As a matter of policy SGG wishes to visit each project once a year. Our limited field experience has been sufficient to establish that projects which receive limited on-site visits from SGG or our sponsors tend to progress more slowly than where monitoring visits are more frequent. Thus, it was SGG’s plan to visit Kapiri Mposhi in late 2008 to see what progress was being made. This proved impossible because the chaotic post-election situation in West Kenya in early 2008 meant that SGG’s field visit to Busia was postponed until September that year – which left no time for a visit to Zambia before the end of 2008.

As SGG’s investments and commitments in Kenya & Tanzania are significantly greater than those in Zambia, it is likely that those East African countries will always have priority over SGG’s Zambian projects. Thus, what SGG needs as a matter of urgency is a partner or supporter with a particular interest in the improvement of Zambian education facilities, so that both Project 9 and 10 can receive the full support that they need.

Education is improving at Matilyo, but there is still a huge amount to do. Can you help?

2009 Monitoring Visit

Between 26th November and 6th December I was a guest of Sr AngelikaTabula at the Holy Family community in Kapiri Mposhi. During this time a monitoring of progress at Matilyo school was undertaken, and the evaluation made at that time is the basis of current SGG policy with relation to those schools.

There has also been much progress at Matilyo Basic School since the previous SGG visit in November 2007. One immediately obvious change is the increase in classrooms. In 2007 there were only 6 classrooms and an old lorry container for overflow classes: in 2009 there are 8 classrooms and the container is seldom used. Furthermore, although the classrooms are still badly short of furniture, all those classes have some desks so that few now sit on the floor. For the moment adequate textbook provision and display material for the walls is something only for the future.

There has also been some ‘greening’ of the surroundings, and the air of desolation is less obvious. This is largely the result of there being over 500 young trees now growing on the compound. However, there are still large areas of the Matilyo School grounds which remain bare and dusty – and much needs to be done before the school grounds could be considered a place conducive to learning. Altogether it could be said that there are major improvements needed both in educational provision and in the environment if Matilyo Basic School is to provide good-quality education. There has been progress, but there is still a very long way to go before the young of Matilyo township have satisfactory educational facilities.

There is overcrowding here with 3 pupils in desks designed for two. However, this is a great improvement on the situation of 2007. Now there are glass windows to keep out the dust, and desks for many of the pupils. Class sizes are typically about 60, but that is significantly lower than 2 years ago.

As the storeroom is still under construction, much of this classroom space is used for a general store. However, the classroom walls have been painted, desks are available, and there is some greenery immediately outside the windows. Gradually the school is becoming a much less dusty place.

When SGG first made contact with Matilyo School in 2007, the main focus was to develop a project concerned with improvement of the school grounds. In 2009 the school compound remains the main focus of attention. Within the school grounds progress can clearly be seen, but it is also true that such progress is less than was initially hoped.

On 1/12/2009 a tree census was undertaken within the school grounds and the following estimates made:

which gives a total of 536 trees surviving. This figure should not be taken as especially accurate as parts of the grounds have thick grass, so that it can be difficult to see very small trees. Also several trees were affected by fire, so it was not clear whether or not they would survive.

The records of Sr Ernesta Paruch show that some 1205 young seedlings have been planted within these grounds since 2007. Furthermore, there were many other trees which were given as a gift to the school when tree-planting first started in November 2007. SGG estimates that probably 1500 young seedlings have been planted in the last two years – and this implies that the survival rate for such trees is only about 35%, which is a disappointingly low proportion.

One of the surviving eucalyptus.

The main reason given by the Head Mr Mawere and Sr Ernesta for this heavy loss of young trees is theft, as indicated by the regular disappearance overnight of healthy well established trees. The present distribution of trees very much supports this conclusion. Close the Headteacher’s home and areas more secluded from public access have quite good survival rates, whereas those areas of the school compound which are close to the township have very low rates of survival. Unfortunately, this tree-planting project at Matilyo has to struggle against two common, perhaps prevalent local attitudes concerning trees. One is that trees and forests in Zambia are ubiquitous and it is a waste of time and effort to plant and care for such things. People with this attitude have failed to notice that within the vicinity of Matilyo there are few mature trees, and that already many have to pay scarce money to satisfy their domestic energy needs. Soon, if not already, there will be a shortage of wood in this locality. The other negative attitude is that trees are worth having, if only to provide shade and fruit in the nearby compounds, and it is acceptable to steal them from the ‘community’ school grounds. A fundamental part of any tree-planting here is education of the pupils, the teaching staff, and the community at large.

It is possible that the theft of trees from the school grounds is done for resale, as a small business enterprise. However, the piecemeal disappearance of trees has encouraged the conclusion that many of the lost trees have been replanted close by in the township gardens. From SGG’s perspective this is not entirely a bad thing. We would be pleased to see a more positive attitude to trees and increased greenery in Matilyo township, although we also wish to discourage the habit of theft. In order to promote these changes in attitude, SGG has offered to purchase at least one hundred seedlings which can be given to parents who are prepared to register their interest in tree-planting. Furthermore, those parents who have registered will be paid a small reward after one year for successfully caring for their trees. We shall not know before November 2011 whether or not this policy has been successful.

A second major reason for poor survival rates of planted trees is that there has clearly been insufficient care of young trees during those first two years when they are most vulnerable. Thus, the intention is for Mr Mawere to appoint a part-time gardener who will spend 10 hours/week to provide proper care of all trees within the compound. This should be done as a matter of urgency as the long school holidays immediately follow this monitoring visit. The work of this tree-gardener includes the following:

• Watering of young trees, including at least half a bucket of water per tree each week if there has been no rain, until the tree reaches 1.5m height. More water than this will be needed if the orchard fruit trees are to flourish;
• Clearing & weeding a space of at least 0.5m radius around each seedling, so that small trees are not choked & overgrown by grass and weeds;
• Regularly slashing any grass and weeds within 5m of the trees so that they are not damaged by dry season fire;
• Checking all the trees at least every week and reporting any losses, damage or problems to the Head Teacher;
• Supervision of classes or other pupils who will be asked to take care of the grounds as part of their regular school duties
• Planting at least 400 new seedlings in those areas where survival rates have been highest [e.g. close to the staff houses].

Such a gardener will not only receive a regular wage, but also a financial reward at the next SGG monitoring visit. This reward will be based upon how many young trees have survived over the previous twelve months. This system of payment will be revised each year, according to the success or otherwise of the project.

It is recognized that the watering of young trees during the long seasonal drought it by far the most onerous of the tasks given above. To reduce the necessary workload, SGG will invest in the digging of two new wells close to where most watering is likely to be needed. There are other problems which need to be addressed (termite attack, flooding from the township, wildfires), but better post-transplanting care and watering are considered the priority issues.

The new orchard – one of the more successful parts of the tree-planting.

There are some very welcome changes within the school compound which have brought significant improvement. One is that the old lorry container is still there on the compound, but it is gradually disintegrating. Fortunately, the farmer who had a dwelling and plot in the middle of the compound has now been reallocated land, so the trees near his old plot provide an overflow classroom much preferred to the old container. There has also been much planting of trees and bushes within the areas enclosed by the classrooms, so dust within the classrooms is less of a problem than it was in November 2007.

Unfortunately, some problems still remain. The original borehole and tank is dysfunctional. The pumping mechanism was not working in 2007, and it still has not been properly repaired. Thus, Matilyo School continues to have a shortage of water. One result of this is that the school toilets are only partly in use, and a more functional toilet block of either pit latrines or compost toilets are needed as a matter of urgency. The 2007 report concerning Matilyo commented on the dry and dusty school compound. It is the case that a seasonal drought of several months is bound to create such conditions. However, the 2009 visit revealed one of the causes of such conditions. During this visit it was easy to see from lines of organic debris that the ‘top’ end of the school compound was being flooded by runoff water from the township during periods of heavy rain. The consequence of this is that much of the upper entrance area and the school yard is covered with thick deposits of sand. This sand not only produces a very infertile soil but also an ideal source of windblown dust. The irony of the situation is that this problem of such heavy runoff has been largely caused by the cutting of trees within Matilyo township, but a replanting of trees in this densely settled township is not easy to implement with prevalent local attitudes.

In the left background a new classroom block, and on the right the old lorry container. If an overflow class is needed the children prefer to use this space under tree shade rather than the container. The cement blocks in the foreground are the pupils seats during such lessons.

There is clearly much to do to improve the greenery within the school compound, but there has been significant progress – sufficient progress to justify further investment in trees and bushes for the next few years.

Greenery is gradually improving conditions in the school ‘yard’.

December 2009 – Twikatane women discuss how they will cultivate part of Matilyo School grounds.

One of the most successful parts of the 2007 was the women’s group who cultivated part of the school compound in exchange for a reduction in the school fees. Consequently, a meeting was convened with ‘Twikatane Women’s Group’ on 4/12/09 and the following matters agreed:

• there are 17 women registered as members of Twikatane, and they will be responsible for cultivation of part of the school land;
• this group will cultivate a plot of soya beans, but will focus most of their attention on high-nutrition produce [e.g. tomatoes, onions, rape, beans] which will be purchased by Sr Ernesta for use in school;
• as a reward for their efforts the members will have K50,000 removed from their school fees. For those members who have no children at Matilyo School, there will be a reward of K50,000;
• the overall aim of Twikatane is to grow sufficient produce to enable the group to not only pay for K850,000 worth of school fees [ i.e. 17 × 50,000], but also to make a substantial profit, which can be invested in further activities to generate greater income for the members. SGG and Sr Ernesta have both stressed the importance of Twikatane working to make a profit, so that long-term development can be sustained;
• to help the women generate a profit Sr Ernesta will purchase all the crops harvested, whether they have been grown on the school grounds or within the home compound. Thus, these women have the luxury, rare in rural Africa, of a guaranteed commercial market;
• members of Twikatane and also 32 other parents, who have all registered with Sr Ernesta, will be entitled to receive a fruit tree of their choice from Sr Ernesta. This tree must be grown within the home compound, so this is a policy which it is hoped will slowly encourage the greening of the township area. The trees that have been requested by 5/12/09 are: 12 avocado, 12 guava, 11 lemons, 8 mango and 6 pawpaw, and it is planned to plant these before Christmas 2009. Those who have received such trees have agreed that SGG has the right to inspect progress of the tree during SGG’s annual visit in 12 months time, and SGG has agreed to provide a small reward if the fruit tree has received good care and is flourishing 12 months after transplanting;
• Twikatane should cultivate vegetables throughout the year if adequate water is available. In order to allow some irrigation during the seasonal drought, Mr Mawere will arrange for the digging of two new wells for the garden towards the end of the rainy season.

Twikatane women are deciding which plot of ground to cultivate.

It is by no means certain that these various measures will be sufficient to allow the rapid greening of the compound. It cannot be said that the problems of open public access to the site and over frequent theft have been solved. It is hoped that eventually there will be sufficient funds to properly fence off the school gardens and trees, but the costs of this are prohibitive at present. Besides, the priority for Matilyo Basic School is to improve the facilities within the school so that the quality of education there can be improved. Even if progress is continuous, conditions are sufficiently difficult at Matilyo for it to be unrealistic to expect the school to reach the good standards in less than a decade. Let us not, however, complain about these difficulties: let us celebrate the definite progress that has taken place already at Matilyo!

Kapiri Mposhi is a small provincial town in Zambia, but a major transport junction. It is here that the main road from Tanzania meets the highway between the capital Lusaka and the Copper Belt towns. Similarly the railway from Dar es Salaam has its junction with the rail line from the Copper Belt to Lusaka and the rest of Southern Africa. Those transport connections have brought significant employment to the town, so Kapiri Mposhi is has a small population but it is growing rapidly. Within the town there are several primary and basic schools established to respond to the ever-growing demand for education. One of these is Matilyo School.

In 2007 the situation for Matilyo Community School was quite difficult. There were 1358 pupils in the school, but the facilities were extremely limited. Pupils studied sitting on the floor: only some classes had a simple desk for teachers. There was virtually no educational aids or textbooks used in classes: only the blackboard was available. For the first visit of Sustainable Global Gardens to Matilyo there was no water in the school. The desire for education was there but the facilities few.

October 2007 – a typical crowded classroom with limited facilities. Average class size at this time was more than 84 pupils.

Furthermore, Matilyo had a characteristic set of social problems which are typical of so many townships in Southern Africa. At the core of these difficulties is poverty associated with high rates of unemployment. Such problems are aggravated by high rates of HIV infection and a high proportion of orphans and/or vulnerable children (OVCs). Widespread excess alcohol consumption is a further hindrance to progress. Within this context there is a common desire to provide education for the youngsters of Matilyo, but there are very few resources to enable the establishment of good schooling there.

Matilyo Community School was started in 2001 by Sr Ernesta Paruch, a Holy Family sister from Nowy Sacz, with “lessons under the tree”. Afterwards the school grew rapidly, so that in 2007 it had 1358 pupils, but only six classrooms. In order to accommodate such demand for education the school organised ‘split sessions’ with pupils attending either morning or afternoon sessions. There was also an old lorry container in the yard which served as a spare ‘overflow’ classroom. With such measures it was possible to reduce class sizes to about 75 children per class. It was not a situation conducive to good education. Furthermore at the time of the SGG visit in 2007 to Matilyo, the school borehole pump was broken. This meant that there was no water on the compound, so most of the school’s flush toilets were out of action.

October 2007 - the shortage of facilities in this dry, dusty compound mean that sometimes this old lorry container is used as a makeshift classroom.

Matilyo Community School does have one advantage: it has space. The school has been allocated a large area of 300m by 270m, which includes a traditional house & plot as well as a football pitch. There is space for considerable tree-planting and gardening in what in October 2007 was a dry, dusty and largely treeless compound. It is SGG’s proposal to gradually increase the greenery within this compound over the next 5 years.

Aims

The initial aim of this project is to gradually establish tree cover over much of the school grounds, which in 2007 were largely waste space. One of the problems of Matilyo School is that many parents are unable to pay the small fee required by the school. Thus, a second intention is to encourage a group of women to cultivate a significant part of the compound in exchange for those school fees. SGG wishes to focus first on environmental & horticultural improvements within the school area, but we are also well aware of the broader needs of Matilyo, especially the water & sanitation facilities. Thus, a third intention is to search for possible sponsors with an interest in supporting educational development in Zambia.

The teacher of 4B Mrs Ngulube has a desk, but the 89 pupils must sit on the floor.

Progress

At the invitation of Sr Angelika Tabula and Sr Ernesta Paruch of Kalulu Holy Family Sisters, SGG visited Matilyo Community School between 31st October and 10th November 2007 with a view to establishing a tree-planting project. Discussions with the Head quickly established that this resource-poor school would welcome projects to improve almost all aspects of schooling there.

Matilyo School is, indeed, in need many new resources. In 2007 none of the classrooms were properly furnished nor even their construction complete. There is also a lack of school books, display materials, or most of the resources needed to enable a school to function. There is plenty of scope for donations for necessities more pressing than the school grounds. There is a small toilet block, but the school compound lacks water and so the toilet block is out of use. Water is vital for the continued growth & development of the school.

Crowded conditions & a blackboard the only educational aid.

During the November 2007 discussions between SGG, the Headteacher Mr Mawere and Sr Ernesta it was repeatedly made clear that SGG does not have immediate access to the large funds & resources needed to turn Matilyo Community School into a thriving learning environment. At that time two of the classrooms in use there were self-built and half completed. Even the completion of just one such classroom was beyond the scope of SGG. Nevertheless, it was understood that SGG could assist in turning the large open space around the school buildings from the dusty waste it was in late October 2007 into a more positive asset for the school.

After 3 visits to the school to discuss possibilities with the Head Mr Mawere, SGG proposed the following at a meeting on 7th November 2007:

• Mr Mawere should negotiate with Mr Ng’ona (a local teacher), Mr Mwape of the Agriculture Dept, or Mr Mpukaila (a local resident who has previously helped the school), or the Forestry Dept for the immediate purchase of approximately 100 trees. These should include 30 Cassia, 30 gum/eucalyptus (both at K 1,000 each), 30 fruit trees (e.g. mango, avocado, banana, guava, orange, lemon at K 1,500-2,000 each). The total cost should not exceed £30 or K 200,000.
• Mr Mawere & Mr Mpukaila should both start a tree nursery to provide trees for the school on the following basis – 100 gums at K 1,000, 100 cassia at K 1,000, 50 mango at K 1,000, 50 guava at K 1,500, 50 orange or lemon at K 2,000. These will be purchased next year by Sr Ernesta using SGG funds. SGG is also interested in buying bananas, but the price is not yet fixed. Some of the prices quoted here are a little below the asking price in Kapiri Mposhi in late 2007, but the lower price is offset by these being guaranteed sales.
• Sr Ernesta & Mr Mawere will reestablish the widows group, who will be asked to work on the school vegetable plot in exchange for payment of school fees. In previous years there has been such a group of 12 widows who planted beans & cassava in exchange for the school ‘fees’ of K 15,000 ($4) Any produce from this group will be purchased by Sr Ernesta at current market price & given to the school for distribution among needy pupils. Thus, this group of upto 15 women will have considerable incentive to grow profitable crops (e.g. onions, tomatoes, rape) on Matilyo School compound. In order to properly monitor the progress & output of these women, Sr Ernesta will visit the school plot once a week.
• Mr Mawere will select approximately 100 pupils, each of whom will be responsible for the growth & well-being of an individual tree. Those pupils who have properly cared for their tree will be rewarded by a payment of K 10,000 towards their school fees in November 2008.
• Mr Mawere will contact the Residential Development Committee as a matter of urgency in order to speed the already agreed relocation of the farmer still living on school land. If necessary, compensation will be properly paid for the farmer’s mango trees.
• Mr Mawere will organize the digging of a well within the school grounds, probably next to the large anthill. The well needs to be a good 15m deep at a cost of K 250,000. This is also a matter of urgency.
• SGG will provide information to all concerned about the best way of preparing compost for tree-planting.
• Mrs Nyendwa is responsible for helping Mr Mawere in any of the tasks listed above.
• Attention needs to be paid to repairing the borehole at the first opportunity.
• Sr Ernesta will keep a simple accounts book so that SGG supporters can know how any donations have been spent and produce a report of progress before May 2008. She will also hold the donation made by Sustainable Global Gardens. This donation to start the greening of Matilyo Community School compound was K 1,100,000 (approximately £140). Sr Ernesta will spend these funds as appropriate and inform SGG should there be a pressing need for further investment.

Mr Mpukailo did not attend this particular meeting, but later he agreed to produce young trees for the school in his own nursery. Also he agreed to give attention to the growing of a living hedge around the school compound. Moreover, it was agreed at a meeting on 10th November that Matilyo Community School is in urgent need of better toilet facilities. As the school was lacking water, most of the school ablution block remained closed. Mr Mawere has asked that SGG consider constructing a series of compost toilets at the school. SGG accepted that this would be a suitable project proposal for next year, but progress would depend on the securing of new funds.

There are many people, both in Lusaka and outside Zambia, who are impressed by what the Holy Family sisters have achieved since they arrived in Chawama township in 1994. This appendix is written for those such people who may be willing to further the work of the Sisters through financial support or some other voluntary activity. Supporters who live in Zambia have the opportunity to visit Chawama and see for themselves the work being done. This is the best way to appreciate the Holy Family community. Thus, these notes are intended primarily for potential overseas supporters who may have not only little direct experience of conditions in this township but also limited knowledge of the whole Zambian state.

Context

Zambia is a country in Central-Southern Africa. Although it has major mineral deposits, abundant land, and generally sufficient rains for agriculture, Zambia – like several of its neighbours – has found sustained socio-economic progress difficult to achieve in the last fifty years. After satisfactory progress when global copper prices were good in the first ten years after 1964 Independence, Zambia experienced economic stagnation for the next quarter of a century. Moreover, for decades demographic growth exceeded economic growth. In 1980 the country’s population was 5.7 million, but this reached 10.9 million by 2004 – almost doubling in one generation. By contrast GDP had an annual growth of 2.6% in 1970-1975, which was followed by an annual decline of -0.9% (1975-1990) and a further annual decline of -0.3% (1991-1999). By 2000 Zambia was characterised as a ‘Least Developed Country’ with one of the highest per capita debt burdens in the world. Only in recent years has the situation improved, and the general population experienced progress. This has been particularly true since 2005 when the World Bank approved a $3.8 billion debt relief package and reduced Zambia’s overseas debts by 50%.

The economic stagnation for most of the last thirty years has resulted in widespread poverty. Official figures indicate that 68% of Zambians in 2004 lived below the poverty line. In rural areas this figure was 78% in comparison with the 53% below the poverty line in urban areas. Such high levels of endemic poverty have provided the context for a host of other social problems e.g.:

• 11% or approximately 1 in 9 infants died before they were 1 year old (2002),
• 16.2% or 1 in 6 children died before they were 5 years old (2002),
• 16% of the population aged 15-49 years were HIV positive (2002),
• in 2004 there were 1.08 million orphans who accounted for 18% of the population under 20 years. In Lusaka this corresponding figure was 23% of the under 20 population,
• youth unemployment is a major problem. 24% of 12-19 year olds are unemployed, but this figure ignores sharp differences between rural and urban locations. In rural areas in 2004 only 8% of youths were unemployed, but in urban areas the figure rose to 63% of the age group,
• 70% of Zambia’s population living below the poverty line live in the rural areas, but the greatest concentration of the poor is to be found in the urban areas. Furthermore, the incidence of urban poverty is increasing eg. 31% of Lusaka’s population in 1991 were classified as poor but this figure rose to 48% in 2004,
• as Lusaka is the major concentration of both wealthy Zambians and the poor, it is also the major location for crime.

Within the capital city Lusaka there are strong local variations in both poverty and associated social problems. In Lusaka Central area 26% of the population are poor, but only a few kilometres away in Chawama ward the level of poverty rises to 61% of the population. It is in this poor township that the Holy Family sisters choose to work.

Chawama market is the crowded, dirty, disease-ridden but friendly heart of the township.

Divine Providence Home

Divine Providence Home for the Aged and for Orphans was the first core activity to be established at Chawama. In fact the Home was founded in 1992 by a local parish priest, and therefore predates the arrival of the Holy Family Sisters in 1994. The original plan was to establish a small home for some 20 old and impoverished people of the parish, but poverty is so endemic within this township that the care offered by the Sisters continues to increase. At present Divine Providence Home provides a caring environment for 20 aged residents and 27 vulnerable children who live at the Home. In addition, Divine Providence gives food & support to some 15 elderly who live nearby in the township but who usually come to the Home on a daily basis. The Home provides similar care for a further 50 vulnerable children in Chawama township. Also there are two young adults who are disabled and share a house in the Home. Thus, there are over 100 people who depend on Sr Judith and other Holy Family sisters as their prime source of comfort.

Conditions within the Home are immeasurably better than the residents could expect if Divine Providence Home were not there. Each aged resident has their own room. Most of the younger orphans share a room, although there are eight boys who share a hostel facility. There are also communal rooms for eating, studying, and watching television. In addition to 4 Holy Family sisters, there are another 8 people employed to look after the considerable needs of the residents.

Celestine and Brenda – two of the residents with assistant Agnes in their room.

This large family of some 50 people, most of whom would be marginalised in ‘normal’ society, is sufficiently impressive to attract several donors who support Sr Judith’s cause. However, many such donations are construction work or other large material gifts. What would be particularly valuable to Divine Providence Home is regular income to offset regular payments for food and wages. The other great need is for volunteers who will simply spend time with the old and the vulnerable. Like everybody else the residents need company, stimulation, friendship etc, and the four busy Holy Family sisters simply do not have enough time to satisfy all these simple needs.

Some of the younger residents at Divine Providence Home. Have you got time for kids?

Regular visitors from Chawama township seeking help at Divine Providence Home.

Chawama Open Community School

Despite the fact that universal primary education is a Millennium Development Goal, official figures show that in 2004 22% of the Zambian population aged 5 years and above had no formal education. At the same time education is a major influence on future income. In 2004 the mean monthly household income for non school attendants was K237,668 (about £30) compared to a national average of K502,030 (about £67). Thus, there is a great demand for education.

Yet many young children in Chawama lack even basic education, particularly because of parents’ inability to pay the required school fees or because they themselves are orphans. The Holy Family sisters therefore established an open community school – particularly for those who could not afford the uniform & shoes needed to attend the local government schools.

Chawama Holy Family Open Community School has had significant success. When it was first visited by SGG in October 2007 there were 548 children, most of whom would not have received even basic education otherwise. However, it also had severe long-term financial problems. The current school fees are K25,000 (just over £3/term), yet most parents cannot afford this amount. Furthermore, the government contributed nothing to the Community School, and so the institution was permanently short of resources and facilities. For example, as there were only 4 classrooms for Grades 1 to 7, the school timetable was divided into morning and afternoon sessions. Even with this arrangement, classes were overlarge and averaging nearly 60pupils/class.

High rates of both staff and pupil absence did not improve the quality of such education, especially as textbooks and other educational resources were minimal. However, the biggest problem was staff salaries. In 2007 Zambia Organisation for Community Schools (ZOCS) paid K400,000/month each for 4 qualified teachers, while other staff had to depend for salaries on funds collected elsewhere. As government teachers are paid a monthly salary of K1.2 million, this arrangement proved especially demoralising for teaching staff who felt severely underpaid. This issue came to a crisis point in August 2009 when ZOCS stopped all salary payments to the school as a result of reduced overseas donations to ZOCS. This is just another example of deprived African children being yet further deprived following major financial mismanagement in the richer countries of the world. The ‘credit crunch’ in Chawama means the end of a Community School.

Yet there will be some benefits from this global financial crisis, and the end of ZOCS funds has merely hastened an inevitable transformation in school status. The management of the Community School has been concerned for some years about the lack of school resources and the discrepancies within staff salaries. Thus, consideration has been given for some time to the idea of converting from an Open Community School to a ‘grant-aided’ school. The implications of the latter arrangement are that the Holy Family sisters would be responsible for the costs of development, buildings, and management of the school, while the Zambian government would pay teachers’ salaries which would be the major running cost. In late 2009 the negotiations and final agreement between Holy Family sisters and the Zambian Ministry of Education have not been completed, but at present such grant-aided status is very much the preferred option for the school.management.

This anticipated change in the school’s administrative status has resulted in a rather complicated management arrangement in November 2009. The former Open Community School now consists of : Nursery & Grade 1 classes which are managed by Sr Karen Mubanga of Holy Family community; the ‘remnants’ of the former Community School with classes from Grade 1 to Grade 7; and Grade 8 & 9 classes which are managed by Sr Victoria Kaimba, the present Superior in the Chawama Holy Family community. Each new academic year the Holy Family will take over the management of one more grade until the entire school is under their management. The present policy of the Holy Family sisters is to invest as much as possible to upgrade the standard of education in the two parts of the school which they manage, while the Community School administration lacks the resources to make any significant progress. This pattern of investment is closely reflected in the enrolment: the Nursery now has 80 children compared to 45 in 2007 ; the Community School 393 pupils compared to 433 in 2007; and Grades 8 & 9 classes 78 pupils compared to 80 two years ago. There is also a further 40 children in the Grade 1 class managed by the Holy Family. Despite the fact that the Holy Family-managed classes have school fees of K120,000 per term (as opposed to the K25,000/term of the Open Community School), it is the classes run by the Sisters which are flourishing while the Open Community School dwindles.

November 2009 - a crowded but popular nursery class.

During the 2009 SGG field visit there was an opportunity to discuss plans with both Sr Victoria and Sr Karen concerning the development of the new school which will replace the Open Community School over the next ten years. What is needed during the next decade is the establishment of a new school with high educational standards, but there are already some new rooms, and also some rather shabby classrooms which are in need of refurbishment. So what is the priority for the 2010?

The agreed priority list is:

1. An improved water supply for the school,
2. Textbooks for the Year 8 & 9 classes, as they are following public examinations courses,
3. Rehabilitation of Community School buildings and toilets, with at least a classroom for Grade I completed by December 2010,
4. A photocopier for examination class use,
5. Other teaching aids (display material etc) are required by examination classes.

Kids having fun

If the above plans run smoothly, there will still be some difficult issues to resolve. Within the present school there are some 104 orphans: 22 have lost their mother, 49 have lost their father, and 33 have lost both. Furthermore, there are 317 pupils who are described as ‘vulnerable’, which in this context means that they are unable to pay K 25,000/term (i.e. about £3). What will happen to these children if school fees increase more than fourfold? It is clear that the present system with high staff absence, poor punctuality & more non-attendance by pupils, and completely inadequate teaching resources justify fundamental changes if the standard of education is to be raised. However, some poor children are highly likely to lose their one opportunity for even the most basic primary education.
At a meeting with Mr Ngoma (Chairman), Mrs Ngoma (Secretary), Sr Judith and myself on 15th November, it was agreed that of all the developments currently taking place within the Holy Family compound it is the school which requires the most immediate investment, both in terms of finance and skilled manpower.

This Grade 1 class is taught in a Grade 8 classroom. There is need for a more child- friendly learning environment within this part of the new school, but it will take several years to achieve such good-quality education within Chawama township.

Holy Family Homecraft Centre

It is the Homecraft Centre which is the most successful of the Holy Family activities at present, especially as some 80% of the students are orphans. This centre was opened in 2007 with 50 students, but now there are some 75 students following the course. Sr Maria Krupinska & 3 other staff teach a curriculum with 3 main courses: cookery, sewing & design, and knitting & handicraft. There is also a shorter, additional course on Nutrition. The full course takes 18 months which includes: a year of practical courses at the Homecraft Centre; a 3 month placement with Zambia National Service at their textile factory in Lusaka: and where possible the individual student finds their own 3 month work experience.

Young mother Grace brings baby Blessing to classes.

There are few problems with the work of the Homecraft Centre. Sr Maria usually starts with 60 students, but she expects upto 10 to drop out because of difficulties paying the K 600,000 fees for the course. She is expecting over the next few years to steadily increase the number of students to perhaps 120. Another issue is whether or not the local economy can absorb this number of students joining the labour market each year. One great advantage of this course is that it provides good training for any mother or domestic manager, irrespective of whether employment is found.

When asked about future prospects, some of the students said they would look for employment, but a high proportion suggested that they hope to be self-employed and establish a small business. With this in mind we think it would improve the curriculum if there was some basic business training included in the course. This though is a minor issue: the Homecraft Centre is an excellent resource to be established in Chawama.

Congratulations to Sr Maria and her staff!

• the development of the Community School,
• the continued improvement of the Divine Providence Home where the aged, the disabled and young orphans receive special care
• the expansion of the Homecraft Centre
• the conversion to organic methods of gardening.

Thus, a major part of this visit is to prepare proposals plans for each of these activities, so that documents with the present state of progress & initial plans for the future are readily available to anyone wishing to support the work of the Holy Family sisters.

By 13/11/2009 my intention was to invest SGG funds in the continued development of the original Project 9 as stated earlier in this report. In 2009 it is unlikely that any SGG funds will be invested in the social welfare programmes of the Holy Family Sisters, because all available SGG funding is already allocated to other projects. Instead the Holy Family Sisters work & plans will be produced as an appendix to this document, and future SGG funding will be based on new investors & volunteers being found for 2010.

On 13/11/2009 and the following day a tree count was undertaken to establish the effectivenesss of the 2007 & 2008 planting. Such counting was not a long task, but the interpretation of tree census was a little tricky. A major reason for this was that the head groundsman, who in November 2007 had accepted responsibility for the tree-planting work, was subsequently dismissed from his post for theft. Furthermore, the Holy Family sisters have no clear record of what trees were planted where. Thus, it was easy to count the trees, but impossible to know whether or not they had been paid for out of SGG’s November 2007 investment.

Nevertheless, it is possible to draw some tentative conclusions. The main finding is that there are some 271 trees now growing out of the 445 trees purchased on 14th November 2007. At least 50 of those which are still surviving were purchased by Sr Judith after SGG’s 2007 visit. If it is assumed that some 500 trees were purchased then the overall survival rate for trees over a two year period is 54%. Such a survival rate is disappointing, but not so bad as to justify a halt in the planting programme. It is a survival rate which suggests that there should be significant adjustments in the planting and particularly post-planting care of the trees.

Poplar & whispering pine growing in the School garden close to the dividing fence.

This middle section of the planted trees has received insufficient attention & watering.

Any new strategy needs to take note of some other observations made during the tree count, such as:

• the survival rate of seedlings along the fence dividing the communal football pitch from the rest of the compound was most unsatisfactory. Of the 211 trees & shrubs planted on 16/11/2007 only 60 were still alive on 14th November this year.
• the trees & bushes still growing close to this fence have a distinct distribution pattern. At the western end this fence is next to the Community School garden, and here there has been some watering & care of the ground. Of the 20 seedlings originally planted here, 11 are still flourishing. In the middle section of the fence survival rates are very low – perhaps 10%. It is impossible to be certain why planting was so unsuccessful here because there are several factors at work (e.g. the soil too thin, the initial planting holes too shallow, termite attack, inadequate watering after transplanting the seedlings). However, human factors are probably the main cause of the excessive failure rate. There is a gate in the fence nearby and paths converge here. Passers by have been seen casually but deliberately damaging the young trees. Inadequate watering is also a major factor.
• It was agreed in November 2007 that such watering & care would be the responsibility of the Community School, but the evidence available now suggests that the teaching staff have been far too casual in their supervision of children undertaking this task of watering. Certainly, SGG field monitoring elsewhere often shows that trees planted on private property have much higher survival rates than those planted on school grounds. Good care of trees is largely confined to places where there is some private gain by those who actually carry out the necessary work.
• Most of this dividing fence was planted with cassuarina/whispering pine and poplar. The exact figure planted for each species is not known, but it is estimated that of the 211 seedlings planted in 2007 100 were poplar, 61were whispering pine, and 50 were Mexican thorn. The painful thorns on this last , species and the consequent limited handling of such plants probably accounts for the much higher survival rates with Mexican thorn.
• towards the eastern end of the dividing fence, the poplar is mixed with Mexican thorn to discourage people from jumping over the wall. The Mexican thorn was not as successful as had been hoped, because much of that area suffered from an ‘accidental’ fire when workers were cutting dried grass.
• around the Homecraft Centre tree survival rates have been excellent. Sr Maria Kupinska, the Director of the Centre, made sure that the trees were regularly and adequately watered (“one bucket per tree per week”) and now these trees stand head-high and look very healthy. Here the survival rate is close to 100%. This complete contrast with the dividing fence considered above shows how vital consistent care & watering are during the first two years.
• other locations around the compound demonstrated again the importance of post-planting care. As stated above, only 6 out of an estimated 70 whispering pine have survived along the dividing fence where care has been unsatisfactory. In contrast some 40 were planted along the Convent garden fence, and here some 31continue to grow.
• it is almost impossible to banish the suspicion of theft. The main reason for this thinking is that the initial purchase on 14/11/2007 included 50 jacaranda & 45 flamboyant seedlings, which were the most costly of the trees purchased. Yet only 12 of these were found during the 2009 tree count. It can also be said that the removal & resale of newly planted trees is a common problem with many tree-planting projects. From an ecological point of view it may advantageous that trees are distributed throughout Chawama & Lusaka rather than concentrated in one compound, but SGG views integral development (i.e. moral & social development should accompany economic improvement if ‘true’ development is to take place) as important. We do not believe that the habit of theft can bring sustainable progress.
• the initial purchase of plants on 14/11/2007 included 200 vitex bushes. These have been used in the compound to make excellent low hedges, which help divide a large compound of some 15 hectares into smaller areas. In 2009 I counted over 900 such bushes along lines where I do not recall them being present two years earlier. I have certainly made an overestimate of those planted with SGG funds, but Sr Judith and I both agree that the survival rate of such bushes is probably 90%. However, these excellent hedging bushes provide few of the advantages of trees, such as fruit, shade, reduced dust, so planting in the 2009 wet season will focus on trees rather than plants less demanding of care.

New trees around the Homecraft Centre. This is exactly the same location as the following photograph taken in October 2007. This shows what is possible with care & watering.

This photograph was taken in 2007 when most of the Chawama compound was a dusty, desolate place. Compare with the previous photo taken in 2009 from the same place: the tree in the left foreground is in both pictures. You can see the progress made in two years.

There is one other observation pertinent to the progress of this project. This concerns the transformation of the compound by a gradual increase in organic gardening methods. This transformation began with a visit by SGG, Sr Angela and Sr Judith to Kasisi Organic Farming Centre in November 2007 when it was agreed to try and follow organic gardening principles. This was followed in 2008 by two representatives from Chawama completing a first course on organic farming at Kasisi. Unfortunately, one such person was transferred back to the Holy Family community in Kenya by her congregation, while the other was subsequently dismissed for theft. Thus, Chawama now lacks anybody with sufficient knowledge of such organic methods, having effectively made a ‘false start’ in this matter.

New trees around the Homecraft Centre. This is the same location as the second photograph, which was taken in October 2007. This shows what is possible with care & watering.

In view of the above comments SGG would like to propose the following:

• tree-planting continues, but at a slower rate than in November 2007. The limitations of the Community School staff and pupils, the attitudes of workers & the local population to ‘greenery’, and the time constraints on the Holy Family sisters all need to be recognized and accepted. Thus, an investment of £300 in new trees to be planted in a relatively small portion of the space available seems to be the best way to move forward.
• greater care after planting is the key to better survival rates. We propose that individual workers, to be chosen by Sr Judith, are given responsibility for the care and watering of a particular area of the compound where trees are newly planted. The obvious three locations are: 1. in the new orchard & within the Convent plot, 2. along walls & fences where bougainvillea is planted, and 3. the area by the outside stage & along the dividing fence. Provided the location of each new tree can be mapped and an agreement with each of the three workers concerned can be reached before the end of the field visit on 6th December, SGG is prepared to pay up to one month’s salary depending upon how well the trees are maintained until the next SGG field visit. It is hoped that an additional financial reward will encourage those three workers to take greater care of the seedlings in the critical first year.
• the eucalyptus along the wall next to the new orchard need to be pollarded, coppiced or removed before the new fruit trees are planted. This is an urgent task which should be completed before December. Also there should be similar treatment for those within the Convent garden, but this can be done at a later date.
• continued effort is needed to discourage burning. The burning of dried grass during the seasonal drought seems to be such an efficient way to clear the ground, but this is a damaging practice. Several of the Mexican thorn were flourishing during the drought but have been badly damaged by burning. Dry grass & leaves need to be collected for compost, and compost is vital if the soils of the compound are to be improved.
•  take advantage of self-seeded trees. Many of the trees planted have been exotics. These may have the advantage of rapid growth, but they have also had low survival rates. Especially as the Holy Family sisters are permanently busy, it makes sense to encourage self-planted trees. In the area between the entry road and the dividing fence there are over 20 self-seeded trees and bushes, and these provide greenery in an otherwise desolate and neglected part of the compound.
• now that the dividing fence has been erected, bougainvillea may provide a better plant than cassuarina to strengthen the fence.
• continue with a policy of reduced maize cultivation, and try to focus on higher value horticultural crops as are now found in the Home garden.
• make further efforts to adopt organic gardening practices. This is likely to require some training of some of the workers, but it is important to find suitable trainees and that may take some time. The conversion to organic gardening methods will be slow if it is to be sure. SGG will produce some literature on organic methods to assist Sr Judith in this matter.
• more attention needs to be paid to composting. Soils are generally poor and overworked in this compound. Chemical fertiliser is an undue expense. Workers need to be trained in the techniques of compost making, and there should be several compost mounds distributed throughout the cultivated plots.

Trees to the left of the water tower are self-seeded, but greatly improve the appearance of a large area of waste space between the Homecraft Centre to the right and the boundary wall.

As there is nobody trained in organic gardening and now working in the compound, SGG will try to find other institutions and individuals in Zambia who are interested and knowledgeable about organic techniques. There has already been some success here with a small starting grant being given to Rachael Kavanagh, an English volunteer who is promoting the planting of moringa in Western Province.

By the end of the 2009 field visit on 6th December, some new progress has been made concerning the greening of the compound. On 16/11/2009 a visit was made to the University of Zambia Horticultural Nursery and the following 80 plants purchased:

• 30 oranges
• 10 bananas
• 10 jacaranda
• 8 flamboyant
• 6 plumeria
• 6 queen of the night
• 4 ficus, 2 of which variegated
• 3 elderberry
• 3 frangipani, for a total cost of K830,000 (about £110).

December 2009 - the beginnings of a new orchard.

Some of these purchases intended to beautify at least part of the compound may seem a little unnecessary in the context of a poor township. However, the Holy Family sisters have developed a small but beautiful garden, and they gain regular income from hiring out of the garden for wedding receptions, etc.

This is an oasis of beauty within one of the poorest localities in Lusaka. Unsurprisingly, it is a favourite place for wedding receptions. A small garden bringing hope for the future.

This is an oasis of beauty within one of the poorest localities in Lusaka. Unsurprisingly, it is a favourite place for wedding receptions. A small garden bringing hope for the future.
I passed through Chawama on 7/12/2009 just before my departure flight from Zambia. By that time many of the overlarge eucalyptus had been pollarded; a new orchard with more than 50 fruit trees had been established; and the drilling for a new borehole (which will make watering of new trees much easier) had been successful.

A new borehole for the Holy Family compound and many prayers seem answered. A better water supply is essential for the future development of the several projects here.

Chawama is a poor township several kilometres south of the centre of Lusaka. A quick drive through the main thoroughfare of the township will show many signs of such poverty: the crammed compounds with houses of concrete block; the open drains filled with garbage; an excess of plastic rubbish littering the occasional open space; the many people wandering the streets or just sitting in the compounds 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 that an Mzungu can sense in parts of Nairobi. There are many good people living here.

For the Holy Family Sisters who live in Chawama there are more distressing problems here than the ones mentioned above, problems which a casual visitor could easily miss. Such problems include the high incidence of HIV and AIDS. The widespread social acceptance in Zambia of ‘multiple concurrent sexual partners’ explains how Zambia has achieved one of the highest HIV incidence rates in the world. Within Chawama 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, and family break up, divorce, and ‘child-headed households’ are increasingly common. 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:

• The Cheshire Divine Providence Home. This is a home for 20 aged who have no support from their families & are often disabled. It is also home for some 27 orphans or vulnerable children (OVCs). In addition the Home provides help in terms of food, clothing etc 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 because they cannot afford shoes, school uniforms or school items, or because they are too old to begin schooling at a government institution. This school and nursery has 548 pupils, but 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 are orphans, who are usually looked after by their grandmothers. 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.
• Recreational improvements including a small playground for young children and a football pitch.

Pupils from Grade 6 at Chawama Holy Family Open Community School.

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.

There is much spare ground within the compound managed by the Holy Family Sisters. On the first visit of SGG in late October 2007 more than half the compound was a dry, dusty, plastic-littered wasteland. During the subsequent month the first rains have encouraged people to start the cultivation of maize within the compound, but there is clearly a need for more permanent greenery in the form of trees to reduce dry season dust, to provide fruit and shade etc. At the invitation of Sr Judith Bozek, Superior in Chawama of the Holy Family Sisters, and Sr Angela Milonska, SGG visited Chawama between 25th October and 23rd November 2007 with a view to establishing a tree-planting project.

Aims

The initial aim of this project was to improve the greenery within the compound owned by the Holy family sisters over a period of several years. Such greening would include both tree-planting & improved agricultural practices on the land left for cultivation. From the outset it was assumed that this would be a lengthy process because of the heavy time commitments of the Sisters to their already established projects and also because of SGG’s limited resources of time and funding.
A secondary aim was greater involvement in the Holy Family Sisters other projects at Chawama, but it was anticipated that this will not happen before 2012.

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 in the HK 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.

Preparing holes & planting along a line to divide the compound and reduce wind erosion. Not much seems to be happening here, but laboring under a 30+℃ sun to dig in dry, sun-baked soil and rock is not easy. Try it if you think otherwise.

Watering after planting.

However, significant progress has been made:

• By 12th October 1442 trees & bushes had been reserved at The University of Zambia’s Horticultural Nursery. This was the quantity of plants that the Holy Family sisters felt necessary to cover part of the compound with greenery. The problem here was the high cost of these plants (US$1540) compared to trees purchased for similar work in East Africa. It was decided to divide the cost of planting over two years, especially as there was evidence of much tree failure after previous plantings.
• 14th November produced very good rains for the compound, so on the 15th November the following were purchased from the University Horticultural Nursery: 100 whispering pine (cassuarina), 100 poplar to alternate with the pines along a windbreak, 200 common & purple vitex to establish low hedges, 50 mango trees to provide fruit, 50 Mexican thorn (strolobium) for secure fencing, 50 red mahogany each for shade, 50 jacaranda for shade, 45 flamboyant for shade & colour ,and 1 ton of black soil to help establish the trees in the infertile soils of Chawama compound. The total cost of this was K 2,025,000 (about £270). Other plants were wanted but the University Nursery was unable to supply at this time
• 15th November Moses, the grounds manager, and several Grade 8 pupils dug about 200 holes in preparation for planting. The following day the Grade 8 pupils enlarged the holes made the previous day and planted 211 cassuarina, poplar and Mexican thorn to start a windbreak across the compound.
• From 19th November onwards the groundsman Moses undertook the planting of the rest of the trees in various parts of the compound. As the SGG field visit to Zambia finished on 23rd November, the task of planting the trees bought on 14th November was far from complete.
• On 20th November further funding was given to Sr Judith to promote tree-planting at Chawama. These funds included; K. 750,000 to top up the tree-planting donation to a total of US$1,000, and also a further K. 750,000 as a gift for the general work of the Holy Family Sisters, to be used for tree-planting or other work, in appreciation of their good hospitality over the previous months. By 29th November all bought trees & shrubs were planted.

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.

Project Recommendations

On Wednesday 21st November Sr Judith Bozek and I undertook an inspection tour of the Chawama compound with a view to seeing how the greenery within the compound could be improved. SGG’s main suggestions made during that tour are as follows:

• Anti-termite fluid is used where cassuarina is planted, as at least 10 plants have been eaten by termites in the first 4 days after planting.
• The priority is to produce a strong windbreak between the bottom part of the compound with the football pitch and the rest of the compound. For the next year efforts at greening the compound should be concentrated on the upper part of the compound. The lower part will require funding next year or subsequently.
• Where termites have destroyed young trees on this windbreak, Strolobium i.e. Mexican thorn will be planted. These shrubs are less damaged by wind or termite attack, and such plants will discourage people from climbing over the separating fence which is soon to be installed.
• Any additional Strolobium will be planted close to the wall fence to discourage people from climbing the wall next to the access road.
• It is accepted that the eucalyptus close to the upper wall have reached such a height as to now represent a problem. However, maize & beans have already been planted underneath & in the neighbouring field, so it is necessary to leave their treatment until after the next harvest in March. It is suggested that before the next planting (November 2008) the line of eucalyptus nearest the wall is pollarded so as to provide some continued protection against wind & dust. The inner line of eucalyptus should be coppiced so that shoots grow from the base. Where there are gaps close to the wall, different trees should be planted as windbreaks, probably cassuarina with some bougainvillea. Whenever the eucalyptus are felled or removed, great care will be needed to avoid damage to surrounding crops or housing. Such work is best done outside the growing season.
• The large field at the uppermost part of the compound (the ‘volunteers house’ field) has produced poor yields of maize & beans recently, but the workers persist in planting these traditional crops. It is suggested that two major improvements which could be made here are: 1. a tenfold-plus increase in compost production using the above-ground ‘line method’ as demonstrated at Kasisi Organic Farm; 2. a change to agroforestry land use. Lines of compost should be made under shade, near abundant organic material (e.g. chopped maize stalks) suitable for compost-making, near a source of water, and near a source of manure. There is a suitable place near the orchard fence close to the pig enclosure. An agroforestry approach could be achieved by planting the mangoes 15m apart along 2 or 3 lines. This is likely to use up 30 of the young mango plants bought on 14th November.
• Eucalyptus trees between this field and the wall will also need to be pollarded, coppiced.
• At the side of the above field there have been some attempts at producing compost using the pit method. These have failed because the pits have been used to throw away plastic rubbish which is occasionally burned in the pits, despite there being an incinerator next door. The only way that this system could work satisfactorily at present is if one person from Divine Providence Home was responsible for throwing away & burning of plastic rubbish. Until that system is in place, the line method is better for compost production.
• The Holy Family Sisters garden enclosure has plenty of scope for improvement. Many of the first trees planted around the convent were pine trees. These have been successful as a rapidly-growing windbreak, but pine needles will not improve the soil. It is suggested to these pines are gradually removed over the next 5 years and replaced by indigenous broad-leaved species. In some places in the garden this process has started naturally as the taller broadleaved trees are starting to shade and kill some of the pines. There are some good shaded positions for compost production here. There is also space for 4-5 mango trees.
• The vegetable section of the Sisters enclosure is the obvious location to develop a large experimental plot for organic gardening. A major proposal for the Chawama compound is that the Sisters develop good communications with Kasisi Organic Farm and/or PELUM and experiment with some of the techniques which they are encouraging. Of particular relevance for this enclosure are the planting of soil improvement trees (leucaena? Sesbania? velvet beans?), agroforestry (by replacing the eucalyptus with 2 rows of mangoes), greater production of compost & other sources of fertilizer (comfrey?), production of natural pesticides (neem? chilly peppers?) and crop rotation.
• The Orphanage vegetable garden is much more productive than other plots within the compound. It demonstrates what can be done. This is the result of water on site, sufficient chicken manure nearby, and the orphans being allocated their own individual plot which is their own responsibility. Two simple improvements here would include the planting of some flowers (Mexican marigolds?) which encourage pest-eating insects, and the replacement of the organic rubbish with a proper compost heap. Maize looks very good here, but it is a waste of good ground in this context. Similarly, it needs to be considered if it is worth growing bananas.

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.

SGG is aware that much work and responsibility falls on the shoulders of Sr Judith and Sr Angela. Thus, it is quite likely that working to strict time schedules may prove impossible. We recognize that there are a series of factors which could easily hinder progress. These include the unreliability of the rainfall, the uncertainty of the temperament of those who work on the compound, the possibility of key personnel within the Holy Family community being moved.

In late 2008 the planned visit to Zambia did not take place as SGG was committed to making a field appraisal of developments in West Kenya, where there had been major civil disturbances earlier in the year. This lack of the usual monitoring visit to Chawama undoubtedly contributed to some of the disappointing results revealed in the 2009 field visit. SGG’s experience is that a regular annual monitoring visits is a major spur to progress on the ground.

• an email sent to SGG by the John Kwoba, Director of OWDF, on 19th January following OWDF’s own field monitoring;
• comments made by the participants in an appreciation letter to the sponsor of the training;
• observations made during SGG’s field visit to Busia District in February-March 2011.

These sources deal with the first few months after the organic gardening training course in November 2010. During the November –December months Busia usually experiences sufficient rain for planting of quick-growing crops before the normal dry spell in January. In this particular year that period was unusually dry – and this has had a negative effect on nearly all the trainees.
The basic format is taken from an OWDF report, which was written in January 2011. It has then been modified by trainee and SGG comments. Be aware that these comments have been edited to produce a more flowing document. Unfortunately SGG’s camera was stolen in Nairobi, so in this first version of the report there is a lack of photographs. More photographs will be included after SGG’s next visit to Busia in October 2011.

Organic Gardening Report

This report covers from the time of training and two months later. December is a period with rains which cannot be trusted to be reliable. Most farmers tend to plant but often lose out to the drought. However with some few farmers who have moneymaker pumps they make good money during the same period, as local prices for food rise at this time. Each of the 10 trained people received a wheelbarrow, young pawpaws, several banana suckers, and seeds for indigenous vegetables. OWDF visited each and every field that is being used to see what had been learnt.

Philip Namulundu. After the training Philip concentrated on ensuring that the pawpaws and the vegetables did well. He has some pawpaws which he planted, and 8 of the 10 survived. The media for any good production is compost, and Philip has prepared much of this for use in early 2011. He has also cleared an area for raised and double dug beds. Moreover, Philip has 7 Bananas and he has prepared the holes for transplanting. He has also transplanted some 18 suckers from his four bananas. Between the time of training and now Philip has been able to reestablish his wetland vegetable plot, which had been destroyed by neighbour’s animals. No cash sales before 15th January.

In February Philip wrote:

…it’s now 3 months since I started the project, but I normally make Ksh2,000/- (about £16) a week, which I have realized that if I am supported well/fully with farm inputs and financial support I can have a big project which can create employment to the community.

Eugene Ouma. OWDF reported that in January ‘approximately 20 bananas available. No other thing seen on the ground’. However, Eugene himself gives a rather different story. He has reported that:

• 15 banana suckers were planted, but only 10 were still surviving by January,
• 8 pawpaw seedlings were planted, but again the drought resulted in only 4 surviving,
• planted amaranth which did poorly in the dry conditions, but probably produced Ksh600/- worth (about £5) which was consumed mainly at home,
• harvested amaranth seeds which would probably cost another Ksh 300/-,
• had a poor harvest of miro, which was probably worth Ksh700/-

The difference in these assessments may result from personal differences. SGG’s assessment is that this is one plot without the benefit of a nearby moneymaker pump. Access to such a pump in future should greatly improve yields.

Camulus Omondi Siama. OWDF reported:

One thing that really made me happy is that Organic Gardening has brought some peace and love in the family. The wife is able to participate when the husband is not in.

This can be seen in the photo below.

Compost preparation by both makes a big difference.

Omondi received 7 banana suckers, but he also bought some 23 more using money from the sales of vegetables. He received 10 pawpaw seedlings and 6 survived. By January the black nightshade, an indigenous vegetable, was ready for transplanting.

Mohammed Wandera. Progress: Mohammed is one who has tried to separate organic products from the waste at Matayos market. Thus, he has had plenty of compost. Tomatoes do very well because of this increased soil fertility. Mohammed also has a raised bed for the indigenous vegetables. He has planted some yams as well as onions, the green bunching type. The latter will be used for the biological pesticide control. Some indigenous vegetable grown was sold at Ksh. 500.00. More is still being sold. In fact, by late January Mohammed reported that he had an income of Ksh 2,100/- (£17) from such sales. One very important business is good waste management within the locality. This requires that Local Government council is convinced and able to deliver waste which is useful. Mohammed separates polythene papers and prepares compost from the remaining organic waste. This has made him one of the more successful OG farmers, and it can be expanded to other farmers around Matayos.

During an SGG monitoring visit I was told by Mohamed that he had been offered Ksh3,000/- for his compost! It is good to know that local people are beginning to realise compost’s value for improved farm production.

Michael Abwao is a pilot farmer in Butula area. He has tried and has waged a war with drought. He has planted some Napier grass which is being sold daily. OWDF has seen the compost preparation, Calliandra trees, Napier grass (both fodder crops for dairy goats) and 12 bananas. Michael has also planted indigenous vegetables, which include cowpeas, amaranths, black nightshade, clotolaria. Such activity has brought some commercial business. Sales of the indigenous vegetables have given Michael some Ksh. 1,340/= (£12) since November. The Napier grass has given some Ksh.16,000/= (£135) in the last two months. The secret behind very fast-growing napier is the compost applied immediately you harvest and weed. You do watering in the evenings after you complete the cash sale.

Michael was invited to the November organic training because he is a hard-working farmer with plenty of initiative. He has been working very successfully with SGG for 4 years, especially in the establishment of a dairy goat breeding programme and in the use of microirrigation techniques. SGG would expect Michael to make good use of the organic training, but the OWDF comments above tend to exaggerate the value of the organic training in November. One reason for the excellent figures given above is that Michael is using a moneymaker pump on the napier grass shamba which, I think, was started before November. Thus, he would have gained significant income before the November training. Also Michael is a leader farmer locally for both the stalling and upgrading of local goats, so over the last three years he has created a rapidly growing market for high-quality goat fodder.

I must also add that Michael is a personal friend of mine, and I am so pleased that he is making this sort of progress. Photos of Michael’s success should be available in October!

Mathews Atoko has a plot which is fairly dry, and the exposure of bare sand during the OWDF visit shows that farming is very difficult when drought hits. Nevertheless, Mathias was given 7 bananas suckers, which have all survived. Also by January some vegetable beds had already been harvested, and Mathias was then preparing new beds and more compost for them. By January he had earned some Ksh. 456.00 (£4) from the vegetables in a wetland. By mid February he reported that he had earned Ksh.3,830/- (£30), mainly by the selling of black nightshade.

Simon Wandera Odunga has tried to do what he can and he is well placed in a valley that is wet and sometimes floods. Simon has some 6 banana plants and also 6 pawpaw trees, which are surviving from the original 10 seedlings given. Simon is a leading member of Khabondi Youth Group, which has a very successful sukumawiki growing business (this is a type of brassica which is becoming an important element of the local diet). In March he reported that from his own shamba he had sold Ksh 500/- of cowpeas & Ksh.8,000/- (£50) of sukumawiki. However, it would be an exaggeration to say that the sukumawiki sales are entirely the result of the November organic training. Khabondi have been an active and profitable group throughout the four years they have been known to SGG.

Selina O. Ogwell has tried fighting drought but she did not win. Her shamba was too dry for her to succeed. However, she managed to plant 7 bananas and 10 pawpaws, of which 5 bananas and 7 pawpaws were surviving in January. In preparation for the next rains Selina has constructed her compost. According to OWDF, Selina and her mother in law have fallen in love with compost: the old mother in law insists that it is a good thing to have!

Margaret Nabwire and John Kwoba. Improvement has been made on the home farm since November. Some 4 tons of compost/manure has been made, and each hole for the banana and pawpaw has been given two wheel barrows. Near the cow stall is the compost site which has three pits and which contains over 6 tons of compost/ manure. This household received 14 bananas. 4 of these failed to develop properly, but Margaret & John purchased 5 new suckers to replace them. Pawpaws had similar problems. Some 12 had weak shoots and only 8 survived, but these are very healthy. Margaret has established a crotalaria patch, and by January had already sold Ksh. 870/- (£7). This money has been spent on improving the fencing, so that the young bananas can be protected.

On the basis of the above comments on individual progress and SGG’s February field visit the following general conclusions could be reached:

• success with organic growing depends partly on the farmers access to good water supplies. During seasonal drought irrigation is needed if yields are to be good. SGG will look to ensure that organic farmers who are participating in this project have a moneymaker pump, or a well, or a drip irrigation facility in the future.
• the real test of success with this organic training will come in April-May when the main rains are due in West Kenya. Thus, a fuller conclusion concerning the benefit of this organic training can be reached only after there have been good rains. In view of the current lack of rains in most of Kenya & the Horn of Africa, it may be a few years before we can be sure of our conclusions. Nevertheless, the field evidence above suggests that organic gardening can be a stepping stone to progress on small African plots.
• the most successful aspect of the training as far as I could see is the compost making. All the participants have managed to establish their own compost. Some of it is not as good as one would like (too many bits of plastic, maize stalks too big to readily decompose, insufficient shade for good decay rates), but it is much better than what was practised previously. Remember that this is an area with no tradition of composting, and maintenance of soil fertility is a major problem. One unexpected development is that one participant was asked by a neighbour if he would sell all his compost. This illustrates well, I think, the current situation where many farmers are realising how important compost is for good crop yields, but they are not yet sure how best to make it. That part of the organic training could prove very useful, and SGG wishes to organise more compost training in 2011.
• good organic practices will spread through the Kenyan community only if those trained take some responsibility to train their neighbours. Thus, SGG will fund in 2011 a scheme to enable each of the above trainees to pass on proper composting methods to at least 5 neighbouring households where composting is not yet done.
• all the organic trainees received seeds of indigenous vegetables. Such vegetables (e.g. amaranth, black nightshade) are becoming much more popular in any case, so it is difficult to determine the exact impact of the organic course on this aspect of agriculture. As these crops are generally better adapted to the uncertainties of the Kenyan climate, SGG will continue to promote them. One of SGG’s partner community groups has a kiosk which specialises in the collection & selling of indigenous seeds.
• all organic trainees received several young pawpaw trees & banana stems. A significant number of these young fruits did not survive the drought, but at least a start was made with the notion of agro-forestry mixture of trees & crops on the same plot. Around Busia there is a rapidly growing interest in fruit trees, both for improved home nutrition and local commercial sales. SGG plans to organise training on fruit production as part of its training.
• the organic training took place at took place at ARDAP research station near Bar Ober. This place provides excellent examples of intensive, high-production agroforestry. SGG will encourage community groups to adopt similar land use management in the future.

During the February 2007 visits to the member groups of OWDF it was noticed that a high percentage of the farmland around Mundika had lateritic soils. They are particularly common on the higher ground between the extensive swamps and fertile black soils found along the river valleys in that locality. Unfortunately, most farmers choose to live on the infertile lateritic soils in order to avoid the floods & mosquitos of the lower ground. Not only are such lateritic soils infertile, but the subsoil will set like concrete if exposed to the open air. It is a very difficult soil on which to farm, and it is not surprising that such laterites are often quarried locally and used in building construction.

A further problem concerning soil fertility is that local farmers are too poor to be able to purchase chemical fertilizer: they have to use organic waste as the only readily available alternative. Cattle dung is already used, but most farms have insufficient to cover more than a small portion of their lands. Thus, there is a need to make much greater use of composts if many soils in Busia District are to maintain their fertility at a time when soils are being used much more intensively.

The Appropriate Rural Development & Agriculture Programme (ARDAP) is a Kenyan agricultural research institute. They have converted a 1.2 acre plot with lateritic soils into a highly productive smallholding. One of the secrets of their success is the technique of composting. This has enabled them to produce annually 16 tons of compost from organic waste on their 1.2 acre plot. ARDAP are now introducing new composting methods to surrounding farmer groups.

This is a demonstration plot of calliandra, bananas and cassava on land that previously was barren bush and laterites.

Aim

The aim of this project is to promote greater and better use of composting by whatever approach seems appropriate in Western Kenya. In this matter SGG agrees with ARDAP, an agricultural research station located near Bar Ober, that maintenance of soil fertility is a sine qua non for sustained improvement of agricultural production within Busia District.

SGG has experimented with diverse approaches to this matter, but none of these have proved immediately successful. Thus, SGG will continue to try a variety of schemes, with current aims being :

• to look for a source of worms suitable for vermicomposting in West Kenya;
• to construct 10 model compost toilets as a viable alternative to the pit latrines widely used in Busia District;
• to continue training in organic gardening, which in 2011 is making more progress than other composting developments.

Progress

By the time of the 2007 SGG field visit ARDAP had already experimented with the use of vermiculture within their institute and were very pleased with the results. This project started with the introducing this method of compost production to farmer groups who were members of either ARDAP or OWDF (e.g. Bunema Women’s Group). Subsequently, as more funds were found, it was planned to introduce vermicomposting to all of OWDF’s farming groups by 2010. This would be the first bulk compost available on farm to cultivators in this area. In order to facilitate this initial plan SGG made a donation of £200 to ARDAP in March 2007 so that some OWDF groups could be trained in composting techniques, especially vermicomposting.

It was intended to evaluate the progress of the initial stage of this project during SGG’s annual visit, which was scheduled for January 2008. Political turmoil at that time resulted in SGG’s visit and evaluation being postponed until September 2008. However, by April 2008 communication has been received from OWDF indicating that in the first year of this programme 33 groups had been trained in composting techniques. By September there certainly seemed to be a much greater awareness of the importance of composting among OWDF member groups, although the farm groups visited were using the more traditional ‘pit composting’ method rather than practicing vermiculture. The difficulty here is that ARDAP is at present using local worms for vermicomposting, and the rate of decomposition seems similar to that achieved with techniques not involving worms. Both ARDAP and OWDF wish to acquire the tiger/brandling worms (Eisenia foetida & Lumbricus rubellus) which are used in Europe for vermicomposting, but these creature have proved difficult to purchase in Kenya. SGG has agreed to try and acquire such worms. While progress with vermiculture has halted for the present, composting has developed in two new ways.

One new development is that in November 2007 OWDF secured a grant of $25,000 from the Nile Transboundary Environmental Action Project (NTEAP) to fund the “Busia Waste Management and Environmental Conservation Project”. Part of this project involves the promotion of composting in response to the ever-increasing organic waste produced around Busia. Within the urban periphery of Busia OWDF has several member groups, and it is within these groups that much compost training has been done in 2008. By the time of SGG’s visit in September, these groups were beginning to see the benefits of composting reflected in their crop yields.

Women from an OWDF group who have recently started using composting techniques discuss with a representative from NTEAP.

On 17/9/2008 SGG joined OWDF on an inspection tour with the NTEAP project officer, Mr Martin Mandera. The women’s groups visited had the advantage of the nearby market of Busia town for commercial sales, but they were also well aware of the benefits of composting. The above group, for example, has established a small plot of pineapples for sale in Busia. From this they could harvest 4-500 pineapples, which will sell at Ksh.50/- each, to give a good income to the small group of women. They were aware that pineapple yields from this plot required both a moneymaker pump for irrigation and also a heavy application of compost.

All of OWDF groups lack capital for investment in their plots, so low-cost improvements based on organic gardening techniques are particularly important. These OWDF groups have been using a series of booklets published in Kiswahili by the British NGO Garden Organic, and SGG wishes to acknowledge the value of these booklets. The ‘pit composting’ technique used by the women above comes from the Garden Organic booklet ‘Composting in the Tropics 11’.

Another new development around Busia is the increased interest in compost toilets. Such toilets have the advantage of producing significant quantities of compost from what would otherwise be waste material. At present most ‘modern’ toilets in Busia District are pit latrines (official figures suggest that 1% have household access to a flush toilet & 84% to a pit latrine). In rural areas there are few difficulties of location and spacing of pit latrines, but in the crowded townships of Busia they are proving increasingly unsatisfactory. At an SGG-OWDF planning meeting on 7/10/2008 there was great interest in the possibility of developing such compost toilet as an improvement on the well established pit latrine. Before the end of SGG’s field visit, a model compost toilet was constructed in the grounds of John Kwoba, the Director of OWDF. This toilet was designed to be constructed according to the principles & advice in the technical brief ‘Compost Toilets’ produced by the British NGO Practical Action, and it cost about £100.

October 2008 - a compost toilet under construction in John Kwoba’s banana shamba.

Unfortunately, rains & modifications during building meant that this toilet was not quite complete at the end of my visit. However, an inspection in 2009 showed the toilet to be working very satisfactorily. SGG is now wishing to find a sponsor to fund the construction of a further 10 such toilets as soon as a grant is secured and to train construction teams for such work.

September 2009 – the completed toilet.

A further major development occurred in July 2010. SGG had noticed increased interest among some OWDF farmer concerning organic gardening. Thus, SGG agreed to invest in a pilot training course for 10 participants, a course which was delivered by ARDAP in November 2010. A separate report concerning progress after the training has been produced, but unfortunately my camera was stolen so SGG has no suitable pictures yet to verify what has been done.

The organic gardening report, which was started in December 2010 and supplemented by SGG field visits in February 2011, shows that there are many farmers wishing to develop this style of gardening. Thus, SGG will continue to support this project for at least the next two years, so we are looking for any institution or individuals who would be able to fund this work.

July 2010 – a typical table-banking meeting. This was held at the home of one of the members of Dinyerisia Bukheri.

From Charity to Income Generation

It is worthwhile recalling that the fundamental aim of both SGG and our Kenyan partners is the eradication of poverty and hunger through improved environmental management and horticulture. Until 2009 much of SGG’s investment in Busia was used to provide an additional meal to some 500 HIV orphans. While this was laudable in itself, it did encourage a situation where 1-2 children in a household gained free food while other children in the same poor household did not benefit. Also precious funds were being used up while insufficient funding was available to encourage wealth creation. In 2009 SGG looked to rectify these problems by promoting income generation schemes from which all members of a household, and others who were simply poor, could benefit.

[September 2008 – Monica Masiga of Bukhayo West Widows donates a kid to another member of the group as part of the goat merry-go-round.

• promotion of moneymaker footpumps to allow increased vegetable production during the dry season and ‘hunger months’. For further details, see the Project 1 reports;
• in March 2007 Bukhayo West Widows used a small grant of £45 to start a ‘goat merry-go-round’ with a billy & three nanny goats. The basic idea here is that each new kid produced by the goats is given to a member of the group until all members have their own goat. When every member has their own goat, the goats become the property of the member who can then keep the goat for further breeding, sell, or do as the owner sees fit. Provided these goats are properly tethered, they are easy to manage and are a suitable source of income for those unable to do hard physical work. This scheme proved to be very popular with other OWDF member groups, so that in September 2009 it was estimated that there were more than 400 goats owned by them. Those groups which have been particularly successful with goats (e.g. Bunema) are now looking to improve on this simple scheme. They planned in 2010 to purchase a high-grade ‘dairy’ billy and start a cross-breeding programme to improve the quality of the local stock. Local government livestock officers have advised us that for such a scheme to be successful it is necessary for the high-grade dairy goat to have nutrient-rich fodder and good shelter, but this is already been done by Bunema Women’s Group;
• the first need of the OVCs is additional food, and the feeding programme makes a significant contribution towards providing this basic need. However, a common concern among OVC carers has been ‘school fees’ ie. what needs to be spent to ensure that a child receives satisfactory education. These guardians are concerned, because good education is essential if a child is to make progress in the future. As SGG had only sufficient funds for the feeding of OVCs in the initial years of this project, this issue had to be ignored. However, in September 2008 SGG began to encourage carers, or indeed any OWDF member, to plant quick-growing exotics which could be harvested in 5-6 years in order to pay such school fees. This concept was readily received so that by September 2009 there were several nurseries in the locality and a target production of 10,000 seedlings easily met. The target for 2010 onwards is that each member of OWDF should plant, if there is available land, some 20 seedlings per year, which will require a total production of some 25,000 seedlings for transplanting. SGG has agreed to look for a sponsor in Europe who will fund such a scheme until it is properly established;
• OVCs have other pressing needs as well as food and education. In a locality ravaged by the HIV pandemic, malaria is still the biggest killer of children. In September 2008 OWDF & SGG met Dr Frans van Geel, a doctor working in Mundika on behalf of the Dutch Rotary Doctors. A scheme was established to improve preventative medicine locally through the increased use of anti-malarial bednets. In 2009 Dr Frans obtained a grant of 3,000 euro, to be used to purchase & distribute bednets in 2010. In September 2009 SGG purchased 100 bednets from the Dutch Rotary Doctors as a pilot scheme to test the acceptability of this method of malaria prevention. The response from OWDF member groups was immediate and very positive: there continues to be a great demand for such nets;
• the previous four schemes are all meant to provide economic support for poor households whether or not they include OVCs. The moneymaker pump and the goat scheme both provide opportunities for members to generate new income. On the other hand the tree-planting and the bednets scheme were both a reponse to specific educational and medical needs of the orphans. By September 2009 there were several groups within OWDF who were gaining confidence & experience from successful work in the 2007-2009 period, and who were wanting to make completely new investments. For example, Bunema were planning to introduce high-grade dairy goats in 2010. Khuyala wished to build a new Early Child Development Centre (ECDC) in their locality. There are several groups wishing to develop and market new products e.g. honey at Bukhayo West Widows, indigenous vegetables at Bunema. Thus, there was a need for a credit facility so that OWDF member groups could move positively into new business and their own income-generation projects;
• in response to the above situation, SGG started in September 2009 a ‘table-banking’ scheme. This allowed any OWDF member group who could raise up to Ksh 5,000/- by 21/9/09 to receive a matching grant of up to Ksh 5,000/- for any approved income-generation scheme. It was hoped that this scheme would be successful at distributing small amounts of credit to large numbers of community groups. Although OWDF community groups were given only a week to prepare for this credit-matching, 32 groups participated at the table-banking meeting with each group presenting a plan of how any funds would be spent. All community groups who raised & presented funds by the deadline received a matching grant within three days.

Monica Masiga, Secretary of Bukhayo West Widows, standing beneath fast-growing euacalyptus which are less than two years old. These trees have been planted to provide funds for educational costs within the family.

Aims

The purpose of this project is to provide a microfinance facility to community groups so that they can implement their own income-generation projects.

This scheme is only in the initial stages of implementation, so arrangements and precise targets are changing from year to year. In 2009 SGG hoped to invest at least £1,000 in table-banking arrangements on a 50-50% credit matching basis. In 2010 the intention was to make at least £2,000 available for income generation schemes, but for local CBOs to raise 70% of costs while SGG’s contribution was 30%. For three rounds of SGG-community agreements this will provide additional credit to groups, but in round four it is planned that this becomes a microfinance project where community groups will need to repay loans.

Progress

The first point to make about this project is that it was certainly popular among Busia community groups. In September 2009 the 55 CBOs who were members of One World Development Foundation (OWDF) were invited to produce plans for an income-generation scheme for their own community members. They were also invited to raise funds for that scheme. They were given 10 days to raise up to a maximum of Ksh.5,000/- (about £40) by 21st September. If they did so and their plans were approved, SGG would credit match the funding they raised.

21st September 2009 - community leaders are preparing documents and planning proposals at the first table-banking meeting.

The 21st September 2009 meeting was very long (11 hours!), exhausting, but also one of great excitement and hope. By the end of that day 32 CBOs had deposited Ksh. 132,500/- (about £1,150) and a similar number of income generation projects proposed. These included plans for: 13 new goat merry-go-rounds, 4 local poultry projects, 2 pig-breeding schemes, 4 vegetable production schemes, one honey project, 1 tree nursery project, 3 microirrigation schemes, and 6 groups who wished to develop their own table-banking among their own CBO members. Within three days SGG invested Ksh.293,890/- (the equivalent of £2,416.42p) in these proposals.

It is not surprising that this project proved immediately popular. In 2009 Raila Odinga, the current Prime Minister in Kenya, was saying publicly that lack of suitable microfinancial arrangements for smallfarmers was a major obstacle to progress in West Kenya. In fact, microcredit was readily available in Kenya at that time, but the typical rates of interest were 10% per month – a rate which is liable to impoverish local farmers dependent on unreliable rains and variable seasonal harvests. The concept of 50%-50% matching credit with no interest is obviously far more attractive – and needed if the poor are going to lift themselves out of poverty.

July 2010 - Mudala women are proud to show their profitable sukumawiki plot.

The key issue is not popularity but whether or not this additional credit facilitated income-generation and progress in the communities concerned. The first opportunity to test this occurred in July 2010 when three SGG workers were present in the Busia locality. A major task for these volunteers was to collect reports on the 2009 table-banking investments, before the 2010 disbursement of table-banking money could be arranged.

Bunema Women have made over Ksh.10,000/- income by selling seeds from this small kiosk. They specialise in indigenous vegetable seeds e.g amaranth, spider herb, nightshade, crotolaria, for which there is an expanding market.

The main findings collected in July are as follows:

• 23 of the 32 CBOs who received funding in September 2009 were visited,
• a slightly different set of 23 CBOs produced written reports as part of their application for further funding in 2010,
• 5 CBOs were not visited and did not produce a report. SGG cannot say at present whether or not their 2009 was a success. They have all been excluded from further funding until a proper evaluation is produced,
• of the 27 CBOs who had a monitoring visit and/or a written report 4 had poor results for their investments and 1 group had insufficient progress, but for the latter it was impossible to say whether the problems were caused by the vagaries of the weather or poor organisation,
• 22 out of the 27 CBOs had at least satisfactory and sometimes excellent results,
• the 4 CBOs with poor results provide an interesting catalogue of what can go wrong with this type of project. One group had not yet spent the funds 10 months after receiving them: they were still waiting for further funds & help. In another group the coordinator responsible for the table-banking left her husband and ran off with the funds to start a new life. Another group were poorly organised and overdependent on one person, who often spent time away from the locality. The last ‘group’ was widely dispersed and did not function as a single community group, but as a series of individuals with a common interest. One member of this group was visited, and he was advised to join a local CBO. None of these CBOs will receive future funding without thorough reorganisation,
• 22 CBOs had good results. In several cases (e.g. goat & pig merry-go-rounds) July 2010 was too early to assess if the scheme was a long term success: little measureable profit had been made, but present progress was at least satisfactory. In several other cases, progress was excellent e.g.
• a Mundika Church group bought 3 pigs and 10 months later were the owners of 21 piglets,
• Mudala Women’s Group bought a hip pump to establish a communal plot of sukumawiki. They harvested 4 sacks a month for sale and kept 2 sacks for home consumption. As the harvest was ready during a dry period (November to March) they sold at Ksh.800/- per sack to gain an income of Ksh.16,000/-. This money was then used to buy 8 pigs and some poultry,
• Bukweri also invested in sukumawiki production, and they reckon their seasonal income from the group was over Ksh. 20,000/-,
• Buriang’i Young Farmers had a different investment scheme. They purchased 6 sows, which were all pregnant by July 2010, and a boar. They anticipate every member of the group having at least one pig in 2010, and then they will begin selling piglets at Ksh 700/- each. With those funds they will purchase poultry so that each farm becomes more diversified in terms of production,
• Bunema Women’s Group used funds to expand their already established poultry project and their seeds kiosk. Both these activities are now producing an income in excess of Ksh.10,000/- for the group,
•  all of the 5 above-mentioned CBOs have produced within 10 months income +/or livestock which by July 2010 was worth at least twice the initial investment. This clearly illustrates that many of the CBOs within this table-banking project have the capacity to make money rather than remain permanently dependent on charitable giving.

The overall funding provided by SGG in September 2009 for table-banking can be calculated as £2,416.42p (the funds invested in these 32 CBO groups) minus £1,150 (funds raised by the CBOs themselves), which equals £1,266.42p. For that investment over twenty local community groups were developing income-generation projects and experiencing progress within one year. Furthermore, progress was not merely to be measured in economic terms.

July 2010 – a member of Buriang’i takes care of her pregnant sow.

Many of the CBOs involved in this table-banking have learned much about initiative and planning the development of their own communities. They have become more practised at keeping records, handling small community budgets, providing written reports etc. Above all else attitudes are changing with more members seeing themselves as business partners working in cooperation with SGG rather than perpetual beggars needing more help. This is the beginning of sustainable development, and on the basis of our July 2010 findings SGG regard table-banking as a great success.

The prime aim of Sustainable Global Gardens is to contribute to the eradication of global poverty and hunger. We do this by implementing small-scale environmental & horticultural projects in partnership with various community groups and institutions in East Africa. Often SGG’s African partners have interests (education, health, or social welfare programmes) which are different from our core concerns. If that is the case, SGG will try to support as best we can such development activities even though they are outside our area of expertise. In these circumstances, the role of SGG is usually limited to networking & publicity; help with fundraising; and field monitoring of project. The construction of St Raphael’s Dispensary in Soni, a village in North-East Tanzania, is a good example of such a project.

This project is also an excellent illustration of what can be achieved when a few determined people work together for the overall good of the community. Within two years a rather unproductive maize field was turned into a rural health centre with overnight facilities, and lives were saved at this new dispensary.

March 2007 Jackie & Bill Neale in the company of Fr Tom next to the location of the future dispensary. Earlier Jackie & Bill had witnessed on the road a mother with a sick baby who died before medical help could be reached. By March 2007 the three decided to construct a new local dispensary.

Context

Rural communities in Tanzania face a multitude of obstacles to development, and inadequate healthcare is one of them. This is indicated by a variety of national statistics e.g.

• mortality for those under 5 years age was 153‰ in 2000,
• the infant mortality rate was 99.8‰ (compared to 5.4‰ in the UK) for 2000-2005 period,
• 30% of Tanzanian children under the age of 5 years suffer from underfeeding,
• life expectancy is 43 yrs for males and 44yrs for women (compared to 78 yrs and 81 years respectively in the UK),
• by 2003 there were 980,000 children orphaned by AIDS in Tanzania,

Furthermore, the above are national statistics which can mask the marked differences in health provision between urban and rural areas. In 2004-2005 the mortality rate for children under 5 years was 108‰ in urban areas but only 139‰ in rural areas where most children live.

During the last two decades there has been a significant improvement in many aspects of health. Young child mortality was 191‰ in 1990, but this figure had fallen to 153‰ in 2000 and it continued to fall to 68‰ in 2008. However, this is still well above what is found in the more developed economies. Also, some important indicators of health (e.g. maternal well being) show a deterioration. In 1990 maternal mortality was estimated to be 529 per 100,000 births, but that figure had risen to 578 per 100,000 births by 2008. The Tanzanian MDG Report ‘midway evaluation 2000-2008’ states that 8,100 Tanzanian mothers die during childbirth each year, with 10% of childbearing women being underweight and 58% being anaemic. There is clearly a great need for improved healthcare in rural Tanzania.

Soni is a village in the Western Usambaras and is located approximately halfway along the road between Mombo and Lushoto. Like most rural areas of Tanzania, local health provision is limited, and the nearest hospital is eighteen kilometers distance in Lushoto. Although the Tanzanian government has made great progress concerning health recently, there is still a need to improve provision of health facilities at this local level.

Progress

In late 2006 an estimate was made of the likely cost of a village dispensary, which would include a small female ward, a similar ward for men, a maternity unit as well as an outpatients clinic. That estimate was $36,600 for the completion of the whole dispensary block. By March 2007 there was only a small proportion of this money available for construction. Nevertheless, a decision was made to start the construction of the dispensary and to proceed as funds became available. At this stage Jackie and Bill Neale knew that they would be leaving Soni by the following July, and as a farewell gesture they pledged to raise the estimated £15,000 still needed to complete construction. Thus, in March 2007 work began with the clearance of the site next to the Usambara Sisters community house. As SGG workers are regular visitors to Fr Tom at Soni Seminary, it was agreed that Jackie & Bill Neale and SGG would work in partnership to raise funds for this Soni Health Centre project.

Before Jackie and Bill left for England in late June 2007 they were responsible for taking photos showing progress up to that date. By then the shell of the building for the first phase (ie. reception area, examination room, laboratory room etc) had been completed. A few weeks later a Director of SGG, Rachel Gibson, also visited the site and reported that the roof of this first section was in place.

Building progress by June 2007. During this period construction costs rose rapidly. This was related to a shortage of cement at a time when many communities in Tanzania were trying to improve their educational facilities. Costs were kept to a minimum by making bricks on site and using other resources found within Soni Seminary grounds. For many tasks seminarians & Seminary workers were used to help reduce costs and speed up work.

Work then slowed in late 2007 as funds for the project dried up. However, in January & February 2008 there was again progress as more funds became available. Ceilings were put in place in the rooms already constructed, grills for the entrances and windows were installed, most of the floor was tiled, and the walls etc painted. Meanwhile, as the first phase block neared completion, construction began on the second phase of the building (ie. the female and male wards).

A photo of the new dispensary, taken in February 2008. All construction had been done within the previous year as this first phase neared completion.

However, the priority in late February 2008 was to get the dispensary opened and functioning as soon as possible, so second phase construction was then halted until the finishing touches of the first phase were done. Fr Tom Kiangio then started negotiations with the Usambara Sisters, who agreed to provide two workers once the first phase of construction was complete. It was hoped to reach this point by June 2008.
Remarkably this was achieved. Although the building was only partly constructed, primary health care was being provided for the local community within sixteen months of the start of the project.

The Outpatients Dept. on the left opened in June 2008 with two Usambara Sisters providing primary medical care for the community. After June builders worked on the construction of the Men’s and Women’s Wards on the right.

In February 2009 SGG made the next monitoring visit to the dispensary. By then most of the new rooms were built and in use, so only the finishing touches were required.

February 2009 – the busiest part of the dispensary is the Outpatients Dept. Each day there is a group waiting for medical attention at the Reception.

February 2009 – the Women’s Ward is in use although not quite ready. There is an urgent need for such rural medical facilities if Tanzania is to achieve its Millennium Development Goals and rapidly reduce both infant and maternal mortality by 2015.

In February 2009 SGG made the last payment for the completion of St Raphael’s Dispensary, and the last few tasks ( eg. a new septic tank, piped water, completion of painting, and tidying of the surroundings) were completed by June 2009. Thus, the whole construction project took 27 months from start to finish at a cost of £16,000.

.March 2009 – here is the Maternity Room nearing completion.

This Project 5 was the first SGG project to reach completion. We should, of course, point out that Africa has many well constructed buildings which are lying idle, empty and wasted: this project would also be wasted if the far greater project of continuous management of the dispensary, improving local health, and reducing local infant & maternal mortality had not been undertaken by others.

SGG would therefore like to acknowledge the contributions of :

• Fr Tom Kiangio who acted as local manager during the 2007-2009 construction phase,
• Jackie and Bill Neale, who initiated the project and were the major fundraisers,
• the Usambara Sisters who continue to provide key staff at the Dispensary,
• the Volunteer Missionary Movement, who provided Julie Blaney, the volunteer with responsibility for the continuing good management of St Raphael’s Dispensary,
• all those generous individuals and groups who supported Jackie & Bill Neale in their efforts to raise funds for the project.

Well done everybody!