Zambia has been classed by the Word Bank as one of the countries among other indebted countries that have low income in terms of Basic developmental programmes. The population of Zambia has one of the highest percentages of people whose poverty levels are quite alarming. To this effect MCA was established for the purpose of;
|
Film produced by Ane Lyngsgaard
|
Western Province has abundant natural resource that is not effectively tapped. Though the province is rich in abundant resources, it is rated to be one of the poorest in the country. MCA is therefore been faced with challenges to exploit these resources to benefit the target group.
Mumwa Craft Association Products
Mumwa's primary area of activity is craft production, marketing and sale. Association members produce a variety of craft products particularly natural fibre products, with production centring around the association's various community centres. Mumwa provides training to craft producers, teaching them new techniques and giving them knowledge about quality requirements and how to produce marketable products. Individual members produce craft products, these products are then assessed by local community centre executive members who give them a quality grading. Mumwa then purchases these products for sale, with specific dates each month established for purchasing. The Mumwa management team receives orders for crafts from national and international buyers, it then liaises with the various craft centres to ensure that these orders are met. Association members receive income from the association through its purchasing of products they make. This is an important source of income for many members and compliments other kinds of livelihood activity they are engaging in.
|
Beneficiaries of the programme
Crafts & ceramics are the main sources of income to the target group. The community gains twice in this cycle;
1. when they sell their projects to the association they are provided with cash on the spot and the association sell those products at a mark up
2. the surplus realized is invested back into various community projects e.g. afforestation, training in product development, HIV/AIDS Clinic extensions etc
This way the association support to the target reaches large scales of more communities. The main objective of the association is to improve the standard of living for the local based community, by providing income through crafts and ceramics production. The developmental problem MCA is addressing is the low standard of living in the communities of Zambia due to structural, social and physical factors. It addresses this by ensuring that the local communities through crafts production can improve their income levels. In this regard, MCA addresses issues of quantity and quality of crafts. It takes into account that traditional crafts production is gender segregated and this what the project is aiming to achieve.
1. when they sell their projects to the association they are provided with cash on the spot and the association sell those products at a mark up
2. the surplus realized is invested back into various community projects e.g. afforestation, training in product development, HIV/AIDS Clinic extensions etc
This way the association support to the target reaches large scales of more communities. The main objective of the association is to improve the standard of living for the local based community, by providing income through crafts and ceramics production. The developmental problem MCA is addressing is the low standard of living in the communities of Zambia due to structural, social and physical factors. It addresses this by ensuring that the local communities through crafts production can improve their income levels. In this regard, MCA addresses issues of quantity and quality of crafts. It takes into account that traditional crafts production is gender segregated and this what the project is aiming to achieve.
Construction of Rural Water Wells
The water sources where the local communities drink water from get polluted during the rainy season. They do not have clean and sufficient water during the dry season. MCA has so far constructed 26 water sources the construction of water wells alleviates the problem stated above. It also reduces on the distances and number of times women travel to collect water. This means that the already over burdened women will have time to other chores of their households. With this intervention there will also be a reduction of diarrhea and other related diseases and conditions. Construction of water wells had greater impact on the producers. This reduced their movements from the upper to the lower land where they could find water for themselves and for their animals. This number of movements is often experienced during drought periods as water sources get dried up in locations they live.
This picture shows a borehole constructed by Habitat in conjunction with Mumwa Crafts Association the borehole was constructed some years back and it is becoming old. Money from the sale of crafts is always set aside for carrying out the repairing and buying some water pump spare parts whenever it breaks down.
|
Afforestation (Environment and Ecological Issues)
Western Province provides an abundance of raw materials required for crafts production. MCA realizes that though there is an abundance natural resource for various community usages for the existing generation. It was observed that it might not last longer to sustain the future generation. Taking into consideration the rate at which the number of trees are being cut down, and not replaced especially Mukwa tree it has been MCA’s great concern to earlier address the situation for conservation measure and replacements of planting. The association recognizes the fact that sustainability of natural resources management is a key factor to the successful crafts Industry; hence the organization ensures that the continued future in this respect should be in two ways. Planting of trees and educational awareness campaign through workshops and meetings. Under this programme about 6000 people have been reached and 11 hectors of indigenous tree has been planted from different locations. The Tree-planting scheme is necessary to MCA in order to sustain the future generation with enough material for the potential crafts industry. Apart from the Mungongo tree being used by men for carving, women use the nuts to extract the local cooking oil, which has become another source of income to the women group.
Biomass Energy
In addition to the afforestation programme, the biomass energy is another added advantage, which the project has proven to be of a greater help in addressing the environmental aspect in a very sustainable manner. This programme is just starting and had an overwhelming support to the target group.The technology uses the improved clay stoves, which consume much lesser firewood, and this is a shift to other sources of energy which are affordable (e.g other renewable fuels and much easier to use) and this will impact less on the cutting of trees. The project shall encourage more meetings and workshops in training the rural community in clay stove making and awareness campaign.
|
HIV/Aids
The HIV/AIDS pandemic equally have affected the population of the Province and the producers specifically some of the crafts producers have been affected by the pandemic they are supporting and keeping OVCs while others are widowed as a result of the pandemic.
HIV/AIDS continue to put a lot of pressure on these individual who require support in the area of increasing their income activities for the past years to date the Association have been conducting sensitization workshops in the rural areas of the region.
Rationale: Mumwa crafts association and the producers have recognized that production will not excel when the producers are infected/affected. As a result of the pandemic, workload especially for women producers, tend to increase as they nurse members of their families and relatives. Consequently they lose income as they spend less time in producing crafts. Most of these producers are in rural communities where communication and information about HIV/AIDS is limited and where the level of involvement to the stakeholders is low. It is therefore important to support these communities with information and services on HIV/AIDS.
The associations contribute in the mitigation of the effects of the pandemic by providing market for crafts as well as skills to improve the quality of production. This will be achieved if the producers and their families are prevented from contracting the virus through provision of information about HIV/AIDS and practicing safer sex MCA therefore contribute to the fight against HIV/AIDS in the Province. MCA has structures at the community level that are already being used to provide information about HIV/AIDS to more communities.
HIV/AIDS continue to put a lot of pressure on these individual who require support in the area of increasing their income activities for the past years to date the Association have been conducting sensitization workshops in the rural areas of the region.
Rationale: Mumwa crafts association and the producers have recognized that production will not excel when the producers are infected/affected. As a result of the pandemic, workload especially for women producers, tend to increase as they nurse members of their families and relatives. Consequently they lose income as they spend less time in producing crafts. Most of these producers are in rural communities where communication and information about HIV/AIDS is limited and where the level of involvement to the stakeholders is low. It is therefore important to support these communities with information and services on HIV/AIDS.
The associations contribute in the mitigation of the effects of the pandemic by providing market for crafts as well as skills to improve the quality of production. This will be achieved if the producers and their families are prevented from contracting the virus through provision of information about HIV/AIDS and practicing safer sex MCA therefore contribute to the fight against HIV/AIDS in the Province. MCA has structures at the community level that are already being used to provide information about HIV/AIDS to more communities.
Experience and skill in HIV/AIDS: HIV/AIDS mainstreaming has been chosen as an approach by MCA. The association regards HIV/AIDS as a cross cutting issue which should be addressed in its approach to addressing poverty, gender equality and empowerment and development. HIV/ AIDS is an ongoing activity for MCA.
The association has been involved in the following activities: Training of the peer educators, cancellers, formation of the Anti-Aids clubs, supporting community dram groups, community sensitization and some of these have taken place in fishing camps, new construction sites of the cattle slaughter houses, log cutters at Mweeke, Road constructors, workshops, meetings and drama group performances etc. |
The Association has taken care of this pandemic by incorporating the victims of HIV/AIDS infection to sustainable income generating activities. It is MCA’s plan that the HIV/AIDS activities be sustained through income generating activities to create a continuous solid economical base to the needy. It is pleasing to realize that the income earned affords the target group in contributing to the Educational, Health and Agricultural sector thus sending their children to school, buying farming implements, medicine and foodstuff to improve their diet especially for those who are positive and are HIV/AIDS infected. The cost of drugs that slows down the virus is prohibitively expensive and is out of reach by most people. The Government and other Donors are trying to provide free Anti-retroviral (ARVS) and in most cases at a reduced price and this is not enough and is just a handful compared to the real need.
The level of involvement for many players in HIV/AIDS implementation in the remote places is quite low; in most places it is even non-existence. In this aspect it has been found necessary to engage in income generating activities that will create a constant income base to the vulnerable groups and this gradually shall create sustainability.
The level of involvement for many players in HIV/AIDS implementation in the remote places is quite low; in most places it is even non-existence. In this aspect it has been found necessary to engage in income generating activities that will create a constant income base to the vulnerable groups and this gradually shall create sustainability.
Mumwa Crafts AssociationFounded by Kekelwa Mundia
|