Help train Zambian children and young people

Kaliyangile is a hive of activity!

The new computer course is very popular. There has been an increased demand for the tailoring and carpentry courses.

The agriculture activities are also progressing well. We now have the first swarm of bees populating one of the hives and hope to encourage more to join them soon. Piglets should arrive soon and they will be fattened for market. The fish have been breeding and it is hoped that the fishponds will be lined – probably with concrete – so that they will get a new home and the students will be able to become more involved in the business of fish farming.

Persis the manager writes:

"Hi Chris, Hope you are enjoying good health.

In addition to training in tailoring and carpentry the students are now receiving some tuition in the use of computers and agriculture. Training in bee-keeping is due to start in January. 

The piggery is now in operation adding a further opportunity for the students to gain knowledge of farming.

The centre is still very busy maintaining poultry, fish and cattle as well as growing maize and beans during the rainy season and tomatoes, rape, okra and other vegetables all year around.

The incubator provided last year has enabled nearly 500 pullets to be reared – these will take over the egg production when the current hens are sold for food. The incubator has also allowed guinea fowl and quail to be reared.

All this provides a rich experience for the students and a chance to understand how they can help provide for their families by keeping a few animals or growing their own food. 

In due course the piggery will help the centre towards self-sufficiency. In the meantime there are challenges to keep the pigs well fed so they grow fat for market. 

Kaliyangile continues to face challenges, but, with your help, it is very busy doing all it can to improve the lives of disadvantaged teenagers in Chisamba, Zambia.

Please continue with your support so that more can be given skills that will allow them to provide for their families.

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The new academic year is just starting and there is a lot of interest from young people wanting to study at the Centre. New staff have been engaged to undertake the training in carpentry and tailoring. The Department of Forestry has been impressed with the bee-keeping programme and has offered to provide training in bee-keeping. Seeing all the activity taking place around the centre, the students are keen to gain extra knowledge about agriculture and bee-keeping in addition to the more formal carpentry and tailoring courses.

The project has been busy during the year. Despite poor rains 30 x 50Kg bags of maize were produced - most of this is being used as part of the feed for the chickens. Tomatoes, okra, impwa, chibwabwa, rape and cabbages are also being grown and sold from the vegetable garden. The chickens are doing well - producing eggs (about 250 a day) for the local community. The Guinea fowl will also start delivering eggs very soon. The dairy cattle are thriving thanks to the new irrigation system generating luscious grass in the paddock. The piggery is also in operaton and is expected to make a significant contribution to the income for the project, as well as providing another opportunity for the students to learn.

The chance to learn agricultural skills helps the students to be better equipped to sustain themselves and their families and is a valuable addition to their technical skills. Wth your help the students will leave Kaliyangile equipped to provide a sustainable future for themselves and their families.

I have just returned from a two month visit to Zambia.

Despite the rain stopping early, a reasonable maize crop is expected. The poultry and dairy projects are doing well. Guinea fowl and fish are now mature and ready to increase their numbers to provide a good stock of both.The guinea fowl were the first birds to be reared from eggs using a new incubator recently donated

The centre is now accredited to Teveta – the local training body – and is able to undertake examinations on site. Unfortunately staffing issues prevented the tailoring students from sitting their exams last term. We hope to have a new trainer in post soon and the students will then be able to sit their exams – in the meantime at least two are producing goods and selling them to help maintain themselves and their families. Another past student is keeping chickens to earn a living.

It was agreed to try to increase community involvement in the project and encourage local youth leaders to make use of the facilities for their own activities where it doesn't impact on the training operations. It is likely that some sports and other activities will take place at the centre, leading to more young people becoming involved in learning skills. It is also important to help the young people to be encouraged to get involved in positive activities, rather than drifting into the local bars.

While I was at the Centre the first 5 beehives were set up by the orchard. A further 15 hives have been constructed and will be positioned in due course.

The water supply has been improved and an irrigation system has been purchased for the paddock where a special grass has been planted for the animals. This is expected to improve the milk yield and ensure the animals are kept healthy.

There has been a delay with the piggery because of the restrictions imposed due to an outbreak of swine flu. This is expected to be resolved shortly and the pigs will be introduced to the site.

The added awareness of the community has sparked new interest from some of the young people in the area, keen to learn some skills. There are increased opportunities available as a result of the increased variety of agricultural activities now taking place, with the potential to change the lives of many of the local disadvantaged teenagers.

After a slow start to the rainy season the rains have been better than last year - promising a reasonable harvest. Some maize and beans are well on their way at Kaliyangile. These crops will be primarily used to feed the students and the livestock.

An introductory course in bee-keeping was given in December and, when the rains stop next month, the bee-hives will be sited around the Centre and the real work will begin.

The tailoring students are proving themselves competent and are starting to earn some money. They are currently using the equipment at the Centre to establish themselves – some have now been able to buy their own sewing machines and begin to start their own businesses.

On the poultry side, the new layers are now becoming productive, laying about 250 eggs a day. There is a great demand for eggs in Chisamba with a steady stream of customers visiting the centre daily.

The piggery is ready to receive a pregnant sow. This will mark the start of this new enterprise.

I hear also that the fish have grown well in the small reservoir on site and will soon be ready for market.

In recent months calves have been born and the milk production will be increased.

I will be visiting Zambia next month and will spend some time at Kaliyangile working with the local management to see how we can further improve the opportunities for the local teenagers. By introducing them to a range of skills we hope to enable them to provide for themselves and their families.

Thank you for your support!