With World Vision
Originally Posted on September 12, 2011 | Leave a comment
Reposted and updated March 2021
Jami & I also stayed at Chaminuka Nature and Wildlife Reserve to get a taste of Africa before we traveled to Western Province-The Real Africa and the Lozi people who live there. They allowed me to get three avocados right from their tree to take to Njamba’s family for them to grow an Avocado Tree.
Avocados from Chaminuka
We had so much luggage and only a car, so fortunately a bus that had just dropped off some clients at Chaminuka took David & our luggage and Jami & I went in the car with Max. Buses actually carry a lot of mail and packages in Zambia as there in no postal service in the rural areas.
We picked up the large 4×4 Hilux which was to be our day time home for the next 4 days, gassed up in Lusaka and set on our way.
I was so excited to finally be on the road to Njamba.
We drove through Lusaka city and headed out onto The Great West road to Mongu, Barotseland, Western province. As far as I can remember, about an hour into our trip we landed at the gates of Kafue National Park. It is a 225,000k.sq. land mass of African bush and we saw Elephants out of the van window. You have to say how many people are in the vehicle on the way in and they check on the way out if you still have the same number of people. Poaching is a huge problem, I am guessing, in all of Africa. There are no wild animals in Zambia, other than in the National Parks. We saw a lot of small villages, or clusters of huts a long the way. There is a little area of shops at each gate where you can buy bananas or peanuts in a plastic bag fresh picked. The sellers come right to the bus windows. I noted that there were no dogs running after our vehicle at these stops which is due to the fact that the dogs would kill the animals in the park so they were not allowed at the park gates and it was strictly enforced.
It took us about 2 hrs to drive through the park going 120 K. I am so pleased that they have so many National Parks in Zambia and the Zambians are really trying to stop poaching.
This is a video my husband Carl took on our trip to visit Njamba in 2012. It was his first video and a bit rough but you get the idea.
Because we were behind schedule we were to stay in Mongu overnight and travel early the next morning across the Zambezi to Kalabo. It took us about 8 hours to get to Mongu in total from Lusaka. One of the items Njamba’s family had said they needed was a mattress and World Vision said that I couldn’t take one to them. I saw a store in Mongu with mattresses for sale and David and Max kindly took me to buy a mattress which I paid approximately ( $55.00USD) Max strapped it to the top of the vehicle which we then took into our lodging with us that evening to keep it safe and then for went dinner in a nice restaurant. David & Max ordered a T-Bone steak each & I wanted to save mine for our last stop on the trip at Pioneer Camp as they boasted the best T-bones in Lusaka. I ordered steak pieces with fries & coleslaw.
Restaurant in Mongu 
Mongu was really booked up but we were finally able to get a guest house and I was getting closer to Njamba. We now have our own Guest House in Mongu called SEEDS B & B Mongu-Mulopo Flats. https://www.google.com/search?q=seeds+b%26b-mulopo+flats%2C+limulunga+road%2C+zambia&oq=SEEDS&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j35i39l2j69i59j46i433j0i131i433j0j0i433.3569j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
It is quite surreal traveling in a country where you don’t speak the language, have no idea where you are and trust two men who work for World Vision. I was trusting the reputation of World Vision and Jami’s mother was trusting me.
Mongu, the capital city of Western Province, which I didn’t know it at the time, was going to be the home of SEEDS Mongu and The Silozi Seed Bank.
Story continued in 2 weeks time so watch for the next blog!
