Maravi

Life in Gwembe Valley Life in Gwembe Valley

Life in Gwembe Valley Life in Gwembe Valley
Written by Charles Mangwato in Gwembe

LIVING conditions in the Gwembe Valley in Southern Province are quite daunting. The area is fraught with many developmental challenges which have impacted considerably on the socioeconomic status of the people.

The Gwembe Valley is the term for the middle Zambezi Valley. Kariba now occupies much of the valley after the dam was constructed in late 1950s. Indeed, the construction of the Kariba hydroelectric dam has had far-reaching consequences as it forced the relocation of 57,000 people, mainly Tongas from their natural habitat.

It is this relocation to hilly, rocky and barren terrain that is largely responsible for the current dilemma and hardships endured by the Gwembe Tonga. The terrain is inhospitable. Chronic drought with its resultant offshoot, food shortages is something that is perpetually associated with the Gwembe Tonga. People have been trying hard to survive against all odds by adopting various coping strategies but life has remained generally hard.
Several studies have in the past been conducted by various specialists to ascertain the magnitude and effects of the displacement of the Gwembe Tonga. And the results of their works have all pointed to the current socioeconomic difficulties confronting the people.
According to one report by Cynthia Cook on 'Involuntary Resettlement in Africa,' at the time of the construction of the Kariba dam, notions of environmental impact assessment were only beginning to develop in the industrialised countries and did not play a significant part in project design and execution in developing countries.
"Apart from transforming the Gwembe Valley into the vast Lake Kariba, there appeared to be no ecological concern that would warrant pre-project ecological survey of the area. In summary, there was no environmental impact assessment programme as such for Lake Kariba.
"In the planning phase of the Kariba project, little thought was given to educating the Tonga about the consequences that this engineering feat would have for their future. They could not comprehend that man could change nature; that the rhythm of the Zambezi River which had punctuated their lives for generations would cease; that the mighty Zambezi, guarded by the river god Nyaminyami, would disappear, to be replaced by the vast man-made sea; that man would challenge natural powers and tame the fury of the Zambezi at Kariba gorge; that they would have to leave their traditional homelands forever, abandoning their ancestral spirits and their forefathers' graves, now drowned by 'pale' men."
"One of the results of the relocation of the Tonga people was they were suddenly thrust into a commercial environment, although they had previously been treated as none-commercially minded people. Due to crop failure and other exigencies, they had to buy food and other basic commodities in an environment that had little income generating capacity. The irony of the situation is that although this is the most impoverished part, the prices demanded by local traders made the area the most expensive in which to live.
"Two factors affect the general health of the people in Zambezi Valley. The long neglect of the area by the colonial administrators meant that such services as health and education were little developed, and then only by voluntary groups such as missionaries. Endemic diseases continued to exert a high toll among a people with limited access to medical care.
As things stand now, Gwembe is among few places in the country that has not attracted mobile phone communication. When you are in the valley, you are completely cut off from the rest of the country as there is virtually no means of communication. Even the traditional, fixed land phone is none existent. Zain Zambia and MTN have networks which end up at the old Boma located on the plateau, few kilometres from Monze town.
Munyumbwe which is supposed to be the district administrative centre has no form of communication although the district council is headquartered there. Getting down the valley to places like Chipepo on the fringes of Lake Kariba where the Chipepo High School is also located, access to cellular phone communication remains a pipedream.
A few years ago, it used to be a nightmare to drive from Gwembe to Chipepo via Munyumbwe because the road had become inaccessible. The entire stretch has been worked on by a Chinese firm, making it possible to reach previously inaccessible areas within record time. In their appreciation, the valley people named it 'Mwanawasa' road soon after its completion.
It is these challenges that have prompted World Hope International-Zambia (WHIZ), a faith-based non-governmental organisation to target most of its developmental programmes in the Gwembe Valley. WHIZ aims to mobilise and empower local communities to respond to the global devastation of HIV and AIDS and related concerns of widows, orphans and vulnerable children.
Through ministries of social justice, relief, education, development and community health, WHIZ works to provide opportunity, dignity and hope to the afflicted people.
A few days ago, Chabbobboma area located on the shores of Lake Kariba near Chipepo was a hive of activities. Villagers converged to celebrate the achievements of one of WHIZ's brainchild project to empower the local community with means to livelihood. This was a celebration for the first harvest of bananas at the Chabbobboma plantation.
The project was started in June 2005 in line with government effort to restore dignity and hope to the Gwembe Valley people. Eastern Hills church of New York, USA, donated the undisclosed funds to plant the first two hectares with 4, 000 banana plants.
"The people of Chabbobboma have tirelessly worked and their hard wok is now proved by well-grown-up bananas fruit which are ready for the market," said WHIZ country director Elvan Chilundika.
Chilundika boasts that the plantation is World Hope's signature projects because of magnitude and capacity to address the socioeconomic conditions of the valley people.
Chief Chipepo, however, has a different opinion about the suffering of the valley people. He thinks the land has been 'defiled' and urges his subjects to turn away from their wicked ways and pray to God so the land becomes fruitful. "When I was in Jerusalem, Israel, last month, I was praying hard to God, seeking blessings for my chiefdom which has serious problems with poverty. I don't sleep thinking about what to do for you," said chief Chipepo during the ceremony also attended by the American sponsors.
Quoting several biblical verses throughout his speech, he asked God to intervene and remove the curse from the barren land in his chiefdom so that it becomes fruitful.
"We know that this land has been defiled and it is only through the power of God that things can change."
But even with such a gigantic project, problems of the Chabbobboma people are far from being over.
First, the expansion of the American-sponsored Chabbobboma Banana plantation project hangs in the balance following Zesco's failure to link the project site with hydro electricity.
The plantation, with 4,000 banana plants is currently facing difficulties of proper irrigation due to erratic supply and high cost of diesel to run water pumps in the absence of Zesco power.
Chilundika said Zesco had been a letdown resulting in serious problems with irrigations of the plantation.
Chilundika said World Hope International, the implementing agency for the project, had since the commissioning of the plantation project last year, made several requests to Zesco for power to be taken to the project site but without any success.
"Officials at the Zesco office in Monze have always assured that they would visit the area but they failed to do so to date. As World Hope International we have gone to the extent of offering them transport. The project site is only a short distance from the main Zesco power grid," he told the gathering which also included district commissioner Dorothy Hamvula, chief Chipepo and the American donors from Eastern Hills in New York.
Chilundika explained that due to the absence of Zesco power, the organisation had been forced to relocate the storage and treatment facility for the harvested bananas to Monze, about 100 kilometres away from the production point, thereby increasing operating costs.
The country director wonders why Zesco is reluctant to provide power when the project is clearly in line with government's efforts to restore dignity and hope to the Gwembe Valley people who were displaced by the construction of the Kariba dam.
He said this situation has frustrated current efforts to expand the banana project after the release of more funds by the American donors for another four hectares of land to grow 8,000 more banana plants.
"Eastern Hills of America have made additional funds for the construction of a reservoir and other facilities. All these activities are taking place but we will need power," he said.
The donors have also purchased a containerised truck for transporting bananas to market.
He appealed for intervention of the district authorities so that Zesco electrifies the project which is for the benefit of the people of the Gwembe Valley.
The second problem besetting the project is lack of communication in the valley. Chilundika said in the absence of telephone communication, it is difficult to source market for the fruits. He said Zain Zambia, MTN and Cell Z should consider extending their networks to the valley district to boost economic activities there.
District commissioner Dorothy Hamvula admits that communication remains a major developmental challenge because all mobile phone service providers are unwilling to take their services to the valley district.
"This is because the service providers think there are no economic activities in the valley than can make business sense to them and bring in returns for their investment in the network," she said.
She noted the decision by World Hope International to relocate the storage and sales facility to Monze, about 100 kilometres away, from the banana production point on the basis of lack of communication and electricity was a disservice to the valley people.
But what would be the benefits of the banana plantation project to the valley community?
Chairperson for the Chabbobboma Community Trust, Sydney Chibawe, contends that the impact of the project cannot be underestimated.
"Opportunity, dignity and hope have truly become a reality not just to the Chabbobboma Community orphan trust but to all people in chief Chipepo's area.
He says living standards of the local community would improve as proceeds would go towards meeting the needs of caregivers, orphans and vulnerable children under the trust.
"What is more exciting is the plan to extend the usage of these funds to meet community concerns such as the renovation of the Chabbobboma Basic School, the construction of a theatre as well as the medical doctor's house at the local clinic," said Chibawe.
Scholarships would be offered yearly to 290 children in line with meeting the Millennium Development Goals on education.
What is even interesting is the pledge by the American church work towards the success of the Chabbobboma community.
The Eastern Hills Pilgrim Wesleyan church of New York says it will partner with the Chabbobboma community to mitigate against effects of poverty and HIV and AIDS through supporting income-generating projects.
The visiting church's pastor, Carl Eastlack, told the gathering that included chief Chipepo that members at the America church are pooling resources and donating to help lessen the plight of the Chabbobboma people whose living conditions have been adversely affected by negative weather conditions in the Gwembe Valley.
"It is very emotional for me to be here. It is one thing to know Chabbobboma from afar, and another to be physically here. I must assure that Chabbobboma is closer to our hearts in New York. We pray for you day and night," pastor Eastland said.
Indeed, the people of Gwembe are yearning for development and this can only come about through infrastructure development to open up the area to modernity.
All the past studies on the effects of the displacement have made several recommendations to ameliorate the situation but most of these have remained on paper.
The World Bank-sponsored Gwembe Tonga Development Project (GTDP) which had been implemented through the Zesco component of power rehabilitation failed to meet most of its targets when it was phased out, much to the disappointment of the valley people.
One of the key issues closer to the hearts of the people out there, which failed to take off as promised, was the reconstruction of bottom road to link the entire valley districts of Siavonga, Gwembe and Sinazongwe, the electrification of the lake shore to boost fishing and economic activities and many others.
It is gratifying to note that the government has picked from where the project had stopped by beginning works on the reconstruction of the controversial bottom road.

Labels: GWEMBE DISTRICT, SOUTHERN PROVINCE

posted by MrK @ 9:18 PM