Report from BHW Zambia Partnership Facilitator Following Visit in April

Key person: Charles Chibale Chola 

Recent Events

Preschool

One of the classrooms at the Kaishe Skills Centre overflows with preschool children, their ages ranging from 3-5 years. This year there are 58 children who hopefully will all continue to come as the fishing season starts in April and families can move to the fishing camps.

The children are being taught by Tyson Musonda who was one of the children on the orphan program and went through school up to grade 12. Tyson gently wrangles this lovely group of children. They are starting out with learning their Bemba alphabet and sounds, numbers and some high use English words. 

Farming

Charles has been training Foundations for Farming (FfF) in maize, groundnuts and cassava.

2017:
Term one – Review, How to keep the harvest (for 2016 students)
Term two – FfF maize - 32 people (the same people in each class)
Term three – FfF cassava - 32 people

The cassava training in this area has had the fastest uptake. Kaishe is traditionally a cassava growing area and they just have to make some small changes to the method of growing. One thing that has changed in the trainings here is that this is the first year that Charles has gone as far in changing the methods as planting on flat land instead of ridges, before now he had let people keep the ridges so that the change wasn’t too drastic.  

Charles has said that the people who are using the FfF methods of farming are seeing an increase in their yields and are now able to have enough food for the whole year.  

Charles' Own Farming

Charles says that this year he has really seen a change in the maize that he is growing and he thinks that the years of farming and looking after the soil have started to pay off.

His wood trees are still growing and he also has around 35 bananas. Charles is also growing rice and ground nuts and they are looking healthy.

Hardware Shop

There are more businesses in Kaishe now that are selling the same sort of things at cheaper prices. They have had to reduce their own prices and therefore are losing money. They will meet soon to decide what to do about the shop.

Personal Stories

Rosemary Monika 

Rosemary did the FfF training last year and is the first person in Kaishe to plant cassava, as the photo shows, on flat land. She has the support of her husband but did say that the people who were helping her were laughing at her.

Astrida 

Astrida has seven children and no husband. She has planted 1250m2 of maize using the FfF methods. The maize is looking good and she can see a difference in the maize she is growing this season using the method.

Ideas for the Future

Charles has requested some extra funding to provide equipment for the preschool as this class has grown a lot in the last year.  They would like to purchase things like; chalk, pens, flipcharts, and chairs.

Current Issues and Challenges

The Samfya Bible School extension program is running in Kaishe and it has the potential to unite, grow, strengthen and equip the local churches. Charles has had some different ideas about how this should be run and therefore has stepped back a lot. Pray that he will be moved by the chance to build God's Kingdom.

Prayer and Praise Points

Pray for unity between Charles and other churches. Pray that he and his family will be protected, strengthened and encouraged by his community. Pray that Charles would be able to lead as a servant and listen to others' input.

Pray that the farmers trying new methods of farming will be encouraged and brave. 

Pray for each of the preschoolers and the families they represent. Pray that Tyson will have new ideas and be able to have input into their lives that would flow on to their families. That he would consider his role - his calling, and work with love and energy.

Comments

Please take note of what having enough food for the year actually means for a family making a living from farming. Before using the FfF methods there was not enough food for their families, this is when people make decisions like early marriages for their daughters, not sending children to school, not going to the clinic when sick etc.