This quarter has seen the closing of our food relief program with United Church of Zambia in Western Province. This two-year program brought much-needed help and assistance to 38,000 people across Mwandi District and was the largest response to El Niño by any single organization in Zambia this year. Over 3850 tons of food and seed were distributed—the equivalent of 129 truck loads! This is an incredible achievement and an incalculable blessing to the people that have been reached.

We give thanks for much-needed help and assistance

The program has received many letters and expressions of thanks from the community and we have picked out just a few to share:

  • “You came just in time. We were suffering and hungry and without this food many of us would have died”.
  • “The food you give us provides better nutrition value and our people are healthier and stronger now than before the program.”
  • “Unlike previous years, we have worked our fields without accumulating debt burdens, because we were receiving food every month.”
  • “Through this program we have achieved a number of community work projects that will benefit us and our children in the future.”
  • “I thank World Renew, the Canadian Food Grains Bank and the Canadian Government for their outstanding generosity and unfailing love towards us, the people of Mushukula”.

It has been such a blessing to be a part of this program and, as is usually the case, I have received and learned so much more than I gave, lessons in humility and love that I bear witness to for the rest of my life. In the next month or so we will be working with the United Church of Zambia to develop a follow-up resilience program that will begin to address the underlying vulnerabilities of this area. We fervently hope that the next time we face drought in Mwandi, the land, the people, and the community will be better prepared.

We are thankful this month for a new partnership

We will officially partner with our first private-sector local partner, a social enterprise called Good Nature Agro. Good Nature Agro provides farmers with extension services and markets for legume crops and seed. World Renew, the Reformed Church in Zambia, and Tear Australia will together launch this new program in Vubwi and Chadiza in Eastern Province, aiming to combine the skills training and community-mobilization experience of World Renew and RCZ with the provision of commodity and seed markets through Good Nature Agro. We hope that this will provide long-term, sustainable livelihoods for 800 vulnerable but viable farmers in Vubwi & Chadiza. There will be some great stories of innovation coming from here in the next few months!

We are thankful for healing and protection

While visiting World Renew-supported Church and Community Programming, Deaconess Mable Sichali and her program officer Helen from the United Church of Zambia were involved in a serious road accident. Mable suffered a badly broken leg and Helen some serious bruising and whiplash. We give thanks, however, that Helen and Mable are recovering well and we give thanks for all the messages of love and support they received.

 

Blessings,

Ru Waddell

Country Consultant
World Renew Zambia