Chindwin Home Based Care-SLA’s 2013 Strategy

Dear Friends, Chindwin Home Based Care SLA and all our wonderful and passionate supporters; including the tireless women and children we work with, I’d like to thank you for a successful 2012. We have recorded real changes in the lives of many families. Young children were able to go to school and sit in a secured, healthy learning environment than before, while women groups have become organized and share knowledge on sustainable income generating activities. Our focus on young adolescent girls has not been left out, as we are very aware that young girls are exclusively left out in HIV and AIDS programmes. We have championed a programme to use sports, and training workshops as drivers of change against gender based violence on young girls. We also developed safe spaces for most of our young girls to access valuable information such that can for the most part help protect them from HIV and AIDS. We have done very well on building the self esteem of the girls so that they can stand firm and not be abused. We have also taught them how to tell their stories of change so that other peers, can emulate and follow them. OUR Future for 2013 looks positive and promising. we have set out a robust but achievable plan for 2013 to focus on five pillars: Pillar# 1: Continue to help improve the lives of rural women’s livelihoods through communal sustainable farms. We want them to grow food that requires less labor and low-cost farm inputs, but yield promising results so that in return families can feed and send children to school Pillar# 2: Continue scaling up our work to promote young children’s access to basic education with a strong emphasis on young girls. We know that children’s early education and strong family support is a attestation for responsibility and commitment to long lasting development for our nation. Pillar# 3: Women continue to be the bedrock of Chindwin Home Based Care’s programme. We’ll aim to register additional women groups and support them with small innovative micro enterprise grants to help them begin or improve their livelihoods so that in return, they are able to continue doing what they do best-caring for the family! Pillar # 4: We do not want to be like other small emerging grassroots organizations that work in silos. We want to share, learn and expand our successes through a collaborative approach and document stories of change that can be adapted by other communities. Pillar# 5: Lastly, and very important; we intend to grow and reflect on our own internal processes. We’ll aim to build and strengthen our monitoring systems, remain vigilant, accountable and transparent. In 2013, we want to recognize talent among ourselves and re-position our duties by setting up clear job descriptions and roles and responsibilities, or what we now call “form-follows-functions”. We’ll also look for additional skills; and have planned for a new staff member within the first 6 months of the year. On January 30th 2013, our annual report for [2012] will be ready and as in the past, we'll share the document for your valuable feeback. Thank you and many Blessings HAPPY 2013 Mary Kombe Mukuka Director

One-size-fit Programme for Children's Rights?

Recently I came accross an article on All Africa news talking about the Convention of the Rights of Children http://allafrica.com/c/-4T7Bb #zimbabwe via @allafrica . It reminded me and my colleagues at CHBC-SLA how at times we tend to ignore our government's commitment to this very important law, and wonder why children are not knowledgeble on their own rights. At CHBC-SLA the story is different. We feel that by working through parents Teachers Associations, and getting them engaged in the affairs of not only the schools, but of the wellbeing of children, we came make a difference. Just recently we had a meeting with one local PTA in a small peri-uban community school where the PTA members have promised to "act and see change in the lives of children's rights". We asked them a few questions on what they know about "Children's Rights" and here are some of the responses: CHBC-SLA: As part of your school curriculum, do you encourage your school to teach children's rights? PTA: Yes, rights begin from home and therefore we expect children to recieve their rights even when in school. That is why in most cases, the schools do not offer any user fees but only ask children and their familes to contribute whatever they have to keep the school going. CHBC-SLA: From a scale of one- five, with five being very good, how do you rate your staff's knowledge at school when it comes to Children's Rights? PTA: Five- We are confident on this becuase we have not had any serious children's rights violations so far at our school compared to other schools CHBC-SLA: What in your opinion is an appropriate programme to enahance children's rights in community schools? PTA: There is no one-size-fits-all type of programme when it comes to promoting children's rights in school. What is critical is that the school needs to embrace children's rights as part of their bigger strateg in providing education to every child. By Theresa Bwalya Director of Recreation and OVC Programme Chindwin Home Based Care- SLA

Investing in young girls is smart economics

Just recently I came across an interesting article written by Zimbabwe Women’s Resource Centre (ZRC) zwrcn@zwrcn.org.zw/ in Zimbabwe talking about the value of investing in women and girls. Immediately I read this article, it reminded me of the great work Chindwin Home Based Care is currently focusing its energy to build a strong and resilient movement of women who willing to transform their lives to be a force of change. This might seem so dramatic when you read it, but with every small step we take, we continue the journey to our “north star” to ensure that women and children live in a just world where their rights are respected. So how do we go about our work? Similar to ZWRC we are bring young girls in front of the line by putting them bank into school and giving them an opportunity to build their self esteem and long term prosperity. Because there are other families who still side line girls, we are embarking on a vigorous campaign to work with Parents Teachers Associations (PTA’s) to ensure that communities are in sync with our plan to put back over 50 young girls back to school- Yes, this can happen. Women from resource poor families, spend time worrying where the next meal will come from, how to feed their children and let alone, their own personal needs. This already diminishes their self esteem and put them vulnerable in society. HIV and AIDS is the number one the need to face, as some of them end up adopting risky copying strategies in order to survive such as prostitution, and getting married into polygamous marriages. To curb these challenges, Chindwin Home Based Care SLA is working with women by providing small but innovative micro enterprise grants and offering training on sustainable livelihoods. For more information on our work, please visit the website at www.sloansassociation.org

Police officers suspected of making 30 pupils pregnant

The story published in the Zambia media that law enforcment officers (Police)made 30 pupils at Limulunga rural High School where they camped was shocking, and at the same time sickening http://www.lusakatimes.com/2012/03/17/police-officers-suspected-making-30-pupils-pregnant-mongu-riots/ Why would such events happen on innocent young girls left vulerable to these men? That is why at CHBC-SLA, we continue to do what we do- Helping young adolescent girls with basic education on how to become reslient in these difficult times of poverty and inequality. Probably these young girls were promised "goodies" or were forced to have sex. Whatever the reason, we need to help our young girls out of this situation and give them the skills to do so. Young girls/adolescent girls have the resilience to overcome such pressure; but inorder for them to do so, it has to come from their homes/parents. We need to continue providing support services to our children, even just spending a few hours a day talking to them.

Thank you

Accepting Failure is Critical for Success

Chindwin Home Based Care- SLA admits that accepting failure is vital for any grassroots organization to mature. In the year ending 2011, we have realized that not everything came so easy on our path. But in order to realize that we failed to reach our priorities, we need to accept failure. As we begin our year, we'll work on our failures and take them as a learning opportunity. We are curious to hear from our readers, how they embrace failure in the work they do. If we planned to reach out to 10 women groups to help them improve their livelihoods and at the end of the year women did not change as we had anticipated, we put on our breaks and revisit why we failed so that we mitigate the same problem the following year.

Three Dollars, Three Women, Three Opportunities

Three Dollars Three Women Three Opportunities "3-3-3 Campaign"

Chindwin Home Based Care-SLA is launching its "3-3-3 campaign" to reach out to marginalized women in Zambia's rural areas of Kabwe to "mobilze, organize and act" on three issues that affect their lives. In groups of three, women will begin a journey within their communities to reach out to other women and engage them in a small but effective movement building. With only $3 (16,000 Zambian Kwachas) you can make a difference. Click the link For more information on the "3-3-3 campaign.. or visit our website www.sloansassociation.org

You can support this campaign with $3 per month by clicking on our donate link on the side bar

Recreation- A POWERFUL COPING STRATEGY AMONG WOMEN

Most of us living in poverty are chronic worriers,particularly for women. We need to put food on the table, make sure our children go to school (if we can afford) and many other chores forced upon us.However, at Chindin Home Based Care-SLA www.sloansassociation.org , we are now trying to encourage women to exercise more often--and regularly. Studies have shown that chronic worriers who exercised appeared to be less likely to suffer depressive symptoms than non exercisers, but unfortunately in most communities we live in, we don't have tools for exercising. CHBC-SLA launched a women's netball team to get "women out there to exercise and forget about their worries that are making them unhealthy" Join our group by sponsoring women's netball tournaments with $20 for the annual year women's netball tournament on www.sloansassociation.org (secured papal online donation form)and help women come out of their worries, by exercising more and meet their peers to talk about how they can overcome some of their problems/challenges they face. Thank you

Esther Phiri-Zambia's Female Hero!!!!

Chindwin Home Based Care www.sloansassociation.org looks at Esther as a symbol of hope for other women and girls who feel hopelessness in society due to their gender and economic worse they face. Esther Phiri grew up helping her grandmother sell vegetables in a poor township in the Zambian capital Lusaka.Today she is a world boxing champion and a household name in Zambia.It is for this reason that our small organization is striving hard to build the resilience of women to stand up and be counted. In 2011, CHBC-SLA launched a child sponsorship programme to support children of mothers who have not been so lucky like Esther to get a career out of boxing or household livelihoods to put food on the table or send children to school. With only Zkw50,000($10) per month we can send girls to school while with a donation of ZKW500 ($100) we can support women groups to start livelihoods projects to help them become organized women's movements to help one another out of poverty. Join CHBC-SLA and make a difference this month.

PS: CHBC-SLA wishes Esther Phiri a quick recovery on her wrist as she prepares for the next fight soon to come. Viva Women Power!!!

The Story of Bupe Kunda

At the age of 13months, Bupe is now a big healthy girl in her early stages of walking. Thanks to CHBC-SLA and her passionate grandmother, Bupe has seen what she may not have expected. Her other brothers and sisters did not make it because of possibly HIV infection and other illnesses.Both her parents are HIV positive and unemployed and depend on Bupe's grandmother support.Her Grandmother is 64 years old and only depends on CHBC-SLA.

Bupe has been lucky to receive short term support and medication during the time of her mothers pregnancy, she was born negative. Now Bupe faces the challenge of her next few years of life before she turns 3 years and her needs become more and behind her grandmothers support. Bupe now needs passionate people to sponsor her to enable her have regular nutritional support. With only 20USD per month, Bupe can be see hope and a future. She loves to play with toys and enjoys drinking milk. Please visit our website on www.sloansassociation.org and make a difference by sponsoring Bupe and other children like her who need support.

picture

many thanks

Child Sponsorship Launched

BUPE KUNDA celebrates her 1st birthday on 09-05-2011
CHBC-SLA launches Child Sponsorship programme. Only 100,000Zambian Kwachas (20US dollars) per month can send a child to school. Visit our Website at www.sloansassociation.org and sponsor a child. You can make a difference!!

Support our work and empower women to stand on thier own

This year, the Zambian Government presented the Anti-Gender Based Violence Bill to Parliament for enactment, by the Minister of Gender and Women in Development, Ms. Sarah Sayifwanda.The Minister said "once passed, the Act would provide for safe spaces for girls and women and protection orders for survivors of Gender Based Violence".

CHBC-SLA believes that these measures would enhance the legislative framework for the promotion of gender equity in education and employment. By playing a small role into the bigger problem, we can make a difference. CHBC-SLA supports women to become resilient through economic empowerment, and education. Join our work in Zambia by supporting women clubs to defend their rights. Visit our website on www.sloansassociation.org

The image below might seem dramatic, but it is true. Because of the economic challenges that most of us face in society and particularly a luck of employment opportunities in Kabwe, women and children are becoming more vulnerable to such abuse as copying strategy to relieve frustration among the men folk. This has to stop immediately!!!

The Green Model for Empowering Communities

Chindwin Home Based Care -SLA, with support from a US based charity-Color Me-In will this year embark on a unique model of empowering communities. With the realization that development will only succeed when we look ahead in the future and what is going to happen to our land, we beleive that our first step is to participate in programmes that support our natural resources.

Color Me-In will this year continue to support our holistic approach to social development through a green model concept. The model promotes local women groups to have an education on conservation tree planting and acctively participating in planting various drought resistence trees with the notion of replacing one tree at a time the 1000's of trees that are cut down for heat energy. "We do realize that tree cutting trees contribute to soil erosion and this affects our farming livelihoods", said one of the members at the just ended tree planting training session. The programmes also encourages members to plant trees that would benefit communities from traditional medicines when leaves are boiled and taken.

Kevin Duff and Andrea Woo Arrive in Zambia!!

Kevin Duff and Andrea Woo are new volunteers at CHBC-SLA.Since their arrival, the two have been busy reorienting themselves with the operation of the organization and catchment area. It is interesting to note that already the two have shown a passion to the work, and have donated internet access for CHBC-SLA to use. "This is a welcome move for CHBC-SLA, because it will enhance my capacity to spend time on the internet to communicate and research information that will help my work efficiently."
Wilson Ngosa Program Manager

A letter from the Program Manager

I might be fairly new to CHBC SLA but I am not new to program facilitation and to a focus on community empowerment.I have been working with the poor and marginalized communities for the past fifteen years in various portfolios.

There are many funders who see small grants to organizations like ours as being too risky or too time-and resource-intensive. At CHBC-SLA we see things differently. We believe in trust, learning and contributing to a small but effective movement for change at the grassroots and community level. At CHBC-SLA we have engaged in remarkably low-risk financial behaviour, because of the number of our eyes on the “cashbox”within the groups we promote.

Everyone is accountable to everyone. Our grassroot and institutional project indicators verify that CHBC-SLA is moving in the right direction.. I have every confidence that through our conceited efforts and our,open, sincere dialogue with stakeholders,CHBC-SLA will face the challenges of empowering the very poor at grassroots level to eradicate poverty. It may take a long time, but every step we take moves us closer to that desired goal.

My mission as Program Manager of this wonderful group of people is to join together to implement agendas of support and innovative efforts towards social change. Our change process allows for strong collaboration with other likeminded organizations and their unique, complementary advantages. Ours is, a change process allowing those in power to listen to us and to make policy changes benefiing the marginalized in society and those in need.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our players and supporters for their positive role in facilitating change and enabling CHC SLA to achieve this level of progress in 2010 and for a prosperous 2011

Wilson Ngosa
Program Manager

Learning, is all about Sharing

Chindwin Home Based Care Savings Loans Assoication visits Kasokota

CHBCSLA last month went on a learning mission to another Communit Based Care organization called Kaokota Mulipurpose Co-operative in Serenje, Mkusi District.

The specific objectives of the exchange visit included:

1.To share project information on sustainable agriculture particularly on various soil improvement methods, tree planting and fish farming.
2.Exchange project knowledge on chicken rearing, small enterprise development and institutional care of orphans and vulnerable children.
3.Enable SLA members acquire relevant business and farming skills so as to impart and share the same knowledge with other group members in the project area.
4.Provide more opportunities for SLA members to learn and share project information so as to help in shaping the way forward for the organization.

Kasokota Women Project.
Project information was presented and shared between Kasokota women and SLA members on business activities conducted and on tree planting. Three fields were visited which were planted with eucalyptus, paw-paw, lemons, oranges and other fruit trees.

Lessons Learnt
SLA members were able to appreciate the fact that in order to effectively facilitate and implement community programmes that included tree planting, broad community support should be solicited through training to enable members appreciate the importance of an activity to be carried out.

The importance of the exchange visit could not be overemphasized. Members from the projects visited and SLA agreed to be visiting each others’ projects so as continue learning and sharing relevant project information for the purpose of contributing to the upliftment of livelihoods in their communities.

Kasokota women indicated that they would soon make arrangements to invite SLA members to help in facilitating the Savings and Loans (SLA) model at Kasokota.

GLM indicated that in the event that SLA needed further training in sustainable farming, the organization would be willing to help out.


Challenges faced:
Very few challenges were experienced. However, communication presented as a major barrier during the network visit. For instance, Bupensebele project confirmed that they would receive SLA members on the 17th of August, 2010. Since, Allison was going to be away for a workshop in Lusaka, she confirmed that she would assign someone else to take SLA members through their project on her behalf. This did not happen. As a consequence of this action, the bupensebele members were not met and fish farming activity was not covered.

SLA Recruites First Employee-Program Manager

Dear Friends,

On behalf of everyone at SLA, we would like to share with you all the most exciting news at SLA. We have finally recruited our first ever employee- Mr. Wilson Ngosa. He joins SLA as a volunteer staff Program Manger. Prior to joing SLA, Mr.Ngosa worked for a rural based organization in Central Province,Mkushi called Fiwila Development Trust; a program funded by HODI Zambia.
Mr Ngosa's primary role will be to help strengthen SLA's organizational capacity, develop strategic plans, facilitate training skills for the board and link SLA to potentional donors in Zambia and abroad.
SLA is also appealing to welwishers and donors for support towards Mr.Ngosa's "monthly salary/allwance pot" amounting to USD500.
Any donations are welcome: USD10,USD20 e.t.c. For more information, please contact SLA Board Chairperson, Mrs Mary Kombe or send email to info@sloansassociation.org

Social Change- The way Forward for SLA

During the last couple of months, SLA has received three key volunteers from the UK and USA with various unique expertise including Research, Accounting and Community participation.

What has come out of the visits is helping SLA realize its potential as a "change agent " in Kabwe, Zambia's central province. So what is Social Change understood by members of SLA:

Mary Kombe: "Social change is letting people change their behaviours and attitude towards HIV/AIDS"

Jean Nkata : "Social Change is a science of that we teach in Primary and secondary school"

Following a group meeting with support from Home Based Care expert and SLA Capacity Building Officer/Board Member, Mr. James Milunga, it was clear that SLA is infact a social change agent."By mobilizing the community to influence policy on at local level, we are infact supporting social change"

In the next few months, SLA will soon be educating most of its members on the theory of social change that will allow people to realize their human rights on issues affecting their lives and that they too can make a difference in influencing those in power. This can only be done through groups of social change such as SLA Community Groups

Farming Season -Another challenge

Most SLA's members, if not all have small "farms" away from homes as a source of additional livelihoods. This process as Jean Nkata explains:

"We spend most of our time in addtion to SLA work to go out into the prepare the land for planting season. For some of us single parents, we have to hire extra labour for help and this costs a lot of money. We depend again from our small profits we share as a group to help out with these costs. Unfortunately we can only do a small portion of the field and that is why we fall back to SLA for help. We have even turned away volunteers due to our unavailability during this crutial time of farming. We need better alternatives"

In the coming season, SLA is planing to hold a general meeting to formulate strategies for long term sustainability such as reinforcing partnerships with the Ministry of Agriculture and learning more from other partners.

A joint partnership meeting with another group from Serenje, that was planned for June will allow members of other groups supported by Color Me In, a US based organizaton to share experiences and chanllenges they face with food security and how to manage time properly.

April News Update- Why "CASH-Transfers" can help reduce POVERTY

Savings Loans Association Chindwin Home Based Care (SLA) has always known from its early days of inception and needs assessments that one of the key solutions to help mitigate the impact of Poverty and HIV/AIDS at household level is through CASH-Transfers.

What is Cash-Transfer? Cash Transers can take many forms. They can be given to households as a unit becuase tehy meet poverty or vulerability creteria, to an individual such as an elderly person or disabled person, or to families based on the pressence of individuals such as children, girls , or orphans. Cash transfers can be unconditional-giving with out obligations-or conditional-tied to obligations of receipients t participate in work or training, education, health, nutrition or other services or activities-or they can be linked to these activiteis but not boligatory.

SLA supports Cash-transfer programs through its small innovative micro loans programs becuase tehy provide for current basic needs of adults adn children such as food and clothing. They can also contribute to development processes, by enabling or encouraging investment in assests that increase people's chances of breaking out of poverty in lthe long-term. Cash transfer programs can also have additional benefits sucha as women's autonomy and capacities, or strengthening capacities of local communites.

SLA has giving out Cash Transfers to 30 members with anverage of USD 200 per group and we kindly appeal for individuals and organizations to help SLA scale-up its program with another grant of USD 10,000 for supporting an additional group of women with cash-transfers that is paid back to the organization so that another group is assisted and hence the cycle of poverty reduction continues

For more information, please visit our webste www.sloansassociation.org or send us an e-mail on info@sloansassociation.org