Zambian Friends :)

^ outdoor shelter where the family eats

Last week I visited Modreen and Catherine's family one day for lunch.
I met these girls one day soon after I arrived when they stopped by our house asking for water, and now we are great friends! We go for walks together,visit, explore, take photos, and do swimming lessons.
At their place we hung around outside and ate pawpaw, which there is a lot of here! They showed me their very large garden and presented us with cabbages! Modreen's father is developing a support program for the aged in the community - which is really awesome, there is such a great need for it! The aged are so poor and they are suffering the most from the AIDS pandemic because when their children die from the disease, they have to become parents again, providing and caring for the grandchildren.
A village death that day caused Modreen's mother to be away so we didn't have any nshima today. When there is a death the whole village is expected to support and surround the family for about 3 days until the burial ceremony is finished. People may not even invite guests to their home because it gives the appearance of celebration, which is not sensitive towards the family who is mourning.

The following afternoon I went along to the funeral - of a boy who is brother to one of the grade 1 girls at school. It was the second day - and much quieter than the loud shrieking and wailing of the previous day. The women and men are segregated. I sat on the floor with lots of other women, in silence, reflecting, praying. Some people prayed aloud and outside I could hear the steady hum of the men singing. When leaving I greeted the mother - but what do you say? What do you say to a grief stricken mother who had just suddenly lost her husband, and now her older son too? There is way too much death among children here. It's heart-breaking!