Pumping Relief

By Derrick Silimina

When Monica Jiwani relocated to Arusha, the third-largest city in Tanzania, she was dreaming of a happy life in a scenic area. Instead, she was immediately confronted with a harsh and painful reality - scarcity of clean water. 

The thought of using contaminated water became a constant source of headache.  

Arusha is at the foot of the volcanic Mount Meru, and is a gateway to safari destinations and to Africa’s highest mountain, the 5,895-metre-high Mount Kilimanjaro, located 100 km away in the northeast. 

As people flock to this city in the hope of a better life, they are shocked to find that there just isn’t enough clean water for everyone.  

“Many people are getting sick here from water-borne diseases. We have young children in this community and I’m really worried about their safety,” Jiwani told ChinAfrica while walking with a baby strapped on her back and a bucket in hand in search of fresh water. 

During times of water scarcity, Jiwani has to walk for about an hour from her place in the Njiro suburbs of Arusha to fetch water from a neighbouring place.  

The 30-year-old mother of two revealed that due to the need to fetch water, many girls are forced to drop out of school and most women are left with fewer options to earn an income. 

Disproportionate burden  

In Sub-Saharan Africa, women and girls spend 200 million hours every day collecting water, a colossal waste of their valuable time, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund. 

Attaining the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal for water and sanitation, which calls for universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water by 2030, seems far-fetched on the continent. 

“Having our own borehole is the best solution for my family. I am tired of hoping that one day we will have piped water,” said Cathy Ndagala, a resident of Arusha’s Arumeru District, adding that she knows the pain of water shortage as she is used to walking long distances to find safe water.  

Ndagala, 35, stressed that fighting and quarrels at water points in her community are rampant as women, men and children battle for the scarce water.  

“We even go for three days without having a shower due to lack of water here,” said Ndagala, who is among the majority of residents in the Arumeru who have to use the little water they get for cooking, and forgo other tasks like washing clothes.  

A recent United Nations study of 24 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa showed that when water is not piped to the home, the burden of fetching it falls disproportionately on women and children, especially girls. In Guinea and Tanzania, women spend twice as much time as men on collecting water on average.  

Timely help 

However, the residents of many areas in Arusha no longer need to spend sleepless nights over the access to clean piped water for their household needs, thanks to a new water supply system project built by Chinese construction firm PowerChina International Group.  

PowerChina recently signed the contract for the construction of the new Arusha water supply system project, which is owned by Arusha Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Authority (AUWSA). 

PowerChina Project Manager Jin Denghui said that the project involves fetching groundwater at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro and supplying it to the targeted households in Arusha every day. The project mainly consists of a major water pipeline of about 176 km, a water supply network of about 400 km, 10 reservoirs, five transfer lift pump stations, 43 deep well pumps and 29 water hammer tanks, among other facilities. 

“I can now access clean and safe water just a stone’s throw away from my home,” said Jiwani, who is now one of the beneficiaries of the water project financed by the African Development Bank and the Africa Growing Together Fund. 

The state-of-the-art water supply facility is indeed a game-changer for the local community in Arusha’s catchment area in terms of sanitation. In addition, the project has provided more than 4,000 jobs for the local people during the construction, organised professional training on welding, and trained a group of technical and management staff. 

“The project has improved the living conditions of residents and has helped to expand the local economy through job creation,” Jin noted. 

“Approximately more than 1 million citizens have benefitted from the project, including an average of 250,000 people who enter and leave the city every day, 143,770 citizens from Arumeru District, 9,049 citizens from Hai District in Kilimanjaro Region, and 6,529 citizens from Simanjiro District in Manyara Region,” AUWSA Director Justine Rujomba said. 

Rujomba thanked the government of Tanzania for facilitating the implementation of this project, which has solved the water challenges in Arusha and some other areas.  

The Tanzanian Ministry of Water formally conveyed its appreciation to PowerChina for the company’s significant contribution to completing the Arusha water project in a letter sent in January 2022. 

Tausi Kida, permanent secretary in the President’s Office for Planning and Investment, disclosed recently that from January 2021 to December 2023, the Tanzania Investment Centre registered 256 Chinese projects worth about $2.5 billion, and the top five sectors for these projects were manufacturing, commercial building, agriculture, transportation and services. 

The Tanzania Private Sector Foundation has since noted that the country is making significant strides in improving the investment climate, which has shown tangible results, including $11 billion in projects led by Chinese investors, creating more than 114,726 jobs.  

Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania Chen Mingjian said China has emerged as a leading source of foreign direct investment in Tanzania, significantly contributing to the country’s development. 

The Chinese envoy commended the Tanzanian government’s determination and proactive measures in attracting investment and promoting economic development.  

“We are confident in Tanzania’s future development prospects,” she stated during the China-Tanzania Investment Forum and China-Tanzania Trade and Investment Promotion Conference held recently in Dar es Salaam.  

Girls at risk find residency, skills training

By Derrick Silimina

As Rejoice Banda walks back home into Chibolya - the most feared slum in Zambia, young boys share a joint of marijuana through a bumpy track giving way to lined-up shacks, while the smell drifts through the township.

Nestled 4.5 kilometers southwest of Lusaka, Zambia's capital, the notorious township is renowned as a hub for drug trafficking, alcohol abuse and burglary, among other illicit activities, where even the police and other law enforcers do not dare to tread.

For Banda, 28, her binge drinking and all-day craving for cannabis was a daily battle. She started smoking in eighth grade, and by the time she was 18 years old, she smoked every day. Over time, her addictions crept into every corner of her life, nearly leading to her dropping out of school.

But after social welfare programs led her to the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco's Home for Girls at Risk, part of what is known as "City of Hope," Banda now considers herself a transformed person, having survived bouts of alcohol and drug abuse, thanks to the sisters' program.

In a bid to promote the orphans and vulnerable children through education and skills training, City of Hope (founded in 1987) consists of the Home for Girls at Risk, the Auxilium Skills Training Center, and the Open Community School. 

Established in May 2005, the first community school moved to the new site and was meant for children over the age of 9 who had not been going to school but were old enough to attend government schools.

"I am blessed to be among the youths awarded a bursary through the Constituency Development Fund, [a scholarship] to enable me acquire a skill at this training center," Banda told GSR. "My focus on studies has really kept me away from engaging in illicit activities."

She is upbeat about pursuing studies in hotel management at the sisters' Auxilium Skills Training Center, located 10 kilometers south of Lusaka city in the suburb of Makeni. 

While the sisters' residency is for at-risk girls, the center caters to a broader population and is renowned for rebuilding young people's lives through training in skills such as general hospitality, information and communication technologies, hotel management, tailoring, and general agriculture, among others.

The religious sisters at the training center also counsel young people about the dangers of engaging in illicit sexual activities and gender-based violence.

"We educate youths, especially the vulnerable in society, to become better citizens," Sr. Margaret Mutale, principal of the Auxilium Skills Training Center, told GSR. "Apart from skills development, we also provide them with lifelong moral guidance to ease their stable lifestyle. Our aim is to usher young people into the job market or become self-employed."

Like Banda, more than 150 other at-risk girls have been introduced to stay at the City of Hope by stakeholders who are in charge of taking care of the needy in society. The home aims for the girls to feel secure and loved, to grow in self-esteem, and to rejoin society.

"The sisters' mentorship has transformed me," Banda said. "I can't wait to establish my own restaurant once I graduate. Thanks to school management and tutors for reshaping my life."

One of the leading providers of technical, vocational and entrepreneurship training to young women and men in Lusaka, the Auxilium Skills Training Center is rated among the best in the country by Zambia's Technical Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority. 

The center collaborates with the government, along with community and development organizations, to address problems of poverty, lack of skills training, and high unemployment in the Southern African country of about 20 million people.

Based on their charism — "to promote education for underprivileged young people and women by uplifting their standards of living" — the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco have over the years built strong ties with the local community. 

With the motto "sure successful future through skills," the skills training center aims to move the youth out of poverty and help them provide for their families, who live in the most severe poverty-stricken areas of Lusaka and beyond.

For this reason, more than 150 vulnerable youths have been enrolled for the 2024 academic year to pursue various skills at the center, thanks to the Salesian sisters' commitment to realign young people's future aspirations.

While there has been some progress toward job creation in Zambia in recent years, unemployment remains deeply rooted within the social structures of most communities. 

Childhood marriage, lack of access to education, and barriers to economic emancipation are some of the daily realities for many youths in the Southern African country.

Mutale is optimistic about the effectiveness of giving youths the option to be self-sustaining and to contribute to an important aspect of a healthy city, instead of engaging in illicit activities that may endanger their lives. 

Since its establishment in 1995, the Auxilium Skills Training Center has continued to yield hundreds of graduates per year who, upon graduation, mostly rely on the training to get employed in restaurants, hotels and lodges, while others become self-employed.

The center is also renowned for providing education and women development interventions (such as counseling and business cooperatives) for vulnerable people, not only in Lusaka but in other districts, including Luwingu, Kasama, Mansa and Mazabuka.

Mutale expressed joy that the positive response from her learners is overwhelming despite the financial challenges to pay for their tertiary training, as the school depends on their tuition fees to operate.

She bubbled with conviction and shared how her missionary work started from humble beginnings in Kasama district in the northern province of Zambia where she grew up.

"I was inspired by the Salesian sisters' passion to uplift young people's lives, and since I share the same desire to help young people thrive, I ended up joining them so that I can equally contribute effectively to the sisters' charism," said Mutale, who has been at the helm of the institution as the school's principal since late 2023.

"Each time I see young people succeed in whatever skill of their choice, I feel happy because what drives me is the desire to serve souls," she continued. "It's humbling to see many youths look forward to becoming self-reliant upon graduation in readiness to take care of themselves and family members."

Bupe Kalumba, one of the students pursuing general hospitality at the center, said getting trained for the fashion and hospitality industries in the country is exciting.

Kalumba, 25, said sisters are leading the way on journeys previously unimaginable, as serving souls is not only preparing someone to go to heaven, but also to prepare someone now to contribute to their own livelihood, she said.

Meanwhile, Ruth Mukuma, 24, one of the students at the training school, said her dream to one day become a fashion designer is slowly unfolding as she takes a tailoring course at the skills training center.

"I can't wait to finish my course because my passion has always been to become a fashion designer," she said. "Thank you to this institution for adding value to what I want to become, as I can't wait to live my dream and lift myself out of poverty."

Kansanshi Marathon reverberates around Africa

By Derrick Silimina

The 2024 Kansanshi Marathon attracted more than 1,600 runners, including international enthusiasts, who set off from Trident College on the Kansanshi Mine Main Road for scenic runs covering five kilometres to 42km.

The Zambia Amateur Athletics Association (ZAAA) was excited to see runners tackle the full marathon (42.2km), half marathon (21.1km), a 10km race, and a five-kilometre ‘fun run’ during the second edition of the Kansanshi Marathon. 

“As the president of athletics and also as a pioneer of running in the country, it gives me incredible joy. We started the inter-company relay on March 13 of 1999, followed by the Lafarge Marathon, the first of its kind in the country; and then the Absa Marathon among others. “These events encouraged athletics in the country, thereby promoting good health,” ZAAA President Elias Mpondela said during the Kansanshi Marathon held at Trident College in Solwezi. 

Mpondela emphasised that the increase in participants entailed economic benefit, to which Solwezi and its fully booked hotels and lodges were a testament. 

ENERGY 

He stated that the power of hosting a marathon created an energy shared by many from all walks of life locally and abroad. 

“Our challenge as ZAAA is about how to harness and transition the young people into track and field events in a bid to create another Samukonga Muzala - who comes from this province and the women national record holder for 42km champion Elizabeth Mukoloma, who is also from Solwezi. This means that this province has great potential,” Mpondela said. 

Zambia is doing well in track and field competitions, hence the need for all stakeholders to promote the sporting event if the country is to continue featuring at the African, Olympic, and Commonwealth Games respectively. 

Mpondela hailed First Quantum Minerals (FQM) for taking up the Kansanshi Marathon as an annual event, a venture that further promoted the sporting event and wellness of its workforce, community and the country at large. 

“This event from inception has been recognized by World Athletics - what a great accomplishment! It goes to show how FQM is making strides to promote athletics in the country. The mining company's ability to organise such a huge event with participants from other parts of the country and beyond in a social environment enhances comradeship which also inspires the community that there is more to do than just mining.” 

LARGEST 

The Kansanshi Marathon is so far the largest sporting event that the North-Western Province has ever seen, attracting runners from all over Zambia as well as those from Kenya, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. With cumulative prize money of just over K570,000 - the largest prize purse in Zambian athletics history - the sporting event attracts foreign athletes who come to battle it out on the race track with their local counterparts. 

Speaking at the same event, Kansanshi Mining Plc General Manager Meiring Burger affirmed that since sport is an equaliser, it is important for the mining giant to nurture the upcoming talent in Solwezi and the country at large. 

He described this year’s event as ‘fantastic’ considering the huge turn-out of athletes from all walks of life, the lively atmosphere, and positive results achieved from the 2024 event. 

“We need to take these races to other towns and on behalf of Kansanshi management, I want to challenge other mining companies to bring their teams here and see if you can compete with us and let’s spread all these events and promote athletics across Zambia,” Burger said.

 

FANATICS 

The illustrious event drew athletic fanatics aged five to 60 who embraced their racing pace, running stride-by-stride with each other during their choice of distances. 

The marathon attracted multitudes of Solwezi residents to the roadside where they cheered on the participants, including Kansanshi’s elite running team, who are on their way to becoming some of Zambia’s fastest athletes. 

Running is one of several sports supported by the Kansanshi Sports Foundation, which recently started a running academy that provides coached running programmes in eight secondary schools around Solwezi. 

In the women’s category, Elizabeth Mukoloma from Kansanshi’s elite running team finished the event’s half marathon (21.1km) in just over one hour, incredibly close to Zambia’s national record for this distance. 

In the men’s 42.2km race category, Zimbabwean runner Lyno Muchena took the day followed by Zambian athlete Costern Chiyaba. 

“Despite a number of hills along the racing route, I managed to finish the race in good time because I trained very hard. I knew how tough it was going to be. Athletics makes me happy and I proudly do it for a living as the sport has improved my livelihood,” Mukoloma said. 

She added that the sport had enabled her to build a house through the prize money she wins whenever she competes in athletics events held both locally and abroad. 

Mukoloma, 26, paid tribute to Kansanshi Mine for having identified her talent in athletics adding that through Kansanshi’s elite running team, she was now able to compete effectively and win. 

“Before the mine identified me, I used to struggle a lot with lack of access to training facilities and logistics among others. But now my life has changed for good because I have competed many times locally and abroad and achieved a lot through my running career.” 

The event being accredited by the World Athletics Association (WAA), enables runners to use their finish times to qualify for events anywhere in the world, and serves as a strong incentive to the runners. 

For Justin Kupatisha, a retired soldier who was brimming with confidence, participating in a race alongside international athletes was a dream come true. 

Kupatisha, 59, who took part in the 21.1km race disclosed he had been training hard so that he continued to take part in the prestigious marathon. 

“Mine is not to compete to win but to be fit, because I was competing with small boys and that’s why for me it’s just to keep fit. Thanks to Kansanshi Mine for always motivating the locals to keep fit, promoting the sport among the youths in a bid for them to earn a living through athletics.”

A Lifeline for Livestock

By Derrick Silimina

At his dairy farm in Kiambu County on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital Nairobi, Newton Mwangi anxiously takes off his boots and work suit after milking his cows. Mwangi is worried about the inability of the cows to hit the 80-litre target he needs to fulfil for his clients per day, due to a woeful fodder shortage in Kenya.

Like other dairy farmers, Mwangi is struggling to get enough fodder to feed his animals in a bid to increase milk yield. “Drought is affecting the growth of grass, which is affecting fodder supply and as a result, my animals lack adequate feed to provide me the 150 litres of fresh milk I used to get some years ago when we had enough pasture,” Mwangi told ChinAfrica. 

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, the East African country is grappling with a 60-percent feed deficit in a total annual livestock feed demand of 55 million tonnes.  

Mwangi, 48, noted that the shortage has pushed up the cost of fodder, making it even more difficult to properly feed his 20 dairy cows every day. “I urgently need alternative fodder to help me sustain my cows or else I risk losing them,” lamented Mwangi, adding that as climate change continues to threaten human and animal existence, some pastoralists like him are finding it difficult to sustain their livestock. 

The State Department for Livestock of Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development said the East African country needs 55 million tonnes of feed annually, but only produces 40 percent of that, with over 40 percent lost during the post-harvest handling. 

Fortunately, Chinese agripreneur Jack Liu is on a mission to end the fodder shortage and is determined to increase milk yields for dairy farmers in Kenya. “It is this gap that inspired me to venture into animal feeds. The recent drought situation has affected the majority of arid and semi-arid areas, where many pastoralists have lost their livestock,” Liu said. 

The magic grass 

In 2021, after learning that farmers were struggling to feed their livestock with quality grass, Liu, CEO of Crevation International Ltd., introduced Juncao grass in Kenya.  

Commonly referred to as the Chinese magic grass at his modern farm near Kitengela, Liu said that Juncao grass grows well in a number of areas, including arid and semi-arid lands as farmers only need to ensure that irrigation water is available. 

Liu said that Juncao, literally “mushroom grass” in Chinese, was invented by Chinese scientist Lin Zhanxi after 30 years of research. 

The lush, tall and succulent green grass has since taken most dairy farmers in Kenya by storm due to its rich proteins that are key to high milk output. It has helped local cattle breeders to maintain supplies of fresh milk to their local shopping centres, thus maintaining their income and livelihood.  

Edwin Wekesa, Liu’s farm manager who is based at the Kambi Ya Moto farm in Rongai, Nakuru, recently stated that Juncao grass has 18 percent protein and the cows and goats that consume the grass produce more milk. “The grass is free of pests, sustainable, and reliable. It can prevent desertification and cope with climate change,” Wekesa said.  

Each day, local dairy farmers flock to Liu’s farm to learn how to grow the Chinese magic grass in a bid to enhance their productivity. 

Boyd Kamau, a local pastoralist, affirmed that unlike the local napier grass, the Chinese magic grass is more nutritious, has softer leaves and takes two to three months to mature. 

“At my farm, we also process the harvested green fodder as silage that can be preserved for up to three years,” stated Kamau, adding that Juncao seedlings are affordable.  

Grown in over 100 countries worldwide and gaining traction in Africa, Juncao grass has broad leaves and sugar-rich stems with an annual yield of about 445 tonnes per hectare. It takes 12 weeks to mature and can be harvested more than five times annually. 

Since 2021, the grass has revolutionised animal husbandry in Kenya’s semi-arid areas, guaranteeing an uninterrupted supply of nutritious fodder to herders and subsistence farmers. 

Dairy farmer Melody Kimani started feeding her cows Juncao grass after harvesting the Chinese magic fodder on her 1-acre (0.4-hectare) farmland a year ago, “I’ve observed that my livestock is putting on weight because Juncao grass has proved to be more nutritious compared to traditional pasture. This has increased dairy production.”  

Higher yields 

Fodder experts say Juncao grass has a crude protein content of 18 percent. In addition, it is rich in micro elements and can also be fed to chicken, fish, goats, and pigs. 

In this context, Kenya, Uganda and Somalia are among the six countries to pilot a programme to plug persistent shortage of feedstock. Under the programme dubbed Resilient African Feed and Fodder Systems, researchers want to improve livestock production and, by extension, nutrition. 

As to the concerns of some local scientists about the potential effect of the introduction of Juncao grass on the country’s biodiversity, the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) has affirmed that after thorough inspections and audits at an open quarantine facility in southeastern part of Kenya, the regulator found that Juncao grass complied with all plant health requirements. 

“Monitoring of Juncao grass by the regulator has been ongoing and no threat to human or environmental health has been detected,” said Erick Were, an inspector at KEPHIS. 

When fed to dairy cows, Liu said that Juncao grass can boost milk yield by 40 percent, while beef cattle can attain 500 kg of weight in 12 months. 

With climate change and drought ravaging some parts of the country, embracing Juncao has provided a lifeline to livestock of some Kenyan pastoralists like Mwangi.  

“I can’t wait to see my Juncao seedlings grow and switch to feeding my animals so that I enhance my dairy production and meet local demand for the supply of fresh milk to our local shopping centres,” Mwangi said.