Blogs from Zambia, Africa - page 91

I think everyone would admit that corruption is ubiquitous to some degree in every society; no one’s perfect. In Canada all of us have greased a bouncer, bent the rules to help out a friend, and been a victim or benificary of the problem. However the corruption that exists here in Zambia appears to be of a different breed and magnitude than that at home. Many Zambian’s I have spoken with feel that thee biggest problem in getting a job is corruption. I don’t think too many Canadian’s experience this as the biggest barrier in securing employment and most would probably concede laziness before corruption; the rich help feed the rich at the expense of the poor. The lower-to-middle class here also sees it as cementing the gap between social classes. In the little interaction ... read more

As you may recall from my last blog, I was beginning to experience an unusual entry into the land of Zambia. I had collected my Tanzanian exit stamp in the early hours of the morning and joined my mate Anita in order to get our visas from the on board customs officials. Having explained to the officials just what they needed to know, the officers felt the situation might best be dealt with in the privacy of their onboard office. The slight hitch to our situation was that Anita had slept through her Tanzanian exit stamp, and I had mine in the wrong passport. We stepped into the first class 'office' and the door was pulled closed for further privacy. As the window blind was shut as well, I decided to pull the corridor door back ... read more

This picture says more then my words could ever say. For me it sums up my thoughts and feelings about Africa. Let me know what it brings to your mind and your heart. ... read more

The intention of this blog is to share my experience with development here in Zambia. I realise being only one person and here for only four months implies a limited perspective and time constraint but I think through my integration in the community and position with a prominent NGO (non-government organization) It is possible for you to fgain a valuable apprecation for the framework of development in Zambia, typical barriers and challenges encountered, and the livelihoods of those it is intended to benefit. Hopefully this will either spark some curiosity, awken a previously dormant in development, or stimulate an existing knowledge base. Regardless, any questions or comments are welcomed and if I don’t know the answer I’m sure I can schmooze someone who does. So enjoy and please (in the words of Van Wilder), don’t hold ... read more

Although I’ve refrained from mentioning anything since I’ve arrived here over 3 months ago, I’ve been having a few problems getting the necessary full-time work permit that allows me to legally live and volunteer here in Zambia. See, in Zambia you are allowed to stay in the country as a volunteer for a total of 3 months for free. After that, you either need to get a work permit or leave the country. I applied for my work permit the first week I arrived here, however, due to various “administrative and technical problems” it “hasn’t been processed to date”. Over the past 3 months, I’ve had quite a crazy experience trying to get this work permit approved. Whether it was them not receiving the application form (which was sent to them the first week I was ... read more