During this past month, we witnessed for the fourth time: trucks delivering food commodities; off-loaders taking the food off the trucks into the warehouses under the watchful eye of Kalaluka, our logistics person; and secondary transport loading up the food and driving it to the distribution points. During this month we also had surveyors busy collecting data from 383 of the 2,500 households that were assisted in this program.

Many beneficiaries at the distributions came to us saying that there was a continuing need for more food assistance. “There is no more room on our distribution cards for any more food distributions, but with this drought we will continue to need help,” they said, referring to the cards that each beneficiary signed after each distribution to to indicate they had receive food).  

Many beneficiaries at the distributions came to us saying that there was a continuing need for more food assistance.

At that time, we were unable to confirm  whether World Renew would have the funding to continue the distributions for more months. Even without promises for more food, the communities were able to celebrate and thank World Renew and CFGB for the eight months of food that they had received. 

During each of the five days of distribution, two communities were provided food. We split up so that one of us was at each site.  That meant that we were not together at any distribution. Instead, at the end of each day, we would tell each other of the celebrations we witnessed and were part of.  What an amazing week of dancing and singing, plays, speeches and gifts it was!

Many community members presented us with baskets, carvings, brooms and wooden spoons all made by the beneficiaries in that community.  We were also presented with live chickens and vegetables! Overwhelmed, we spoke with the Deaconess and Reverend to say that we could never take all those gifts. We were told that making and giving of these gifts was the only way the people knew of expressing their gratitude.  We accepted them gratefully, and some will come back with us (not the chickens). Most of the gifts, however, were given to members of the team without whom this drought relief project would not have been possible.

Two weeks after the distributions, we were able to let the beneficiaries know that World Renew along with CFGB was able to verify that food distributions will continue for another three months with a possibility of extending all the way until the next harvest in April of 2017. 

We are grateful that Tony and Mary DeKoter, brand-new World Renew International Relief Managers were able to come to Zambia to take our place and be there for the May to July extension.  We had met Tony and Mary in Haiti, where Tony worked at the Christian School and Mary volunteered her nursing skills.  Prayers and blessings to both of them. 

 An Interview with a Beneficiary

Mwandi District is an administrative region in the South Western Province of Zambia where the government controls land allocation to subsistence farm households. It is a system which remains confusing and complex. Due to agreements signed at the time of Independence, property allocation remains the responsibility of both the currently elected National Government and to the traditional Royal government that ruled the land before colonization. Land assignments to families have resulted in the formation of numerous villages comprised of family groupings scattered throughout the rural areas. A village that was chosen for a school location may have up to 12 or 20 smaller household villages where students may need to walk up to six hours per day to attend daily classes.

Kathrine Nalisamukena is a 64 year-old single mother with a home in the village of Kangubu. The village consists of approximately 7 households and surrounds a school. Her marital status is typical of the region where the practice of multiple marriages and high divorce rates leave many women alone to raise their families. She was left with seven children in her care who are now all married. When her daughter’s husband died, the daughter left the village and gave her six children to Kathrine to raise. The children range in age from two to 16. Besides these grandchildren, four of Kathrine’s sons and their families live in this family village.

Kathrine was left with a 20 by 100 meter plot of land where she tries to grow enough crops to sustain her family. One of her sons owns some cattle so he helps her with the ploughing of her field.

 At the start of the food security project by World Renew, Kathrine was provided with 2.5 kilograms of maize seed, 2 kilograms of groundnut (peanut) seed and 2 kilograms of cowpea seed. She planted her seed in late December of 2015 hoping that she would have a harvest as the drought of the previous year had produced very little food or seed.

During a normal growing season, Kathrine was able to produce up to 7 oxcarts of maize. Each oxcart contained approximately 350 kilograms. It was enough to marginally maintain the food requirements for Kathrine’s family.

Due to insufficient rainfall, this year’s harvest has been reduced to only one oxcart of maize. 

Due to insufficient rainfall, this year’s harvest has been reduced to only one oxcart of maize. The maize that she has been able to harvest is of very poor quality due to ant and termite damage associated with poor rainfall. A spattering of late rains has further diminished the poor harvest by rotting the stems and cobs that were still ripening on the plant.

Kathrine indicated that she does not know what she might have done without the food assistance from World Renew. In the past, family members have been coping by doing ‘piece work’ or labor for the few commercial farmers in the area where they get paid in kind with food. Now with the prevailing drought conditions this work has also been reduced to minimal hours.

Kathrine’s situation is typical of the 2,500 households that have received emergency food rations through the program. Her hope, along with the many drought affected Zambian of the district, is that the food response project will continue and that the period of drought in the region will soon be over.

You know you are in Zambia when:

• You drive to a restaurant and come across three giraffes in the traffic circle and nine zebras at the entrance.

• You are able to catch the famous tiger fish in the Zambezi River!

• You go for walks and the locals greet you with a big smile and ‘You go for the exercise?’ They must think we are crazy.

• The church has at least five choirs and one is made up of women over 60 who just love to sing and dance in the aisles (and with George).

• A church service lasts for at least three hours

• You can see the Southern Cross and millions of other stars in the dark skies.

• The car without tires is permanently parked on Main Street.

• The market place has a large tree where people gather to sell fuel from plastic liter containers and women sit in the shade waiting for buses to arrive so they can sell their wares – such as dried fish, fruit, and vegetables.

• You need to change brake pads every 2,000 kilometers.

• The guard checks the river fence for crocodiles and hippos.

• George dances with the elderly women of the villag
  e!

• You need to park the vehicle under a crude shelter to protect it from falling fruit (like hard crabapples but not edible) and from setting off the truck’s alarm.  The noise of it falling on the tin roof makes one jump every time! You also don’t want to stay under the tree too long…

Blessings,