Life for the HFH GV team in the Village of Namununga...















Our HFH Global Village Team with some of the family, staff & volunteers...

Back row: Enoch, Bruce, Million, Godwin, Nadia, Claire

Middle row: Left to Right: Bill, Wendie, Miranda, Mike, Sarah, Allyson, Simon

Front row: Christopher, John & Charity

A toilet shelter had been built for teams like us, which was a hole in the ground but had a platform for your feet and impressed us with the thoughtful design! The only downside was the nightly ‘visitors’ we would find and have to shoo out before doing any business. A nasty bite was the last thing you wanted while squatting in the pitch black darkness!




A gigantic centipede, spider and small lizard, just some of the frequent ‘guests’ we shared the bathroom with and our living quarters in general...

Needless to say, I had my camera ready for just about anything!

Transport in the village consists of a few shared bicycles, the occasional oxcart and of course, walking. The women and girls can be seen carrying huge loads on their heads, sometimes 5 gallon containers of water as well as other items which they balance so well. Obviously a task that would take years to master!


































I had the amazing opportunity to spend a lot of time with the women and children when we weren't working at the build, and I became fond of three special ladies in particular, Avery, who was Mr. Wilson’s wife, her sister-in-law Fidas, and Ennie, the recipient of one of the houses we were building. They taught me everything from how to dispose of leftover chicken bones in an African savannah, what vegetables they harvest in which month, and how to wear my ‘Chitanga’ (wrap) without it falling off! Even when worn properly I could never look quite as beautiful as they did, especially when they wore their colorful matching head scarves.


Through our shared time and conversations together (sometimes limited due to language barriers but we always managed to get past that!) I was privileged to learn a little about their culture, families and what it is like to be a woman, a mother and a member of their community...



With new friends Fidas, left & Ennie (also spelled 'Annie') below

























...not to mention learning some delicious recipes for Zambian dishes!




I loved the girls who were the daughters and granddaughters of Mr. Wilson: Florence, Gracious, Sandra, Patricia, Shingai and Juite. Their smiles and the time we spent together will forever remain in my heart and my memory.


Most of the people spoke Nyanja (among other languages), something of a ‘lingua franca’ for Zambia. Aside from English, it is used by the police and often in administration in education. After the work day we had some spare time to wind down, walk or just relax.








Sandra and Patricia were patient in teaching me how to pound the corn, with all of us laughing at my clumsiness in the task - best to keep the day job I guess!

I'm so grateful that the Momba family (Wilson's family) welcomed us into their lives and opened their hearts to us, they became like an extended family and I'll always remember our time as their guests.