On Thursday, we celebrated International Women's Day here in Mwandi and throughout Zambia. It is a day when the world comes together to celebrate the achievements of women.
The Socialist Party of America in 1909 –(yes, there is such a thing!) instituted the first Women's Day following protests against oppression, unfair pay, working hours and the right to vote. Over the years women and men have gathered around the world to stand in solidarity and campaign for the rights of women.
Women still do not receive equal pay. They are underrepresented in the global business and political spheres. Even within the Church women are not offered an equal platform. In many places women are still denied the opportunity to further their education. Violence against women is commonplace and far too often ignored. Though changes and developments have taken place over the past 100 years, more still needs to be done.
The theme this year is 'Empower women - End hunger and poverty.' Time was spent remembering the many women around the world who have made a difference and continue to do so, the mothers, daughters and wives whose works have challenged and changed the world.
Yesterday the Zambian Government announced that for the first time the Gender Department would become a full-scale Ministry with a Cabinet seat. This follows in the wake of a number of women being promoted as Heads in various areas of the Public Service. The Police Inspector General, some Provincial Police Chiefs and Director of the Anti-Corruption Commission are the most prominent recent appointees.
Mothering Sunday was celebrated last Sunday on 4 March 2012. The UCZ theme was The Transformed Woman Impacts Community based on Romans 12:2, Matthew 27:55-6 and Acts 16:14-16. Ida was asked to preach at Mwandi this year. She stressed that the need for female education goes hand in hand with spiritual transformation. For the transformed woman the community is an extension of her family and home. Jesus’ ministry was supported by transformed women, individuals in their own right.
The love and care for orphans is part of the role as is standing against child labour and trafficking. Defilement, early marriages abuse and violence are unacceptable to the transformed woman. She supports victims of gender-based violence (GBV) and their struggle for justice.
Lydia was a good example of a woman opening her house to help and support Mission Work. Aquila and Priscilla’s was a joint-ministry, important in a Christian marriage, working together to share the Gospel. The Transformed Woman impacts her community by allowing God to use her strengths and gifts to extend the Kingdom.
Finally on Friday afternoon last week the World Day of Prayer Service took place at Mwandi. This event grew out of the 400 women who attended the Edinburgh World Mission Conference in 1910. The Day of Prayer is now a worldwide and ecumenical movement celebrated in over 100 countries.
Participants are encouraged to:
Pray for the whole world and its interdependence
Be enriched by other Christians from different denominations and cultures
Take up others’ burdens and pray with and for them
Become aware of talents and use them in service to others
Prayer and action are inseparable and have an immeasurable influence in the world.
This year’s Order of Service was prepared by the Christian women of Malaysia with ‘Let Justice Prevail’ as their call for prayer. The Readings were from Habakuk 1:2-5, 3:2&17-19 who persistently questions God about injustice and receives an answer that God will act. The New Testament Readings were from Matthew 5:6 & Luke 18:1-8 tell us that God’s justice, righteousness and mercy are inseparable. The Prayer of Confession acknowleged the sin of our indifference to the injustice and unrighteousness we see around us.
Next followed a refection from a brave Malasian social worker who fought for the cause of justice amongst the poor and oppressed concentrating on modern slavery, euphemistically called “trafficking” There followed a challenge on our response to stand up together to help change this situation. (Locally, there are two boys from rural Shangombo at the moment living at Sesheke police station who were rescued as they were about to be trafficked to South Africa.)
2013’s service will be written by the Christian women of France using the text ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me’.
Prayer points:
We were asked to remember:
Christians in Malaysia who speak out for justice
Victims of human trafficking, oppression and injustice
Wisdom and courage for governments and leaders to act justly
Organisations working for a fairer world – Fair Trade
Migrant workers that they are treated fairly and with respect
The poor, the homeless, the hungry
People affected by HIV/AIDS
Monday, 12 March 2012
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
Living Abundantly
Although Zambia is still 67% covered by forest, concern continues to be expressed at the high rate of deforestation and calls have been made for swift action to address the situation. Since 1990 forest cover has fallen from 52.8m to 49.4m hectares in 2010. There are dwindling timber resources, especially in State and the traditional community managed forests where huge investments are required to replace timber at the rate at which it is being exploited. At present 61% of the forests are community-owned, 24% by the State and 15% by private companies and individuals.
With sensible investment in the local timber industry, a considerable contribution can be made to the development of the Zambian economy. A multi-billion Kwacha furniture factory has been recently opened in Ndola, and the timber industry had great potential to contribute to the country's GDP, if properly and sustainably managed. Illegal timber dealers have contributed greatly to the dwindling of timber resources, and they keep Zambia in the position of a producer of raw materials whose resources have value added outwith the country. Much of the illegally cut timber is hard wood and smuggled out in its raw state. Unfortunately it is only a small greedy elite that benefit at the expense of the communities in which the trees grow. A more stringent monitoring system is needed to stop these illegal activities and keep things in check.
Forestry and all the associated activities, from honey, to nuts, fruits, charcoal and firewood are vital to Zambia's socio-economic development and if managed properly and could create a substantial number of jobs especially for the rural population and this would help to reduce the high poverty levels found there. The UCZ, itself, runs a honey project. It would be ironic if Zambia, country blessed with so much forest cover, in the future, becomes an importer of timber. Malawi’s deforestation and the Caledonian Forest are examples of what can happen over a very short period of time.
The World Bank has just approved a US$50 million credit to improve the productivity of livestock production for targeted female and male smallholder producers in rural Zambia. This is another example of the shift to diversify the economy, from too heavy a reliance on copper mining in industry and maize production in agriculture. It seeks to move a number of successful subsistence farmers to a more semi-commercial status. The project aims to benefit 390,000 female and male smallholder producers in the targeted areas who rear cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry. It is estimated that one million livestock farmers could indirectly benefit from improved control of animal diseases and increased animal numbers. This effort to increase the role of small livestock farming and to diversify agriculture production should help to raise Zambia's GDP, and also raise the standard of living in rural areas and lead to the creation of more permanent and sustainable jobs.
The Mwandi UCZ Agricultural Project and the Mwandi Community Fish Farm were featured last Saturday on the ZNBC Evening News, releasing fingerlings back into the Zambezi to help replenish fish stocks for local subsistence fishermen.
Here the river is rising but the associated flooding in the bush has not reached its usual levels. It has been an average year in our area so far. However, we are being told Southern Africa should brace itself for more heavy rains and floods until the end of this rainy season. Meteorologists warn that tropical cyclones could shake the eastern coast of Southern Africa during March and April.
Despite a late start to our rainy season, much of Southern Africa received heavy rains in late December, which led to some localised flooding. The blame for this placed at the door of La Nina. This is opposite to El Ninõ, which is caused by a warming of waters in the western Pacific which brings drought to southern Africa. Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa and Angola have all had floods in the past month.
The number of people directly affected by the heavy rain, high winds and flooding caused by two major storms is estimated at 119,000.The gates at Cahora Bassa Dam on the Zambezi are already opened with people living along the lower Zambezi basin and in the Buzi, Save and Pungue basins being sent to higher ground. The Kariba Dam opened its spillway gates of in early January to release pressure on the dam wall. Across the water from us, Namibia has set contingency plans in motion in the Caprivi Region, which is prone to annual floods.
Now finally storms of the political kind: The Mongu Commission, mentioned in earlier postings, recommended this week that the Government should re-instate the 1964 Barotseland Agreement and that it should be part of the new Constitution, but President Sata appears reluctant for the Government to do this.
The Commission also found that the continued denial by the police to allow public meetings violated the rights of assembly and free expression by people in Western Province. Paragraph 7 of the Agreement had also been clearly breached. This concerned the Zambian Government’s financial responsibility to treat Barotseland fairly and equitably in relation to other parts of the Republic. Failure to deal with this had led to high poverty levels and frustrations.
As a result many people were demanding that Western Province should secede from the rest of Zambia because of their growing frustrations at underdevelopment. The committee recommended that dialogue be used in dealing with the agitation to secede, something the previous administration did not do. The Zambian Government should involve the traditional leadership and other key stakeholders to promote national unity. The report would be widely published in the media so that Zambians understood its contents.
With sensible investment in the local timber industry, a considerable contribution can be made to the development of the Zambian economy. A multi-billion Kwacha furniture factory has been recently opened in Ndola, and the timber industry had great potential to contribute to the country's GDP, if properly and sustainably managed. Illegal timber dealers have contributed greatly to the dwindling of timber resources, and they keep Zambia in the position of a producer of raw materials whose resources have value added outwith the country. Much of the illegally cut timber is hard wood and smuggled out in its raw state. Unfortunately it is only a small greedy elite that benefit at the expense of the communities in which the trees grow. A more stringent monitoring system is needed to stop these illegal activities and keep things in check.
Forestry and all the associated activities, from honey, to nuts, fruits, charcoal and firewood are vital to Zambia's socio-economic development and if managed properly and could create a substantial number of jobs especially for the rural population and this would help to reduce the high poverty levels found there. The UCZ, itself, runs a honey project. It would be ironic if Zambia, country blessed with so much forest cover, in the future, becomes an importer of timber. Malawi’s deforestation and the Caledonian Forest are examples of what can happen over a very short period of time.
The World Bank has just approved a US$50 million credit to improve the productivity of livestock production for targeted female and male smallholder producers in rural Zambia. This is another example of the shift to diversify the economy, from too heavy a reliance on copper mining in industry and maize production in agriculture. It seeks to move a number of successful subsistence farmers to a more semi-commercial status. The project aims to benefit 390,000 female and male smallholder producers in the targeted areas who rear cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry. It is estimated that one million livestock farmers could indirectly benefit from improved control of animal diseases and increased animal numbers. This effort to increase the role of small livestock farming and to diversify agriculture production should help to raise Zambia's GDP, and also raise the standard of living in rural areas and lead to the creation of more permanent and sustainable jobs.
The Mwandi UCZ Agricultural Project and the Mwandi Community Fish Farm were featured last Saturday on the ZNBC Evening News, releasing fingerlings back into the Zambezi to help replenish fish stocks for local subsistence fishermen.
Here the river is rising but the associated flooding in the bush has not reached its usual levels. It has been an average year in our area so far. However, we are being told Southern Africa should brace itself for more heavy rains and floods until the end of this rainy season. Meteorologists warn that tropical cyclones could shake the eastern coast of Southern Africa during March and April.
Despite a late start to our rainy season, much of Southern Africa received heavy rains in late December, which led to some localised flooding. The blame for this placed at the door of La Nina. This is opposite to El Ninõ, which is caused by a warming of waters in the western Pacific which brings drought to southern Africa. Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa and Angola have all had floods in the past month.
The number of people directly affected by the heavy rain, high winds and flooding caused by two major storms is estimated at 119,000.The gates at Cahora Bassa Dam on the Zambezi are already opened with people living along the lower Zambezi basin and in the Buzi, Save and Pungue basins being sent to higher ground. The Kariba Dam opened its spillway gates of in early January to release pressure on the dam wall. Across the water from us, Namibia has set contingency plans in motion in the Caprivi Region, which is prone to annual floods.
Now finally storms of the political kind: The Mongu Commission, mentioned in earlier postings, recommended this week that the Government should re-instate the 1964 Barotseland Agreement and that it should be part of the new Constitution, but President Sata appears reluctant for the Government to do this.
The Commission also found that the continued denial by the police to allow public meetings violated the rights of assembly and free expression by people in Western Province. Paragraph 7 of the Agreement had also been clearly breached. This concerned the Zambian Government’s financial responsibility to treat Barotseland fairly and equitably in relation to other parts of the Republic. Failure to deal with this had led to high poverty levels and frustrations.
As a result many people were demanding that Western Province should secede from the rest of Zambia because of their growing frustrations at underdevelopment. The committee recommended that dialogue be used in dealing with the agitation to secede, something the previous administration did not do. The Zambian Government should involve the traditional leadership and other key stakeholders to promote national unity. The report would be widely published in the media so that Zambians understood its contents.
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