Smallholding, lunch and medical centre

We were shown a couple of smallholdings. They use traditional methods either turning the soil by hand or with oxen and plough. Largest one we saw was 4 hectres under cultivation growing maize, mostly organically and some with chemical fertilizer (the organic maize they use themselves). Goats, doves, chickens and pigs also kept. One smallholder who was well organised with goats and chickens (she started with a grant of 3 goats and now has 30, passing 3 onto someone else) now longs for two pigs - cost about £100. The goat with his head poking through the wall is very aggressive and is in the brick shed until they have him for weekend dinner!
Lunch was great - home reared chicken, vegtables and nshima (made from maize and very good - the staple food).
The medical centre was built by the cooperative and handed over to the local authority. They havent done anything they promised and so looking to escalate it to get things fixed.

Chongwe continued - The School

The Cooperative have helped finance the building of a school. It is not complete yet but with just one operating class room they have 368 pupils in rotating classes. They have two volunteer teachers and can not get permanent paid teachers until they can build houses for them. They need more desks and books and the usual kit for everyone. They have started a second classroom block but alot of work yet to do.

The water bore hole is quite clever. The roundabout sits over the bore hole. As it is turned it fills the water tank and a tap on what looks like the pump allows anyone to fill their containers.

A New House

We visited the site of a lady who was having a new house built. The Cooperative pay for the labour, roof and cement. The new owner, in this case the elderly lady in the photo provides everything else. She made all the bricks - digging out the clay, making the oven, collecting the wood for the fire, forming the bricks and then ino the oven. She also collected and broke all the stones that you see piled up. The large mound of earth is a quiz - any ideas what it is? They are all over the place some smller some bigger than this. I'll give you a week and then let you know.

2nd December - The Vegtable Garden

The following are pictures of the vegtable garden looked after by one of the small groups the Cooperative help. They grow pumpkins for the fruit and leave, tomatoes, herbs and various other vegtables for them to eat themselves and to sell the surplus. They are very proud of their success. 2010 they made Kw150000 (about £20) and rewarded themselves with new dinner plates for each member. 2011 so far have made around Kw175000 that they are keeping to reinvest. When I asked them what one thing would they want that would make the biggest difference the reply after some thought was a hosepipe to run from the pump to the garden to save them having to carry all the water - they could then spend the time extending the garden. They were great people so proud to show me what they had done. Fantastic.

Friday 2nd December - Chongwe

Quite a few photos on the Cooperative Society in Chongwe. They have a small office and shop and a total membership of around 400 people organised into small groups depending on what they do and where they are. For example a small group we saw had a small vegtable garden that they worked between them (photos in later post). They exhibit at local, regional and national agricultural shows and are rightly proud of their success. They are all about economically empowering women in order to fight aids. Their goal is to be self sufficient financially - they wont to move away from dependency on aid.

Week 6

Time is now flying past as I get towards the end of my time here. This week I have concentrated on getting the 3 year strategy finished and circulated to the Board. This is the key deliverable and I will be presenting it to the Board on Monday. We'll see how it goes!

Thursday was World Aids Day and the Forum organised a number of local groups to attend. Pictures attached. I didnt attend as the new accountant (Mwanza) joined that day and so I endeavoured to do his induction. I think he will be a real asset to the organisation but as he is the one that I argued for at the interviews I would say that! Also met with the country manager of Emerging World the organisation that organised my trip. Very constructive and positive. As a result will be visiting a brand new organisation next week to help them with governance and get off to a good start. They are looking at pump-priming small agriculture businesses, not the farming itself but support businesses. They are keen to explore further the organic fertiliser business idea I have.

Friday we went back to Chongwe to meet with the Mitengo Womens Cooperative Organisation again. They liked the early draft of the strategy I produced for the Forum and have asked me to do theirs. A very good discussion and then  a tour of the communities to see the work they are doing. Fantastic stuff. Loads of photos (I think we took over  100) and will try and upload  as many as I can this weekend with a brief summary of what I found.

Next week is the Board meeting, updating the strategy as a result, meet the new Agri Business organisation and hopefully arrange to see a community North of Lusaka who are supported by a small British charity.

Update on Kafue

Quick update on the situation with the potential eviction issue. A court injunction has been obtained to stop any eviction and a meeting set with the Council for 22nd December. Alot of effort being put on publicity as well with representations made to both Ministry of Land and also the Presidents Office. There is a TV crew there this morning and hopefully will make the news slots over the weekend. Hopefully we will see a positive outcome.