Summer thoughts

Everyone keeps asking "what are you doing for the summer?". I have no idea. Im probably going to keep at my job (in a GP's, doing scanning), but there is never enough work for full time. Which actually suits me pretty well except for the resulting cash deficit...

What I would really love to do is to go back to Zambia with V. We were there for a month in 2005, and it was amazing. We basically spent our time "teaching" (read trying to entertain and control) OVC's (orphaned and vulnerable children), and going on some outreach projects to the bush villages run by the hospice we worked for.

The problems there are never ending, and people have so much to be miserable about, and yet all you get are smiles and greetings when you walk down the street. A far cry from where I live, where everyone is fed and has healthcare and if you smile at them in the street, they look away. It is the most uplifting place, and I would love to go back.



Mary, the wonderful Irish nurse who runs the projects, is badly in need of money to feed the OVC's and staff, a total number of about 120. So trying to come up with some fundraising ideas here, anyone got any?

The hospice is run in conjunction with Kara Counselling. You can find out all about it here. Its a really great grassroots projects, and they are expanding all the time, trying to serve more of the community. They just built a new centre in the largest shanty town, Makululu. Here it is when it was almost finished.

You may not think it looks like much, but it will provide food and daycare for about 80 OVC's, have a VCT centre and hopefully a paediatric hospice wing for the really sick kids. Here it was at the start!

I would also LOVE to get to Zambia by taking the train from Dar-es-Salaam to Kapiri Mposhi. Its meant to be amazing, and I adore train rides. Apparently its like going on safari because the train cuts through all the parks, and you can see elephants, zebra, giraffe, birds etc. And its only 42hours (give or take general mayhem)!






So basically thats what im thinking about right now. When I should be concentrating on what dermatomes are.