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Zambia, Africa

ZAM27 - Chingola Orphanage and Aged Centre (CORAC)

• View report dated: December 12, 2014

• View report dated: April 4, 2015

• View report dated: July 28, 2016

• View report dated: August 21, 2017

• View report dated: March 29, 2019

• View report dated: June 25, 2021

• View report dated: July 7, 2022

• View report dated: May 18, 2023

• View report dated: May 22, 2024

• View report dated: June 25, 2024

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Report Date: April 4, 2025

Update from BHW Zambia Partnership Facilitators

Key Person: Barnabus

The following update has been received from Barnabus. 

Recent Events

Education

Education in Zambia is not easily affordable due to the following factors:
- Family size (having more than five children and dependents going to school)
- High price of school requirements
- High cost of living 
- Having many single mothers and widows due to HIV/AIDS

Currently there are 20 secondary school children receiving support and 12 primary school children. Six have completed Grade 12 successfully. 

There are currently 230 registered orphans in the CORAC education support program, of which the above 32 are identified as the most vulnerable and thus selected for support.

Farming

11 families have benefited by being provided a quarter lima (25m x 25m) each on the CORAC farm which is 12km from Chipata. They received 20kg of D compound fertilizer as a base dressing, 20kg Urea for top dressing and 2.5kg seed.

We are expecting a good harvest this year as the rains have been more consistent than the drought in the 2024 season. 

Welfare

In 2023 we had 17 beneficiaries who received assistance twice in the year, in terms of maize food stuffs.

In 2024 the drought meant people struggled greatly with food security. With assistance from Bright Hope World, we were able to provide additional food security support to 25 households, each receiving assistance of 30.5kg maize six times throughout the year.

Cassava Loan Program

In 2024 there were 18 beneficiaries in the cassava microloan program. They are now working as individuals after having graduated from the group trading scheme.

Personal Stories

Fridah Metisela 

Fridah looks after five orphans. Back in the 2022/2023 farming season she received a farming loan of 2,020ZMW (US$100) and grew maize, following the Foundations for Farming methods. She harvested 14.5 x 50 kg bags valued at 4,290ZMW. She invested part of the funds from the 2,270ZMW surplus into a kalembula business (selling of sweet potato leaves).

Last year she only harvested 5x 50 kg bags of maize due to the drought but continued selling sweet potato leaves. In the 2024-2025 season she grew one lima (50m x 50m) of maize (shown in the picture) from the surplus which she invested in sweet potato leaves business.

She is happy and expecting a good harvest. She said, "farming is the only way to survive".

 

Juliet Mumba 

Last year Juliet was a group leader for the cassava microloan beneficiaries. She has now graduated from the group after receiving 2 x 100kg bags of cassava as a loan.

She managed her business well, has repaid the loan back to the group and raised capital from the surplus by the end of November 2024. She has grown the capital to have purchased 7 x 100kg cassava bags to be sold. 

 

Current Issues and Challenges

• The CORAC board needs some new younger people to be involved. This is on the agenda to discuss when we visit in July 2025.

• The bore hole they dug at the farm which is 60m deep has dried up. They are hoping with better rains the aquafer will increase.