopia, Australia, Scotland, Slovenia and France here, and a bunch of people I haven't talked to) here, but I have to admit I get pretty bored of the first 20 minutes of the conversations that include the obligatory questions: "So where are you from?", "Where have you been so far?", "Are you just travelling or on business?", "How long have you been here/are you staying/will you be travelling?", "What did you think of this and that place?", and so on and so on. I am annoyed at my own answers that I feel I have been repeating at least five times a day, so I am starting to make up stuff. Like me coming down here to introduce a new sport: "River surfing". So instead of rafting the Zambezi river, I surf on it. it's a good idea, at least! or i make up something else. if you have any suggestions, please let me know 😉


Oh! And I got to see and take a picture with the original World Cup Trophy (football) last weekend! I waited 4 hours in line for probably half a second with the precious thing. And I wasn't even allowed to touch it... but i did get some pics.

Now I'm off to the school to introduce my little surprise. I'll try to keep updating my blog more frequently from now on. Please leave a comment or two, that way it gives me motivation and inspiration to keep writing. (haha)


A LAST NOTE: Please, if you have anything that you don't need anymore (clothes are very much needed, old sport shoes, anything of sport equipment, or whatever you can think of really), contact me! I will be having some kind of fundraiser for EduSport soon, and any contribution, no matter how small, is deeply appreciated. Don't think that anything is too little or too stupid! (That is actually a quote from one of the peer leaders, answering my question of what I should collect.)
If you have something, but you're not sure whether they could use it or not, ask me! Chances are they have very much use for it.

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Photos

Chawama community school
handing out new jerseys straight from Hamar, Norway, to a community school in Chawama

school class
having class in the "classroom"

Mama Stella's
One of the community schools' entrance

Kevin doing one of the HIV-awareness games
Kevin, the main peer leader for Kalingalinga, plays and explains one of the HIV/Aids-awareness games in front of the camera of the national Zambian television

Comments

[mama]

høres ut som helt konge. tror du har funnet ditt sted. og engelsken din er impressiv. love mama

[pedro]

onkel ole:) gøy å lese bloggen din! bra skrevet måste eg seia! Fulgte linken om prøvespill i frigg så nå er jeg meldt opp på en av treningskampene.) Skal si fra hvordan det går... Når kommer guttene dine til norge for å spille litt fotball da? Skal isåfall trene opp keeperne!