Just surviving...

   

“No”…”no”….”no”…. those were the answers to my questions as I asked numerous Zambians if anyone in their household had a job/work.   Only in one out of the six households I asked – where an adult had any form of employment – and he was a security guard. 

The rest of those 5 other households?..Oh…they try to sell charcoal, but who can buy it?   If there is somebody who could afford to buy it? Why would they buy it from you when nearly every other thatched roof hut is trying to sell it too?

It sure becomes difficult to buy food and provide for your family without a job, or trying to sell something that people can’t buy or you don’t have any advantage over the competition.   I can understand why they feel so hopeless sometimes…