Today was another sleep-in morning since the bus took off at 9 AM. After a half-hour drive into a more rural part of Zambia, we arrived at Chongwe Community School.
A group of adults and students greeted us next to the old brick buildings and the PlayPump that was a main attraction of the grounds. They welcomed us and then ushered us towards a cleared field. We were instructed to set up a grid system using sticks and rope and to make 20 holes using hoes for each length of rope. The task looked impossible at first because the ground was rocky and had heaps of broken corn stalks strewn across it. We split into groups of fours with two people holding the sticks and string in place, one person creating the 20 holes, and another person relaying watering cans back and forth from the PlayPump.
We soon developed a relay system in which a few people pushed the PlayPump around, full of happy children, to create a decent flow of water (PlayPumps work by spinning a merry-go-round that creates enough energy to lift and clean the ground water and then push it out a hose nearby), while others brought the full buckets to the field (often copying the African women and balancing the water buckets on their heads).
The task took only around two hours as we worked as a team to clear the field, sow the seeds, and water it all. The best part was, however, watching an organization’s, like PlayPumps, ideas be used to help others. We hear about these grand ideas of setting up elaborate plans to end poverty or cure disease, but one rarely gets to see those ideas in action. Today, the LearnServe team witnessed the water purifying system of PlayPumps being used to supply Chongwe Community School with a vegetable garden to supply the children with healthy, sustainable food.
As we pushed the PlayPump around, we were also able to play with the children. We picked them up and repositioned them as we pushed them around and around. The kids never got bored of the spinning while most of us hobbled off dizzy and a little nauseous after just one spin. The garden was finally finished and we packed into the bus again. The children grabbed onto our hands and waved at the bus as we drove away. Even though today was just a short session, it was still very fulfilling and fun to see a new set of children and set them up with a brand new garden.