Local Acceptance is the Key to Success

In rural Malawi, the District Assemblies’ Executive Committees (DECs) are the local authorities. It is essential that these important stakeholders are on your team if development projects are going to succeed. Even with over 2,800 rural villagers enthusiastically engaged in ASAP's Village Savings & Lending project - known as "Chimvano Pa Chuma" or "Unity for Economic Growth" - these well-respected leaders “call the shots”.

In Chikwawa, Blantyre Rural and Mwanza Districts Mr. Victor Katchika-Jere, ASAP Africa Malawi Country Director and Mr. Michael Mainje, the Project Manager, made a series of presentations to these DECs recently. The meetings gave District Assemblies updates on progress made hitherto, challenges encountered and lessons learnt. DEC members were given the opportunity to comment, ask questions and put forward suggestions to ensure quality and increased impact of the program.
In their contribution, DEC members applauded ASAP for constantly updating the DEC. “We are pleased to note that you have achieved a lot in the few months you have been working in the district,” said the Director of Planning and Development for Chikwawa, Mr Chitao. He added “the fact that you have taken heart to update us shows that you are confident in what you are achieving on the ground. I’m appealing to other NGOs to emulate what ASAP has done.” In the picture below, Michael Mainje, ASAP Malawi Project Manager makes a presentation during one of the meetings.
Mr Victor Katchika-Jere, ASAP Malawi Country Director expressed his appreciation for the continuing support ASAP enjoys from the District Assemblies. Said he “We are sharing all these success stories today because you have always given us the support we need. We are committed to working with the under served communities in order to improve the socio-economic status of the rural people in sustainable and effective fashion.” Captured here is Victor Katchika-Jere, in a black jacket, emphasizing a point during the meeting in Chikwawa District.

To read more about ASAP's Village Savings & Lending click here.

US Congressional Team Visits Zimbabwe

Melvin Watt, a former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, and three other US Congressmen are currently in Zimbabwe assessing the progress of the unity government after one year.

This week the European Union extended sanctions on Zimbabwe for another 12 months, citing a lack of progress in fulfilling the power-sharing pact. The EU will meet again on Zimbabwe next week. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund's board will consider whether to restore Zimbabwe's IMF voting rights in a meeting on Friday.

To read more click here.

Teachers on Strike Again

Zimbabwean Public Service Minister Eliphas Mukonoweshuro said Monday that his government had no money to pay 200,000 striking civil servants the salary increases they were demanding.

On Friday, 5 Feb, the Zimbabwe Public Service Association (ZPSA), which represents civil servants, announced an indefinite strike to press their demands for a hike in pay.
"It is not unwillingness on the part of the government. It is simply the lack of fiscal capacity on our part," Mukonoweshuro said, expressing sympathy with the workers, most of whom are teachers.

The civil servants are demanding that the salary of the lowest-paid workers be increased from $120 a month to $630 a month. The power-sharing government of President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has offered to increase their wages to $122 in February, rising to $134 in April. "Even if they ask for 300 dollars for the least paid, that would bring the salary bill to 1.3 billion dollars, which is more than the annual budget of the government," Mukonoweshuro explained.

Raymond Majongwe, secretary-general of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, ruled out a return to work, saying: "Let them sell diamonds and we can share that wealth instead of it being enjoyed by a few individuals." Majongwe was referring to the Chiadzwa diamond field in eastern Zimbabwe, which the state seized from a British mining company in 2006. There are 300,000 carats of raw diamonds taken from them that have recently “gone missing”. The quantity of diamonds mined by the government since then is unknown but geologists say the alluvial diamond site is the largest find in a century. Click here to read more about the strike.

The African Union dissolves NEPAD

Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika is the new Chairman of the African Union. As the summit in Addis Ababa closed today, the group resolved to dissolve the New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD). NEPAD’s primary objective was to eradicate poverty and promote prosperity and to halt the marginalization of Africa In the globalisation process. To read more click here.

It is reported that the standing AU president from Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, had wanted to stay on as AU chairman. To read more about the just ended AU summit click here.

To learn more about President Bingu wa Mutharika click here.

The Real Big Game?

As sports fans in the United States gear-up for Super Bowl Sunday Feb 7, South African Airways reminds us that the rest of the world is waiting for the Real Big Game. For an up-to-the-second countdown to the first World Cup kick-off click here.

Time for a Change

Malawi earns up to 70 percent of its foreign exchange from tobacco. Most of it is grown in the rural areas where farmers have to transport it for long miles to the capital city, Lilongwe. Read the full VOA story. It seems that the export focus must be brought up to date with the world trends. Fewer people are smoking and cigarettes are becoming a lot more expensive.

The ASAP Africa Malawi Program helps farmers to diversify their crops while improving the growing methods. ASAP field officers teach that one way of making lasting improvements to agriculture is to switch to permaculture and organic farming techiques. It has been shown that organic fertilizers are much better for the soil as well as the crops while commercial fertilizers deplete the soil and poison the water table.

Powerless and Overwhelmed?

Being inundated daily with images of those suffering in Haiti, women and children struggling to survive in Africa, in addition to the countless local causes can leave one feeling powerless and overwhelmed. Perhaps you may even feel your contribution would be insignificant. In response:

The Starfish Story
Original Story by: Loren Eisley

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed
a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.

Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?”

The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean.
The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”

“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish?
You can’t make a difference!”

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish,
and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…”
I made a difference for that one.”

Please remember that you may never know whose life you touch with your support, but it does make a difference!

Malawi's John Chilembe Day Preceeds MLK Day

Today the world commemorates the works of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. But the world must never forget the many great African hero's that made his work possible. Last Friday in Malawi that nation recognized one such hero; in the late 1800's Reverend John Chilembwe, the great martyr of Malawi, was the first African with a sense of Malawian nationalism. After founding one of the earliest independent Christian denominations in Africa, he led a dramatic and violent uprising against colonialism.
To read more about John Chilembwe click here

Today, as in year past, the world continues to work together to fight injustice and to create the world MLK so eloquently described...

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character...
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

To read the entire speech made on August 28 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, or to view the video click here.

Malawi Partnership with India

President of Malawi Bingu wa Mutharika is quoted as stating “Sometimes I consider India as my second home.” Mutharika, pursued his Graduate and Masters degrees from Delhi University (in the Indian capital).

The Vice President Ansari of India, is pictured above with Mutharika, announcing $55 million in assistance to Malawi. It is said a new partnership in uranium exploration and mining was also discussed. To read the more click here.

Sam Worthington nor Sigourney Weaver Can Help

The current blockbuster AVATAR movie reminds us that indigenous populations are too often exploited and displaced in pursuit of precious minerals by outsiders. Many people are not aware that, just south of ASAP's office in Mutare, thousands have been relocated and endured numerous atrocities by the government because of the recent discovery of diamonds.
To read more about the Chiadzwa diamond fields click here

Unfortunately, International pressure groups have been unsuccessful in banning the sale of these diamonds.

Zimbabwe Reviews Laws Limiting Foreign Investment

Zimbabwe's Indigenization and Economic Empowerment Act, which came into force in March 2008, limits foreign stake holdings in companies in the country to 49% while a 51% stake must be held by local investors. Economic Planning Minister Elton Mangoma was reported as saying allowable shareholding may be increased to as much as 100% in some sectors. To read the entire article click here.

Luring foreign investment back to Zimbabwe will be an uphill battle. In September 2008 the World Bank's International Finance Corporation announced in their Doing Business Report 2008 that Zimbabwe is one of the worst countries in the world to do business in. To access this report click here.

Your Donation Helps Save Lives

More than a year after the signing of a power-sharing deal aimed at rescuing Zimbabwe's shattered economy, young people are still leaving the country in droves, seeking a better life in South Africa.

Although many Zimbabwean asylum requests are rejected, until its economy starts to recover, people will continue to risk their lives crossing the crocodile-infested Limpopo river to earn the hard currency their families need to buy food back home.

Click here to read the entire article recently written by Pumza Fihlani of the BBC News, Musina.

Your donation to ASAP Africa helps families generate enough income in Zimbabwe, by providing micro-finance skills training. These activities, along with enhanced agriculture production helps families to thrive during challenging economic times without risking their lives for survival.

Zimbabwe Military Deploys to Remove Country's Remaining White Farmers

Since 2000, over 4,000 farms have been redistributed in Zimbabwe. Today, the effort continues although there are few productive farms left. According to VOA, the military has now been deployed "... was ordered by the Joint Operations Command, which brings together top-level officials of the Defense Forces, Zimbabwe Republic Police, Central Intelligence Organization and the prisons." To read the entire article click here.
For further discussion click here

ASAP Africa Winter Newsletter

Please click here to read ASAP's winter newsletter. Thank you for your interest!

Holiday Greetings from Tom & Elizabeth

ASAP Africa's President, Tom Arsenault and
Executive Director Elizabeth Bara, in the US, send these words:

We believe anything is possible.
That’s what inspires us in our work.
We share this belief with many of you.
This shared faith is the driving force behind our work.
We are thankful to be truly happy and to have all that we need.
Let us discover and learn new things together in the New Year.
We appreciate your support whether large or small.
Have a Blessed Christmas and a Wonderful New Year.

Holiday Greetings from Regai Tsunga

ASAP Africa's Country Director in Zimbabwe, Regai Tsunga, send these words:

2009 has come and (almost) gone. Through our projects, we at ASAP Zimbabwe are pleased to have made a positive impact on the lives of thousands of poor and vulnerable men, women, youths and children to whom our interventions were directed. We owe this success to the cooperation and support we received from our funding partners and other state and non state actors.

From the Country Director and staff at ASAP Zimbabwe, we wish all our partners, project participants and stake-holding public the best for the festive season as we celebrate the end of another year. We thank you most heartily for your support during 2009 and look forward to the strengthening of our relationship in 2010 and beyond.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Holiday Greetings from Victor Katchika-Jere

ASAP Africa's Country Director in Malawi, Victor Katchika-Jere sends these words:

UN loophole sees Mugabe join climate talks

Copenhagen - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe arrived in Denmark on Tuesday to attend United Nations climate talks, despite Western sanctions on his travel and public disapproval from his Danish hosts. Denmark's Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said that Mugabe was allowed to attend the Copenhagen climate conference because of rules that permit him to attend UN meetings, over-riding European Union and United States travel bans. "That is the spirit of the UN - that the world needs a place where we can meet with those we basically don't like. And I guess that is how you can characterise the person you're asking about," Rasmussen said when questioned about Mugabe. Mugabe's arrival prompted local media to ask whether Danish leaders would shake the 85-year-old African leader's hand and whether, as elder statesman, Mugabe will be seated next to Denmark's Queen Margrethe at a dinner on Thursday for heads of state and government attending the climate conference.

Low Input Garden Philanthropy in Zimbabwe

Production from low input gardens (LIG) near Mutare has been so successful that LIG farmers chose to support other vulnerable individuals with products from their respective gardens by donating a week's supply of vegetables (rape, spinach and tsunga) to needy institutions in the area. This included St. Josephs Infectious Disease Hospital, Sakubva Eye Unit and Zororai Old People's Home.
ASAP is one of the Mutare base partners in The Joint Initiative Project, which is working to reduce urban vulnerability in 12 communities in 6 urban areas throughout Zimbabwe. LIG includes training in how to establish low income gardens; land preparation, seedling preparations and maintenance, mulching, inter cropping, compost making, record keeping, keyhole gardens set-up(pictured) and seed retention.

Featured here in her low input garden in Sakubva with her daughter-in-law and grand daughter is Mrs Eldina Chandakabata.

Inspiring Words from a Student Philanthropist

"I give because in my life, others have helped me move forward. You may not be able to give millions, but a little goes a long way in other countries. Some of us will waste money on useless items that will only bring us joy for a short time, but donating to a worthy cause that will truly help others, that will bring me greater joy in life. Find a project, any project that speaks to you and donate whatever you can!"

These inspiring words came in response to the question - Why do you give? Whatever your unique reasons, we hope you will consider making a year-end contribution to ASAP Africa as we work together to make poverty history. Together we will succeed!