Context

Chawama is one of several poor townships which surround the commercial centre of Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. A visit to the township will immediately show signs of such poverty: the drab, crammed & chaotic housing compounds; the garbage-filled,open drains; an abundance of plastic rubbish littering the occasional open space; the hundreds of unemployed with very little to do. The seasonal rhythm of dry season dust and wet season puddles combine with a distinct lack of greenery to give Chawama a forlorn air of deprivation. Yet the township is not without good qualities. The people are polite and cheerful, and at least in the daylight there is not that air of aggression found in many African big cities. There are many good people living here.

For the Holy Family Sisters who live in Chawama there are many more distressing problems here than the ones a casual visitor might notice. Such problems include the high incidence of HIV and AIDS. Heavy drinking is another problem, so the intoxicated are a common sight by late afternoon. These two problems are the basis of great strains within local family life, so family break up and ‘child-headed households’ are increasingly common. It is not known for certain , but about 25% of those aged below 20 years are orphans. Furthermore the majority of youth aged between 12 & 20 years remain unemployed, vulnerable to idleness and mischief. As the compounds usually have no ground for planting and the majority are effectively unemployed, widespread hunger further hinders progress in this locality. The November rains, which are vital for Zambia’s agricultural harvest, only bring an annual outbreak of cholera to this part of the capital city.

The Missionary Sisters of the Holy Family are a Polish congregation who believe that there is considerable reason for hope and progress in this township. They arrived in 1994 and since then have undertaken a variety of social projects for the benefit of the local community. Such projects include:

• a home for 20 aged people, who have no support from their families & are often disabled, and also for some 27 orphans or vulnerable children (OVCs). In addition the Home provides help to another 50 needy people who live in the township but come to the Home during the day.
• Chawama Holy Family Open Community School. This is a school for those in the neighbourhood who cannot afford to register at the local government school. In 2007 this school and nursery had 548 pupils, but it badly needs to expand its facilities in order to cope with the ever-increasing demand for schooling. It has no government support for its work. 315 of these children were orphans. Inevitably they need extra support from the Holy Family Sisters. Pupils receive daily food through the World Food Programme.
• A Homecraft Centre for training girls in cookery, sewing etc. This recently opened training centre now has 50 students following a 15 month course and a further 15 students undertaking work experience for a further 3 months. At present 90% of the women who complete the course find work, often in a self-employed capacity.

Aims

The compound of the Holy Family Sisters was a dry, dusty and unhealthy place when SGG undertook the first field visit in October 2007. The primary aim is to establish a much greener compound through the gradual planting of trees throughout the compound. At a later date cultivation within the compound can also be improved. This and other projects on this compound are very dependent on an improved water supply, so better water supply is likely to be the next stage. At some point in the future SGG hopes to support the various social welfare programmes of the Sisters, but it is understood that this may take considerable time.

Much of the Chawama Holy Family compound at the end of the dry season is a desolate, dry place covered with plastic litter, but it is also an important space for the local community.

The children’s playground with an important message for adults.

Project Proposal In August 2007 it was agreed that Sr Angela would investigate prices for young trees and order sufficient for planting during the November rains, which hopefully would coincide with the SGG field visit to Chawama. If SGG could make comments & suggestions on other aspects of the gardens within the Holy Family compound that would be appreciated.

Progress

It proved impossible to start the tree-planting soon after the arrival of SGG. The simple reason for this is that, although there was a good shower at Chawama on Monday 29th October, this was not followed by good rains in the subsequent two weeks. The ground within the compound was still sufficiently hard to break a hoe when the preparation of holes was started on 15th November towards the end of SGG’s visit.

However, significant progress was made in the latter part of the month when rain showers were much more frequent. By the end of November some 445 trees and 200 vitex hedging bushes were purchased and planted. Much of this hard work was done by young volunteers from the Open Community School.

Watering after planting.

Large sections of the compound are used for cultivation, but yields of maize and beans are very low. Thus there is a need to introduce new cultivation methods [eg. composting, agroforestry, crop rotation, irrigation] to secure improved harvests and a greener compound.

This plot is a main source a food, but it produces very poor yields of maize & beans, which have been grown there every year for over a decade.

The Cheshire Home garden. It shows what can be done with water & considerable care. This photo was taken at the same time as the previous one: note the difference.