Report from BHW Zambia Partnership Facilitators 

Key Person: Barnabus Mwelwa

We didn't get to visit CORAC when in Zambia recently, so this report has been compiled from WhatsApp messages with Barnabus. 

Recent Events

Context

The cost of living continues to rise in Zambia, causing households to really struggle to provide basic needs and school requirements.

The answer is to try to help families increase their household income, as with the discussions last year from average of K1,500 per month to K3,000 per month. 

Orphans Programme

They still have a total of 32 orphans who are being helped with school requirements. 

Farming

Gabriel Mulangu (photo right) was among the 15 families who were asking for farming input support. They elected a leader and the rules for the programme were explained, but they refused to sign the consent form because they wanted inputs for a lima each and do it at their own farms, rather than at the CORAC farm where follow up is possible.

They had 10 other beneficiaries on the farming programme who received inputs for a 25m x 25m maize field which is a quarter lima. 

Kitchen Garden Programme

This programme is just starting, with Barnabus wanting to train people to have small gardens at their own house. The plan was to run a training programme and help supply people with manure.

They could not source any dry manure, so had to buy some wet manure which they then had to put at the CORAC farm to dry as people were not wanting the smelly wet manure at their houses. This programme will start for the next season once the manure has dried out and is able to be used at people’s houses.

Broilers programme

Some funds have been spent to create a chicken house for the programme. They have started a broiler programme where they have 8 families who have been involved in buying the chickens at 7 weeks old from wholesalers then processing them to sell as meat. This enables some value-added component to the product.

They have completed three rounds of 50-60 chickens which went well with the profits being distributed to the beneficiaries on average of K670 per round. With the final round sadly, they had mortalities of 46 birds due to an infection outbreak, so currently this programme is on hold.

They are also running an income generation project with chickens for CORAC to raise its own funds. Chickens are purchased at 7 weeks old from wholesalers, then sold at retail prices in the marketplace. Titus has been running this programme, and he receives some of the profits, as well as helping other beneficiaries who are selling the chickens. They buy around 50 birds at a time costing K5,500 to 6,000 and sell for K6,700 to 6,800 per batch. There are other costs of transport and supplementary feed. After 6 months, they have completed 16 rounds and sold 795 chickens, creating a profit of K7,370 which is distributed to CORAC and the beneficiaries involved.

Cassava Programme 

There are still two groups who are involved in the cassava trading programme, with a total of 18 beneficiaries. This has been going well but recently Barnabus has been having problems getting people to repay the loans that they use to purchase the cassava. 

The cassava sticks that were sourced from the Luapula province that grow and mature in one year instead of three were growing well as a pilot, until goats from a neighbouring farm got in and destroyed most of the planting.

Personal Stories

Mutale Chileshe is a grade ten child at Maiteneke Secondary School. When she was selected to secondary school her mother couldn't meet the school requirements such as books, shoes uniform, and school bag. She explained her situation to her friends. One of her friends, Queen Mundongo, a pupil at Chikola Secondary School and a beneficiary under CORAC education support introduced her to CORAC for help.

She thanks the CORAC board for the support and requests continued support, even to add other children who are in need.

Ideas for the Future

CORAC is wanting to reassess the farming and micro-loan programmes as this is causing them many problems with people not being able to pay back loans due to varying circumstances.

Comments

I have said to them that we need a rethink from them on all the loans and the farming trainings, then they need to come up with a budget for what they want to do. They still have some capital from loan programs and IGA, so I've asked for an update on how much is remaining in those programmes.