GETTING TO ZERO - WORLD AIDS DAY COMMEMORATION 2013

WORLD AIDS DAY EVE

World Aids Day was commemorated in Mwandi with what has become a  local tradition . At 1700h on Sunday evening the staff and general public met at the Simunga (Big Tree) at the market for the March led by the UCZ Boys Brigade Drums to the Candle-lit AIDS day Eve Service at the Mission Hospital Chapel. Those participating included choirs some hospital staff, government employees, adult members and children from the Mwandi Churches and members of the public. All the children from Orphan and Vulnerable Centre carried red balloons.

The Service began with a prayer from Father Natun of the Roman Catholic Church. The congregation was then welcomed by Mr Sililo who represented the Mwandi District Commissioner, Mrs Afuna Chali, then Mr Kenny Lubinda gave a word of encouragement. Our Candle Lighting Ceremony began with one candle being lit and its light passed on to the next individual who in turn passed their light on until all the candles were lit. There followed a moment of silence in loving memory and in respect for loved ones who have died from AIDS. Pastor Kalimina from the New Apostolic Church then preached a short sermon on human stigma and the compassion of God. The UCZ Praise Team followed up with some appropriate choruses as did the Faith Tabernacle and the Catholic choirs. Pastor Muleba then closed in prayer.

 

It was appropriate that the service took place on the first Sunday of Advent, a time of expectancy and hope for Christians, a time for lighting candles of hope, as we wait for light to come out of the darkness again and remember the importance of the light coming into our lives over 2000 years ago. The light and the silence for the departed brought our fellowship, our support for one another and our prayers together. The lighted candles bringing hope for new beginnings and new opportunities on our journey in life.

 

 

 

WORLD AIDS DAY

The next day the forms from the Basic School were arranged under the shade of the big spreading trees in the school yard. The soft furniture from the Head’s office was placed at the disposal of the Guests of Honour. The school, hospital and government staff gathered at 0900h for the opening prayer and singing of the national anthem. The newly appointed District Medical Officer welcomed the Government Guest of Honour, Mr Sililo, the Assistant District Commissioner, who gave the opening speech.

 

The two school choirs along with the Faith Tabernacle and Catholic Choir all participated in the event. The Basic School High School and the RC Choir all entered teams for the 2 Round Quiz. Over and above this were drama sketches and traditional dancing all stressing the importance of HIV prevention, treatment care and support and including possible areas of gender inequality that work against these efforts to provide care, access and adherence with stigma and discrimination. This Commemoration ended at around 1230h with a closing prayer.

 

 

WESTERN PRESBYTERY COUNCIL MEETING

Last week was the annual Presbytery Council held this year in Senanga on 28 and 29 November. It only took us 3 hours to travel the 300km distance from Mwandi as the pontoon ferry at Sikuka is now in operation. Tarmac on the roads all the way too!

There were Pastoral and Finance Committee Meetings on the Thursday. The full Council convened on Friday, at Senanga Main Church and worked through till 2000h, despite the power cut; reading reports by torchlight. This meant that we completed all the business in a day. The UCZ Synod Bishop and General Secretary were both in attendance

After the opening hymn, HY5 (Psalm 37) and a prayer, Council followed its usual pattern with welcome, roll call and apologies. The main business of the morning was matters from Synod and Presbytery. Synod business ranged from fundraising for the new investment complex, Church Workers Conditions of Service, the new UCZ University College at Mindolo and the 2 theology students from Western Province. The importance of the establishment of Presbytery and Consistory Land Committees was stressed to help minimize embarrassing and difficult wrangles and deal with challenges to Church property. Guidelines concerning Charismatic Worship and the new Sunday School Syllabus had been published. We also remembered with affection the life, work and witness of Rev Alice Mulenga of the Community Development and Social Justice Department who died recently.

The Presbytery items were concerned with human resource issues and Church workers. Physical infrastructure dealt with manse renovations, the Lilelelo fence and JAA assets. Finances covered assessments, visitations and special Sundays. Events on the Church Calendar included Rededications, the MCF AGM and WCF National Rally, the Western Bishop’s exchange with Muchinga in May and the Synod Bishop’s Pastoral Visit in August 2014. 8 delegates were elected for the Synod Executive Meeting taking place in June. A Presbytery Committee was formed to begin making arrangements to celebrate the UCZ’s Golden Jubilee in January 2015. Finally, the Butoya Retreat was scheduled for September 2015

Thereafter, came reports from Consistories, Presbytery Committees, Health and Education Institutions and other Church groups. The meeting closed with a hymn prayer and the Grace.

The next morning as we were about to set out to return home we heard the news that the 54 Barotseland activists who had been facing treason charges had been set free as the Director of Public Prosecutions had entered a ‘nolle prosequi’.

Altogether 84 activists had been detained in August for allegedly agitating for the restoration of sovereignty to Barotseland. 30 activists had been released earlier last month at a court appearance. Amongst the latest releases we learned was Clement Sinyinda, the former Ngambela, the Barotse Prime Minister, who had also been charged with treason.

The Court told the activists that they were discharged, not acquitted, and could be rearrested at a later date should the state decide to do so.

Human Trafficking

We are often tempted to look on the abolition of slavery as one of the crowning achievements of Western Christian civilization, forgetting that virtual slavery still exists today; its most obvious forms in child and bonded labour.

In this year when we celebrate the 200^th anniversary of David Livingstone’s birth, it is depressing to realise that the slave trade still exists but it is euphemistically nowadays called “trafficking”. Human trafficking is a worldwide and multi-faceted phenomenon with the shipping of refugees as part of it. We have witnessed the tragic consequences from modern slavers plying their commodity from North Africa to Southern Europe; exploited people packed in unseaworthy vessels. While these events have been given the due and necessary prominence in the media, we here have recently had our own disturbing incidents.

Firstly, last year there were two orphaned boys from rural Shangombo who were lodged for a while at Sesheke police station after being discovered at the Zambian-Namibian border about to be ‘trafficked’ to South Africa. This we heard on good authority from the District Social worker. A long running local problem here has been the sending of children, both boys and girls, from this less developed area of Zambia to the more prosperous part in Namibia called Caprivi, to work for a pittance as domestic servants and herdboys.

Another incident occurred earlier this month, when a UCZ Mission Worker was travelling back to Mwandi from Lusaka on the Mazhandu coach. His suspicions were raised by a group of around 20 silent and cowed children travelling with an adult male and other adult ‘helpers’. They were Congolese and in speaking to the accompanying adult male our worker’s suspicions were raised. He phoned Mwandi Police, the Office of the President Officer and the District Social Worker, who stopped the bus and arrested the adult suspects and took the children into care.

 A week later people from Namibia were arrested in the village offering children sweets and wanting to know where and with whom they lived trying to find out how vulnerable they were with a view to ‘buying’ them. We are fortunate that Mwandi still has such a strong sense of community that outsiders are easily recognized.

The sale of people as commodities, whether as domestic servants, as sex workers or as bonded labourers is happening in both Zambia and Scotland. In spite of laws to the contrary, people are still keeping their fellow human beings in economic and physical bondage. This will only change when the welfare and needs of people take precedence over the economy and profit.

It is good to see the Church supporting the campaign to eradicate this modern-day slavery. Link: http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/speak_out/social_issues/human_trafficking  Human beings have been created in the image of our God and are loved and seen as having equal value by our liberating God. Therefore, for a Christian, it is sinful to do nothing while fellow human beings are being sold as just another commodity on the market.

It is also good to see the Scottish Parliament taking steps towards a Scottish anti-human trafficking strategy, making human-trafficking a specific crime and providing support for victims and survivors.  Link http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Justice/crimes/humantraffick

But as the Church of Scotland points out, to succeed this measure requires cross-party agreement and Scottish opposition to slavery has a long and distinguished history from St Patrick to Livingstone and the Scottish Abolitionists including Brougham and Rev Andrew Thomson.

Livingstone’s last words on the matter were: “All I can add in my solitude is, may Heaven’s rich blessing come down on everyone, American, English or Turk who will help to heal this open sore of the world.”

And today in Scotland’s Parliament that means, Conservative, Green, Independent, Labour, Liberal and Nationalist.

Body Building at Magumwi

Last Monday I phoned Wayne at Southern Steel in Livingstone to order the Y-12 Reinforcement Bars to reinforce the baked-brick pillars that will hold up the new Magumwi Church roof. David the Convenor had tried to text the dimensions by cell-phone but was unable to. He set out on the Sunday after the service to deliver the list and get the first installment to pay for the rafters. He had managed to find 80 out of the 150 needed. They cost K15 about GBP2 each.

 

 

We needed 27 x 12m lengths of steel that were cut into 60 x 3m lengths, 18 x 4.5m lengths and 9 x 6m lengths. To hook the three bars in each pillar together we ordered 15 lengths of R-6 Round Bars and 20kg of binding wire. This amounted to around GBP300. On Wednesday morning we were in Livingstone and Charles picked up the neatly cut pieces in the OVC truck and brought them back the 140km to Mwandi.

We contacted Unworried, a Hospital Driver and Church stalwart, along with Chis, the American volunteer, who is overseeing the construction of the new Mission Church at Mwandi. They agreed to help us transport the steel almost 2000kg of it on the old Hospital 130-Landrover to Magumwi on Sunday morning.

They arrived bright and early just before 0700h and we got the pieces loaded on the back of the pick-up style vehicle. We had to bend in half the 6m rods so they would almost fit. They still protruded out the back so I tied one of the nasty, but now taxed, Shoprite plastic shopping bags as a warning duster to the end of the rods.

We packed another 6 boxes of clothes from CART into our car and set out with Mubita and Ellie on the 50km to Magumwi. The first 15km is on tar, then we are on sand for the next 2 hours it takes to get there. We travel past mopani, thorn, ivory palm and baobab trees. In the hot dry season, the sand now is very loose in places now and it is easy to get bogged down in the drifts but by careful selection of the available alternative tracks we manage to bump, jostle and strain ourselves through without coming to a standstill.

We arrived at Magumwi, hot and dusty, at 0930h to the strains of the opening hymn. We were warmly welcomed and ushered into the vestry and from there to forms on the chancel.

 

It was a typical rural service that followed the Lozi Liturgy. Services begin with the Greeting, Prayer of Invocation and Call to Worship, then the opening Hymn. This is followed by a reminder of the Law and our asking for help to keep it, the Prayer of Confession with the Agnus Dei is next. After this comes the Promise of Forgiveness with the recitation of the shortened Creed and finally the Gloria. The next part of the service is taken up by the various organizations of the Church usually including the Women’s and Men’s Fellowship, the Church Choir and Sunday School all taking a turn to lead in singing a song of praise or worship with the congregation joining in support. These are always times of exuberance and great joy as well as reverence. There is singing, dancing clapping and ululating which can be quite disconcertingly noisy at first for those of us from more contemplative Northerly and Calvinistic climes!

After this, the Church Secretary usually welcomes visitors and reads the Intimations. Then we return to the Reading of The Word after which the Preacher is sung, danced and clapped into the pulpit. When the sermon is finished the offering is taken and dedicated. The Prayer of Intercession follows finishing with the Lord’s Prayer. The congregation then usually sing The Grace before the Benediction. The Bible Preacher and duty Elders then go to the door and shake hands with everyone in the congregation. The congregants, as they leave, shake hands with everyone in the line working their way to the end and then taking their place, to shake hands with the person exiting behind them. In this way everyone shakes hands with everyone who was at the service. A simple but effective emphasis on fellowship.  

David, the Convenor, preached on Prayer and Faith. At the end of the service we celebrated Communion. There are Lay Members trained to give Communion, otherwise rural congregations without a Minister could go for years without celebrating this Sacrament. David is one. Although shortened, it follows much the same pattern as other Reformed Orders beginning with Grace and Peace, the Scripture Sentence and Prayer. After this comes the Narrative of the Institution, the Invitation and Agnus Dei and the part consisting of the Taking of the Bread and Wine. After the Breaking of the Bread, the Elders stand in a horseshoe round the Communion Table and the Minister distributes the bread and wine also giving communicants suitable verses from Scripture. The congregation comes up two pews at time forms a horseshoe at the communion table to receive communion in the same way. After all have been served everyone offers The Peace to their neighbours. While Communion is being served the choir and congregation sing a medley of traditional Communion Hymns. After the blessing the elements are removed.

It was a blessed time, around 60 of us gathered in rural Zambia. The plate was simple. The Common Cup was an ordinary glass tumbler. A home-made wooden rack with drilled holes held the disposable plastic individual cups. Except ours are carefully washed out and used again and again.

The Communion Table was a small wooden coffee table, with a missing leg, decked with a white table cloth and the elements were covered by a white linen napkin, lovingly embroidered in red thread with a verse. The Host was broken Tennis biscuits on an enameled plate. The wine was diluted Jolly Juice, an artificial Ribena, beloved by generations of children in Zambia.

After unloading the steel and drinking a bottle of Cola in the Vestry, we set off back for Mwandi. This time we carried two patients as well, who had been referred to the hospital at Mwandi by Community Health Workers, who are members at Magumwi.

That's the way the money goes...

Last week saw the 2013 Zambian Budget presented to the National Assembly by the Finance Minister, Alexander Chikwanda.

 

Main Highlights:

GDP Growth Rate

2012: 7.1%

2013: 6.0% The Chinese economic slow-down and the fall in price of copper together with borrowing and fiscal deficit are said to be responsible for the failure to meet this year’s target,

2014: 7.0% (Proposed)

 

Jobs
200 000 ‘decent’ jobs.  That means permanent and reasonably paid employment. This year 60 000 jobs were created, some permanent but unfortunately many were just temporary ones in construction.

 

Inflation
It is running at 7% per year and the target is to bring it to 6.5% in 2014

 

Borrowing
$2bn to be borrowed. $1bn to be used to service existing debt.

 

Domestic Tax Raising
This will amount to 20% of GDP. 55% of this will go on public sector wages. A 2 year wage and recruiting freeze in public sector is envisaged. Borrowing is set at 2.5% of GDP and the deficit is expected to be no more than 6.6%.

The Government will raise the tax on cellphone airtime to 15% and tax financial transactions into, within and out of Zambia at 0.2% of their value. One of the latest improvements and innovations in Zambia has been the ability to transfer money at reasonable rates to other areas of the country using your cellphone, instead of relying on town-based banks and Western Union-type Companies.

Plastic carrier bags will now also carry duty. Carelessly discarded supermarket plastic bags are a blight on the landscape and a danger to cattle and livestock. Beer will carry 60% duty and winnings from forms of gambling will be taxed at 20%

The duty on crude oil has been removed. It will be interesting to see what effect this has at the pump. The fuel supply chain in Zambia is a powerful vested interest.

10% duty has been put on base and semi-processed metals to try and stimulate home industries to add value before export or release on the home market. The zinc roofing sheets we bought for Magumwi now cost us K5 more per sheet.

Some follow up to last year’s revelations of the tax avoidance or tax reduction schemes carried out by some multi-national companies is evident in a 15% withholding tax being laid on profits distributed by branches of foreign firms.

 

Total Expenditure

K42bn - US$8bn

K30bn is to be raised domestically

K2bn will come through partners

K10bn is to be found through foreign and domestic borrowing

 

Areas of Expenditure
56% will go on infrastructure; some of this to new district and provincial centres.

17.5% will go to education towards the building of 53 Secondary Schools, 150 Primary School Classroom blocks and 3 Teacher Training Colleges

11.3% will be spent on Health including 650 Health Posts

7% is allocated to Agriculture mostly for diversification purposes. Silos, diptanks and irrigation were other areas mentioned.

 

PAYE Threshold

This has been raised from K2200 to K3000(US$600). The rates of Income Tax remain the same at 25%, 30% and 35% respectively.

 

Monthly Income 2013	Rate	Monthly Income 2014	Rate
0-K2 200.00	0%	0-K3000.00	0%
K2200.01-K3000.00	25%	K3000.01-K3800.00	25%
K3000.01-K5900.00	30%	K3800.01-K5900.00	30%
> K5900.00	35%	>K5900.00	35%

 

 

 

Women’s Christian Fellowship (WCF) Rally – Senanga

Just after dawn on 22^nd August, I set off in our car picking up the first passengers at the church. Our journey began in song and this continued to Simungoma where we collected Grace and organized the distribution locally of newly arrived mosquito-nets. Leaving Grace’s house we got stuck in the loose sand. All bundled out to push then piled back in again. We fueled up in Sesheke and then drew up at the market next to the Lipumpu Anamoyo (WCF) truck to a boisterous salutation of waves and ululation. In fact a good collective noun for Anamoyo would be an ululation!

The first leg from Sesheke to Sioma on new tar was a pleasure with Bo-Ma Naluca (our Mubita’s great aunt) excitedly pointed out en route all the notable and noteworthy features and landmarks of the Silumbu area. After the end of the tar, we stopped on the gravel near Sitoti and had a quick, shared brunch of chicken, rolls and bananas under a shady tree overlooking the river. We reached the pontoon at around midday to find the crew working on one of the outboard motors. After an hour’s wait we were across and over the plain, reaching Senanga at 1330h.

We were met by Dorothy at the High School and went to the Girls Dorms, where she pitched her tent. A meal of fish and buhobe followed, then a stick of cassava to nibble on and my luxury - a cup of coffee. My back soon told me that I was not used to sitting on a museme (reed mat) on the ground. I was advised to park the car at the Police Station, so I drove there with a Mwandi escort, as there was a strange and eerie atmosphere in the streets after the recent disturbances and detentions. We walked back and went to bed; Dorothy kindly sharing her tent with me.

We woke at 0500h showered had a coffee and tried to get the programme. After a bun and banana for breakfast, over 1000 Anamoyo gathered at the top of the hill. It was quite a scene with flashes of red, white and black from the uniforms of the congregating women. After gaining police permission we marched singing to the official opening and usual speeches.

After lunch we opened with Hymn 65, the Lozi version of: Lo! He comes with clouds descending… Rev Chikwanda spoke well on traditions and culture and how they related with Christianity. Many Christians have a foot in both camps but a Christian marriage is a real marriage of a man and women in a way that a traditional marriage can never be.  Dr Mate then spoke on cervical cancer and Deaconess Mubita on Child-Abuse and Gender-Based Violence. We finished and turned in at 2300h.

First thing next morning Dorothy went to Praise and Worship while I had my quiet time. I met up with Mrs Chipeta again, she had helped dress me at my blousing. They had recently suffered a disastrous house-fire; house insurance does not exist outside the main urban areas. She is still in shock. After a roll and coffee the morning programme began with Rev Chikwanda talking about living with the spirit of unforgiveness. By forgiving the pain goes and you grow in the Lord and become a better person. Forgive and continue to forgive. Agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency were next; they discussed the damage done by drug and alcohol abuse to the body and the signs and symptoms of such abuse.

Rev Sivile then talked about ‘Witnessing through Giving’, which led into a time of offering. Grace, still recovering from her stay in hospital, was transformed, becoming energized and enlivened by the food and fellowship, laughing and joking with us all. At that supper I was more of spectator, I felt I was being accepted as part of the group but still realising as an outsider I could never really be one of them. The evening was taken up with the Choir Fundraiser. Mongu and Livingstone dominated but by donating more other choirs could sing and the last one singing won. Mwandi were called and sang some old faithfuls. I just copied the actions for dancing and got a cheer at the end for my exertions. It was fun. I enjoyed a late supper of buhobe and mabisi (sour milk) Livingstone and Mongu had their time for secret friends whilst we got ready for bed. I slept well, even on the ground.

Next morning we rose at 0430h for Holy Communion in the packed hall. The Reverends were there en masse to dispense the Communion to the long lines of communicants. After Communion we rushed into town to buy bread, milk, tea leaves and sugar for breakfast. Then I caught up with Mrs Chikeba, who had been sick, and retired Deaconess Mbuywana, Rev Sitali’s mother.

Then the blousing started. We were proud because Florence who works for us had been attending classes and was to be bloused at today’s service. After this, Mrs Chipeta came back and Bo-Ma Sitali with some Mongu rice. Supper was fish, buhobe and cabbage. At 2000h we held our last devotions, the Bishop spoke about next year’s Butoya and that next year will also be a WCF National Rally. After that there was a time of prayer and healing for those who wanted or needed it. We were late to bed just after midnight.

We were woken at 0300h with everyone starting to pack. I got up at 03.45h and took a sick lady with the others and left at 0500h as the bus arrived loading started. We reached the pontoon 45 minutes later. The dawn chorus was lovely as the birds sang with the rising sun. Other early birds were vehicles with GRZ and CD plates who were on their way to check the demarcation of the Namibian border. The patient’s condition continued deteriorate with sickness, diarrhea and fever. We stopped quickly near Lusu under an old baobab tree. Because of the lady’s condition,

I put my foot down and we reached Mwandi Mission Hospital at 1230h. We were struck on our way home by the heavy police presence and the number of roadblocks. There were blocks at Katima, Sesheke and the Mulobezi turn-off. We also met more GRZ and CD cars tanking up at the garage in Sesheke for the border verification exercise.

The Readings for the blousing ceremony came from Matthew 5: and James 4:8 and they had been a constant theme for the rally, the first came from the Beatitudes: Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God and: Come near to God and he will come near to you. It was a good time for both contemplation and discussing topics relevant to our daily lives. It was good too taking time and finding intimacy with God and being with him in fellowship with other sisters.

THE UNEQUAL STRUGGLE TO LIVE

The Zambia 2010 Living Conditions Monitoring Survey Report is now published and available. It makes interesting reading, though it runs to 304 pages. However, an electronic version can be easily downloaded through the Zambian Economist site:
http:/www.zambian-economist.com

The 2010 ZLCMS followed on from the 2006 ZLCMS, both looked at community needs and the impact of programmes designed to promote social, economic and community development in the community. They collected data on the sort of social and economic development people would like to see in their community.

There were 14 categories and participants could choose 4. They also enquired about any recent changes in the last year and the extent to which they were an improvement. Having the two reports meant that comparisons and changes over time could be examined too. The table below contains the 2010 % figures listing people's choice of projects.

DEVELOPMENT	Rural	Urban	Zambia
Health	47.0	27.1	39.9
Food and other Consumer Goods	42.0	34.4	39.3
Water Supply	41.8	24.0	35.4
Education	34.1	24.5	30.7
Agricultural	33.5	7.3	24.1
Roads	22.6	24.3	23.2
Employment	5.2	18.9	10.1
Police/Security	9.2	8.3	8.9
Sanitation	4.2	17.3	8.9
Hammer mills	12.4	2.3	8.8
Credit	6.6	8.5	7.3
Housing	3.6	6.5	4.6
Transport	4.3	2.5	3.6
Not stated	2.7	9.8	5.3

 

Number of households: 16 000 000 (Rural) 891 000 (Urban) 2 491 000 (All Zambia) 176 000 (Western Province)

We see 40% of all Zambian households overall wanted health services provided in their community; this was the first choice in rural areas, but not in urban areas where people most wanted food and other consumer goods. Unsurprisingly, the number of households listing water supply, education, agricultural and hammer mills is higher in rural than urban areas, while households wanting employment and sanitation is higher in urban than rural areas. This was also the case in 2006.

Over time there have been interesting drops in percentages such as urban households wanting employment (33% in 2006 compared to 19% in 2010). This suggests that the urban economy is creating jobs. This is to be expected if the reported annual growth rate of 6-7% is to be believed. Health services, food and consumer goods and water supply came in first second and third for both years, however, the number of households preferring these fell from 48% in 2006 to 39% in 2010. The proportion stating that they would like a water supply fell from 43% in 2006 to 35% in 2010, with the rural and urban proportions falling by similar levels.

 

The desire for better roads increased from 17% in 2006 to 24% in 2010.

In 2010, around 50% of households overall indicated that they would like to see roads improved in their communities; though this proportion has dropped from 59% in 2006, although it was the top project to be improved in 2006.

Almost 30% of households in 2010 indicated that they would like health and education facilities to be improved in their communities; in rural areas, 37% wanted an improvement in education facilities and 31% with health facilities, whilst n urban households the desire for health facilities was substantially higher than education facilities, 27% and 16% respectively. Urban households also generally preferred improved sanitation and police/security, whilst rural people opted for agriculture and hammer-mills. There were similar trends in 2006.

Both the 2010 and 2006 LCMS considered a period of 12 months prior to the survey when asking whether projects or changes had taken place in the community. In both 2010 and 2006, most households said the greatest changes were in the field of communication with the coming of cellphone networks. More urban than rural households were affected and over all the percentage dropped from 49-36%. This was also the trend for improved radio and TV reception.

Transport services were ranked 6th in both years, with twice as many urban than rural respondents listing this.

Police services ranked 9th in both years, again urban households listed this project roughly three times more frequently than the rural population.

School rehabilitation moved from 26% in 2006 to 15% of households in 2010; in 2006, the rural proportion was 30% with the difference between the two areas narrowing. The only projects for which importance scores increased notably over time were ‘building of new school’ and ‘rehabilitation of an existing school’.

To summarise, the most important and greatest impact projects were cell phone, radio reception, health services, transport, hammermill and new schools. Other areas where there were falls in importance and noted improvements were found in sanitation, piped water and vet services

We have from time to time kept an eye on the food basket so it is good from this report to have a chance to monitor it over time.

 

FOOD BASKET FOR A FAMILY OF SIX 2004-2010 in Unrebased Kwacha

ITEMS	Quantity	UP 2004	Cost2004	UP 2006	Cost2006	UP2010	Cost2010
Cooking Oil	2.5l	19 628	19 628	17 653	17 653	28 698	28 698
Beans	2 kg	4760	9520	6041	12082	8746	17492
Dry Fish	1 kg	21856	21856	22317	22317	30522	30522
Kapenta	2kg	30062	60124	30336	60672	49225	98450
Milk	2l	2005	8020	2186	8744	3298	13192
Onion	4kg	3040	12160	3864	15456	4765	19060
Groundnuts	3kg	5425	16275	5743	17229	7705	23115
Salt	1kg	1880	1880	2424	2424	4516	4516
Tomatoes	4kg	1846	7384	2253	9012	3073	12292
Roller Meal	25kg x 3.6	25220	90792	26288	94637	47736	171850
Vegetables	7.5kg	1437	10777	2070	15525	2185	16388

 

Total Cost: K258 416 (2004)                        K275 751 (2006)                   K435 574 (2010)

Poverty Line: K57 172 (2004)          K61007 (2006)                      K96 356 (2008)

(Adult Equivalent)

 

The report dealt with a number of different areas using statistics gathered from 2010 census. It covered a wide range of topics, including demographics, migration, health education, economic activities, household assets, income and expenditure, poverty analysis and coping strategies, housing, child health and nutrition and ending with community development.

It was also useful to be able to take a few snap-shots of Western Province from the tables and see where we stand in the league table in comparison with the rest of Zambia.

 

2010

Toilets: No facilities (% of Households)

Western Province                              Zambia

53.4%                                                  12.6%

 

Fuel Use:

Firewood                     87                                    57                   

Charcoal                      7.0                                   27

Electricity                    2.5                                   16

 

Light Energy:

Paraffin                       30                                      42

Electricity                    3.5                                    19

Candles                       22                                      22

Diesel                          4.6                                     8.0

Fire                              31                                     7.5

Torch                           0.6                                    0.2

Solar                            0.8                                    1.0

Other                           1.5                                    1.5

None                           5.0                                    1.0

 

Electric Connection:

Yes                              4.0                                     22

No                               94                                      77

 

Access to treated drinking water:

Yes                              6.0                                    32

No                               94                                      68

 

Living in traditional daub, wattle, mud and thatched hut:

75                                                                                              38

 

Living in an improved dwelling - (zinc roofed ‘flat’):

15                                                                                              23    

 

Meals per day:

One:                            5.0                                        4.0

Two:                            62                                         46

Three:                          33                                         47       

 

% of Household Expenditure on Food and Non-food items:

Food items                  58                                           42

Non food items           42                                           58

 

Monthly Household Expenditure:

Total                            K482                                         K970

Food                            K278                                         K470

Non-Food                   K202                                          K486

Per Capita                   K121                                          K226   `

 

In reading this report and seeing all these figures you realize that these are millions of individual people's life stories. This awful poverty is not God's fault for he has provided us with all the earth's resources, nor is it the fault of the poor since most are born in to it.  Nor can it just be put down to greed, indifference, incompetence, corruption or a legacy from colonialism, though all have had a share in creating it. This is not just an economic and political matter it is a moral one. How long are these  gross inequalities going to be allowed to continue? These statistics bring to light widespread social injustice that ignores hunger and stunted children, the alienation of the poor and the indignity of impoverished lives.

 

In 2 Corinthians 8 Paul gives some practical advice on the matter:

Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard-pressed but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: 'They who gathered much did not have too much, and they who gathered little did not have too little.'