Latest News - 1st April 08

Trip Report following visits during February and March

Although the Zambian economy is said to be improving, and with amount of construction going on in Lusaka there may be some evidence of this, the overriding poverty across the country is still as serious as ever. During this visit we spent time in various suburban communities in Lusaka and were shocked at the level of deprivation and squalor. These are densely populated slums with poor sanitation, no fresh drinking water, shanty style housing, very difficult road access, and in areas susceptible to flooding. The population in these communities has grown in recent years as people migrate from rural areas in search of work. Most are unemployed and live by trading in the ‘black market’. Some have turned to crime and prostitution; HIV is rife and children are left orphaned to roam the streets in search of food and shelter. One book I read had altered the Bible verse to say ‘the lack (instead of love) of money is the root of all evil’. It is a reasonably accurate and philosophical point of view. It is in these environments that the majority of the population lives, yet it is here we found the Christian Gospel flourishing. The church congregations are an inspiration. Their enthusiasm for the Gospel, their love of singing, has brought happiness and hope to people who were without hope. It is this that makes Christianity and the Gospel message so special. It is also this that moves those of us with like faith to try and help ease the trials and tribulations of those less fortunate. One of the aims of SHAREAfrica is to try and help the unemployed find work, help churches with their premises, provide Bibles and literature, support vulnerable orphans by helping with school fess, and where possible helping the sick. The need is overwhelming – so far this year we have provided financial to 5 churches in the suburbs with further 7 that will receive assistance in the course of the year. We are also providing ‘seed money’ for small business start-up’s. This is in the form of a grant with additional money promised to those who are successful. All of this however is but a drop in the bucket knowing the conditions and lifestyles of these people, but the least we can do is try, and then learn from the experience. During this trip the experience was invaluable. The finely balanced social structure can only improve by gradual economic empowerment and long term planning by the government on housing and infrastructure improvements.

In the rural areas, where people depend on there crops for their livelihoods, heavy rains have washed away top soil and fertilizer and in some places the crops have been completely wiped out. This is devastating for the people who are caught in the continuing cycles of drought and floods. Many areas we visited were undoubtedly severely affected and we are subsequently planning an emergency relief program in response to an appeal from local Christians. This will probably take place around September or October when the current food stocks run out. We have longer term plans to introduce them to more resilient crops such a cassava, beans, sogum, so they are less dependant on maize. We are also encouraging them to rear animals such chickens or pigs – these can easily be sold in exchange for maize.

This program has been a major success. All sponsored orphans have been accounted for and all are attending school. This is a credit to the people on the ground who are responsible for running the program. The difficulty in keeping track of children in rural villages hundreds of miles apart, especially when it is normal for children in extended families to move from one family to another, and sometimes the families are a great distances apart, is quite a challenge. The pressure to sponsor more orphans in an environment where there are literally ten’s of thousand’s of vulnerable children is a real burden. We frequently came face to face with this during our recent visit – children look at you with hope, guardians plead for help, they know this is the one chance they have to break from poverty - yet it is impossible to say yes, even to those that touch your heart. With our limited resources we must be selective, choosing only the most vulnerable and those where the guardian to be trustworthy enough to honour their commitment.

Some of the orphans have special needs, for example one girl is mentally handicapped, others have HIV and need drugs and highly nutritious food, older ones have to travel long distances to secondary school and need help with transport. In all this is a worthwhile project and the results we have seen have been encouraging.

The lack of food, especially nutritious food, is endemic across the country. In almost every place visited this was the number one problem. I asked one orphan if things were all right at home, she replied quietly, ‘no we have no food’. I then asked when she last ate meat - she said ‘I can’t remember’. The root cause of this is poverty and the inability of families to earn cash income. This leaves them vulnerable to climatic change and any little money they have has usually goes on transport or medicines to cure the sick families – which is the result of poor diet and poor living conditions - a viscous circle. The answer is well known. Eeconomic empowerment is the key to solving most of the problems in sub-Saharan Africa yet after years of effort by many NGOs and other well intentioned organizations nothing obvious seems to change. We believe that investment in skills and capital through the promotion of western investment is one answer. While there may be no economic reason to attract such investment there are sound moral and ethical reasons for western business to help lift these people from the bottom of the ‘human need’ pyramid. We believe it is the obligation of all who have been privileged to enjoy the comforts and benefits gained from the free market to share with those who have been born into less opportune environments. Not to do so is a threat to world stability as well as a denial of the basic commandment to ‘love thy neighbour as thyself’.

I believe Zambia is the only country in the world where the government has publicly declared it to be a ‘Christian country’. Some cynics may say this is one of the reasons for the backward economy but we must disagree – in fact the reverse may be true. They may have been blessed because they have no prospects of earthly wealth, and like many of the people who came to Christ in the New Testament; they come because they are looking for a blessing that earth cannot provide. Did not the Lord Jesus say, ‘I have come to heal the broken hearted’, or again ‘He hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor’. In Zambia the Gospel is freely preached in churches on the radio and in the streets. At all Gospel meetings I attended the halls were full and people were professing faith in Jesus Christ. It was very different to what prevails in the UK where people have become increasingly disinterested in the Gospel, they see it as a message for the poor - they have become more informed and ‘they don’t DO God’ to coin a phrase from the Blair cabinet.

Many are learning the truth of the Bible and following the command of the Lord to be baptized. They are also keen to study the Bible. This is true across all age groups. At some places we were asked to continue for hours as we discussed the scriptures in respect to behaviour and practice of professing Christians in today’s world. Young people too are searching for knowledge, asking the tough questions, desirous to know what God wants them to do, looking for a purpose in life that will give them a sense of achievement. We had the opportunity of speaking to young Christians at the University, and at church meetings on subject such as ‘how to know the will of God’, ‘the power of prayer’ and ‘witnessing the Gospel’ The hunger of young people to know what the Bible teaches in respect to practical Christianity was indeed a great encouragement.