We arrived in Zambia at about 6am to a heroes welcome... literally! Thousands of people were at Lusaka International Airport to greet the triumphant Zambian national football team who, the night before, had beaten the Ivory Coast to win the African Cup of Nations.
As soon as we landed and the plane began to taxi to a place where we could disembark those thousands of supporters swarmed around the plane, banging on the undercarriage, forcing the pilot to turn off the engines until security arrived. it turns out those thousands thought we were the Zambian football team.
Eventually we could leave our plane head through Customs to the thousands of supporters who were out the front of the airport.
Although it was intimidating, it was an amazing way to be introduced to Zambia. The excitement at the achievement was unbelievable, the atmosphere was amazing, lots of singing, dancing car horns(!) and the Zambian flag was everywhere.
After that fantastic introduction to the country and a breakfast stop we visited the WaterAid office in Lusaka and met those who worked for the charity there. They clearly love the charity and enjoy the work they do. We heard a bit about the history of their time in Zambia and that they work with both urban and rural communities as well as lobbying the Government.
They work hard to ensure that after they have installed sanitation and clean water that they leave a lasting legacy. They teach about the importance of hygiene and how to stay clean, they also encourage the community to develop and use the skills they have learnt building latrines and water pumps elsewhere.
After that visit we made the three hour journey to the Monze District where we net the District High Commissioner. He welcomed us to the area and explained the challenges they face, especially in the rural areas.
Following that meeting we had dinner and after more than 36 hours of being awake and travelling we went to bed.
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