News from the Climate Resilience Project in Zambia

The past quarter in the climate resilience project was dedicated to capacity building in the project communities. Trainings in Monze, Mumbwa and Luyanshia districts were addressing the importance of education and the keys for a successful training. The objectives of these ‘Training of Trainers’ events were to equip participants with skills for training others and creating awareness on climate change and also to identify strategies for creating awareness on climate change.

The ongoing year has been full of other successful activities as well. At the beginning of the year, a group of farmers in the Shimbizhi and Chiyumu communities received small livestock, such as chickens and goats, from the project and now every partner village has been part of this activity. The owners are committed to donate some of the offspring for other farmers and this way the number of the beneficiaries increases through every pass-on. Finally, all community members in the villages will benefit. Farmers have not been used to see chickens and other small livestock as an income source before, but now some of them have even managed to cover school fees by selling animals. One family have reared 50 chickens from the one they got from the project and another family has already 15 laying hens.

Another objective of the project is to activate young people. Especially popular among the youth was a climate change awareness meeting which was organized alongside with a football tournament. Four teams from the project communities competed with each other in the ‘Climate Change Tournament’ which , in addition to football, included also education on climate change and its causes and effects through drama. The day was of course coloured with traditional dances.

In the rural areas, hardly anyone owns a TV but radios are very common instead. Therefore, it is an excellent way to reach people. GLM Zambia has conducted two radio shows which were produced and aired at Sky FM radio station in Monze. The discussions centred on the impact of climate change on community livelihoods and how the communities could become more resilient to the effects of climate change. The discussants were GLM staff and farmers’ representatives from Chisuwo and Chiyumu. The radius of Sky FM covers thousands of people and the station has received requests for continuation of the programme.

The year 2015 is not over yet but let’s take a little glance at the upcoming year. GLM Zambia will have two enthusiastic ETVO-volunteers in the team and the first one will arrive already in January.