A Day in the Life of an Overseas Volunteer
Paul Slomp spent over two years volunteering in Zambia. Here is a taste of what his daily life was like as an EWB volunteer overseas.
Sunrise:
During the Rainy Season:
I wake up at 4:45am, get dressed and cycle 2 km to my field in the early dawn light. I tend to my maize, sunflower, millet, groundnut, and soya-bean crop. At 6:15am I cycle back to my village for breakfast.
During the Dry Season:
The village where I am staying wakes up and begins to stir. The roosters have already been crowing for a few hours, but with the first signs of the sun, people begin to move. Women start to fetch water and children crawl out of their huts to find whatever scraps of food they can for breakfast. I usually wake up to the sound of children playing, or fighting over a piece of cassava.
Breakfast:
While I listen to BBC's Network Africa on my short-wave radio, I eat some maize porridge (prepared the night before), mixed with bananas and sour milk (very similar to yoghurt). When I finish I quickly do my dishes.
Shower:
I fetch 15L of water from a well, 50m from my hut, save 5L for the evening meal/dishes, and use the remaining 10L to wash myself in a small enclosed grass-fence shower. Nothing gets me crowing in the morning like a cool bucket-shower.
To Town:
After my shower, I hop on my bicycle and cycle 16km, mostly uphill, into Chipata, where I work.
At Work:
At IDE, we promote low-cost irrigation systems for small-holder farmers to increase their income. My role with IDE, is to design a program that is effective at reaching many farmers, empowering farmers over their vegetable production activities, within the set budget. I have spent the majority of my time here learning who all the players are in vegetable production and how IDE can play a role in facilitating those players to come together in a fair and cost effective manner. Our day-to-day activities include:
- Going to farmer's fields to run treadle pump demonstrations, aimed at getting more farmers interested in the irrigation technology
- Training farmers to service and maintain their pumps
- Training treadle pump-users to effectively source their inputs, grow their vegetables, manage their farming enterprise and find markets for their vegetables
- Meeting with other non-governmental organisations, companies, micro-finance institutions and government departments that are working in related areas
- Identifying and training local pump manufacturers
- Building and maintaining a low-cost irrigation supply network
- Providing information to interested parties regarding vegetable gardening and irrigation systems at our office
Lunch:
My day at the office is normally split in two by a lunch break. When I am in the office, I head to a nearby market where a local restaurant keeper serves me large quantities of food to ensure that I leave Zambia a fat man, a sign that life was good to me in his country. If IÕm in the field, one of the families we are working with prepares lunch for us. No matter where I am though, lunch is always tasty Nshima with some sort of vegetable (and sometimes meat) stew.
Going Home:
On my way home from work I stop at the local market, where I purchase my evening meal and my bananas for breakfast. Many people sell the same goods at the same price, so I try to do my best to switch my vendor of choice daily. With a backpack loaded with supper, I cycle the remaining 14km home. If I've not left the office too late, I cycle home into a breathtaking sunset, but sometimes, I have to navigate my bicycle between rocks in the dark.
Cooking:
When I arrive in my village, I fill my blazer with charcoal and visit one of my neighbours for some hot coals to start my fire. After a short conversation, I head home and cook more Nshima with some type of stew. The headman from the neighbouring village normally comes to bring me some milk. As I cook outside of my hut, in the dark (in the light if the moon is out), I have small conversations with people passing by, wrestle with some of the village children and listen to Radio Netherlands on my short-wave radio to find out the goings on in the world.
Eating:
While I eat, I make sure to invite anyone who passes by to join me, abiding by the local custom. After I eat I wash my dishes and play guitar until I am ready for bed.
Going to Sleep:
I usually hit the pillow between 8:00 and 8:30pm. I crawl under my mosquito net and am lulled to sleep by the sounds of the village—fighting dogs, loud music from battery powered radios, and children playing children games.
On the Weekends:
On Saturdays I normally spend my whole day in the field or in my garden. There is normally plenty of work to be done. On Sundays, I clean my hut (since I am a bachelor, I only clean once a week(most of the huts in my village get cleaned every day), I wash my clothes, I sometimes go to church and spend the rest of the day relaxing by writing letters, reading or playing guitar.
