Report from BHW Zambia Partnership Facilitator Following Visit

Key people:  Peter Chomba and Judas Chomba

Recent Events

New Board Members

We visited the village of Chaba at the end of Lake Bangewlu. It was great to see that the board has added some younger members who they are hoping will take up the baton long after they are gone. All of the new members are ex Samfya Bible School pupils and have been involved in the church extension program run by the bible school in Chaba over the last two years. They are Rogers Shaba, Amos Chomba, Lazarus Chanda and Mavis Kiamba. 

Church Extension Program

For two years the ex-bible school students named above, along with Peter and Judas, have been impacting the local church by coming to train church leaders. 40 people from many different denominations have been attending the courses run for four days three times in the year. They cover topics such as biblical interpretation, preaching, teaching, evangelism and biblical counselling. The impact of the courses has been to see the word of God start to change people’s mindsets, church attendance on the increase, and people growing in faith and the word.

We talked with three men who were taught in the programs: Jackson Nconga, Augustin Chalwe and Davis Kalenga (right). They tell us the main challenges the churches face in the area are people not knowing God because of poverty and lack of education (many can’t read and write) so it is difficult to teach them in the word of God. 

There are also issues around transport to some churches to visit them and a lack of bibles for people to read.

The extension program combined with farming training has been a big help to the community in these areas as people are being fed so have the ability to think about other things and the teaching they have received in the last two years has started to make a big impact.

They are requesting to do more extension programs through Samfya Bible School as there are many other areas in Chaba that need this help. 

Farming and Micro-loans

So far the number of people helped is 340 as follows:
Rice farming  -  135
Maize farming  -  115
Cassava farming  -  80
Business micro-loans  -  30

The total amount of funds input into the micro-loan program is just over 110,000 ZMK (approx US$10,000) in the past few years. Last year loans were not given out to the very first trainees as they were able to afford to save for the inputs required for farming. This went very well and this year they will graduate the next lot of trainees off loans so new trainees will be able to receive loans.

In the last year they have had some people who have defaulted on repaying their loan, around 55 out of the 300 who received loans. Most of these 55 have paid something back. It was discussed that they will continue to work with these people to ensure repayment otherwise the total loan fund will quickly reduce if everyone decided to act in this way.

Crop yields have continued to be impressive with on average people increasing yields three times above what they used to get across all crops. Later in the year they will provide yields from this year's harvest.

They are requesting another lot of funding for farming training which will train a further 80 new people and give a refresher course to 80 people.

Rice Mill

The rice mill has still been working fine although there is a lot of maintenance required. It is basically breaking even given the parts that they have to purchase and the servicing required. Still it is providing a very good service to the community who are able to mill their own rice for consumption, and for others who are rice trading.

Rice buying project: Last year Chaba was given US$2,200 to initiate a rice trading project. They purchased a bicycle and transported un-milled rice in sacks from farmers in the area. It was then milled at the Chaba rice mill and transported down the lake to Samfya, where it was packed and sold. They bought 2,100 gallons of unshelled rice which once shelled amounted to 960 gallons.  Once all expenses were covered they made a profit of 7,850 ZMK (US$700). 

The profit made in this venture is to be used to help fund the farming training programs for the current year. They have requested another injection for this business that will enable them to create more profit and become more sustainable, while also providing a good market to the rice farmers in the area.

Personal Stories

Mavis Kiamba

Mavis is one of the new board members that has been appointed. She attends CMML church and is a youth worker and a member of the choir. She attended Samfya Bible School in 2011 and the part she enjoyed the best was youth work training by David Lukama.

She was part of the church extension program as a trainee and really learnt a lot about being a coach and mentor, using the word of God to help people’s life skills. At the youth group she is involved in being a matron, someone who is an advocate in the church leadership for the youth.

She supports herself through both farming maize (see farming photo above) and she and her husband have a shop in Chaba selling all sorts of goods.

Lazarus Chanda

Lazarus is also a new board member. He is married with one child and he attended Samfya Bible School in 2008.

In his CMML church he is the chairman of the youth programs, responsible for budgets and coordinating programs. There are 40 youth in his church and he sets up programs that help the youth to preach, sing in the choir and even physical exercises to keep them healthy.

He was a trainee in the church extension program and very much enjoyed the bible interpretation section. He says members of his church are now very interested in trying to attend Samyfa Bible School to gain more knowledge.

Rosemary Kalenga

Rosemary is a widow with seven children, the eldest child is now 25 years old. She was trained in rice growing in 2014. The main crops she grows for support are rice and cassava.

For rice she has been planting in lines and using D compound fertilizer which has greatly improved the quality of her rice. She planted 2 lima of rice both last year and this year. Last year she achieved 30 x 50kg bags of unshelled rice from her farm which was a very good yield as previously before training she only yielded 5 bags per lima.

They consume three bags of rice in a year and sell the rest. From these proceeds she has been able to look after her children well with school fees, clothes and food. Five of her children are still going to school. The children have been helping a lot in the farming.

Lucy

Lucy is a cassava farmer but would like to farm maize as well next year. She is married with six dependents at home aged 3 to 13 years old.

She undertook the Foundations for Farming training in 2016 and found the most useful part of the training was being taught about spacing and weeding.  She was using big mounds but now does potholes, spacing and weeding.

Previously she was getting 8 bags per lima but is now getting 24 bags per lima which she sells for 250 ZMK per bag (US$22). Hunger is now no more in her family. There is enough food and she is able to send her children to school. The impact on her standard of living has been huge. 

She is incredibly proud of the results she is achieving and very happy!

Weby

Weby is a maize farmer but also farms cassava and ground nuts. She is married with seven dependents at home aged 4 to 22. 

She did the Foundations for Farming training in 2012 and found the most useful part of training was the importance of weeding to obtain an increased yield.  She used to plant in ridges but now is using potholes and weeding more. 

Previously she was yielding 12 bags per lima but following the training this has now increased to 35 bags per lima (7 ton per hectare).  She sells this for 75 ZMK per bag (US$7).

Impact on standard of living: She used to have barely enough food but now has excess which she can sell to buy other food for the family. She can send her children to school, buy uniforms and pay school fees.

She is very grateful for the training.  

Grace 

Grace is a maize farmer but also farms cassava, sweet potato, ground nuts and some other form of nut. She is married with seven children aged 9 to 17. 

Grade did Foundations for Farming training in 2011 and found the field preparation and using potholes instead of ridges the most useful part. Previously her cassave yield was 15 bags per lima but she is now getting 30 bags per lima which she sells for 250 ZMK per bag (US$22). 

Impact on standard of living: She now has enough food and can send her children to school.

Thoughts about the programme: Very happy and have received it with two hands! 

Plans for the Future

For the coming year they would like funds to: 
- boost the rice trading project (US$2,200)
- top-up rice trading profit to undertake further farming trainings (US$1,000)
- run a further church extension programme in association with Samfya Bible School (US$4,500)

Prayer and Praise Points

1) For the new younger board members
2) For the rice trading project working well in first year