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Zambians do take their holidays seriously. Even though the 2009 International Women's Day was on Sunday, Zambians took the day off on Monday. I had the great pride and honor to participate in the march along with fellow teachers from Munali High School (www.munaligirls.hs.zm). A few weeks earlier, we were given a piece of fabric, called chitenge. Each of us went to our favourite tailor and had our clothes made. I had a shirt with collar, buttons, and pockets put together for me. It was so much fun to see what each person designed. The march was a few kilometer long. Each contingency had the same fabric. The spirits were very high. I was wondering how women handle carrying huge heavy handbags and marching in high heel shoes. We ended up at a conference center where we watched dance show and few speakers including the president of Zambia speaking. The president said in honor of this day, he cooked for his wife. That made me wonder if it is the only time of the year he does something for his wife. After the march, we returned to high school and had our own party in the staff room. There were food, drinks, music, dance, and laughter.

Two weekends in a row, Frank taught HIV/AIDS information at the Male Circumcision workshop. 140 and 200 deaf community members were in attendance at both workshops which were sponsored by the Deaf Bible Baptist Church.

extending his Peace Corps service in Lusaka, Zambia for two more months. His new official end-of-service date is now July 31st, 2009. After long and hard consideration, he decided that it's the best plan to make. He does misses being with his family and friends in the United States. Yet, he enjoys so much his work with the deaf pupils at Munali Girls High School (www.munaligirls.sch.zm) and has projects going on. One of the reasons taken into consideration is the fact that he will be unemployed for a few months if he was to return to the United States in May. He has applied for a job at California School for the Deaf. If he is offered a position, it won't start until mid-to-late August, and the first paycheck won't be until a month later. The other reason is that when Francis gets his student visa, he won't be allowed to travel to the United States earlier than 30 days before the start of his course of study. Ohlone College in Fremont, CA opens late August, and he will be allowed to enter the country after July 26th.

Some of you have offered to send something for Frank's students. He is still accepting offers, and number one item on the wish list is dictionary. His students want to have such paperback reference book of their own. Getting one in Zambia is expensive. Getting one in the United States is cheap. (Hint: Dollar Store, Thrift Shop and $2.99 at Amazon.com). Email him if you want shipping instructions. So far, two people have graciously sent boxes of dictionaries, and two other people are working on them. He had to give dictionaries to those who score the highest on the weekly quiz that he gives out. Dictionary is a GREAT motivator and really gets the students to take their studying seriously. Dictionary is a keeper and will last a long time. Frank's goal is to give a dictionary to every one of his 250 deaf students at Munali Girls High School. Kindly help him reach that goal.

Although he is far away, cyber world is small. He'd enjoy hearing from you. Short or long. With or without news.

In case you are wondering where I work, here's the link to the school website. http://www.munaligirls.sch.zm/

If you go to the tab "Meet Our Students", you will find Francis there.

Enjoy and thanks for visiting.

The Two F's on a minibus. Both are wearing the shirt they got in Kenya.


Chatting and relaxing with deaf friends in Nyimba, Eastern Province


Francis and his teacher from primary school he attended as a child. The teacher is the one who helped refer Francis to a school for the deaf after he lost his hearing.


Frank in front of Magwero School for the Deaf near Chipata, Eastern Province, Zambia


Afuniko, Frank, and Charles after a failed road trip due to rain and mud


Pupils at Magwero School for the Deaf

Fran2 (name created to combine Francis and Frank) in front of Mount Kilimanjaro in the beautiful tiny Kenyan town of Loitokitok.


Fort Frank. Oops, Frank at Fort Jesus in Mombasa.


Sam and Francis at the Mombasa Port


Frank and Sam in Mombasa. Sam is a friend I knew during my service in Kenya. We reconnected, and he graciously took us on a walking tour.


Fran2 feeling freshened after three weeks of fun-filled fiesta. Sitting in a Kenya Airways 737 on our way back to Lusaka, Zambia.

Francis' first ever airplane trip. Photo taken at Lusaka International Airport in front of Kenya Airways 767



Francis' first ever fun dip in any ocean, this one is the Indian Ocean off of Watamu on the Kenyan Coast.



Francis' first encounter with an African outside of Zambia. This one is a Maasai lady.

It's a servant house located behind a main house tucked away in a quiet neighborhood near the University of Zambia campus. Do come and visit!

A dear friend in San Francisco sent three boxes full of goodies for me to give to my students. What a very generous well-wisher Dan is! I know the dictionary will be appreciated by all the lucky receivers. Writing instruments and other supplies will be very useful. The yarns will go to a different school that I don't work at. The deaf students there receive vocational training.

Two years and a month since this group of Peace Corps volunteers arrived in Kenya! What such memiors!

May your love increase like fuel price,
may your worries drop like Zimbabwe dollar and
your blessing increase like corruption in Zambia.

January 1, 2008
“There Are D/HH People in America?" The Experiences of Two D/HH Peace Corps Volunteers in Keny
By: Erika Eckstrom, Peace Corps Headquarters
Allison Rice and Frank Lester departed for Kenya to make a difference as Peace Corps volunteers by educating Kenyans on HIV/AIDS and developing education and literacy programs. They are just like other Peace Corps volunteers except for one thing – they are both Deaf.

Learning a New Language

Similar to other Peace Corps volunteers, Rice and Lester had to learn an entirely new language, in their case Kenyan Sign Language (KSL). KSL is a communication form very different than the American Sign Language that they grew up with.

Lester notes, “The Deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) world has always had a communication system which is visual and gestural based. However, this does not mean that sign language is universal and that if you learn one sign language you can communicate with every D/HH person in the world.”

Learning KSL was key for success – and not just for Peace Corps volunteers. When the Peace Corps first started the D/HH Education Program, materials on KSL were scarce, making it very hard for Kenyan parents to communicate with their D/HH children. Peace Corps volunteers have led the way in developing resources and making the language more accessible for students and parents, as well as health and education professionals.

Overcoming Obstacles

Growing up in the United States, both Rice and Lester overcame the obstacles of being nonhearing persons in a hearing world. Despite the challenges, they had equal rights and were perceived as active members in American society, a way of life they no longer take for granted.

In Kenya, the situation for D/HH people is anything but accomodating. “I tell them about how D/HH Americans live, work, play and go to secondary schools, colleges and universities,” writes Lester. “Especially the children are amazed that I could drive, travel, have my own home and live independently.”

Many Kenyans are surprised to meet a D/HH American because it contrasts so sharply with their stereotypes of America as the “Land of Opportunity.” Rice says that upon first meeting, it’s not uncommon for a stranger to remark, “I didn’t know there were D/HH Americans.”

The volunteers also encountered some of what D/HH Kenyans face. Rice writes, “I was not prepared for the occasional snickering, ‘Bubu! Bubu!’ (Kiswahili for ‘a dumb person’). I thought that term had gone out of date.”

The ability to confront and defy negative labels and expectations is what makes Peace Corps volunteers like Rice and Lester so valuable – they are stereotype breakers.

HIV/AIDS Education

Lester works in Peace Corps’ Kenyan Deaf Education Program. One of the goals of the program is to develop HIV/AIDS awareness within the D/HH community. Because D/HH Kenyans are often stereotyped as cursed, useless or incapable, they have regrettably been overlooked in the past when it came to HIV/AIDS education. Additionally, there is the challenge of tailoring programs to reach this target group of KSL users.

To increase awareness and mark the importance of HIV/AIDS for the D/HH community, Lester teamed up with hearing Peace Corps volunteers to produce interactive HIV/AIDS resources and a video for the D/HH community using KSL.

Lester is also working to connect the D/HH community to HIV/AIDS and health resources by educating their families and service providers. Lester provides KSL daily lessons to a counselor from the district hospital’s HIV testing center. This service provider has a large number of D/HH patients and is now able to more effectively communicate with them.

Literacy

Literacy and education is one major obstacle that many Kenyans currently face, and D/HH Kenyans in particular. Literacy is a way to bridge the gap between those who talk and those who sign, and to enable D/HH individuals to better integrate into their communities and be recognized as contributing citizens.

Rice’s project focuses on encouraging elder daughters of rural families to help their younger siblings with their reading and writing skills. Her hope is that family support will encourage rural kids to view literacy as entertainment as well as a component of social worth.

“When I was young, reading children’s books was my favorite pastime and I was able to expand my knowledge about the world,” said Rice. “It is something I wanted to share among undereducated kids in Kenya.”

The Program

Since its inception in 1995, the Peace Corps’ Deaf Education Program in Kenya has grown and currently works with a variety of D/HH schools across the country. Volunteers are earning respect for their significant contributions toward improving education and raising community awareness for the needs of the D/HH.

Over 4,810 Peace Corps volunteers have served in Kenya since 1964 and Kenya remains one of the largest Peace Corps programs in Africa with 183 volunteers currently serving. Volunteers strive to improve the nation in four main areas: business development, education, the environment and HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness.

The Peace Corps is in its 46th year of service at home and abroad. Currently, there are 8,000 volunteers abroad, a 37-year high for volunteers in the field. Since 1961, more than 190,000 volunteers have helped promote a better understanding between Americans and the people of the 139 countries where they have served. To learn more about the Peace Corps or apply to become a Peace Corps volunteer, visit www.peacecorps.gov or call 800.424.8580.

I have a new brother. His name is Francis Refan Phiri. He is a 25 year-old deaf orphan from a Chewa tribe (www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chewa). In December 2008, he is finishing 12th grade. Having brilliant mind with an excellent communication skill and a lot of potential for leadership, he yearns for education beyond high school. Post-secondary educational opportunity for deaf pupils in Zambia is very limited and almost non-existential.

I met him in June 2008 at my first visit to the high school where I was to teach. We became instant friend. Not only he is my student, I have learned so much from him.

Francis and I proposed a plan. It is for him to come with me to San Francisco Bay Area when I finish my Peace Corps service in May 2009. I will apply to work at California School for the Deaf. Francis will apply for an international student visa and to enroll at Ohlone College, also in Fremont. Ohlone College is chosen because of its renowned international deaf program and because of its proximity to the school where I hope to work at, and to my Northern California family and friends. We may find an apartment in Fremont for us to live together.

My Pupil Personnel Service Credential is still current and will be up for renewal in 2009. I just learned that if I have a Bachelor degree or higher, and eighteen months of teaching experience as a Peace Corps volunteer, I can get a preliminary teaching credential from the state of California. I will apply for it upon completion of my service. My chance of getting a job at the school will then be doubled. If I do get a teaching job, I will then pursue a Clear Teaching Credential by taking exams and/or a few courses. I never thought I would be a classroom teacher. Peace Corps in Kenya and Zambia got me hooked.

I am committed to support Francis academically and emotionally as he makes a major adjustment to a new and different life. He has never been in an airplane and out of Zambia. He hasn't yet seen the Victoria Falls which I already did. It is my intend to fund his education and living expenses during his first two years in the United States. We will try to find scholarship and other assistances to supplement costs. However, I will be the back-up if financial help isn't available or enough. After two years at the community college, if all goes well, he may transfer to an university.

His dream is to return to Zambia an educated man, and to advocate for improvement of the quality of life for all Deaf Zambians.

I do hope that each of you will get to meet and know what a great young man Francis is. He is a family member and becoming an important part of my life.

We have already started the process of applying for his passport. It is not easy. First of all, there is absolutely not any information on the government website. I'm aghast at the lack of access using high technology, but yet at the same time, not surprised. The bureaucracy is dysfunctional, making it difficult to obtain a Zambian passport. On our first trip to the passport office in town, we gathered information as to what we need to do. On the second trip on a different day, we picked up an application form, and had to pay for it. Yes, there is a separate fee, one to get the form, and the other to pay for the passport. On the third trip on yet another day, we dropped off the completed form, but it wasn't approved. After obtaining some necessary documents, we made another trip to the office. Now it is a waiting game before Francis gets his first passport. Once he gets it, we will then begin paperwork for college application.

Francis with his happy heart announced the news to his family and friends. He lives with his aunt. She hosted a special meal and invited me so that I get to meet and know the local relatives. I am now announcing the news to my family and friends, thus this email. This is very exciting for us, and I couldn't wait 8 months to let you know that I'm coming home with someone.


Francis and his aunts and uncles. You know the phrase, "It takes a village to raise a child." Since Francis is an orphan, he grew up with these loving people.


Meet Francis

...and the other one in the last post came from a staff room at one of the schools I work at.

"If you are open to your pupils they too will be open and begin to accept themselves as worthwhile beings, worth of love and attention. You should, therefore, aim at developing the pupils' self-awareness skills, which are vital to self-actualisation. It is only when the self-actualisation has been attained that the pupils will realise their potentials for living in our future where there will be no adults to direct them."

"Living is an art which has to be learned if it has to be meaningful to us as individuals and in relation with other people. We need to know and understand ourselves. Our self-understanding will help us to measure other peoples' feelings in situations where they are unable to help themselves. You, as a teacher, have a great responsibility to help your pupils develop these desirable values and attitudes themselves adequately for their own and national benefit."

This is the holiday month. Schools are closed. 250 deaf pupils at Munali High School have gone home. A small group of local-based deaf pupils asked for me to continue teaching during the month. I graciously and happily accepted. So, every morning we meet at Munali and have lively discussions. I teach English, little Geography, and some Life Skills. It is amazing to see how much self-motivation and enthusiasm the pupils have. They give me full energy to be working with them. One day, they asked me to bring my digital camera and laptop to show them how these two work together. Thus the photography below. Most of the cameras in Zambia are still using the now "old-fashioned" film.


Note how affectionate the young Zambian men are. Just heartwarming!


The pupils loved the book I had from the U.S., the one about deaf Americans.

This being a holiday weekend with Farmer's Day on Monday 4 August, among numerous of interesting exhibits to be seen at the annual Agriculture Fair taking place on the huge showground in Lusaka, the tribal dances were most fascinating. I've managed to take some snapshots for you to enjoy. Each dance represented a tribe from different areas in Zambia. I was told the names and their location, but I just couldn't retain all the details. Just looking at them and feeling the drumbeats is an awesome experience by itself.

The Chief


Tools and costumes include products made from animals.


One of many different traditional costumes, this one is very simple with a little touch of modernity.


Deaf Zambian friends, Francis, Brian, and Jonah and I went together to enjoy the day at the fair.


Painted Man


A Witch

While growing up, my mother and aunt crocheted quite a number of afghans. I still have two of my mother's work. In Kenya, I traveled several times from my site in Webuye to the capital city of Nairobi on the 9-hour bus ride. What better use of my time than to crochet small squares that are easy to travel with. Those bus rides sure paid off, and I ended up with 432 squares. With gracious help from a deaf Kenyan tailoring teacher at St. Anthony School for the Deaf, she assisted me putting them together into one huge blanket. The project was interrupted when I was evacuated from Kenya, and had to leave it behind. A few months later, upon my return to Kenya, I gladly retrieved the uncompleted blanket, and took it with me to Zambia. After putting all the squares together, and adding the border, I took it to a deaf Zambian seamstress and had her sew lining on the back of the afghan. Voila, a completed afghan nearly a year after starting the first square. The colours I chose for this afghan are representatives of Africa for which I will always remember my time here.

Alice, the deaf Kenyan tailoring teacher contributed so much to this afghan. Thanks to her.

Grace, the deaf Zambian seamstress put a final touch on the afghan. In this photo, her husband who is also a deaf tailor, assists her as she tries out my bicycle.

A product of time, labour, and love...a completed African Afghan. It's now on my bed, keeping the cold nights warm for me.