Report from BHW Zambia Partnership Facilitators Following Visit in March

Key people:  Lemon & Grace Nkausu, Doris Nkausu

Recent Events

Lemon Nkausu

Lemon has been quite sick with his blood pressure and for one month he was bed ridden. He has also been treated for malaria and has visited the hospital for a number of injections to get on top of things. He is still feeling weak and does not want to push it but the family are saying that he needs to do some walking to improve fitness. 

Farming

The original 12 trainees in Foundations for Farming were to plant on their own plots this year. However only six have tried due to the lack of rain. The rainy season started very late so they thought, no, I won’t plant. The six who have planted are showing good crops although the lack of rain is a problem. Cobs are developing in March and they have had no rain for three weeks.

The next eight trainees were trained in August 2014 and have small 12.5 by 12.5 metre plots on the Nkausu farm. They have used compost and lime and have top dressed with urea once. Mulch is the only factor that they haven’t done well.

Grace has planted a great looking crop that is very weed free. She planted on December 25th which is late, but it was due to the lack of rains. She used the local seed, rather than the hybrid seed which she says is very tasteless, especially if they eat it as green maize (i.e. roasted cobs rather than dry kernels for mealy meal enshima).

For the orphans field they planted 1.25 lima of maize and 1 lima of beans to help with crop rotation and put a legume in the soil. The older orphans have been coming to complete the work in the field and Doris is able to encourage them and given them lunch on the days they come. 

Chicken Project

A micro-loan was given in 2014 to help raise some extra funds for the orphans program. 50 layers were purchased. The layers have been working well laying up to 45 eggs per day, except for a period where they had some sickness and the production dropped to 20 per day. Three birds have died, but they have made a profit. 

Currently the layers are being housed in the Nkausu's own chicken broilers unit and they have requested a further loan to help set up a building specific for the layers.

Orphans

There are now 33 orphans in the program, reduced by three who have moved away to live with different guardians. There are five orphans who are at secondary school meaning they have to board away from home. Four are in Grade 10 and one in Grade 12. 

The four who are in Grade 10 had the following results in their Grade 9 exams, with a pass mark being 348 over the 9 subjects.

• Kangwa Chebo  -  395
• Natashi Kawandami  -  400
• Lucky Chizeka  -  365
• Francis Kakoma  -  350

The remaining 27 orphans are in primary school at Kaniki Basic. Fees continue to increase in the schools.

Personal Stories

Mr Kafwala

Mr Kafwala was trained in 2012 in the Foundations for Farming methods. He has a daughter who is on the orphans program called Hidah. 

Hidah was disabled from birth and struggles with learning but they are looking after her. She is currently 9 years old and in Grade 3. She has two sisters that live with her and her mum and dad. 

They rent a property on the Nkasua's farm and he has planted 1.5 limas of maize this year. It is looking good but they need the rain to develop the kernels on the cobs. He planted on the 15th December and used D compound and urea fertilizers.

Prayer and Praise Points

1) For Lemon's health
2) Praise for the increasing advances in the farming trainings