A dream school for special needs education

By Derrick Silimina

In the heart of Zambia's small mining town of Luanshya, is a dream school for inclusive special needs education about 300 kilometers north of the capital, Lusaka.

Hope Chipete and her grade 11 classmates are absorbed in their assignments and studying for the end-of-term examinations at Da Gama Special School for physically disabled children. The school is run by the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Assisi, who help vulnerable children make the most out of their education.

"I used to complain to God about why I am like this, especially as a kid. I worried that I wouldn't be able to do anything because some people used to say that I can't do many things like writing," Chipete told Global Sisters Report.

The 17-year-old was born with hypochondroplasia, a bone growth disorder that results in short stature and disproportionately short arms and legs. However, her dream of studying journalism after high school is a testament to her determination and perseverance in the face of discrimination. As the only child with a physical disability in her family of three girls, she is upbeat because she can thrive academically.

Chipete paid glowing tribute to school administrators for providing a conducive environment for her and other children with disabilities to access holistic education and hope for a brighter future. 

"I am now able to write and draw with ease. I also participate in our school's debate club and do all sorts of things. I feel comfortable here because I can see a lot of people who are differently disabled. I thank God because if I were able-bodied, I wouldn't have reached where I am today."

Chipete has moved many hearts with her eloquence in school debates and poetry, including the Zambian First Lady, Mutinta Hichilema, during a school tour at the State House in Lusaka, the official residence of the president of Zambia. She was among 10 girls with disabilities who earned a school scholarship from the office of the First Lady through the Merck Foundation, which sponsored their education until the tertiary level.

Established in 1961 as a home for unwanted children and later transformed into a facility for children of the British working class during Zambia's colonial era, the facility has evolved into a special needs learning center. In 1972, the institution was declared a grant-aided school, which means the facility receives funds from Zambia's Ministry of Education. It consists of a boarding school for 140 children with physical disabilities and a day school for 30 vulnerable children from nearby provinces.

According to the 2015 Zambia National Disability Survey, 10.9% of adults and 4.4% of children between two and 17 are disabled.

Sepo Namukolo experienced a fair share of discrimination during her primary school days in a society where disabled children face rejection and isolation and are considered a burden to their families.

"I discovered that I was disabled at the age of seven, and it hurt to see people laughing at me whenever I went to school. Few people really loved and supported me, but the majority mocked me because of my disability. They said I was an outcast and [that] my parents were cursed," Namukolo told GSR.

Namukolo, 18, was transferred to Da Gama Special School in the third grade and is now in grade 11. The school has improved her academic performance and given her a positive outlook in life. 

Despite her disability, Namukolo now works at Da Gama Special School and is determined to pursue her dream career.

"I hope to become a pediatrician and open an orphanage to give a helping hand to many vulnerable street children in the country," she said.

When she was two, her mother, Roydah Namukolo, 50, discovered she was not growing like other children. The mother of three became depressed and remained in denial for several years. 

She explained that her discomfort was triggered by the stares and poor treatment her daughter faced daily, especially by her schoolmates. As a result, she quickly sought a transfer request for her daughter to the Da Gama Special School.

"I am thankful for the school management, headed by religious sisters, who mold our children to become better people in society. My child is progressing very well academically without any discrimination on account of her disability," she told GSR.

Stigma against people living with a disability is common in the southern African country due to negative traditional beliefs, entrenched stereotypes and ignorance. As a result, children and adults with disabilities are often neglected, isolated and discriminated against.

Sr. Ruth Ndhlovu, the headteacher at Da Gama Special School, has worked at the institution since 2022 and is in charge of primary and secondary schools from grades one to 12.

"In 1966, the facility became our apostolate, and since then, we provide care for all learners with holistic education through rehabilitation and spiritual insights and later integrate them into society," Ndhlovu told GSR.

Ndhlovu, 48, has worked as a teacher in government and mission schools since 2001. She said that the facility deals with various physical disabilities, including children suffering from spina bifida, brittle bones and muscular dystrophy, among others.

She said the institution helps students and their guardians to go through counseling, especially those who have not yet accepted their physical disability, to help demystify their condition and avoid stigma.

"We know it's not easy for some people with traditional beliefs, but we assure parents and the community that disability is not an inability."

The school's deputy head teacher, Jane Chabala, said special education requires patient, loving teachers to teach children with disabilities, especially since some learners cannot write using their hands but use their feet or mouth instead.

Chabala, who has been at Da Gama Special School for 14 years, shared many success stories, including its impressive pass rate. "Right now, so many of our students are in universities, including the Copperbelt University, Mulungushi University and Mukuba University, among others," she said.

Keeping the catch

By Derrick Silimina

In the village of Kilwa Masoko located some 300 km southeast of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s capital, fishing is a lifeline of locals as it is not only a source of food, but also a source of income. 

As wads of Tanzanian shilling exchange hands among fish famers and traders, the latter jostle to procure as much as possible of the limited amount of fish that is auctioned at Kilwa District’s old harbour. 

The fish trade is big business, a sign that the local economy heavily relies on the fishing industry. Despite the daily struggle to line up at auctions for the catch of the day, local fish traders like Sheila Sijaona are buoyant.  

“Our livelihood depends on selling the fish; but with limited catch, everyone is tussling for a larger share to maximise profit,” said Sijaona. 

“While fish is a major source of income, a lot of the fish is rotten due to lack of cold storage facilities and other infrastructure,” Gershom Abdala, a local fisher, told ChinAfrica. 

The Kilwa Masoko Fishing Port project is expected to solve that problem. Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan recently laid the foundation stone for the port, which is set to drive forward the country’s blue economy. A project of monumental importance to the economy of Tanzania, the construction of one of East Africa’s first modern fishing harbours is expected to create over 30,000 direct and indirect jobs. 

With a 1,400-km coastline and a 287,000-square-km exclusive economic zone, the East African country is endowed with rich marine fishery stocks, according to the Tanzanian government data. 

Fisheries experts say infrastructure facelift including improved docking infrastructure, fish treatment equipment and ice-processing facilities, among others, can contribute to national development. 

Infrastructure upgrade  

Despite its rich marine resources, sea fish accounts for less than 20 percent of the country’s fish supply, with the rest coming from inland fishing, according to the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries. The Tanzanian government says a lack of proper infrastructure is hampering fish production. Building a fishing port can be a game changer. 

The fishing port in Kilwa District is being constructed by China Harbour Engineering Co. (CHEC), and is part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which seeks to promote global trade and connectivity. 

As of the end of June 2023, China has signed more than 200 documents on jointly building the BRI with 152 countries and 32 international organisations, and milestones have been set in collaboration and people-to-people exchanges under the framework. 

As Tanzania follows some of its neighbouring countries in capitalising on the vast potential of deep-sea fishing, the Kilwa Masoko Fishing Port project is poised to change the sector’s fortunes. The modern fishing port, scheduled to be completed in 2025, is expected to boost commercial fishing in sea.  

CHEC has said that the state-of-the-art harbour will create a number of advantages, including a refrigeration centre for fishermen to process and store their catch and a reliable market for locals by adding value via processing. 

“After completion, we would like to see this port contribute significantly to the socio-economic development of Tanzania,” CHEC Project Manager Yao Huafeng recently said, adding that the harbour, which will be managed by the Tanzania Ports Authority, will also house fish processing plants and a workshop for repairing fishing ships and boats and making fishnets. 

CHEC Tanzania Maritime Project Department recently revealed that the construction of the fishing harbour has provided jobs to more than 1,000 local workers, and an estimated 30,000 direct and indirect jobs will be created during the facility’s operation.  

Project Engineer George Kwandu said that once completed, the docking infrastructure will be big enough to accommodate all kinds of vessels. “We are also building a fish treatment refrigeration centre with a capacity of 1,300 tonnes,” Kwandu noted, adding that some of the fish will go directly to the fish market, enabling fishers to sell directly to the consumers. 

As the port is expected to help to diversify the country’s fishing sector, the government projects it will raise the sector’s contribution to the country’s total exports, as well as national GDP, from 1.8 percent to 10 percent by 2036.  

“This pivotal milestone will the pave the way for immense economic development, job creation, and income generation for the coastal region and Tanzania as a whole,” Abdallah Ulega, minister of livestock and fisheries, recently stated. 

Waves of opportunities 

Ulega said that once the port is operational, an estimated 5 million Tanzanians would derive their income from fishing and related activities, including boat manufacturing, net repair, fish processing, and various small-scale businesses. 

The minister added that as Tanzania positions itself strategically in the global fishing market, the country will expand job opportunities for locals and augment productivity for both small-scale and large-scale fishermen. 

With hopes and aspirations riding high on the waves of the Kilwa Masoko Fishing Port, fish traders like Sijaona are optimistic about the new opportunities that will transform their way of doing business.  

“I expect the new harbour to connect our fishing business to the international market, and when we sell to other countries, our export income will increase immensely. Our lives will certainly change, as many new opportunities will come up in our fishing business,” Sijaona said with confidence.  

In Kilwa Kivinje, located 25 km from Kilwa Masoko, fishermen squeeze in a crowded wooden boat, catching fish with a humble net and selling the catch directly off the boat. This daily hustle has sustained them for generations for centuries.  

“I am excited that the Chinese-built harbour will boost our fisheries value chain, improve our household income and help us to contribute to the socio-economic development of our country,” said Juma Mahanje from Kilwa Kivinje.

Nurturing young people's talents

By Derrick Silimina

When Tisa Mumba was devastated by hopelessness after her father's death, she had no option but to dream beyond her circumstances and work toward a brighter future.

Mumba, 23, opted to take a risk and migrate from Kabwe town to Livingstone, about 470 km south of Lusaka, Zambia's capital, in search of "greener pastures."

"I struggled to do odd jobs in Livingstone to survive. I plaited people's hair [and] baked cakes and scones for resale at the market. And with my little savings, I decided to enroll at Livingstone's Youth Community Training Centre (YCTC) for a short course in food production since I had a passion [for the] confectionery business," Mumba told Global Sisters Report.

In an economy stifled by high living costs and diminished purchasing power, Mumba began her studies thanks to the Zambia Association of Sisterhoods with support from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. (The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation also funds Global Sisters Report.)

She embarked on a transformative journey at the training center, where young people acquire valuable skills in electrical engineering, plumbing, electrical power, carpentry and other vocational fields.

The Sisters of St. John the Baptist (Baptistine sisters) manage the training center, nurturing young people's talents in Livingstone, a tourist town near the mighty Victoria Falls, one of the world's largest waterfalls. Built in 1999 by Celim and the Livingstone Diocese, the center is in Libuyu township.

Mumba's academic journey at Youth Community Training Centre almost ended halfway into her studies because of her inability to pay tuition fees. This further depressed her as she worked to hone her skills in food production and find a stable job among Livingstone's top hoteliers in the flourishing hospitality hotspots.

After Mumba failed to report for the second semester due to lack of funds for tuition, the Baptistine sisters immediately asked the registrar's office to put her on a scholarship to support her studies.

"Having lost my dad, who could have provided whatever I needed, was not easy. If it were not for the scholarship, I would have ended up in bad behavior," Mumba said.

Zambia has a booming youth population and a lack of academic support, and employability is a pressing concern among the viable but vulnerable youths, particularly amid a shrinking economy in the southern African country.

After a two-month internship following her nine-month course, Mumba's hard work and discipline paid off. She was offered a full-time job as a chef at Woodlands Lodge & Tours.

"Had it not been for the sisters' intervention, I wouldn't be where I am today. And even with what I am earning through my current job, I am now able to support my mother and siblings back home in Kabwe."

Millions of young people in Zambia are trapped in a cycle of unemployment and poverty. HIV infections, early pregnancy, gender-based violence and a host of other social ills are common.

Zambia also struggles with an energy crisis marked by relentless load-shedding that shuts down power, threatening socio economic stability.

Creative minds like Elizabeth Namfukwe, a young beneficiary of the training center, found an opportunity to acquire a skill and find solutions to the country's energy situation.

"I was super excited to be accepted at YCTC, especially since I was also awarded a bursary [scholarship] in 2023. It's a game-changer for my dream career," Namfukwe told GSR.

Fascinated by electricity generation in Zambia's Kariba Dam, Namfukwe saw an opportunity to become a highly sought-after electrical engineer.

After Namfukwe's internship at Dennis Turf Irrigation Systems, her exceptional performance earned her a job as an assistant technician before the attachment period elapsed.

"It was my first time at a tertiary institution after years of trying to source for academic support. Considering our country's socioeconomic challenges, I would like to commend the sisters for this skills training initiative, which will go a long way to reviving young people's dreams."

The initiative has extended its impact beyond Livingstone. Eleven congregations with skills centers across Zambia have also collaborated, aiming to empower 840 youths in the first two years of the project.

The Zambia Association of Sisterhoods has allocated funds to various skills training centers across the country, including the Holy Rosary Sisters Skills Training Centre, the Bauleni Special Needs Project in Lusaka, and St. Mary's Skills Development Centre Kawambwa in Luapula Province, among others.

"When I came here, my first duty was to look for sponsors and help many vulnerable youths finish their studies. Otherwise, if I just sit, they will not have quality training," said Baptistine Sr. Evelyn Bwalya, the coordinator of Youth Community Training Centre.

After working at other learning institutions with minor vulnerable youths, she was transferred to Livingstone in 2021.

Bwalya, a teacher by profession, said the skills center has more than 240 learners pursuing various lifelong skills. Since 2023, 160 vulnerable youths have benefited from Hilton Foundation scholarships, inspiring higher enrollment levels at the skills training center from 50 students per semester to more than 200. The center has a capacity of 500 students.

Bwalya, 44, finds joy in fulfilling her mission as a Baptistine sister, which follows the congregation's charism of caring for the young and the poor. She said a distinctive feature of the program was the emphasis on real-world exposure, which enabled the students to undergo practical internships at various reputable companies, lodges and hotels in Livingstone.

As the project approaches its culmination in 2024, early signs of success are evident as dedication and hard work secured full-time jobs for many youths, a testament to the program's effectiveness.

Bwalya is happy because before the Hilton Foundation's collaboration, vulnerable students couldn't pay the fees for their training, and the school couldn't buy the training materials for them.

"Now, our students can find jobs, and some are able to set up their own businesses."

A refuge for the sick and dying

By Derrick Silimina

Moffat Tembo, who has HIV/AIDS, remembers the day he was hospitalized at Mother Theresa Hospice after gasping for breath due to the devastating effects of the virus.

The Mother Theresa Hospice, a refuge for the sick and dying, is on the outskirts of Kabulonga, an exclusive suburb adjacent to Kalingalinga, one of Lusaka's slums. The facility is managed by the Missionaries of Charity, a community founded by Mother Teresa of Kolkata in 1950.

The congregation is dedicated to serving the poorest of the poor, irrespective of social class, creed or color. Since 1989, the hospice has followed the words of its founder, welcoming people of all ages who knock at the gates, welcoming and giving them care, medicine, food, school amenities, shelter and love.

Tembo, 34, said that living with HIV/AIDS in a country already grappling with poor health care services is arduous, a dilemma that has thrown thousands of families into extreme poverty.

"I always thank the sisters day and night for saving my life. Without them, I would be dead by now," Tembo told Global Sisters Report.

He was brought to the Mother Theresa Hospice in early 2007 while very sick, and the sisters immediately put him on antiretroviral treatment. He later regained consciousness after nine drips of medication.

Tembo discovered his HIV-positive status at the age of 17. The thought of being on medication depressed him, and he lived in denial for some time. But his immunity couldn't withstand the ravaging effects of HIV.

After his mother's untimely death, Tembo lost hope in life. Living in Mandevu township, a slum a few kilometers north of Zambia's capital, Lusaka, Tembo experienced the harsh reality faced by orphaned children in the country, which forced him into extreme poverty and further deteriorated his health.

After he sought refuge at Mother Theresa Hospice, Tembo's health improved. Following this he enrolled in a community school based at the center to revive his academic journey.

"After I recovered, I dedicated my life to helping the sick here, counsel patients [to] take [their] drugs consistently and encourage the hopeless to have a fighting spirit in life," said the father of four, touched by the sisters' tireless care.

Like him, several others who once came in need of emergency health care are now healthy and working at the facility as drivers, teachers, carpenters, tailors, security staff and caregivers.

Mirriam Chisha is a young woman with an extraordinary story. She is still in disbelief that her life is back to normal after surviving life-threatening surgery after her unexpected ectopic pregnancy.

Chisha, 25, became homeless at the age of 15 after her parents divorced. When her father remarried, she said she couldn't cope with her stepmother's abuse, forcing her to endure life on the streets of Lusaka.

"I discovered that I was two months pregnant at the age of 18, and [suddenly], I got very ill while living on the streets of Lusaka. My fellow street kids organized transport and help [for me] at the Mother Theresa Hospice," she said.

Chisha said that had it not been for the sisters' immediate referral to the University Teaching Hospital for surgery, she would have lost her life.

Sr. Mercy Kanyoro is in charge of the Mother Theresa Hospice. She is excited about her calling because she enjoys witnessing terminally ill patients gradually return to life.

"We see them coming in despair, in hopelessness, and worn out physically. We take care of them and restore their health. We also restore faith in their lives, and we see them get up to resume their normal lives," Kanyoro told GSR.

Coming from a humble background in Kenya, Kanyoro is glad her mission at the 35-year-old hospice has been life-changing, acknowledging that divine providence has made the facility operate smoothly.

She added that many patients who recover from poor health choose to give back as a form of appreciation from the facility that houses a hospice, novitiate, a community school for vulnerable children and a skills training center for vulnerable teen mothers.

"When our patients recover, some usually come and say, 'Sister — you have cared for me, and I want to give back.' Whenever we can, we offer them a job to help them get reestablished in life," she stated.

Kanyoro, 44, said the facility goes beyond its mission of taking care of the poorest of the poor, restoring their physical and spiritual health, and offering capacity building through lifelong skills so that they are not dependent on anyone.

With almost 300 beneficiaries taken care of each day, the facility has its share of challenges since the hospice alone accommodates 60-100 patients suffering from HIV/AIDS-related illnesses, most from Lusaka's surrounding slums.

Although Zambia has made significant strides in reducing the HIV/AIDS infection rate in recent years, the southern African country still has a very high rate of infectious diseases. Estimates in 2021 showed that 1.3 out of almost 20 million Zambians are living with HIV, and women are the most affected.

Kanyoro, with her vast experience in humanitarian work in other countries including Kenya, India, South Africa, Madagascar and now Zambia, said her congregation's quest to serve Christ through their fellow humans is in line with their charism, "To labor for the salvation and sanctification of the poorest of the poor."

"I get inspired to instill hope in the hopeless, provide for the needy, and see terminally sick people back to good health because I get bothered to see how vulnerable people struggle to afford the basic needs in a world of plenty. My hope is to see a sharing world that will transform humankind!"

Grappling for survival on the frontiers of climate change

By Derrick Silimina

In the face of prolonged droughts due to the effects of the El Niño weather pattern, the agriculture sector in Zambia is battling for survival on the frontiers of climate change. 

Recently, the Zambian government even had to declare a national state of emergency.

Braving the sweltering afternoon heat, Adrian Munsanje walks for about ten kilometres every morning in search of pasture and water – a journey his herd of cattle must cover to avoid starvation. 

Munsanje, 50, has seen four of his cows slowly die because of the recent droughts ravaging across Zambia which also left more than 4.4 million people in the southern African country without access to food and clean water.

“This drought is more severe compared to a few years ago, when we could see green pastures nearby for our animals to graze, but that's no longer the case this year,” Munsanje told Rural 21. 

He noted that in his home area of Gwembe district, southern Zambia, local people’s entire way of life revolved around rearing livestock. They were dependent on them for money, for food, for labour and even for paying dowries.

National disaster and emergency declared

 Over nine million people are suffering from an El Niño-induced drought that has crippled the country since late 2023, according to the Zambian government’s crop assessment data. 

For this reason, in the face of prolonged droughts, the agriculture sector in Zambia is battling for survival on the frontiers of climate change – a crisis that has made farmers' way of life increasingly difficult, leaving little food and water for their animals.  

“With heavy hearts, we’ve declared a national disaster and emergency as our country faces severe drought, caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon, influenced by climate change. The prolonged dry spell has impacted both Zambia’s food & energy security,” Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema said recently during a national address. 

The Zambian government affirmed that the country had gone without rain at a time when farmers needed it the most as the drought hit 84 of the country’s 116 districts, affecting more than a million farming households. 

Zambia’s most cultivated and thirsty cash crop – maize – is one of the hardest hit. Others include cotton, soybeans, tobacco, groundnuts and peppers.

Oxfam warns that over six million people from farming communities in Zambia are facing acute food shortages and malnutrition until the next growing season, which is twelve months away. 

Environmental experts say Zambia’s once vibrant agriculture sector is falling victim to rising temperatures, prolonged droughts and erratic rainfall that are threatening crop yields and livelihoods. 

Ironically, Zambia’s rivers, lakes and underground reserves account for 40 percent of southern Africa’s water resources, but the water is not always available in the right place or at the right time.

“With this crop failure, I am really in trouble because I have a family of ten people, and I depend on farming to maintain them. I support my children’s education through agriculture and my little children need food the most, for their nutrition,” says Mable Mwanza, a smallholder farmer in Kafue district.

Irrigation systems should be prioritized

 

It is therefore emphatic that more needs to be done to serve smallholder farmers in Zambia. Moreover, this southern African country is only a minor emitter of the gases that drive global warming. 

With steadily rising temperatures, prolonged droughts and erratic rainfall threatening crop yields and livelihoods, Zambia’s once vibrant agriculture sector is falling victim to climate change. 

Agronomists say it's high time to prioritise irrigation in order to boost yields to between two and four times the levels of rain-fed agriculture, which could be an important part of the solution to a shortfall in productivity in the sector. 

In particular, drip irrigation is to be promoted because it is particularly affordable and effective. Even though drip irrigation is relatively inexpensive, small farmers still depend on government agricultural programmes and NGO programmes to help finance the systems.

Constance Mulenga, a smallholder farmer based in Chibombo district, central Zambia emphasises that with the onset of climate change, she is now eager to invest more in irrigation systems as a way to improve crop yields and enhance her household food security. 

“I cannot imagine how I would have managed to earn income without irrigation,” says Mulenga.  “It keeps my horticulture business running all-year-round.” 

Mulenga has been irrigating her winter maize crops with a combination of underground water sources and irrigation equipment for several years, as the impact of climate change has become increasingly clear.

Zambia's liquid gold

 Notwithstanding being stung by drought, some smallholder farmers in the patched dry lands of Kazungula District, Southern Zambia, who had recurrently suffered poor harvests of maize (Zambia’s staple food) due to unpredictable rainfall, have turned to beekeeping as an alternative source of income. 

“Despite the challenges of droughts, I have seen firsthand how honey harvested from my beehives supports my family’s well-being. I use some of the honey for home consumption and sale, while the surplus is exchanged for maize, providing enough food for my home,” says Ronica Himambo, a full-time honey producer from Kabwe district in central Zambia.

But the honey sector is also increasingly suffering because it is being affected by charcoal burners cutting down trees to meet the ever increasing demand for charcoal. 

Moses Chishala is a small-scale farmer in Mkushi district of central Zambia. Additionally he has been trying to grow his honey business for years. 

“Every day, piles and piles of trees are cut down and transported to make charcoal, an industry that is depriving bees of their natural habitat and threatening the production of honey,” Chishala says. 

This is because Zambia, which is heavily reliant on hydroelectricity, is currently experiencing a power shortage such that the widespread drought which hangs over much of southern Africa has left water levels in dams worryingly low, and charcoal is the cheapest energy alternative available, but the bees need the trees.

According to the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), Zambia loses between 250 and 300,000 hectares of forest every year to charcoal burning, and the government is heavily investing in energy alternatives such as solar, whilst preserving the honey sector.

In view of these challenges, it is clear that only a decisive change in agriculture and the sustainable use of natural resources can enable the people of Zambia to have a resilient future that can meet the demands of climate change.