1. Against
The
Odds

3. Zambia has over 11 million people (11,261,795) by 2005 estimates
Zambia has over 11 million people (11,261,795) by 2005 estimates. This makes it scarcely populated geographically. Fortunately, with a long history of coexistence, the many tribes seem to get along pretty well. In spite of having many natural resources, much of Zambia remains desperately poor. Majority of Zambian population lives on subsistence agriculture

4. Village in Kalomo

5. The Presentation Sisters took a step to make a difference in the lives of a small group.

6. “Spend yourself for the poor”
-Nano Nagle
(Foundress of Presentation Sisters)

7. The Story of Bakhita Women
Bakhita, whose name the group took is an African woman saint who believed in her dreams even against all odds.
Bakhita Women

8. They came together to support each other as they met in a simple exercise of knitting club. They received the profit when they were able to finish knitting a cardigan and sell it. They repaid for the wool which became the rolling fund to buy more wool.

9. Srs. Lynette and Numba led them in prayer and listened to their heart’s pains. Pains of how to feed extra mouths when they struggled to feed their children, How to send children to school, and take care of books and uniforms, How to be present in a crises of losing their loved ones, How to support each other at funerals in their homes and neighborhood

10. Thus, when the consciousness
arose to make
poverty history
in Africa,
they planted a
small
seed
in Kalomo.

11. When it became difficult to get the land on lease we looked for funds to match with our savings and bought a plot of land (20 hectors) and decided to put a borehole and plant vegetables. They were advised by the agricultural officers not to put a bore hole in that area as it would not have water in the dry months when we most need it. They became more conscious of Planet Earth and how its resources are being depleted and how global warming is affecting them year after year as drought or floods destroyed their fields and with it shattering their hopes. This made them dream of harnessing the rain water. Their dream became bigger when they learned it is possible to make a weir dam to harness rain water using the soil from the anthills that were plentiful on their land and the boundary of the their land had a dry riverbed

12. While waiting for the dream of a dam to become a reality, they cleared the land and planted maize and got a good harvest.

16. Orphans helped in the weeding & harvesting

17. Shelling & packing maize in bags

18. A dam was designed and they began clearing the site for the dam,

20. digging the core trench

21. They collected the sand which was later used to make bricks

23. When the bricks were made they used the trees which had to be cut down while clearing the land, for baking the bricks.

25. Core trench washed away in the rain
Hiring the machinery for building the dam wall required more money and even though the application was approved, money was not released. So all the effort put into the digging of the trench went in vain. The rains came in torrents and washed away the core trench. But they did not give up hope. The following year they received the needed money and were able to complete the dam wall, built with anthill soil only.

26. Using the machinery to build the dam wall with anthill soil

27. Machines compact the soil in the core trench

29. Who benefits the harnessed water?
Bakhita women: For orchards, Vegetable gardens, For maize planting, For animal farming, Fish farming
Neighboring villages: for drinking and for their livestock

30. At last the dam wall was ready and they waited for the rain water
At last the dam wall was ready and they waited for the rain water. Not a bag of cement was used to build the wall.

31. Future Plans
In Irrigation
Buy treadle pumps, Control the gullies on the embankmentPlanting fruit trees, Plant trees for manure making, Fence the dam area, To create fish ponds, Piggery
Regular maintenance on the dam, Buy a tractor and a harrow to plough and other equipments for gardening

32. Store house built from anthill soil and bricks

33. They have cattle & goats now

34. Their engagements now
Training in goat rearing and putting structures for them
Training in piggery

35. Building some structures for women to stay in the area, work is in progress

36. VICTORIA FALLS

37. Twalumba Kapati
Thank You

38. honoring the work of the
Presented by Prema Antony pbvm, International Presentation Association of the Presentation Sisters,
honoring the work of the
Bakhita Women
Special thanks to Lynette & Numba pbvm who are part of the Bakhita Women
Copyright, 5th May 2008