Hardwood Classroom Rainbows

Chodort ran out of 1 inch rosewood last month; our supplier was nowhere to be found, so our manager found a supplier in Livingstone and now we have plenty, although it is too wet to use. (Hardwood must be dried for several months before it can be used properly for furniture.) In the meantime we have many large rosewood orders that we can't complete, so we've been trying to be creative: bonding together small offcuts to make door panels, or asking our customers to reconsider mukwa, teak, or pine. I called a certain customer who was asking when their storage shelves would be ready, and we agreed to make it in pine, painted white. I prefer working with pine myself, since it is soft, and can be bought in sheets to speed up the process considerably. I took on this job at home and enjoyed it, except for the painting part. Here is one of the two units:

Chodort Training Centre also held the official new classroom opening last month; I was the designated photographer. Here is one of my favourite pictures--a gift was given to the guest of honour, the Provincial Minister, and what often happens is that as soon as the gift is given, his assistant carries it to the vehicle. The gift was a small rosewood coffee table from the carpentry shop. In the background you can see our Principal, Board Chairman, and Vice Principal.

January was quite a miserable month as far as rain is concerned; our area received 20% of normal rains (and in my opinion that is a generous estimate). There is a real concern about starvation this year for the many subsistence farmers in southern Zambia. It was very hot and humid. But February has seen great rains so far, with a crashing thunderstorm the other day, and a beautiful rainbow after, if you can see it: