Don't forget your bicycle repair kit

I figured I had been here long enough to bore you with the details of my experiences so far. Feel free to have a little read when you’ve got time.

So I arrived in Lusaka back in March and spent the first two weeks staying with a local family. The mother was someone I had worked with back in Newcastle just after I had finished University. She told me I could come and stay any time although I’m pretty sure she thought I’d never take up the offer!

They were incredibly kind and helped me to settle in, introducing me to local food, culture and the interesting driving conditions. The main dish here is nshima, a maize product that looks like a mixture of mash, porridge, bread and rice. It isn’t the best tasting food in the world but it is eaten daily by everyone so thought I should join the party. I have it for lunch every day at work normally with either chicken or caterpillar and a bit of veg, lovely!

So early on it became apparent that moving around the city wasn’t going to be easy. Taxis are expensive, mini buses are crazy and can take hours to get anywhere and walking isn’t the safest. So the only other option ... buy a bike! After seeking advice I was told to avoid the local markets at all costs because, despite their cheap prices, they didn’t last more than a week. Of course, being a Sadler, I ignored the advice and made my way down to Kamwala market buying a mountain bike on the cheap. Within 10 minutes of riding out of the shop my seat fell off, as did one of the pedals ... to be continued.

So some of you may be asking, why am I here. Basically I represent two UK based charities, Tackle Africa and Alive & Kicking. They both use sport as a communication tool to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS. With one organisation I have set up the ‘Orphanage World Cup’ a football and netball league that gives orphans and vulnerable children the opportunity to participate in sport as well as receiving vital HIV/AIDS education.

With the other charity I am in the process of partnering up with local organisations so that I can train and empower teachers, coaches and other educators to deliver the HIV/AIDS education themselves in their communities. Our approach communicates health messages directly through sports coaching sessions so participants have a very visual and participatory learning experience. Having seen these sessions and delivered them myself they really seem to work. The messages are clear and appear to be understood and the participants have been surprisingly willing to discuss the issues in depth, despite the sensitive nature of HIV/AIDS.

The football just seems to relax those involved and within a few sessions people are often talking freely and openly about the issues that affect their everyday life. I have seen some even admit that they are HIV positive which is a huge statement here as the repercussions can be very unpleasant. People can be rejected by their families and the local community because of the stigma attached to the virus. Hopefully, with more people openly sharing their HIV status and building their knowledge, understanding will increase and these stigmas can be challenged.

All in all the work is going well. At times it can be very frustrating and sometimes you can put a lot of work in with no outcome but things are slowly coming together. The leagues have begun with the first few weeks having taken place in the Chawama slums, we then move to Kamwala next week. I’ve also been visiting orphanages across Lusaka to deliver the HIV/AIDS education so hopefully we are raising awareness and allowing people to make informed life decisions.

During these visits I have been lucky enough to meet a lot of passionate people who are working incredibly hard to improve their communities with very little resources. These are people of all ages, some are elders who have lived in the community since birth and others are young children acting as peer leaders. One thing for sure, there is a lot of energy here which is quite an experience.

Going back to the bike ... so visiting different orphanages has meant a lot of travelling but I couldn’t give up on my two wheeled friend. So despite its initial problems I rode it with one pedal and managed to fix the seat. Then, on the way to my first orphanage (during my second week) 1km out of the city my other pedal fell off and my front wheel buckled. This was then worsened by the fact I had misread the distance and it was in fact 10km through scrubland out in the bush. Luckily a lot of people cycle here so there are a fair few ‘bike mechanics’ about. I managed to get two new pedals and screw things back together so I eventually made it there and back.

Since then, despite the help of sellotape,  I have had to replace the pedals four times, had two new wheels, had 4 new inner tubes, repaired 11 punctures, screwed the seat back on 4 times, screwed the breaks together twice, tightened up the handlebars 8 times and replaced the horn once! I have also managed to create a name for myself. Apparently locals know me as the ‘crazy cycling mazungo’ because, as I was told by some local street vendors, I am the only white person who cycles in Zambia. This explains why people constantly shout ‘crazy mazungo’ and laugh every time they see me pedal past.

Away from work I’ve been lucky enough to bungee jump in front of Victoria Falls, diving through a rainbow on the way, as well as experiencing the physical pain afterwards! We’ve taken a safari trip East to South Luangwa, a 10 hour drive from Lusaka. Driving here can be quite a challenge avoiding holes which could often be described as large chasms but happily our 4x4 rental made it in one piece! We also managed to spot some big name animals like lions, crocodiles, elephants and rabbits so the journey was worth it!

Wow this has turned out to be an essay rather than a blog so I’ll sum up ... Zambia so far is turning out to be an unforgettable and amazing experience. Hopefully as time goes on I will be able to tell you that the education projects are running smoothly and we will have created a sustainable health programme that will run and run long into the future. Next time though I think I’ll spend a little more cash when it comes to buying a bike!