No ordinary journey..............

Village women we passed returning to their homes in 

Sinte after filling water containers at the one available village pump. 

On the journey along the main road running to Livingstone, Zambia, we took a sharp left turn onto a dirt trail toward the village of Sinte, a long, bumpy ride, many miles from town. During our 2010 visit to Zambia we visited another nearby village but sadly were unable to return this trip. Apparently problems with tourists had arisen and Toka Leya camp where we stay is now supporting Sinte, a village also needing assistance. A much-needed water source (one well with pump) has already been installed. 

The children were very excited to see us 
arrive and ran after our vehicle. 
The thumbs up sign was popular.

Kim helping pump water at the well.

 Location of the only village water source....
used for everything......for several hundred 
people, the animals and crops!

 Our guide around Sinte was Miss Lillian, who 
is also the elementary school teacher. 
A very busy but delightful woman........mother, 
teacher, guide, living here in the home built 
for her with assistance from the villagers.

Lillian's thatched shower, toilet........

...........and her house.

The one tiny shop we saw in the village selling 

just a few items - dried beans, grains, 

and a few tomatoes......... 

 .........Paula with a bag of minuscule dried fish 
used for protein and flavoring.

 The children latched on to us and 
wouldn't let go.....walking us through 
their village which was large and spread out.

These little boys grabbed Bob's hands and refused to let go! 
Although early Winter, the heat was intense that 
afternoon - we were definitely over-dressed.......

.........but the children were really 'cool', with 
the older girls usually carrying the babies 
around, and we had fun getting to know them.

 

Two images, above and below, by Paula.

 Lillian took us to meet her Kindergarten class. 
As there is only one shared teacher, and 
one classroom, the children in each grade 
only go to school part of each day.

At the end of our visit the Kindergarten class sang for us.

It seems to be the same story, repeated endlessly by those of us fortunate enough to visit countries where life is so different from what most of us know. I call us fortunate because although standards of living are nothing like what we know and expect, we learn from these visits away from the usual tourist and sightseeing venues, and learning something new is often good for us.  

We become aware........we see that we have so much to be thankful for in our comfy lives, however we also feel that sometimes life, though it appears harsh to our eyes, can still be good when simple, as in a village such as Sinte where time seems to stand still. This is the only way I personally am able to come to grips with how life is for these children who have so little compared to mine, yours, and most people in the western world.

Prior to this visit to Sinte, we stopped at an orphanage on the road to Livingstone. Photos were not permitted. Here they provide a home for many children from birth to age 18. Older children were at school and we only visited the newborns to pre-toddlers nursery. We held the tiny ones cared for lovingly by local ladies. They were clean, well-fed, and receiving health care which was was uplifting.........knowing many were orphans due 
to AIDS was heartbreaking.

A special Sinte Village house - vintage lace in the doorway!

I have several more posts to come about Africa. Leaving Zambia we returned to South Africa. I'll share our adventures viewing the abundance of magnificent wildlife at Mala Mala on the edge of the Kruger National Park.