Plenty to Think About

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With my visit to our Copperbelt Rural Livelihoods Enhancement and Support Project (CRLES) behind, and the daily routine of life back in full swing, I ponder the life-altering experiences over the last few days in Zambia.  The  facts still resonate in my ears: half the population attends primary school, nearly three-quarters of the population do not own latrines, just more than half  do not have enough food to last more than eight or nine months of the year and 61 percent live below the low income/subsistence bracket (<$90/month).

I grapple with the challenges presented and ask if the cycle can be broken. 

As I visited the many proud families receiving either goats or draft cattle, I was not only inspired but assured that YES, we can break the cycle. It will take time, and we will be confronted with new challenges along the way. But their resilience, desire and hope for change will drive these people above the poverty line.

Our integrated model and partnership with Heifer International, Heifer Zambia, Village Water Zambia, National Food and Nutrition Commission of Zambia and Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is unique in that it addresses the complexity of many issues in the districts of Kalulushi, Luanshya, Mpongwe and Masaiti.  In the six short months since the official launch of the project, I witnessed how the implementation of simple technologies makes a world of difference. 

For example: The construction of the tippy-tap encourages hand washing.

Or the construction of a latrine, preventing “bathrooms in the bush.”

Or the construction of a small bathing area with thatch walls, providing privacy and encouraging bathing.

Or a simple rubbish/refuse pit.

Or a raised dish draining rack, replacing dishes drying on the ground.

With the introduction of livestock, there is hope that we will meet our target of increasing household incomes by half for 80 percent of the participants. Goats can be sold for meat, with the income used to assist in the purchase and cultivation of additional land, and for the purchase of agricultural inputs such as seed. Draft cattle will be used to till the land, not only resulting in additional livestock feed, but also generating crops for sale.  Their manure can be used as fertilizer, further improving the crop.

Their new revenues will replace their previous income, which was generated by the sale of charcoal—produced by cutting down local forests and burning the wood.

Perhaps the biggest challenge this project will confront is water. As I wrote earlier, availability is not the issue. It is access to clean, safe water for both family and livestock use.

When a child has to carry double his weight in water on a bicycle 4 to 5 km (or 2 ½ to 3 miles) before and after school (often on an empty stomach), something is wrong.

Despite the challenges, change is happening.  As Dan West, founder of Heifer International, observed during his time as a relief worker in the Spanish War, it is better to give “not a cup, but a cow.”

During the two official hand-over ceremonies in Mponge and Kuanga, it was evident that the recipients to will be proud to pass on their livestock, in addition to the knowledge/training to improve household security, nutrition, hygiene and sanitation practices.  Their testimonies reflecting positive change act as a seed of hope for future pass-on recipients.