One of the reasons for me to come to Macha is to find out how leadership is emerging in this area and if we can contribute with the CHE School of Synnervation. The last few days we have been speaking with some of the growing leaders. Tomorrow we will meet one of the chiefs. Chiefs are the formal leaders in the traditional line. The emerging leaders are primarily young people who grow in leadership positions through social and economical development.

Traditionally the leadership in rural Zambia is through the lineage of chiefs, headmen and senior headmen. We've been taught about the value this still has in modern rural Zambia and how it is integrated in juridical and police law enforcement. hen does one go to a chief, to court or to the police. This depends on the beliefs and value system of the individual in question, but there are also some general guidelines. When there is theft or violence you go to court or the police for most other disputes one can easily go to the chief as well.

But I actually wanted to share about the leadership by the young bright emerging leaders in Macha area. We've spoken with Gregory, responsible for the IT developments and management of Linknet; with Veneta, responsible for the storage of the Ubuntu village; with Oskar, responsible for the network and hardware in Linknet; with Lydia, responsible for the financial transactions of Linknet and many of the local projects and with Fred, responsible for the radio station and community development in Macha. Fred is also our host during our stay in Macha.

It is quite amazing how these young people take responsibility and grow from a chanceless position to where they are now. In terms of Spiral Dynamics integral the life conditions in Macha are purple or tribal oriented. The individual is part of the collective and community and relationship is highly valued. Ego is not as strongly developed as in most Western countries and some individual oriented questions are not understood. This says nothing of about the intellectual capacity, on the contrary, I am impressed by the quality of leadership. Without knowing the terminology they show us Spiral Dynamics in action. And this is very exciting for me.

Macha is missionary territory and most of the people in this region are Christian. So on Sunday we went to church. Fred took us to a local church which was an adventure for us and for the other visitors of the church. We were welcomed by very warmhearted people and Fred was invited to hold a speech. I can write another long story about the leadership but you can also get an impression for yourself. Here is the speech Fred Mweeta held. Here is an ambitious man with heart for his country and who is willing to sacrifice Self for the well being of his community and his country.

I am honoured to get to know people like Fred, Lydia, Gregory, Veneta, Oscar and Gert Jan and I am looking forward on the next days with them. These are people with a purpose in life and who - through their actions - bring hope for the future of Macha, Zambia and Africa.

I am also very excited to find out if and how we can support each other in leadership development. The first steps are made for what will hopefully become a sustainable, effective and joyful long term relationship between Macha ande Linknet and the Center for Human Emergence and the CHE School of Synnervation. 

Here we are sitting in the dormitory of the Macha community center. My computer just went down because a lach of energy. Well better my computer than me :) Now I've borrowed an adapter from one of the American malaria researhcers who are staying here as well. Anne-Marie is writing her blog on Jasper's computer and Jasper is checking out today's footage in film and photo.

I just wanted to post some of the pictures I've made so far to share the impressions we have over here in rural Africa.

As I wrote in my previous blog we got stuck with the jeep. Well here is a picture of the heroes that saved us. They came from near villages and just quit what they were doing to support us. Our need was bigger at that moment, no questions, no expectations, just a call for help that needs answered. They picked the jeep up, lifted it and after several times we managed to get the jeep free. Then we brought our saviours back home and we found out that with 7 Zambian and 3 Dutch people in the car there still is plenty of space for more.

Yesterday evening we got invited for dinner at mrs. Esther's place. We enjoyed her wonderful cooking skills on the grounds in front of the house.

Actually the houses here traditionally are not just one house. Like many others mrs. Esther has several buildings, some closed and some open. So a house here in Macha more looks like a small village, very nice. Above is mrs. Esther in front of one of the open buildings, used for cooking outside.

And here are some more pictures of Macha.

We went to two schools today. Above you see the vice principal and one of the teachers of the public school in Macha area. The teacher taught us that children learn best when it is considered to be a playful event. But it is hard work as well. There were exams and below you see the children struggling with a language test. Though the means at this school were simple I was impressed by the quality of the staff. These people are pretty good at their job professionally and well involved with the childrens well being.



But school also is fun, especially during the break. As you might know soccer is BIG in Africa and Zambia won the Africa cup ... almost.
Well here's the next generation practicing to make it in the national team and one day win the Africa cup for Zambia.




The second school we went to is still in progress. It is part of the new Ubuntu development project in Macha. Ubuntu means the collective that emerges when people come together. Possibly we would call that a Holon or collective intelligence.  Most of the classes still have to be built and are temporarily in the new dormitory.


But there are already children going to school there and the computer class is also almost finished. Mr Kraus is working hard on the last details.

 

The day before yesterday Jasper Bets and I left for Macha, Zambia. Yesterday morning we arrived early in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. There we were welcomed by Anne-Marie Voorhoeve and Gert Jan van Stam. Jasper, Anne-Marie and I are her on a mission for the Center for Human emergence and the CHE School of Synnervation. Gert Jan is a man with a mission working in Macha with his wife and the local community.

Macha is about one hour by Cessna plain or nine hours by car or bus. We went with the Chessna, which was a nice and exciting experience.  In Macha we had a very warm welcome by the local people led by Fred, one of the leading people in the local community building projects. Fred is also running the radio station and is an entrepreneur growing sunflowers and pumpkins.

Five years ago a malaria research center was started in Macha. Janneke van Dijk, Gert Jan's wife was asked to run this center. She and Gert Jan felt like this project could be a good opportunity to work from a more holistic worldview. Linear approaches, only dealing with malaria are affective, but integral approaches working holistic could have a much stronger impact on the community as a whole. Not too many people and organizations were interested in this, but that didn't withhold them from starting and continuing.

The picture you see here is old, Macha has now grown at least twice as big and most of the houses are made of bricks with running water, electricity and comfort.

So what is a holistic or integral approach? Besides the medical and educational programs concerning malaria Gert Jan has also started activities for community building. The idea is to grow resilience, ownership and sustainability in this rural area. Malaria and the life conditions in Macha have had a big impact on the local community. People literally say that the initiatives of the last few years bring hope and prosperity into Macha. It is a fast growing place in many perspectives. Now Macha has a hospital, schools, community buildings, a radio station, (wireless) internet and a growing economy. The work of Gert Jan and Janneke is now supported by a foundation called Privaserve. And I guess working holistic from an integral perspective means doing everything at the same time.

In many cases developmental aid has not a real a clue of local situation and needs. I am sorry to write this, but most of the times there is a relationship of Westerners telling Africans what they should do or a relationship built on guilt for slavery or our economical position being built on Africa's poverty. I don't really believe in these approaches, how well meant they might be. One has to take in consideration the local needs, life conditions, change states and levels of development. We can also learn a lot from Africa and African communities. The Macha projects try to do that as well. Most of the projects are initiated by and for local residents. This grows ownership. The economical growth is also primarily local and based on cooperative initiative and ownership. And today we had a sense of community when we got stuck with the car. People left their village and work to lift the car and get us free. No questions, no expectations, this is what we do for each other when we are in need. Where do you see that in modern Western civilizations?

The initiatives in Macha have an impact on the community and does change it. A crucial question here is "How can this growth be sustainable and interconnected with the current life conditions of thet people?" Here is where Spiral Dynamics kciks in. Actually Gert Jan does use SDi in his work. And in line with Clare Graves he "meets them where they are" from the perspective that "every one has the right to be who (s)he is". There is a lot of respect for local people and their tradition. Looking at the changes one of the questions is how you develop leadership that is needed in this area and how do you support this using emergence as a key element for growth.

We are here to work on three issues.

One Jasper is going to do research on the integral approach on malaria. After five years of measuring it is shown that the approach in Macha leads to a much stronger decrease in malaria than the approaches in other comparable rural area's in Zambia and in Africa. Anne-Marie and I are here to support him and to set the first steps in this research. Ard Hordijk from Nyenrode University and School of Synnervation will be involved as research guide.

Second we are here to find out and learn on leadership and leadership development. What is really going on over here, how does leadership emerge, what are the big questions and how can we support this? The ambition is high, to develop leadership programs for rural Africa and we start with the five local leaders - or young heroes - that are involved in the community building and business development in Macha.

Third we believe that the approach in Macha has a lot to share and we are looking how to develop a long term and sustainable relationship with the current and future leaders in Africa. Mutual learning and exchange between West and South plays a key role in this.

Where many eyes are looking at China and India we believe that Africa can also play a key role in the 21^st century. Looking at planet earth as one Holon which we are all part of we could learn a lot of these so called less complex societies. And at the same time rural areas in Africa can develop a hope giving future integrating modern technologies and knowledge with an ancient culture of wisdom and communion.

This is only my first whole day here. I'll write more in the following days.

The development of Macha started over 100 years ago with the settlement of a missionary hospital. The first 2 missionaries died within 3 months after becoming ill and the third missionary almost left. Despite all the critics and second thoughts one can have on missionary projects in the previous centuries it is with these pioneers that Macha has started to grow to what it is today.

In 1997 the Macha malaria research institute was founded. Today we had a tour on the Macha site of this institute. Malaria is one of the main causes of death in Macha area. The research institute and the malaria institute at Macha (Miam) play a crucial role in research and reduction of malaria. And they are highly effective in their work. You can also read an article about MIAM's activity in the February 2008 issue of Nature magazine (Nature 451, 1047-1049 (2008)).

We learned that there are over 30 different kind of mosquito's in Macha area. Only two of them spread malaria. Not only with people, but also with other animals like dogs, goat, cows and even snakes. Though not very high tech in Western standards the research institute is on the leading edge of malaria research. It is here that a methodology is developed to test people for malaria without taking a blood sample. Now it is becoming more common to test people on malaria through urine or saliva. This is not only faster and cheaper. People now don't have to fear for misuse of their blood. This might sound silly, but it is a real problem that people believe that the blood might be misused in spiritual ceremonies or evil spells.

Malaria has two forms, a non sexual one in the mosquito and a sexual one in the blood of humans. Up until now the focus of many research has been on the non sexual form that only exists in the mosquito. With the form in the mosquito t is also important to make a distinction between the part of the body where the malaria parasite lives. Only when in the mosquito's head the parasite will infect when the mosquito bites.

In Macha also the sexual form is investigated. The reason for this is that a person can be carrier of malaria without becoming ill him/her self. When this is the case this person can infect other people. This means that when - for instance - a parent is infected as a carrier but not ill and the child gets bitten it can become ill. Then after treatment when the parent is bitten again and after that the child this cycle will repeat and repeat and repeat ... Discovery of treatment of the sexual form ot the malaria parasite might lead to a major breakthrough in malaria treatment.

 We had a meeting with Philip Thuma, M.D., Board Certified Pediatrician - and P.I. or coordinator for most studies conducted at the The Macha Malaria Research Institute. Philip has been working as a doctor in Zambia for many years, his father also was one of the leading doctors in Macha hospital. Malaria has gone down in Macha and the decrease is far above average compared to other rural areas in Zambia and South-West Africa. We asked doctor Thuma about the underlying causes or ‘secrets' of this high performance and great success. We heard a story that convinced me that here we have to deal with a proven concept of an integral approach. I'll try to share some things here, though the issues are far more complex than I can understand from the few conversationt I've had so far. The following lines are my personal thoughts and impressions; not quotations or opinions of dr. Thuma.

Dr. Thuma told us that one of the primary reasons for the big success in reducing malaria in Macha was the subscription of ‘the right medicine'. Talking with him we found out what the right medicine meant, and this was more than just the right pill. Relationship, trust, patience, perseverance and doing more than just only medical aid have played a very important role.

One can cure malaria with medical aid, but prevention through hygiene and sanitation plays an important role in sustainable treatment of malaria. So one of the important projects of dr. Thuma has been the digging of water wells in villages. Education and especially maternal knowledge also play an important role in sustainable treatment of malaria in rural area. The better informed the mother is about malaria, malaria prevention and treatment, the better the results will be in reducing malaria.

We also spoke about bed nets and housing. Bed nets definately have an impact on the reduction of malaria, but I believe the impact is much lower than is said to be. Most people in rural area have housing that makes it very difficult to put a bed net in. There are too many people living in one house or the house is not suitable for other reasons. Besides that most people live outside and only sleep in their home. This means that the time that the mosquito is most active people are not in their home, but outside. But this doesn't mean that bed nets should not be spread, every contribution matters. Because the mosquito bumps into the treated bed net it won't survive long enough to spread malaria.

As I find out looking around and talking with many people in Macha a bigger impact reducing malaria is achieved by better housing. Tin roofs make the house warmer and because of that the mosquito won't survive. It needs a cool spot to rest and sleep. Stone houses are more closed that the traditional or wooden homes and because of that the mosquito has more difficulties getting into the house.  

A major cause for people to create better housing is economical growth. Therefore economical support and development of sustainable local economy contributes to reduction of malaria. And of other diseases.

Communication, transportation and communication facilities also play an important role in reducing malaria and other diseases. Dr Thuma has shown with his research and statistical measuring that running out of medicine has lead to a major growth of malaria in the area. Now, because of the airstrip and internet connection, it is possible to get medicine in time to Macha. That means, if there is sufficient supply in Lusaka.

So here you see the bigger picture, an integral approach for malaria prevention. As far as I understand it now. This is what these people here in Macha are working on. I believe this also goes for treatment of other issues like HIV/Aids or maternal health and the other UN Millennium Development Goals.

Jasper Bets is going to do research on the integral approaches in Macha. Hopefully this will lead to a case description that is useful for developmental aid in other rural areas in South-West Africa.

A hospital with qualified doctors and sufficient medicine is a solid base for sustainable treatment of malaria. The impact becomes exponential more effective when this is combined with proper education, sanitation measurements, economical growth, better housing, communication and transportation facilities.

It is not just one thing, but you have to look at the picture as a whole. This is what we call integral. Dr. Thuma called it " to look at the roots of the tree". In my interpretation of it: Some trees have 12 roots and then you have to work on all 12 issues and other trees have 9 or possibly 15. Here is where the local differentiation comes in. Every rural area has its own specific life conditions and in order to be successful and sustainable treatment must be adjusted to these life conditions.

The integral approach is what makes the Macha case - accoridng to me -  important for developmental aid in general. Dr. Thuma studied CHE and our website and as told us he was intrigued by our vision and work despite the fact that he didn't understand it all. Well, here is a parallel with CHE and a solid basis for collaboration; mutual respect and trust. One has to build a relationship of respect and trust in order to become effective. Especially if you do not fully understand what the other is working on. This might sound easier than it is. It takes years, an open attitude and the desire to preserve the African culture.

Another important lesson we learned and that I'd like to share here is the factor of time and patience. Dr. Thuma, Janneke  and Gert Jan van Stam are effective in their work because of the long term dedication they have given to this area. Local people and their leaders trust them because they have proven to be sincerely involved with the local community. For building up a relationship of trust one must not think in terms of years, but in terms of decades. Only after more than ten years of hard work, setbacks and many disappointments, the results show significant and sustainable improvement of malaria treatment, economical growth and improvement of life conditions.

A donor could take this in consideration funding projects in Africa. An interesting book to read is "African friends and money matters" by David Maranz. This book describes the differences between Western and African cultures and the mutual frustrations from non understanding.