Eleventh week in Zambia 🔆🇿🇲

Week June 9 – June 15

Sweetest moment of the week:

“New meetings and smiles”

One evening was filled with sweetness thanks to the little nephews of a MAPSA team friend who showed me their little stuffed toys, all super happy. Their dad, the brother of my friend, works for the water company “Acqua Vita” here in Zambia and, with great pride, the kids brought me two bottles of water to take home. Small gestures, but with a huge heart.

Challenge of the week:

“The mystery of the ghost course in Kawama”

We arrived in Kawama, the farthest place where we work here, all excited and ready for the long-awaited computer course we had planned for weeks...

And guess what? It didn’t happen. Haha!

Like: we made the trip, got organized, studied the location excessively… and then… nothing. The course magically disappeared from the schedule!

Notice this: it happens often here. “Tomorrow we are here,” “Tomorrow it happens” — and then… poof!

We took advantage of the time to plan the malaria campaign for the next day.

Another recent challenge: our beloved taxis. To get reimbursed for long work trips, we have to request a receipt... if only one of them had one!!!!! Haha. I’ll just say we managed somehow!

Anyway, about the malaria campaign!!! On Friday we spent the day in Kawama between schools and streets promoting malaria awareness and also distributed some condoms in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.

At the first school we arrived at, we were literally swarmed by children and teenagers… we had to run away... they were too happy to see us!

News: here in schools they can’t distribute condoms because what they promote is abstinence… because kids should stay focused on their studies while in school.

Focus during the Malaria campaign

Most Special Moment of the Week:

"African Birthday: What a Day!!!"

June 10 was my birthday... and what a day it was!!!

The morning was spent between a cleaning action at the Chipulukusu playing field and wandering through the market streets, chatting with people, laughing, and exploring here and there. A perfect way to start my special day. Together with Ethel, one of the girls from the youth clubs, we visited all the market stalls to buy chicken — a live one... help... — and then some sausages to grill!

We then moved to a friend’s house, and together with Abraham, one of the Under-19 boys (who has the same birthday!), and other MAPSA kids, we danced all afternoon, nonstop, full of energy and smiles. Ethel, my little sister, prepared grilled chicken and sausages... gulp.

And when evening came... surprise! An Italian dinner at a restaurant with other friends. A day full of music and fun! I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday!

I also received a special gift from Mom and Pier, who coordinated with Karo (saint Karo, who went crazy all day organizing everything): a custom-made jersey from local shops here.

Jamoca had a photo printed with the entire Under-19 team and the kids from the MAPSA Academy.

The sweetest gift? A girl from the female team (Rachel) wrote me a little handmade book, full of thoughts and drawings. I will keep it forever.

Most Energetic Moment of the Week

"Soccer and Songs"

Saturday was a day full of matches, emotions, and pure involvement. The ride back with the girls was an explosion of laughter, music, and joy. Sport here is something that unites, energizes, and makes your eyes sparkle.

In the morning at the field, we met our Humana advisors from Spain and Portugal and had a chance to chat and spend some time with them! They brought me the missing malaria prophylaxis pills and even spoiled us with some candies, gulp! Elena from Spain also gave a huge boost to our fundraising — just one video sent to her family and friends raised a lot! So a special thanks to her and her entire family!

By the way, it was freezing! The first cold day… at least chilly… then the next day back to scorching heat!

Most Adventurous Moment of the Week

"On a Mission for Shoes and New Homes"

We wandered around Chipulukusu looking for a pair of shoes for a boy, then went to see a new house with Jamoca. Between stops, we sang, danced, and laughed. A light afternoon but full of meaning: every step a shared piece of history.

Other Moments to Remember

"Braids Mission"

This week I got my hair braided! The girls from the youth group where we work on Wednesdays patiently spent five and a half hours (yes, five and a half!) braiding my hair! With loud music, laughter, and chatting, the time flew by. Now I have a new look, and it pulls a bit… at least for the first few days. I love them!!!

Photo of the Week 💯

Birthday in the company of MAPSA boys

NEW TO THE SITE:

I have added a section entirely dedicated to the best travel pictures.

You will find the best shots of my travels and my life. Go to the Portfolio page to see them all!

SUPPORT THE MAPSA ACADEMY:

If you want to support local activities here in Zambia (from sports to education, from nutrition to training), you can! We have started a fundraiser to collect the materials that are missing from the list in MAPSA ACADEMY. Initially we had to start from scratch, slowly, thanks to your help, we bought some uniforms, some balls, some shoes and some training materials.