A School, a Boat and a NASA Engineer in Mpulungu
Today we visited the school for orphans that OM runs in Mpulungu. Or rather the school visited us. The school actually runs at the base where we are staying. OM initially started renting their facility from a fishing company several years ago with the understanding that they would eventually buy it. To that end, they began making improvements on the property and when it came time to discuss the purchase agreement the fishing company was so happy with the improvements they decided not to sell. (Business is business whether in New York City or Mpulungu, Zambia). They are in the 3rd year of the school and are adding a grade per year so they now have a PreK, Kindergarten and Grade 1 class there in the school. It was great to see Laban and Kelvin, teachers that have been trained at our teacher conferences in Kabwe over the last couple of years now working in such a far place and using the skills they learned to impact the lives of these precious kids.

We also “toured” the medical clinic ship that OM is busy building to launch in June 2010 to provide medical care in villages around the lake where there currently is none. I put toured in quotes because only Dr. Nornoo and Kwaku (Kwaykoo) were game enough to climb into the boat. OK Kwaku climbed in and Dr. Nornoo was literally lifted into the boat by Div. The boat is a former luxury yacht that used to belong to Zambia’s longest serving president and had been beached and abandoned on the shores of Lake Tanganyika sometime in the late 1980’s. Here’s a link to some great pictures and story about getting the boat out and back to Mpulungu. Click Here: The Clinic Boat Story

This afternoon at the base Kwaku wandered by and saw a solar array that needed repair. He asked Peter what was wrong with it and Peter mentioned that he wasn’t sure. Kwaku mentioned that he could probably fix it and within a few hours the solar array was, in Peter’s words, “Working better than it ever has.” I guess when you live in a remote area without electricity, having an electrical engineer who works for NASA around is a handy thing to have. Kwaku has also worked with Dev to get the requirements for the electrical system on the clinic ship. He will be designing their electrical systems and working with Mike (the boat builder) to source and supply parts. What are the odds (Vegas pun intended) that a NASA engineer would accompany his sister on a vision trip for a Pharmacy School to the edge of Zambia, wander by a broken solar array and end up designing the electrical systems for a clinic ship that will bring desperately needed health care to thousands of people all around one of Africa’s great lakes? Talk about uncommon partners, common ground, and changing lives! Man, I love my job!

Tomorrow we’re on our way to Nzovwe a remote fishing village where OM works and the clinic ship will stop.

Still amazed,

Andy and Amy Milligan