CALENDAR:
Regional CMC meeting in Tanzania:
17th - 19th of November
Building Local Democracy review meeting for partners:
7th of December
Land Rights review meeting for partners: 8th of December
MS-Zambia
is part of the Danish Association for International Cooperation
(MS) and an associate of ActionAid International
Our vision is a world in peace where co-operation between people
promotes global equity and ensures improved conditions for poor
and marginalized people.
The main themes of MS-Zambia’s programme strategy are Building
Local Democracy and Land Rights.
MS-Zambia aims at defending and enhancing popular participation
under the assumption that strengthening democracy at local level
will help fight poverty.
CONTRIBUTIONS/COMMENTS:
For contributions to the newsletter, further information,
or to unsubscribe, please contact Lena Vind-Andersen at
lena.vind-andersen@ms.zm
cell: +260 (0) 978 359 324
CONTACT DETAILS:
MS Zambia & ActionAid Zambia
5011 Los Angeles Boulevard
Longacres, Box 35788
Lusaka
MS Zambia reception
Office cell: 0977 77 02 92/ 42/ 09
Office land: 0211 25 26 05/ 51/50
or 0211 25 56 43/30
Fax: (0211) 25 55 93
ActionAid reception
Office land: (0211) 25 51 32
Fax: (0211) 25 55 93
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MS
PARTNER NEWS
Farmers embrace conservation farming
 With
global climate changes causing erratic and unpredictable rainfalls,
and with traditional farming methods lowering the quality
of the soils, Zambian farmers are looking for alternative methods to be
able to survive.
”Why did you choose to try out conservation farming?” A chorus
of voices erupts all around: ”Hunger.” Last year, the villagers
of Raphael only ate once a day. This year, they hope things will be better.
The village of Raphael lies in Nyimba District in Zambia's Eastern Province.
As in many rural communities, the fields of the villagers surround the
thatched huts in all directions. But unlike last year, hardly any of the
fields are showing the burned black vegetation and white ashes, which
you would commonly see around this time of year. That is because the farmers
of Raphael have decided to try some new farming methods. Methods which
they have learned from MS Partner Nyimba District Farmer's Association
(NDFA).
”We originally started this project, because we were worried about
the excessive charcoal burning and clearing of trees for farmland, which
was taking place. When we did our initial surveys in the district, we
found out that people were burning charcoal to supplement their incomes
because the fields weren't yielding enough crops. And the reasons for
clearing new farmland were the same: The soil had been exhausted to a
point where there was not enough nutrients left to support the crops,”
explains Albert Chaala, the District Organisational Coordinator for NDFA.
The solution to this has been to introduce farmers to the methods of conservation
farming that will improve the quality of the soil and thus give greater
yields. It will also benefit the environment by minimising deforestation.
Click here to see the
full article on our web site
Villagers win back land
 A
commercial farmer has been forced to surrender corruptly acquired land
to the villagers of Makeleta village in Mansa.
In 2002 138 community members were displaced from their ancestral land,
on which they had been staying since 1962, by a local commercial farmer,
who corruptly obtained title deeds on a 220 hectare piece of land without
consent from the village head person and the chief.
Upon receiving training on land rights by MS Partner Mansa District Land
Alliance (MDLA) in May 2008, the community members realized that their
rights were abused and consequently organized themselves and lodged a
written complaint to MDLA to facilitate the process of bringing stakeholders
together. MDLA called a meeting of the Chief, community members, head
persons, the commercial farmer and chief retainers to confront the injustice.
With legal examinations by Para legal officers, the commercial farmer
was challenged and convinced that he corruptly obtained title to that
land because he did not get consent from the chief. This is a major requirement
in land conversion procedures; from customary tenure to statutory leasehold.
As a consequence, the commercial farmer in question has now been made
to surrender 165 hectares out of the 220 hectares back to Makeleta community.
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Civil
Society Day March in Pictures
On October 16th the annual Civil Society Day march took place in Lusaka.
The day was used to emphasize the importance of the work of Civil Society
in combating poverty and called for government to remember that true progress
can only be made if all stakeholders work together. The march and subsequent
exhibitions were arranged by Civil Society for Poverty Reduction.
Click here to see more
pictures on our web site
    
The waiting game is over
 In
2005 construction began on a rural health centre in Kamono village. 4
years later it still wasn't finished. But then the members of the Neighbourhood
Health Committee had an idea.
”We were getting very angry, because no one was paying attention
to us.” Newly elected member of the Neighbourhood Health Committee,
Elinart Phiri, takes up the tale of how Kamono village finally got their
health centre, sitting in the building she has fought to have completed.
All around the villagers have gathered and are filling up the benches
and crowding on mats on the floor. A murmur of assent greets her words.
Construction of the health centre began 4 years ago, but then everything
stalled and the building was never finished. ”It was tried several
times to contact our locally elected area councillor and the Health authorities,
but all they ever said was that it was being debated and we had to wait,”
Elinart continues. ”There was no leadership surrounding it, so that's
how it stayed.” Nodding greets this statement. But when Elinart
joined the committee she and the other health committee members decided
that other routes had to be tried. This is where MS partner, Community
Youth Concern, entered the picture.
Click here to read the
full article on our web site
When
workshops change lives
 Sometimes
it takes a dramatic event to make serious changes in your life and priorities.
Sometimes it just takes a workshop.
”I think I was just asked to participate in the workshop to make
up the numbers,” 25 year old Tembo Chola admits with a laugh. But
today he is very glad that he went to the workshop on life skill training,
which MS Partner, Community Youth Concern (CYC), conducted in his village
a few years ago. ”I have become a changed person because of it,”
he explains. ”Before I just hung out with my friends and played
football, told stories and wasted my time. CYC taught me to organize myself
and how to participate in our community's development. Now I'm the chairperson
of both our youth group and our church group in Sindilani.”
20 year old Zachariah Gift Lungu tells a similar story. He had dropped
out of school after the 7th grade and was barely surviving by doing some
piecework here and there. ”I wasn't really achieving anything, just
playing some baseball and making very little money carrying bags for people
and such,” he tells. But like Tembo, a CYC workshop in Lozani village
made him think twice about his life. ”It changed the way I think
about myself and how I work and how to achieve things. It made me go back
to school and I am now in grade 11.” Both young men are now part
of a group of 14 CYC volunteer civic educators that go around to other
villages in Nyimba District to educate other youths on how they can take
charge of their own lives.
Click here to read the
full article on our web site
Harsh weather conditions are defeated
 Many
people are not aware of diseases that are caused the cold dry weather.
In Luano valley, ActionAid Zambia has set out to improve the health of
children, suffering from weather related illnesses.
Children in Luano valley, like in many other rural areas in Zambia, are
commonly affected by diseases like chest infections, bronchitis, flu and
pneumonia. Most parents send children to schools and outdoor household
chores in the cold season without proper clothing for the weather. At
night, tired from the daily routines, children retire to a cold hard floor
and sleep without blankets to cover and protect them from the cold long
nights. The cold floors expose them to the dangerous and very uncomfortable
sleeping area. Most adults do not see anything wrong in doing that. However,
out of about 850 children in Luano, who range between the ages of one
to fifteen, 75% have visited the rural health centre with chest related
illnesses. ActionAid, through the local rural health centre and village
health cadres, has started teaching communities on prevention of such
diseases and a scheme of distribution of blankets has done wonders.
Click here to read the
full article on our web site
Lukulu Floods with Vegetable Supply
 Lukulu
district in Western Province has previously received most vegetable supplies
from Mumbwa and Lusaka. This year, however, the story is different.
ActionAid Zambia in partnership with Keepers Zambia Foundation (KZF) and
Farmers Organisation Support Programme (FOSUP) have been implementing
the Project for Reduction of Nutritional Vulnerability (PRUVEN) since
February 2009. It began with a Training of Trainers course in vegetable
production conducted in March 2009 in Kaoma and Lukulu. And the courses
paid off: This year both areas have experienced more than adequate production
of vegetables (onion, rape, tomato, carrot, and indigenous vegetables),
achieving yields that go beyond family consumption at household level.
Although there has been tremendous achievement in both districts, Lukulu
has a unique story.
Click here to read the
full the article on our web site
Going
green in Denmark
 Morgan
Mwangala, a volunteer of the Youth Association of Zambia, has just returned
from a study trip on climate responsibility in Denmark.
“I had never heard that you could use waste to produce energy.”
Morgan Mwangala, 21, has learned a lot about alternative energy sources
while visiting Denmark in August. He was part of a group of 24 young people
from developing countries, invited by MS Denmark to be a “climate
detective” for a few weeks. That involved attending the international
workshop on climate change, “Bright Green Youth” (BGY), as
well as hitch hiking around Denmark to trace the climate responsibility
of the Danes. The first experience he had of the Danes, however, was going
by train to the town, where the BGY conference was held: “It was
quite funny, because the train announcer kept saying: “Put away
your phones and talk to the person next to you”. But nobody did.
Danes apparently don’t talk much to strangers, so they are difficult
to get to know. But at least they will answer if you start up a conversation,”
he laughs. Fortunately, both the conference and the hitch hiking gave
ample opportunities to do just that.
Click here to read the
full article and see a video of Morgan's adventures on our web site
SADC
Civil Society Forum raises concerns over governance and regional integration
 The
present state of affairs in Swaziland, Congo, Zimbabwe and Madagascar
were discussed during the recently held Civil Society Forum.
At the forum, held in Kenya in September, concerns were voiced regarding
the continued denial of the people of Swaziland to participate in electoral
and democratic processes as well as the slow process of democratic reconstruction
and peace building in The Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe and Madagascar.
The forum called on SADC to address these issues urgently. The forum also
noted that there are still serious impediments to regional economic integration,
including weak communication, transport and energy infrastructure as well
as restrictions to the free movement of people across borders and challenges
in implementing multiple memberships in regional trading and economic
blocs. The forum cautioned that the SADC National committees in most member
states are not functioning optimally, making it difficult for civil society
to participate in SADC processes at national level.
Click
here to download the full press statement
or visit their web site: www.sadccngo.org
Call for fund proposals for women
 The
International Indigenous Women's Forum (IIWF) or FIMI (Foro Internacional
de Mujeres Indigenas) has announced its first call for proposals under
the Indigenous Women's Fund.
The areas prioritized under this grant are educational empowerment, economic
empowerment, political participation and institutional strengthening.
Since this is the first call for proposals from the Forum, the grant limit
has been fixed at US $5,000. The deadline to submit the proposals is January
15th 2010. Calls for proposals opened on October 15th 2009.
Click
here to read the guidelines for application
Also see a list of other funding opportunities for women here:
http://www.indigenouswomensforum.org/resources/womensfunds.html
MS GLOBAL NEWS
MS
Sudan: Students got undemocratic headmaster fired
 After
a school debate on democratic leadership, the students at St. Joseph’s
Secondary School in Yei, Southern Sudan, went to the county office and
complained about their headmaster. As a result, the headmaster was fired.
“Argue in favour of democratic leadership as opposed to dictatorial
leadership”. This was the assignment given to the students at St.
Joseph’s Secondary School in Yei, Southern Sudan, as they were attending
a school debate at Yei Community Resource Centre. The assignment quickly
turned into much more than a competition because they realized that it
was very relevant to their own situation.
Click here to read the
full article on MS Sudan web site
MS
Central America: “An impressive programme”
 Review
recognizes MS Central America’s efforts in Trade Justice. The programme
is “in fact successfully tackling one of the main challenges of
small farmers and producers.”
In June 2009, a review of MS Central America’s trade justice programme
was carried out, in order to determine performance so far and identify
possible recommendation for future implementation. According to the findings
of the review team, MS has carried out “an impressive programme
in Central America working for better and fairer trade conditions”.
The team has determined that the regional programme is in fact successfully
tackling one of the main challenges of small farmers and producers, keeping
a focus on reducing poverty by advocating for self-sustainable means.
Click here to read the
full article on MS Central America web site
MS ZAMBIA NEWS
MS Zambia /ActionAid merger news
 A
draft of the new organisational structure as well as remuneration, staff
needs and administrative issues are presently under discussion, thus bringing
our two organisations closer to the full merger.
However, it has been clarified that the full transfer of assets from MS
Zambia to ActionAid Zambia cannot take place until ActionAid Zambia is
an associate of ActionAid International. Before ActionAid Zambia can become
an associate, the nationalisation process needs to be completed, establishing
ActionAid Zambia as an independent Zambian organisation. The nationalisation
process is now expected to start in January 2010. As part of the nationalisation
process a General Assembly (GA) will be established at that time, to,
among other things, elect the Zambian Board. This means that the present
ActionAid Zambia Board will operate under an extended mandate until that
time. The position for overall Country Director of the merged organisation
has been advertised and filled. The new Country Director will take up
the position in January 2010.
New
study on access to justice under way
 MS-Zambia
and the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) have signed a partnership
agreement for carrying out a Situation Analysis of Access to Justice in
Zambia.
The analysis is expected to be finalised in the end of February 2010.
The purpose is to gain a qualified picture of how the available legal
systems and mechanisms of justice are serving the needs of the poor and
marginalized in Zambia. The legal system is understood broadly, to include
both formal and informal justice processes. Access to justice starts with
giving people knowledge that they have rights under the law and how to
exercise them. If people can be armed with knowledge and confidence to
solve their legal problems themselves, this will be a far more cost-effective
(and empowering) strategy. The data and findings of the study should provide
an improved basis for policy making, planning and qualified debate on
priority setting in relation to justice in Zambia.
PEOPLE
New faces
 Stephen
Machira is the new Development Advisor for the Land Rights theme.
Stephen is Malawian and will begin his 2-year contract with MS Zambia
in the beginning of November.
 Sara
Joan Curran is the new Development Advisor for the Building Local
Democracy theme. Sara is Irish and will begin her 2-year contract with
MS Zambia in mid November.
Leaving MS Zambia
 Anders
Lundt Hansen, Development Worker for Civil Society for Poverty
Reduction in Mansa, Luapula, has left at the expiry of his 2 year contract
by end October 2009. Anders and his family will be returning to Denmark.
Out of office
Country Director Finn Pedersen & Deputy Director Nachilala
Nkombo will be at management meetings in Denmark 1st - 4th of
November
CMC
members: Finn Pedersen, Nachilala Nkombo and Pia Owusu, will
be at the Regional CMC meeting in Dar es Salaam from 17th - 19th November.
MS Zambia Programme Officers are on quarterly monitoring
from 26th October - 14th November.
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