Development

I know that I haven't been blogging much about work, which is partly because it's a bit more mundane than some of the other things I've been up to and partly because it's so different to work in the UK that it's hard to describe in a soundbite. I think some of the differences are because I'm not used to working for a small organisation, but some of the frustrations are definitely contextual. The lack of resources here is chronic. Last week the one computer in the office was being used when my boss and I were supposed to work on the operational plan (a plan that should have started 1st April...) but someone else was using it. He suggested that we devise the plan manually and type it up later. I agreed this was a good idea, and we stood up to go to our office. He then turned to me and said 'oh wait, you've got a pen, right?'

This week I've been learning a lot about the development industry as I've been at a week-long 'workshop' at a hotel in Lusaka. Workshops are a very common feature of work here, and frequently take my colleagues away from the office for a week at a time. I've been fairly vocal (I know that anyone reading this who's worked with me will find that hard to believe...) in questioning whether this is the best use of everyone's time, and my boss decided that I needed to experience one to confirm my criticisms.

In some ways it's been a really informative week, as I've met lots of interesting people, including several DACAs (District AIDS Co-ordinating Advisors, the local civil servants responsible for working on the HIV/AIDS effort) and people from organisations like mine across Zambia. It's also been useful to spend some time with the accountant from my office and we've made some good plans for when we get back to the office. I'm the only westerner on the course, and it's been a really useful insight into work culture here as my organisation is so small that it's not very representative. Some of the speakers have been interesting, but I can't help but question whether 6 nights in a pretty nice hotel (my bathroom has a jacuzzi), and a generous sitting allowance (across the development sector, participants are paid to attend training sessions like this one) is really the best use of money donated by the US government to help reduce HIV in Africa.

I'm looking forward to working with my colleagues to implement some of my learning when I get back to Livingstone on Wednesday, but will miss Lusaka a bit as it's been a lovely week hanging out with my friends here. A highlight was definitely attending a couple of zumba classes, a cross between aerobics, African dance and any other kind of dancing from night-clubs around the world.Much fun, and good to find some time to socialise even in the first 40-hour working week that I've done since I've been in Zambia!