Report from BHW Zambia Partnership Facilitator

Key person: Barnabus Mwelwa

Recent Events

Orphan Care

Currently there are 21 secondary and 11 primary school pupils receiving support for schooling requirements. There are 14 girls and 18 boys. Two orphan students completed grade 12 successfully in 2023.

The photos show Angela Nanyangwe and her grade 10 test results.  She is very thankful to be supported into school. Four distinctions and two merits are a great result for Angela! 

Welfare Support

Currently there are 17 households receiving periodic support from the CORAC welfare fund.

The photo is of Scolastic Banda who is 75 years old. She receives assistance twice in a year in the form of cash and in kind. In 2014 Scolastic Banda was looking after three orphans, two girls and one boy. She was initially involved in the farming training programs, but because of her age she is unable to continue growing food for herself and family. She was selected for the welfare support program.

In 2018 her daughter Prisca Banda, sitting on the right, joined her with three children when she lost her husband. Prisca Banda sells popcorn and vegetables as a means of survival for the family.  

Farming Training and Loans

14 beneficiaries were on the program for farming loans this season. Each received 1 x 50kg of top-dressing fertilizer, 1 x 50kg basal dressing fertilizer and 5 kg seed for a Lima (1/4 hectare) - each valued at ZMW2,010 each (US$80). 

Two Lima were planted for the CORAC partnership field with inputs valuing ZMW4,020 of inputs (US$160).

Foundations for Farming Trainings:
24 households were trained in compost making and practical farming. They all completed a 12.5m x 12.5m maize demonstration garden. However, due to a prolonged dry spell which started after applying a second top dressing of urea fertilizer, the crop losses were large meaning they harvested just 35 kg of shelled maize from the area.

Catherine Nachilongo (pictured below right) is on the farming support program. She is a mother of five children and visits her plot at CORAC farm by riding a bicycle. They came to search for maize cobs in their field but failed to find anything of value. The dried-up maize stalks are behind them. 

Barnabus states “This year farming is a disaster, and our country is in poverty due to the prolonged dry spell”.

Cassava Loan Empowerment

They are very thankful for this program, where 10 beneficiaries are in the cassava group business and five from the original starting group have separated from the group who have empowered individuals from the profits.

The photo right shows Mwaba Matildah at her cassava table in the morning. She is the mother of five children and is one of the beneficiaries who has separated her business from the group.

The photo below shows Tembo Miriam at her cassava table. She is the mother of five children and is still in the beneficiary group running the cassava empowerment business.

Their income from this business wasn't as high as anticipated this year, the main issues being the higher costs of the bulk cassava, and then more competition in the marketplace than expected, driving prices lower. However, the program is working with people being able to start businesses. They are aiming to have other marketplaces in the town to spread the competition.

Fish Microloan Empowerment

The fish microloan program has not faired very well. The reasons which led to this are not very clear, except that they found higher order prices of fish, and the selling price was low because of many competitors from other sources.

The Board decided to withdraw the remaining capital from the group and task Titus, Paita and Kasongo to channel the money into the cassava business to recover the losses.

In a single trip they managed to make a profit and then the season closed. They have decided to continue with the cassava business and select two groups for this.

Comments

It was great to message with Barnabus and get a clear picture of how things are progressing. It is very encouraging to see them working through the loan empowerment program and business issues, and they expect to have even better results in the next season.