New PLARD officers' visit.

In January 2013, PLARD has few officers changed. Dr. Piet Stevens (left first) replaced Dr. Jonnson. 

The new PLARD officers visited Dept. of Fisheries in Mansa and together they visited DOF in Samfya District and requested to see my farmers and ponds too.

One group's ponds, after another group's other ponds...... 

and another....... 

and another.......

and another.......

not every group's site can be visited without gum boots.....sorry, it is "the" season......

At last I introduce them to Ba Anna's site.......the ponds are still on the coming yet......

But we had the spring preserved with a water gate...... 

The new PLARD Director, Dr. John Steel was impressed on our little reservoir at Ba Anna's site.

 

Cheng 3/20/2013

 

A new farmer............

Ba Annabella's son Chris had given three PCVs a ride after they visited my post home and went over to Lake Bangweulu......turned out that the Mom had registered herself to do fish pond farming, but did not know where and how to start.....PCVs suggested her to contact me. 

 

I was so impressed of Ba Anna that she had been in bus accident and lost left arm, but inside of her, she is 100% as positive, as active as any healthy people can be. 

Of course, we work together greatly.

On her land, it was so much water at early February, so we made furrow to drain it to prepare for the construction for two fish ponds........

On spot near to the furrow, one spring water like leak was getting heavier and heavier....

We had to find termite dirt to crush and to seal the leak.......

I only learned this from the training, never had to use it yet...... 

Whao.....isn't it great when you have a chance to prove something you learned is really working........

So we had the water where we want it and not anywhere we don't need.

Ba Anna has all workers hired, so the progresses of her ponds were not as fast as the farmers who is working for their own ponds.

 

Cheng 3/20/2013

 

In the period of last three months in villager......

In the COS conference, we were told to slow down whatever we are doing in the villages and be prepared to close up projects we did, plus not to start new projects......

 

Yeah, it is right for all, but not for my villagers.....

Malaria Champion on February 9, 2013.

It was hot that day and 40 attendances were in and out of my insaka to stay cool.........

This Champion was led by the Area Developement Committee Officers.

 

Whatever my villagers can learn to take better care of themselves, I have never say no to anything that is on the coming. The more the better.

 

Cheng 3/20/2013

back at routine working......

Got back to village, first I had a few ponds starting to construct, and went to all villages to re-enforce everyone to come for the work planning meeting at month end on January 31st, 14:00 at my insaka........

I had the only one internet cafe in Samfya, its co-owner Ba Joseph fixed my lap top password problem that he had the repare disks.....so I am my lap top owner again....

Thanks to Ba Joseph. 

One neighbor's rooster, it had to crook in the front of my door or in between my house to my insaka....05:30 to 06:30 every morning.......rain or shine......

Go to the chicken and "work"...

and any wherer else... 

While telling farmers to come for work planning meeting for February, one group told me that they have no fishes any more.....WHAT!!!......"It was all got stollen, while you were gone from village."

My fault???  That I have had a COS conference and a vacation????

Turned out that DOF Samfya has the record that this group had lost fishes twice before this time in the record, all at about time to be harvested......

I raised my voices every time talking to them on this subject that I truly believe it was done by inside thieves and if none to tell, that is covering up for the others....."WHY???"

 

After while I can see the eye contacts were not friendly any more.....so I went to DC's office and the Acting DC Ba Mulenga at the time, listened to my story in friendly way but surprised me that he brought the head of DOF Ba Musonda to come to my meeting regarding to this stollen fish issue in my insaka that afternoon.

It turned all negative attention on me to the possitive way.  With the officials around all farmers assured me that they want to continue work hard on fish pond farming and wanting me to keep on monitoring their progresses with them. 

Thanks to Ba Mulenga and Ba Musonda.

Beside this, they sent DOF officers Ba Mbewe and Ba Milemba with DOL Ba Chipwaya to come assisting me on the field discuss with that group of farmers, next to their ponds under a tree.

We suggested them to regroup the membership - 50 members in a group is too big to manage.  Assign people for each of their four ponds......their fingerling in ponds are suffient to expect a good harvest in six months time, if they will provide enough feed and pond managements......and all had agreed. 

Positives on the top of positives......CERITUS gave my closeby farmer group four hundred tree lings of all sorts.......This was the second batch of tree lings we have received since last October.

We had 194 pine tree ling from them. 

Hope in month of February all be moving forward positively and in wonders.

 

Cheng  3/17/2013

 

 

The gifts from USA finally arrived in February....

There were things I would like to have my two villagers to have, the drill bits and leveler. These two have being helping me on almost all projects I do in Makasa communities that I can't get in Lusaka. Barbara brought back from her Seattle home leave and I brought back to village after Malawi trip........

There werer three saccar balls from Kathy and Larry that I have recieved days before US Ambassadar's visiting my post home and ponds, I've just time to bring them one for Munimbwe Community School.....

one for Makasa Primary School..........

 

One that my close by neighbors said that the "home team" would like to have one.....So, all done.

 

Thanks to Kathy and Larry.  You have made many kids and adults happy here for a long time. 

The thank you notes are on the coming, they said.....and still.......

We are on African time here.

 

Cheng   3/17/2013

Nkhata Bay vacation......

In the trip at Malawi, I think they do have better roads, not only paved surface, they do have the shoulders, all smooth.....

there were a few bays to and from resort and dive shop......all looked pretty....... 

Surprised to see the bicycle can be running as taxi.......see, the ones with licenses at the back. Those would take customers here and there....the seat looked comfy and there are handle bars and foot supports at both sides....wonder if they have to pay taxes on income too??? 

There was a small corner at the resort, one artist sells few crafts and teaches customer to do it too......

The resort also has activities every day.......one afternoon the free boat ride to the cliff to jump off from....all my three travel companions jumped.......I stayed on boat taking pictures......someone has do it, right??? Yeah!!!  

 

to a beach big enough for valley ball.......

on the way back, we stopped to feed one fish eagle..... 

The resort also challenge customers by offering the local canoe around a buoy and back that one can win a dinner or a night stay free......on those canoes you have to sit on the top of either side of edges that did not look comfortable at all........ 

A night with buffet dinner, another night with BBQ dinner that brought all people from the whole town.......it was wilded. 

 

One night with a local musician and instrument........ 

 

got everyone there dancing......

later the week, the moon was getting fuller........

The owner - Kathy and Gerry just adopted two children found on the road side..... 

That's it for Malawi vacation...........

 

Cheng  3/17/2013

Malawi vacation at Mayoka Resort, Nkhata Bay.

There was a Mom came from Vancouver, BC to see her son in his around the world trip after a year in Thailand and stayed at Mayoka resort as we did for the week.

Day after Ben and I did the dives, Diana wanted to do the scuba discovery dive and a young guy  jointed too. 

I made up my mind not to dive that day but escorted them all from shore and from boat. I met and spent time with the young guy's Mom, while waited on the briefing of discovery scuba and their dive.  At the time when I knew the Mom was from Vancouver, BC and to go back in few days, the son will continue travel......I asked her to bring some little suverniers for me to my frineds around Vancouver area......

Favor granted, but was in her lost luggage, as told after......

Well, things do happen that way many times..... It was my fault to have asked anyway.

 

 

While waiting for the divers to come up, there came some local young guys came watching some white girls on the beach sun bathing.......just next resort from Mayoka where our rooms were.

Returning to the dive shop, we passed Ben and Diana's room as the building at the left, the center building was toilet at the top and shower room at the bottom and at the right was Emily's and mine room, with the red plastic chairs at the lower landing........

 

and the Mayoka resort's social building........

the mom, son and the dive master......

These were all for the dive related........more of Nkhata Bay, Malawi other than divings are to be coming......

 

Cheng 3/17/2013