The Journey for One Stamp

Today was one of those days I just have to write about. Many of you know that we had a fundraiser last year for a vehicle, and enough money was raised to purchase a new truck! After having trouble purchasing one from Japan (as we did the bus), we found out that if the orphanage got its tax exemption status in Zambia, we could buy a brand new truck from the Toyota dealership here for almost the exact amount we had raised! We had applied in 2010 and been denied due to our bylaws needing amending and our failure to open a bank account in Zambia. So a few months ago, Blu was on a mission - to get New Day tax exempt status in Zambia! He started with the bylaws - a fairly simple process that involved emailing our lawyer in the USA and having him email us an amended copy. (Basically the bylaws said that if we dissolve, our assets will go to a non-profit. Instead, it must say that if we dissolve, our assets will go to a non profit IN ZAMBIA). So that was done in about 10 days. Next step - bank account. That process took about 2 months of Blu submitting papers, resubmitting papers, taking passport photos, submitting new papers, going to different offices, etc. But finally, after 2 months, we have a bank statement in hand - yay! So this week, on Tuesday, Blu took all of the paperwork to Lusaka to resubmit it. The good news was that the people in the office remembered him from 2010! The bad news was that when they looked over everything, they said "Oh, your amended bylaws have to be stamped by the office in Choma. That's the only thing you're missing. But if you get that done, you can bring it back on Friday and it will be submitted." That brings me to today...in bullet form. This process took from 10am - 4pm. *Arrive at Office of the Registrar - wait in line for 20 minutes. Ask the man if he can stamp our paper. "The man who stamps is not in. Let me call him. Ok, he says to come back at 2pm." *Take paperwork to the Commissioner of Oaths to certify that the amended bylaws are true copies. We need 3 certifications (basically a notary), but the office in Lusaka had underlined 3 lines with a red pen. *Take original to copy machine to make copy with no red pen. *Take paperwork back to get it "notarized." *Finish everything else and kill time until 2pm. *Arrive back at Office of the Registrar. Explain that we need his stamp on the 3 copies for the office in Lusaka. "Oh! You need a SR07 form! If you amend your bylaws, you have to fill that out." *Spend 10 minutes watching him search for the form. He finally takes his original copy off of a bulletin board and asks us to go make copies for him because he can't find his copies. He also tells us we need to write a cover letter, fill out the form, and go and have the police and the District secretary stamp the form. We explain again we just need 3 stamps on the bylaws. Nope, have to do this first. Oh and he needs it in QUADRUPLE form. *Go back to copy machine - make 4 copies of everything. Darbi frantically handwrites a cover letter. *Go to police station. Explain the situation and ask for a policeman to stamp our paper. (the paper we must have stamped so we can get the other stamp!) "Ok, you need the officer in charge to do this. Didn't you know? It's Thursday. We only work half days on Thursdays and he's gone home." We beg and he gives us the phone # of the officer in charge and says "bother him if you want!" We call him and he agrees to come to the station in a few minutes. 20 minutes later.. *He arrives and stamps our forms...our quadruple forms. *Go to find the District Secretary's office. *Find the office - District Secretary will not be in until 4pm. Try back then or try the town clerk. *Go back to the original office to try to submit the papers without the District Secretary's stamp. Nope. Have to have it. Try the town clerk. "Oh I forgot about you! I was about to go home!" Blu says "Please don't go! We're going to the town clerk and then back here!" *Walk full speed to the town clerk's office. "No, the town clerk is not in. Maybe I can walk you to the District Administrator's office." *Arrive at this office - meet a Zambian woman who speaks VERY good English. Explain the situation to her. *She doesn't understand why her signature/stamp is needed and what that has to do with her. She spends a few minutes on her computer searching for the Zambian law code that permits her to sign this. Not finding it, she stamps anyway ("after all, the police have signed it already" she says). *Go back to original office to get our long-awaited for stamp - WHAT???? The man has gone home!!!!!!!!!!!! *Find his helper and explain that we have all of the proper signatures/stamps (did I mention in quadruple form???) *He says his boss has gone home but he can give us the stamp - HALLELUJAH!!! *He stamps all of our quadruple forms and then GIVES THEM BACK TO US and says "Ok thank you!" ?????????? We pull out the 3 copies of the bylaws and explain that we need stamps on those. "Oh those too? No problem" and he gives us the three stamps we have been coveting all day long. The sound of a stamp hitting that stamp pad never sounded so good.... And now, tomorrow, we will finally submit all of the paperwork in Lusaka and wait to hear if we have tax exempt status....or if we need another form stamped. ;)