Maria, Patricia and Racheal

I want to tell you about three new faces for me. I will start with Maria. I was taking a walk one evening through the dry brush near the water tank when I heard pounding and conversation so I turned off my path and found Maria and Naomi sitting on the ground with legs out in front of them pounding away at white quartz rock turning it into piles of golf ball sized pieces to try and sell. They had old feed sacks wrapped around their chitenges (colorful wraps women wear here as skirts) to protect them from the flying rock shards. Both Maria and Naomi had to have been in their 60s. Luckily Maria's English was pretty good, she even pulled up from her memory the word slab when I asked her what the rocks were used for (the concrete slab which a house is built upon). I have also seen them used in landscaping/mud removal or prevention around buildings. The rocks are natural in this area, sticking out where erosion occurs and just needing someone to dig down and break off big pieces or pull up large rocks.  Maria worked at the hospital for 27 years before retiring. She was using a sledge hammer and Naomi was using some old piece of metal from a vehicle of some sort that had a heavy head. I shivered to think of the shock their hands, wrists and arms were absorbing which each blow of the hammer against the rock. Maria told me it took them three or four days to make a heap and they could sell it for about $12 US. I thanked Maria for answering all my questions and let them get back to work. I keep meaning to go back (with my camera) and visit again, but I have not made it.

Patricia is a 12 year old seventh grader who loves to read! This is a rare thing in Macha. She quickly moved on from the children's story books I have and is borrowing some old children's encyclopedia's that were in the house when I got here. She borrows one at a time and usually brings them back the next day. While here, she often picks up some of the adult books on the shelf and browses through them asking what certain words mean. Winter, precious and souls are a few that come to mind. She also likes to look at my map of the world. She seems to be a sponge for new information. Patricia is the youngest of three girls I also am one of three girls. From there our similarities part. Patricia's father died four years ago, her mother three years ago. I am assuming from AIDS, but I have not asked. Patricia was raised in the Copperbelt an area in the Northwest of the country where the primary language is Bemba. When their parents died, the girls were split up. Her oldest sister now 17 is in Kitwe with friends. Her other sister 15 is with an uncle in the town where they grew up. Patricia was sent here to live with her grandmother. It is just the two of them in their home. She says they get along. I have not met her grandmother yet, but hope to soon. Patricia seems to mentor some of the younger children around and so far is a young twelve, not trying to grow up too fast. I look forward to getting to know her better these next few years.

Finally I want to tell you about Rachael, the most vibrant one year old I have seen yet in Zambia. Rachael's mother has hiv, and we had called her in because her last CD4 count was under 350 indicating it is time for her to start full HAART, a three drug regimen that she will be on for the rest of her life. Because she is still breastfeeding Rachael, this is even more important. As the head ART nurse was talking to mom and explaining her lab results and the next steps, little Rachael was wiggling and smiling and clapping and flirting with me.   Rachael has been taking Neveripine daily since birth and a daily dose of prophylactic antibiotic since six weeks of age. She was due for her one year hiv test.  I carried Rachael next door where the testing takes place with mom close by. Thankfully she tested negative. I just could not get over how active and engaging Rachael was. Most babies that age are pretty stoic and observant around here. Rachael's love of life was contagious and we were all laughing at her at some point. Mom is not married, but you could tell this baby was getting lots of love. I asked the nurse to ask mom who all lived in their house. Sure enough, mom still lived with her parents. So this little one had three adults to love her up, and it showed. So many kids have stressed out parents with many to take care of, you could tell this little one had lots of one on one attention. I hope I get to see more of her.