Read more (pdf) Newsletter from Zambia, July 2010ed2 »

Once again I find myself back in Zambia for another spell as chaplain of Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation (MEF). I came back at the end of January escaping the frozen north arriving in Zambia just after the mid point of the rainy season. It was a warm welcome in every sense of the word –there was a most spectacular thunder storm just two days after I came. It was at night and remained very close for over an hour, so my house was lit up with lightening as if it was day time. The noise is indescribable . . . let’s just say it is big and loud.

Adrian Hendy

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Dancing together at the farewell party in October.

Combining business with pleasure is fun. A recent opportunity for friends of Zambia and members of the Swedish-Zambian Association took place October 17 in Stockholm.

Organisers of the event were board members Lisa Arrehag, Anna Tyllström and Ylva Werlinder as well as member Åsa Knutsson.

The event was a combined fundraising function and farewell party for Linda Malukutu, Don Mwindilila and Bruce Mubanga  from the Youth Rights project that Swe-Zam supports in Kitwe. The function capped a two-week visit by the trio, and was also the second stage in a SweZam exchange project (for more details of their visit please see other articles).

Rolf and Anna introducing the SweZam project.

After initial mingling, the guests were invited to help themselves to the tasty dishes that had been prepared by some of the organisers. The meal was followed with a presentation of the Youth Rights project at Mindolo, outside Kitwe. The Zambia visitors, their Swe-Zam exchange counterparts Karin Johansson and Ylva Werlinder as well as Swe-Zam Chairman Rolf Svanström shared impressions of the project, some of the impact and how it has evolved.

The presentation included photos and video footage from the visits to Mindolo and a nearby school and meetings with youth, parents and teachers.

Greta and Anna talking - SweZam members sharing experiences.

After endulging in all this “food for thought” it was time for desert – coffee and brownies. This was accompanied by a fascinating musical tour of Africa by Namibian-born musician Tauna Niingungo. He sang and played a variety of instruments ranging from thumb pianos of different sizes to percussion instruments including a South American tube filled with pebbles that made sounds like rain or runnng water. Pure magic.

Members of the female art collective Hakka  meanwhile joined in a fashion show displaying classic designs by honorary Swe-Zam member Anna-Greta Mattsson  (under her label “Anna-Greta of Zambia) to comfortable capris-style Makame pants that Anna Tyllström imports.

HAKKA and guests dancing together at the party.

The show ended with a lively dance along, and many of the guests jumped off their chairs to join in the jive before it was time to select the winners of the raffle. A dozen or lucky winners were applauded and cheered, while those of us who failed to win were heartened at the thought of knowing that we had contributed to a worthy cause.

By now the evening was drawing to a close and guests started to leave, lucky raffle winners with their prizes; others wearing a Swedish-Zambian flag pin on their lapels – the pins were also sold as part of the fundraising activity that generated a good contribution to the Youth Rights Information Centre.

Text: Lennart Simonsson, SweZam board

Sharing of experiences between RFSU and SweZam.

RFSU (the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education) welcomed us on a Thursday afternoon. Sharing experiences of our projects – both of them focusing on gender issues.

Thursday 15th of October
Olle Wängborg and Eva Magnusson informed us about RFSU, the background of the association, that they belong to the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF, which also the partner in Zambia, PPAZ does),  the projects they are running, and most of all the project that they had running in Zambia and other parts of southern Africa, Young Men as Equal Partners (YMEP).

They have carried out the YMEP in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia in a school setting. It started with a pilot period 2000-2003 and the final part of the project (which started in 2004) has now come to an end (for detailed information on the project, please visit the very detailed website http://www.rfsu.se/about_ymep.asp).

What does it mean being a man and a woman in Zambia? PPAZ made a baseline at the start to find out what beliefs there were. The youth were represented in the planning and monitoring process.  They have also carried out midterm and final term evaluation studies. The way they proceed with their studies seem very interesting and useful, which is why we have been sent digital copies of these studies.

RFSU has recently become a framework/umbrella organisation under Sida, which means  that they can make one application for all their projects and programs in 11 countries, starting from this year. Their hopes are to cooperate with PPAZ, YWCA and Youth Vision in Zambia.

We received a lot of printed material in English, which will come to good use in the Youth Centre. The team who went to RFSU think we can learn much from the RFSU studies, the methods and tools used.

Text: Karin Johansson, SweZam board

We got a message from Bruce, the youth coordinator in our project in Mindolo, Zambia:

”Last Friday 9th April was a day that was memorable to the SweZam project – the seven clubs came together for the closing day! SweZam joint meeting at Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation. 300 members in one meeting. ZNBC (Zambian National Television) and the Youth Program Y zone crew present, lots of drama, poem. It was explosive by the end of the meeting my voice was gone we danced and sang wow!!!”

It sounds fantastic! And as soon as we get more news from Bruce and Don, we will put it up here on the website!

The exchange team together with the Zambian ambassador of Sweden

The SweZam project in Mindolo can continue for the coming years of 2010-2012, according to recent information from Forum Syd/SIDA.

Although the funds that Forum Syd can distribute have decreased, our Mindolo project will receive the funds that we applied for.

It appears that SweZam was also one of only three groups that were allocated funds for projects in the Southern Africa region. In all, there were 14 applications for projects in the region.

Text: Ylva Werlinder, SweZam board

Bruce eating his first Swedish "varm korv" (hot dog)!

Who are you, Bruce Mubanga?

- I’ve been working in the project since 2007, employed as the SweZam youth organiser, and it has really been a learning experience. I have always been working with young people, even before I joined SweZam, and I think I’m born to work with young people!

Personal info?

- I’ve been brought up by a single mum. I am the first born amongst several brothers and sisters and I live together with my cousin and a friend, in Kalulushi – a small village a bit away from Mindolo.

What about you and the project?

- I have learnt a lot, especially about the thematic areas. When I started in this project I had very little knowledge of Human rights, Gender and HV/Aids etc. I worked before in a faith-based organisation, organising conferences, music performances etc.

I have also worked with peer educators, and as a peer educator myself, in another organisation. That organisation has clubs almost in all the schools in the Copperbelt region in Zambia, so having clubs like we do in the SweZam project is actually something quite common, but there is noone else focusing on the human rights, as we do. My biggest question right now is: What ways do we have to go to find other fundraising, so that we can make this project grow?

Impressions of Sweden, so far?

- It’s so quiet! I don’t hear any people talking, on the bus it’s quiet, on the streets it’s quiet. The people are also different compared to Zambia, so reserved! They are kind of minding their own business, very much a different way, compared to Zambia! But it’s also very beautiful here! Everything is beautiful!

Don next to the Dag Hammarskjöld grave in Uppsala

Don Mwindilila was one of the three guests visiting from our project in Zambia in October 2009.

Who are you, Don Mwindilila?

- I’ve been in the project as a youth member since 2005, I’m actually one of the first that was recruited. Now I’m a senior youth club member, working voluntary to help the newly started SweZam clubs to run smoothly. Actually, many of the senior members are still hanging around the project to help out.

Personal info?

- I’m studying at the university, so I’m combining my voluntary time in the SweZam project with my studies! I haven’t been staying with my brothers and sisters for a long time, but I have that experience from before, so that’s something I can easily relate to when chatting with other youths.

What is your story in the project?

- I remember the first workshop of them all, in 2005, when we were trained on what internet is all about, it was so fascinating! From there we had workshops at MEF in various things, for example public speaking and gender. But in 2006 we got a more clear focus on what the project was about, when we decided to focus on three thematic areas, i.e. Gender, Human Rights and HIV/Aids.

Then we became club members and we started to meet with a few schools to try and get them organised as well. In 2007 we became very active and started to meet with several schools, this is when Bruce came in as a youth organiser. Later when we started to recruit new members, they had a lot of questions and we as seniors have had a lot to do to help them! And here we are – in Sweden!

Impressions of Sweden, so far?

- When I just arrived, I looked at the streets and saw that there were special roads for bicycles, and that they were only allowed to travel in one direction! One-way streets for bikes! Very funny, I think, but also very serious! Maybe it’s good though, because in Zambia the bikes don’t have much space to move!

Text: Ylva Werlinder

Linda chatting with one of the girls at Nova Youth Center

Who are you, Linda Malukutu?

- I’m a librarian working in the American corner of MEF, Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation. MEF is where the SweZam Youth Rights Information Center (YRIC) is located, and from where the project is run. I’ve been in the YRIC-project since 2005, now involved through the project committee, which is kind of the board of the project, working to help it in the right direction.

Personal info?

- I’m married and have one and a half kid… (one is coming soon!)

What about this exchange trip?

- When it comes to the Planning Monitoring and Evaluation (PME), which this trip is about, I hope that my long background in the project can help out. I think that when the project started there was not really a specific focus, but it has really shifted since then.

We worked a lot with the UN calendar, with calendar events, like the UN international day, the Human Rights declaration day etc. Now instead the ownership of the project has shifted to the youths and they work in the three thematic areas more clearly – Human Rights, Gender and HIV/Aids.

What about your role in the project right now?

- When Anna Tyllström came from Sweden in 2006, and also when Bruce Mubanga took her place as a youth organiser in 2007, my involvement went to a slower version. I feel I have a technical and supportive function right now. I have more questions than answers, I think?

What are your hopes when it comes to PME?

-  I think we need to look at the resources in the project, and to focus more on some parts, it seems important! It feels like we have just been dong things here and there, and without any real clear marks. But until the beginning of next year I think we should have the evaluation part figured out!

Impressions of Sweden, so far?

- I normally use granulated sugar in my tea (In Swedish: strösocker) and here at the hostel they don’t have it, so I have to use 8 sugar cubes in my tea to get the right amount of sugar!!!

Text: Ylva Werlinder

Read more about the YRIC project at Mindolo »

The focus of a group’s second meeting is self confidence and issues that they talked about while we listened (Anna T and Lisa P translated to English) were if certain clothes give high or low status and other aspects on what is rendering status among youth.

Earlier that evening they had focused on what they are good at, expressing that and giving each other positive feed back as well as alcohol, which we learnt about when they at the end of the meeting made a ‘round’ asking everybody what was the most valuable activity of that meeting. The final question to the girls was: – “What will you do tonight?” Their answers included watching TV, doing school home work, participating in sports activities etc.

In the informal discussion afterwards, Bruce commented that his impression was that Swedish girls have a choice, in what to do, while Zambian girls often do not as they are not allowed to go out on their own and they usually have house hold chores to take care of.

A discussion also came up about the view by parents on the use of alcohol by young people and here the situation appeared similar in both countries. Bruce also shared his personal experience and background as a youth, struggling with the bad influence from alcohol.

The visit ended with a discussion about how to keep in touch and that maybe Ellen-groups in Sweden and Zambia could be pen pals!?

Text: Lisa Persson