Report from BHW Zambia Partnership Facilitator

Key Person: Barnabus

Recent Events

Orphans Programme

Currently they are helping 20 orphans into secondary school and 10 orphans into primary school with school fees and requirements.

COVID has not helped with their education as secondary schools are trying to teach on line but hardly any pupils in the schools have devices or internet connection to be able to participate. 

Higher Education Loans

They completed phase one of the students' training and are going to make reviews when they receive their results in July. Of the three beneficiaries, two currently have jobs - one is a school teacher and the other has a job working for the local chemical plant. The third is awaiting his final exam results that come out in July.  

Skills Training

The plan cost about K2000 (US$90) and they could not afford to raise that money. In addition, COVID hit which forced them to be required to have a health certificate in order to open. Sadly, for the first time the inspectors were also asking for a certificate of registration from TEVETA (Certifying body for Skills Training Schools or Centres). The registration which they always have had for the organization was denied and they needed to register the Skills Centre under TEVETA. In order to do that, they needed to raise K5000 for registration only and then other expenses such as transport and other things, money which they do not have at the moment. This has indeed become an obstacle to impact people with skills training.

Micro Loan Programme

Barnabus has provided me with a summary of the micro loans they have given out to empower 13 guardians in the community. These business have been going well, even in the times of COVID restrictions when markets have been limited. 

The three farmers involved have just been harvesting their crops and it looks like they will have a good harvest and be able to repay the amount of the loan in produce that CORAC can sell or use in the beneficiary programme to help the aged and chronically ill. The price the government programmes are buying from farmers at is 150ZMK (US$7) and other local millers are paying 180ZMK (US$8).

CORAC has also started an off-season farming programme pilot training with two guardians. They will be growing winter maize in a field that has a water source close by. “Green maize” which is sold and then roasted on the cob is in high demand towards the beginning of the next season when food stores start to run dry.

Support to Families Living with Aged and Chronically Ill

16 families received 30kgs of maize and 300ZMK for each family in the last two programmes in September 2020 and January 2021. There is an overwhelming need to help these vulnerable people who are very limited in how they can support themselves. Barnabus has been visiting some of these people who have been helped by CORAC.

Comments

We will keep the budget the same here. I am awaiting CORAC's decision on the higher education loan programme to see how that will go in terms of repayments from the beneficiaries.