Mainner, her husband and their four children live in the town of Pemba, where she’s managed to extend growing to get by into a successful business, supplying vast amounts of nutritious crops for food producers — in spite of the ever-present risk of drought and floods destroying all. “I used to struggle to feed my family or dress my children, but I changed my life for the better when I diversified my farm and started selling in bulk,” says Mainer, who like thousands of farmers in Zambia’s Southern Province, is supported by the World Food Programme (WFP). “This year, I’m hoping to aggregate 700 metric tons of cowpeas, maize, soya beans and groundnuts,” she adds. Despite success stories such as hers, the fact that 35 percent of children aged under 5 suffer stunting and 12 percent are underweight suggests that food systems — the production, distribution and consumption of foods — are not robust enough to meet the needs of large sections of society.  Zambia’s smallholder farmers produce 90 percent of the country’s supply of food, but they are highly dependent on rainfall. Even a slight change in temperature or water levels can affect crops like maize. The resulting slowdown in food prices sends prices rocketing. In a country where annual food inflation is at a five-year high, a decrease in output can have devastating consequences and not just for the farmers. People in urban areas in particular, who are already struggling to put food on the table, will, with a depreciating currency, be priced out of the market — in 2020, the prices of goods and services increased by 22.2 percent.  On the other hand, a plentiful harvest can also have its downfalls. Inadequate capacity to store, market and transport food surpluses causes farmers’ incomes and food quality to drop. For farmers without adequate storage facilities, up to 40 percent of food is wasted or spoiled.  The consumption of nutritious food — especially among smallholder farming families — is limited by over-reliance on maize production coupled with their geographical isolation. Making a living In 2017, Mainner started working with WFP to boost and diversify her yield. Before that, she only grew maize — a crop that is highly susceptible to drought and flooding.  So-called climate-smart practices meant she’d no longer loosen the soil before planting, which leads to its progressive degradation and a loss of nutrients.  Training in conservation agriculture changed her prospects. She began to use organic fertilizer and a technique of minimal soil disturbance to grow a variety of drought-tolerant crops. “This improved my yields, income from selling and nutrition for my family,” she says. Mainner is also empowered by access to climate information — WFP has installed 165 rain gauges in the area. Farmers are trained to measure, record and disseminate rainfall data, which helps them to make the right decision on what crops to plant and when. “If I’m told that there won’t be much rain in a season, I go for short-maturing varieties,” she says. “I share all this information with my fellow farmers. If they are affected by climate shocks, I am too. I lose business if I can't aggregate their crops.”  Mainner decided to start bulking and selling aggregated crops through WFP’s Virtual Farmers Market mobile app, which connects farmers with potential buyers, helping them get more competitive prices. She also sells to larger buyers from Pemba town. “I started using some of my savings and income to buy and bulk crops. Over the past two years, I’ve managed to sell over 500 metric tons of cowpeas, soybeans, orange maize, white maize and groundnuts,” she says. “Before a season starts, I ask buyers about their demand for the year. I share this information with the farmers I buy from, so that we can meet their demands,” she adds. Mainner hires a tractor to help collect produce from hard-to-reach areas. She stores all her aggregated crops in airtight bags — a low-cost, post-harvest tech that eliminates the risk of pests by suffocating any insects and preventing others from entering. This helps to reduce food losses and allows Mainner to sell her produce when market prices are higher.  “The shed and airtight bags have really helped me. Before, I stored crops in my house and could only aggregate small amounts,” she says. “Now, I buy from almost 400 farmers. My dream is to start selling fertilizer and seeds in this shed as well. It will help farmers access what they need without having to travel long distances into town.” To improve healthy diets, Mainner advocates for farmers to start growing nutritious crops and processing healthy food.  “I’ve started to make a range of food products out of cowpeas, soybeans, orange maize and groundnuts to feed my family. My children’s favourite is groundnut peanut butter. We eat it with sweet potato,” she says.  “We no longer have a problem with nutrition. We make our own food and can afford to buy what we do not grow,” she says. See Mainner's story on YouTube: https://youtu.be/v7aKMm4dGWU

Coronavirus has turned every aspect of life in Zambia upside down. Tourism has drastically reduced, trade and livelihoods have been severely disrupted, schools have closed for extended periods and food prices have increased. Even before the pandemic begin, over 54 per cent of the population of nearly 18 million people were poor; most rely on informal labour to get by, with incomes as low as just over US$1 per day. With the socio-economic challenges brought about by COVID-19, the risk is that these vulnerable households will adapt negative coping strategies to survive – skipping meals, selling possessions, and prioritizing basic food over school fees/attendance.  During this challenging time, the Government of Zambia with the support of the United Nations (WFP, UNICEF, ILO and UNDP – are working together to provide cash assistance to 1.2 million vulnerable people to help them meet their basic needs during the pandemic. Below, we look at how different households have used the ZMW2,400 ($106), which covers a six-month emergency period.  Five people in Zambia explain what this cash assistance means to them.  John Ilunga, 25, Kitwe In 2015, John Ilunga was working in a cement factory when a heavy bucket of cement mix fell on his neck, paralysing him from the neck down. Ilunga, 25, lives with his parents, seven siblings, and two nieces, in Kitwe, one of the country's industrial centres.  “Life has always been tough here, but it has become really tough,” says Ilunga. “My siblings used to get work in the mines and furniture factories two to three times a week — just enough for us to get by and pay for my basic medical needs. Since the outbreak of coronavirus, they are lucky to find work even once a month.” Illunga's family have been surviving on the little money his mother received volunteering with her church. No longer able to afford all the essentials, they were forced to make the impossible choice between supporting John’s medical bills and putting food on the table.  “We had to cut back on my medical expenses and prioritize food for the family. My family could no longer buy medicines and food high in protein to help build muscle strength, or afford physio or medical equipment such as catheters,’’ says Illunga.  “I was devastated,” he says. “The doctors said with the right treatment and by eating two eggs a day I could gain some movement back. I have made progress in my recovery since the accident — a few years ago. I started to get movement back in my arms. I was worried this would all be for nothing.”  Day by day, Ilunga was seeing his body get weaker and weaker, until he woke up to a message saying that his family will receive $106 through mobile money to help meet their food and other essential needs.  The cash assistance means that the family can now buy nutritious food. “My father used some of the money to buy eggs to help with my recovery. He also bought maize meal, soy chunks, bread, tomatoes and onions,” says Ilunga.  The assistance has given his family much more than just food on their plates. It has provided hope for the future.  “We have some cash left to buy medicine to start rebuilding my muscle strength again. We still can’t afford physio, but this is a start. It’s restored my hope for the future — and with the right medicine, one day I might be able to walk again,” he says. Agnes Mumba, 56, lost her husband in 2002. Out of her five children, she has outlived two. Agnes lives in Ndola, the second largest city of Zambia.  ‘’Since my husband died, life has not been easy. It’s been a struggle looking after my children,’’ says Agnes. ‘’My only source of income came from buying and reselling roasted groundnuts outside my home. When we had no sales, we had no money and couldn’t afford to buy other food like mealie meal, fish and vegetables. We would only eat roasted groundnuts on those days,’’ Agnes says. Agnes used half of her cash assistance to expand her business – she bought eggs, tomatoes, onions, fish, cooking oil and avocados to resell. She also bought iron sheets to improve her small market stand. ‘’I’m now able to make around 20 to 50 kwacha profit per day. I keep investing the profit back into the business to ensure I can survive after the cash assistance stops,’’ Agnes says.  ‘’I’m planning on using the rest of the cash to pay for my daughter to re-sit her Grade 12 exams. I’m also sending my eldest son money for food to support him during his college scholarship. I hope that they will have financial stability and be able to uplift our family one day,’’ Agnes says.   Emmanuel Katwishi is 62 years old and lives in Mufulira, known for copper mining. He lives with his wife, two children and two grandchildren. For the last few years, mobility has been a challenge for Emmanuel. He suffers from back pain, leg pain and walks with a stick. His eldest son has a hearing impairment and is unable to work.  ‘’My wife looks after us. Before coronavirus she used to sell homemade samosas outside our house, but business became slow. People were afraid of buying the samosas in case they catch the virus,’’ Emmanuel says. ‘’We started to cut back on meals. On good days we would have two meals a day and on bad days we would only eat sweet potatoes,’’ says Emmanuel. Emmanuel has been very careful with the cash assistance he received and decided to buy fertilizer to help his maize crops grow on a rented plot four hours away from his home, tended to by his wife. ‘’I want to make sure I can support my family once the cash assistance stops. I hope to have a good harvest and get at least 15 x 50kg bags of maize,’’ says Emmanuel. He plans on using some of his harvest to feed his family and on selling the surplus to buy other food items such as fish and beans. ‘’I will also use some of the profit to buy fertilizer again for next year. I want to make sure my family always has enough food and income to get by and have a good life,’’ says Emmanuel. Emmanuel used his remaining cash to expand the market stall outside his home where his wife sells samosas.  ‘’My wife is on her way to the market right now to buy fish and beans, which we will repack and sell. People are getting used to the new normal and are venturing back to our stall,’’ he says. Philemon Chisala is 60 and a father of six. He helps care for his five grandchildren and daughter living with autism.  Philemon has been a farmer all his life – renting a small plot of land two hours away from his home in Mufulira. He used some of his cash to rent an extra plot of land. ‘’On my old plot, I only used to harvest around 10 x 50kg bags of maize. With my new plot, I hope to harvest around 30 x 50kg bags of maize,’’ he says. Philemon will use his harvest to feed his family, buy other types of food such as fish and beans and pay for his children’s school fees. Looking forward, he also used the cash assistance to pay his deposit for the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP). ‘’I used ZMW 400 for the FISP so that I will get 50kg of fertilizer to help my crops grow next year. Without the cash assistance, it would have taken me more than four months to save that amount,’’ he says. Philemon now uses his extra savings to buy masks and soaps to keep safe during the pandemic, as well as healthy food to keep his family strong. ‘’It is important that my children and grandchildren eat healthy meals every day in order to be protected from coronavirus,’’ he says. Gertrude Lengwe is 57. She takes care of her four grandchildren, who lost both their parents.  Before the cash assistance, she was scrambling for cash by selling tomatoes and doing informal daily labour for her neighbours. One of her grandchildren had broken her arm at school and she could not afford to pay for a cast. Generously, her neighbour lent her ZMW 200 to help. As soon as she got the cash assistance, Gertrude paid back her debt to her neighbour. She also bought more tomatoes to continue her business, paid for school fees, purchased soap and bought mealie meal, fish and cooking oil to feed her family. ‘’My children are now eating three times a day, sometimes even four,’’ she says.  

Responding to the COVID-19 crisis in Zambia, local authorities, backed by UNDP Accelerator Labs, Sweden & Ireland, are racing to prevent the virus from overcoming communities & market areas most prone to contagion. A stack of unsold fruits and vegetables is an unsettling sight for fruits vendor Catherine Malupa, reminding her of the daily struggle to feed her five children as COVID-19 threatens the livelihoods of tens of thousands of informal traders, mainly women across Zambia. “I had to borrow money to pay my children’s school fees. My business had been doing well but COVID-19 has pushed me in an awkward situation. Feeding my family is another daily worry,” said the 53-years-old widow whose only wish is for the coronavirus to “go away soon.” Catherine’s situation mirrors many vendors, mostly single mums in Zambia who are reliant on income from day-to-day commerce on the streets and in crowded markets to put food on their table. The vast majority of Zambia’s marketeers are women who, according to United Nations data, account for most of the over 65.4 percent of Zambians who work in the informal sector. The pandemic has increased the debt burden on these women and pushed their families to the brink of poverty. FEAR OF CONTAGION Marketeers like Catherine are particularly vulnerable not only because of the premium on space in the markets, but traders touch paper money and coins all day, which can transmit the virus. Moreover, overcrowding also makes social distancing impossible in the markets where tracing carriers and their contacts is a major challenge. “I’m praying that COVID-19 doesn’t enter the shanty communities and the markets because if that happens, it will be very disastrous for Zambia,” says Catherine. According to government figures, an estimated 70 percent of the urban population in Zambia resides in informal settlements, housing millions of people, where the key to containing the spread – frequent hand washing and social distancing - are not feasible.  Families in many slum communities also live in just one bedroom, making the space for self-isolation impossible to reduce the chance of infection. Zambia has seen a sudden surge in deaths and case numbers since early May, leading to fears about the strain on the health service.  Zambia's COVID-19 positivity rate, which was around five percent for most of April, rose to 19 percent in June. Active cases increased to over 900, from around 400 at the start of the month, according to the health ministry. The southern African nation has recorded since the beginning of the pandemic in March last year more than 149,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with more than 2,000 deaths. Health experts fear the respiratory disease could have a catastrophic impact on a country with a shaky healthcare system and where access to basic sanitation and clean water for hand washing are out of reach for many in mostly densely packed communities. SAFETY MEASURES However, with support from UN entities and cooperating partners, the government has put in place a series of public health measures including mandatory mask wearing to curb the transmission rate. Since mid-June, the government has closed schools temporarily and banned super spreader events including weddings, saying large gatherings risked spreading the COVID-19 virus. But for traders like Catherine, losing daily wages because of COVID-19 health measures severely threaten their ability to feed their families. RISING TO THE CHALLENGE Eager to regain her livelihood hit by weary buyers, Catherine knows one way to stem the spread of COVID-19 is through individual and collective actions. So she signed up as a volunteer on the Health Committee of a small community market in Lusaka’s Nyumba Yanga under the pilot phase of the Safe Markets, Safe Communities project, an initiative aimed at ensuring that community markets are compliant to COVID-19 public health regulations while protecting livelihoods. The project is implemented by the Lusaka City Council and the Ministry of Health with co-funding from the Governments of Sweden, Ireland and UNDP Accelerator Labs with support from the Government of Zambia and the United Nations Joint Programme on Gender-Based Violence Phase II (GRZ-UN JP GBV). The Safe Markets, Safe Communities project works closely with the departments of public health from the City Council and the Ministry of Health through established community structures namely Community Based Volunteers and market committees from three residential areas of Nyumba Yanga, Chilenje and Lilanda. SAVING LIVES AND LIVELIHOODS Armed with basic training on safety and hygiene, face masks, thermometer and messages approved by the Ministry of Health, Catherine Mulapa walks 3 kilometers every morning from her house to the market not only to sell perishable vegetables and fruits but to do a job few others would contemplate in a pandemic - check the temperatures of arriving buyers and fellow marketeers. The mother of five is not a nurse or medic of any sort - just one of hundreds of ordinary Zambian women who are battling the virus in their communities. “I help sensitise people on the benefits of marketeers wearing masks and the confidence it gives to customers,” she said.   At a small community market in Lilanda, health committee member Emma Nanyangwe, 49, is seen checking the temperatures of arriving buyers, dispelling myths and educating people about the dangers of COVID-19. “With everyone wearing a mask and social distancing, marketeers and buyers are feeling safer,” Emma said. Fruits vendor Cecelia Banda from Lusaka’s Chilenje Market and her family have been dependent on her income from her business, which has dwindled due to the coronavirus pandemic. With four children to feed, the 42-years old said the virus has created “a mental burden” for her and it affects her family’s income. “I want my livelihood back! I come here every morning, making sure that both buyers and sellers comply with health regulations so that we are all safe,” she says. As transmission of the third wave of the coronavirus spreads, market officials say women like Catherine, Emma and Cecelia are essential foot soldiers in the war on COVID-19. “They already have a wide range of knowledge and experience from dealing with cholera outbreaks to malaria prevention in the markets,” one market official said. According to market officials, the three markets have been a lot safer - compared with other markets - because of the intervention. “We haven’t had a single COVID-19 case at our market since the project started last year,” another official said. Catherine, Emma and Cecelia are among 1,900 traders including 950 women trained by the project to spread awareness about the virus, identify people with symptoms and help trace those with whom they may have had contacts. As an entry point, 75 community-based volunteers and market safety officers were also trained using existing community health training modules with the aim to reach households at community levels on the importance of complying to health guidelines. To support compliance among vendors and customers, the project provided face masks, fumigation equipment and thermometers as well as soap and water dispensers so people can wash their hands before entering the markets. For continuous awareness on safety and hygiene, communication materials on how to wear a face mask and how to make a cloth mask using local materials were provided. THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP With implementation support from UNDP Accelerated Labs and funding from the Governments of Sweden and Ireland through the GRZ-UN JP GBV, the Lusaka City Council and the Ministry of Health are making efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19 amid fears it could have disastrous effects for the country’s shanty communities and market areas most prone to contagion. “The project is strengthening knowledge as well as individual and collective responsibilities toward adhering to public health regulations and preventing the spread of the deadly virus in our markets,” says Lusaka Deputy Mayor, Christopher Shakafuswa who is now contesting a parliamentary seat in the capital, Lusaka. The Swedish Ambassador to Zambia, Anna Maj Hultgård said that the project would ensure gender equality and the empowerment of women by implementing affirmative action for sustaining women’s economic activities in the selected markets. “The safe markets project is an example of efforts to reduce vulnerability to Gender-Based Violence by addressing the economic disempowerment of women resulting from restrictions around COVID-19. The safe markets will enable women, which are the majority of traders in the market, to continue trading in a way that minimizes or at least limits the risk of COVID-19,” she said. Through UNDP support, several educational materials have also been created and shared to support the outreach effort in communities across the country. UNDP is working together with other UN agencies to end the scourge, as well as helping the government develop a national recovery strategy. This aims to rebuild the livelihoods of those most affected and strengthen the government’s capacity to restore essential services. An enhanced UN-wide response provides psychosocial interventions which are helping to prevent infection through water, sanitation and hygiene services. “UNDP is supporting the Safe Markets initiative as part of the UN Zambia support to the Government’s response to COVID-19. UNDP hopes that by collectively rethinking and adapting existing market models to COVID-19 Compliant Models, community behaviour will be positively impacted, thus leading to the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 arising from community ownership while preserving the livelihoods of communities,” says UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, Roland Seri. “The pandemic has put the life of everyone at stake, but we will get over this difficulty if we all do what is needed to keep safe,” says Nora Ngosa, head of the Chilenje Market.  She said the swift and early action by the Safe Markets, Safe Communities project is helping to make community markets safer, noting that constant vigilance is needed to beat COVID-19. PUBLIC HEALTH AWARENESS Zambia has long raised public health awareness through TV, radio spots and songs. Radio stations play COVID-19 awareness jingles on repeat and encouraged residents to stay safe. TV stations air sensitisation programmes to help viewers learn more about COVID-19 and its consequences, but also to promote ways to avoid its spread within communities. While the government and health experts see social media as a fast and efficient way to help a large number of people, mainly youths stay healthy during the outbreak, not everyone is able to go online whenever they need information about the virus. And then there is the challenge of getting information out to everyone in a population whose members practice a variety of cultures and speak a vast array of local languages. Radio broadcasts and door to door sensitisation have been the most efficient means to raise awareness in local languages and fight stigma arising from the pandemic, especially in most-at risk communities. “There is a need to scale-up the Safe Markets, Safe Communities initiative and increase awareness,” says Benjamin Mungole, head of the Nyumba Yanga Market, “so that ignorance does not facilitate the spread of the virus.” POTENTIAL TO SCALE UP UNDP’s Gender Programme Coordinator, Shupe Makashinyi, said the pandemic could lead to a rise in all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence (based on anecdotal reports from partners) and UNDP intends to scale-up the Safe Markets model to help address the impact of COVID-19 on women and girls in the context of Gender Based Violence.       “Social and economic strains - compounded by COVID-19 restrictions - could potentially make women and girls more prone to physical and sexual violence, ” she said. There are no official statistics on the number of cases of violence against women and girls during the pandemic in Zambia but calls to helplines had supposedly surged more than 10-fold when the partial lockdown measures were imposed last year. Market officials say the safe markets model can be instrumental in helping women vendors - giving them greater autonomy and access to services as well as life-saving information. Article first appeared on Exposure  Story by Moses Zangar, Jr., Communications Specialist/UNDP Zambia.    

The Zambian contingent (ZAMBATT VI) deployed to Birao in the north of the Central African Republic has handed over a furnished house to the previously homeless Tongoushi family – providing them with not only much-needed shelter but also a foundation on which to rebuild their shattered lives. It was during one of their routine community outreach activities that the contingent’s Female Engagement Team (FET) found the family of four, including one minor, near the ZAMBATT Toumou check-point Temporary Operating Base. They are among the countless victims of conflict in the Central African Republic – all the adults in the family are suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder. With shelter among the most pressing of their needs, the Zambian peacekeepers mobilized resources through their chaplaincy department – in the form of offertory – for the construction and furnishing of a house for the Tougoushis, at a cost of 1,109,500 CFA francs. While handing over the house, Vakaga Prefect Leonard Mbelle described the gesture by the UN peacekeepers as “not only testament to the contingent’s support towards the community but also the love of God”. He called on the community to learn a valuable lesson of sharing with others and praised the ZAMBATT chaplain for incorporating the local clergy into his fold, as a demonstration of the good that can be achieved when religious leaders unite for the benefit of the community. In the same spirit, the Mayor of Birao Sultan Amgabo expressed gratitude to the Zambian blue helmets for their continued support. He said that the residents of Vakaga were able to engage in agriculture thanks to the safe and secure environment that the UN peacekeepers help ensure. He further lauded the ZAMBATT Female Engagement Team for empowering the local women of Birao, Am-Dafock and other areas through providing them with capital for income-generating activities. Bessan Vikou, the head of the MINUSCA office in Birao, congratulated ZAMBATT for coming to the aid of the vulnerable family while highlighting the joint efforts of the Mission and the local leadership to improve the quality of life of the population in their area of responsibility. ZAMBATT contingent commander, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Sapezo, said that the contingent’s chaplaincy department actively conducts community outreach programmes which are aimed at “taking charity work closer to the people”. The Minusca Force conducts monthly patrols during which it checks on the welfare of the Tongoushi family members, who were abandoned by their relatives and lack any means to sustain themselves. The family is regularly supported with food items, clothing and medicine courtesy of both the contingent’s Female Engagement Team and chaplaincy. Significantly, the ZAMBATT chaplaincy has also footed the bill for the child’s schooling for this year.