Expectant Beneficiaries

Our experiences in Mwandi District deepen! This week we were introduced to some of the potential communities and people that this project may cover. We refer to them as ‘communities’ because they are a collection of households living in fairly close proximity and others that are quite spread out. Some of the communities include a small village with a few very small shops.

      

We each visited one such community – one was 70 km away, of which 50 km was along a dirt trail while the other one was 25 km in the other direction, along ‘pothole’ highway. Before we get too far telling you about our visits, let’s back up…

In our previous blog we indicated that we would need to conduct an extensive needs assessment survey to provide supporting rationale for the proposal. The survey design and implementation schedule was finalized requiring eight enumerators to conduct the surveys. The enumerator training led by Brian and Kalaluka, our local team members took two full days. The first day served to gain a thorough understanding of the survey content in English and the second day was an opportunity to practice by interviewing each other using the local Lozi language and entering the answers on electronic tablets. The need for accuracy is paramount. We have begun to conduct the surveys (350 in total) in seven representative communities across Mwandi District. It was during the first two days of surveying that we ‘tagged along’ and visited some of the communities for the first time.

 Although we were unable to communicate with the people in their local language, it was a good opportunity to observe the crop situation in the fields, take in the surroundings and local habitat,

as well as walk among the people and have little conversations with some who were able to communicate in English. It was a good learning experience and one which will continue throughout our time here.

 This is the rainy season in Zambia. It is supposed to extend from October to March, with planting taking place as soon as the rains start and harvesting happening in April. This season, the first rains did not come until late in December. They have been erratic and minimal. We have been here for two weeks now and have not experienced any rainfall during this critical time when corn should be ripening. The impact on the crops and anticipated harvest is very significant. It is a situation which will greatly aggravate the shortage of food and hunger that people are already experiencing. The people we met spoke openly of their fears and expressed hope that we would be able to rescue them. Each place we go, it is emphasized that we are only collecting information with the goal to be able to initiate a project and are making no promises that their community will be included. But we hear the pleas and see the desperation in their eyes.

 Difficult choices will need to be made in the coming weeks. Funds are limited and nowhere near all the needs can be responded to. Some communities and many people will be beyond our ability to assist on this particular project. Please join us in asking for wisdom and guidance for our team here as we make these painful decisions!