Mobile Mandate: Tribute to Cultural Connectors

Our team of designers on the ground in Zambia discover that meaningful connections and conversations can be as valuable as days of field work.

Given all the broken-down infrastructure, dirt roads, unmarked streets, potholes the size of small swimming pools and other hindrances to getting around in Zambia, our trip was pretty cushy when it comes to transportation. There are three ways to get around in rural Zambia, and 99.9% of people are on foot or on a bike. For longer distances, a handful of people brave a rather hodgepodge bus system. A few people - very few - have a car. 

But we had more than a car. We had two reliable and rugged Toyota Land Cruisers with AC, spare tires, field medical kits and UN license plates. When we were in them, we had diplomatic status. We breezed through police stops and around potholes. All this, and someone else was driving too. Not just anyone, but two of the best-trained drivers we've ever known. Lister and Matteo are masters of their craft. Confident, capable and cool. 

Undoubtedly, Lister and Matteo were two of the most important people on our trip. Matteo will be remembered for pulling the car under a tree while we went off to do our work, turning on the radio, opening the doors and hosting an impromptu dance marathon with village children. 

Lister, though, left an even deeper impression. We learned that, of all of the UN drivers in Zambia, she is the only woman. Matteo explained how important she is - standing as a role model for the slowly progressing empowerment of Zambian women. He thinks it's important for the girls in particular to see Lister out in the field doing what is normally a man's job.  We agree.

Lister not only navigated some pretty treacherous terrain with finesse and safety, but also enabled us to connect with some key individuals by acting as a translator and social bridge between Bemba-speaking Zambians and us. Being our translator and cultural interpreter was definitely not a part of her job description - in fact we did not discover how good her regional language skills were until more than half way through the trip. As we traveled with her, she grew to truly understand why we were there and could see we were missing pieces. She found opportunities to fill those gaps, taking time to explain things to us and immerse us in the culture. This included helping us negotiate prices for fabric yardage (our most treasured trip souvenir), reminding us to bring toilet paper into our pit latrine adventures, and pulling over to buy about 5 lbs of dried caterpillars on the side of the road. (To her amusement, we did not partake.)

Also of note is her completely awesome taste in music. From music we had never heard (but are glad we did) like Tabitha Singers to early Mariah Carey, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, Lister provided a surprisingly perfect soundtrack for our travels.

We were reminded that if you are open to it, you can learn as much from insightful people like Lister as you can through days of fielding. More than that, she might have been our most powerful in-field synthesis tool.  A sounding board for questions, validations, curiosities and stories.  There's not much better than having multiple observations tied together in an understandable way by someone native to the culture.

Thank you, Lister!

frog design has joined with UNICEF as the organization’s lead design and innovation partner on Project Mwana, a major mHealth initiative to improve maternal and infant health and welfare in peri-urban Malawi and rural Zambia. This partnership is part of Mobile Mandate, a new initiative from frog and its parent company Aricent to leverage mobile technology for social innovation. A team of three designers have been in the field in Zambia with UNICEF researching the use of SMS for healthcare appications in extremely rural locations. You can follow the team’s experience in this blog series.