MWANDI ORPHAN & VULNERABLE PROJECT SUPPORT TEAM INC.

SUSTAINABILITY  PROJECTS  AT MWANDI OVC  2021/22

In 1999 Fiona Dixon-Thompson was called by God to go back to Africa after volunteering 1998 with MMM  a group from Tasmania to Nadola Zambia.

All her life Fiona was involved in the Methodist/Uniting Church so naturally she wanted to go through United Church of Africa.

Rev John Barr found a placement for her in the Western Province of Zambia,  a remote Village, Mwandi  with a Uniting Church of Zambia Mission Hospital. Mwandi situated by the Zambezi  River.  They were asking for a person to build up the vegetable Garden connecting a Pumping System. Owing that Fiona had qualifications for repairs & installation etc. for Pumps, Irrigation, Bores and also a Course in Horticulture, a perfect placement for her.

UCZ  had a contract with Fiona at $10,000AUD per annum.

Over a period of time Fiona noticed a growing number of children around not accompanied by a parent or care giver. She then realized their parents had died owing to the HIV/AID epidemic which was rampaging throughout the Lozi  People  in Mwandi  scattered  Village of approximately 10,000.

Fiona acquired land from Senior Chief Inyambo Yeta to build a Volunteers House for her and volunteers.

A large building was built for Orphan & Vulnerable Children, with Kitchen, ablution block, to accommodate with plans for feeding, nutrition and medical checks. Approximately 350 children came for their lunch, also reading  and especially being shown Christian love for these children. A Pre-School also took place,  A Education Sponsorship program commenced..

These Projects were run by local persons with Fiona as Coordinator of the project,  at the same time teaching locals to take various paid and volunteer positions at the Centre.  Volunteers from mainly Australia and later  other countries came to assist .

The year 2013 we receive correspondence from Uniting Church of Australia  whom then changed their title to be knows as Uniting World and joined with the Government body Aus Aid informing Mwandi OVC Projects  disclosing their closure of funding by June 2014, a great blow and disappointment…....a great shock at the time.

In turn the dedicated small committee at Uniting Hill Uniting Church Port Lincoln Australia then took the challenge on.

Vehicles were purchased.........

Offices were built, a micro financed Sewing Centre,  Carpentry Work Shop with a local teacher, Warehouse, Recreation Hall for Youth.     

 A Vegetable Garden and Nursery was run & managed by locals. In 2011 a very large Agriculture Farm was built at the OVC aiming to also supply food  to sell to the village people.

·      A Piggery

·      Milking Cows

·      Angus Beef

·      Laying Hens + meat birds

·      Cool room,  Fridges, Abattoirs/butchery

·      Fish Farm

·      Volunteers built a International Visitors House

Up until about 7 years ago. 5 x 40ft containers were filled with wish list items from Fiona and shipped over. This included a massive lathe and planing machine. The local stores person carefully catalogued a register of items that were eventually distributed into the community over time.

Fiona’s husband Rury Waddell applied for a position with World Renew, in Malawi. The   family Rury, Fiona, Lucy & Cora  left the project.  UCZ Synod recruited another co Ordinator in 2014. Lack of leadership unfortunately waned some projects until Mubita was employed by UCZ in 2017 to successfully rebuild a strong team.

In early two thousand and twenty, Mubita left and during the pandemic Bishop Roy appointed the Mwandi Deaconess Judith also as the new co-ordinator. With dual roles, Judith has continually supported the team utilising her very strong networking skills.

The entire team in Mwandi are local Africans and they are supported from the Mwandi OVC Support Team in Australia.

Donations came forward to further the employees qualifications i.e.

    Counsellors

    Book keeper/Treasurer

    Farm Management       

Sustainability Projects still in place: 

A substantial  bequeath allowed the locals to build six flats that are now rented out.

A  Fish Farm obtaining assistance from local Fisheries Dept has been developed

The original Vegetable  Garden has continued to thrive with their own nursery and Irrigation.

Slip bee hives were given a go???

Mention how they managed Covid? Meal deliveries, councillor visitations…..??

The Australian teams aim is to make the project more self-sustainable.

Strategies 

-        Pursue a self-empowering model where we encourage the local team to take ownership with their ideas and aspirations for the children and families of Mwandi.

-        Continue to work alongside the locals objectives resisting any paternalistic approaches.

-        Support the local team in developing a business plan with realistic obtainable goals.

-        Empower via Whats App and Zoom meetings

-        Ensure our current transparency practices are maintained with integrity across teams here and within Mwandi.

-        Honour the locals at every opportunity for with their hearts of faith as they keep the wheels turning – often at the coal face of despair.