Clinic Blueprints

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(just click on the blueprints for a larger view)

October Updates

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Fall is a season of change in much of America. Children are back to school, leaves are turning magnificent shades of oranges and reds, and a welcome crispness enters the air. However, on the other side of the globe things are warming up. The majority of October days reach 95-100 degrees Farenheit. The earth is dry and Victoria Falls has taken a rest from its massive explosion seen each spring.

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This October is no different. Shomeka Outreach is warming up to provide the desparately needed maternal health care in a rural community of Zambia. The project is within reach!

Here are some updates on the growing momentum in Kazungula:

1. Sarah Hesch, Project Manager, spent September and October in the Kazungula and Livingstone areas spearheading clinic preparations. Much of her work consisted of discussions with government officials planning the project and discussing details of construction and operation. Some foundational developments:

• Approval of an alternative construction method done by Eco-build Technologies (http://www.ecobuildtechologies.com/) which boasts limited need for electricity and water during the construction process, ability for most of the work to be completed by local community members, and use of local, commonly available building materials. (More details to come!)
  
• Approval of building plans (see above)
  
• Mobilization of the Kazungula chief, local council, and women's group to provide volunteers for the project

2. Adam Swenson and Trevis Underdahl, US volunteers, joined Sarah for 2 weeks in October preparing the land for construction. With the help of local volunteers, the ground was leveled, rocks moved, and brush burned. (If you remember, this had already been done on another plot earlier this year, but that area is to be used for other future community development projects.)

3. Givas Kalangu will be filling Sarah's position as Project Manager as she returns to the States. Givas has been with Shomeka since the beginning and has been a central force in propelling the vision of Shomeka forward and coordinating the partnership between community members, government officials, and the US team.

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