DEVELOP AUTUMN 2020 [ ISSUE 05]
RESPONDING TO
COVID-19
The Salvation Army’s response to COVID-19 around the world
THE JOURNEY TO SAFETY
THE MIRACLE OF SIMPLE SPRING PROTECTION
Salvation Army’s work to protect and support trafficked girls in Tanzania
Working with communities to protect local water sources
salvationarmy.org.uk/ID
I SS U E 0 5 ~ AU T U M N 2 0 2 0
CONTENTS 04 LOBBYING IN LOCKDOWN
05 ANTI-TRAFFICKING RESPONSE TO COVID-19
10 THE MIRACLE OF SIMPLE SPRING PROTECTION
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RESILIENCE
RESPONDING TO COVID-19
THE JOURNEY TO SAFETY
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FEEDING HOPE
An appeal to help support families and communities, feeding hope to farmers for generations to come
All photographs are used with the permission of the photographer
As you recall, in the last edition you could see that some of our articles had symbols reflecting the sustainable development goal that the project linked to. We will continue to show them in this edition.
WELCOME TO DEVELOP A message from our UK Engagement Co-ordinator Aimée Margott
It’s been seven months since our team have officially been in the office together. Things have been different from what we were used to, with team meetings via video platforms which involve a lot of ‘You’re on mute, Ben’ or ‘We can’t see you, Violet.’ Interruptions, feedback, echoes and remembering to ‘mute’ when not speaking have become all part of the new norm for us as a team at the moment and for the foreseeable.
Democratic Republic of the Congo, where a village comes together to help organise the protection of a water spring to ensure the water is safe and clean. Then we visit Tanzania where The Salvation Army is helping prevent girls from being trafficked and providing survivors of trafficking with the support and counselling they need. We also visit Kenya and Ghana to see how they are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This edition of Develop has been written in a time when a lot is going on in the world. We want to give you an update on what the UKI Territory is doing to support other territories during this everincreasing rollercoaster of a ride that is COVID-19.
I am excited to share with you in this edition of Develop our 2021 Helping-Hand Appeal. Each year the Helping-Hand Appeal focuses on one of our six thematic areas. Next year Feeding Hope is the focus of the Appeal. This looks at food security projects we partner with around the world. Things were different for us this year as we were not able to visit and meet with the amazing people who would be the face of this campaign. Instead we have had to put it all together remotely. This proved somewhat challenging at times, but we think you will enjoy engaging with what we have come up with!
Whilst I sit at my desk at home, wondering about what to write for my first editorial, I reflect on the stories that you will read in this edition and I think to myself: ‘Wow! The Salvation Army does so much.’ Growing up in The Salvation Army, attending my local corps, I rarely see the work that our Army does around the world. But working as the UK Engagement Co-ordinator this past year has opened my eyes to some incredible programmes helping people in some of the most marginalised communities.
I hope that during this time of uncertainty, these stories fill you with hope and you will be inspired by the remarkable people and effort that goes into these projects.
The UKI Territory fund projects in many parts of the world, and we wish we could highlight all of them. In this edition we have selected four of the many stories from our work. We visit the
...And I hope that you remember to unmute yourself in your next meeting!
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NEWS
LOBBYING IN LOCKDOWN thousands of people from across the country having meetings over Zoom with their MPs, all calling for a green recovery that protects the climate, nature and people, both in the UK and abroad. But time was not on our side. Our last lobby, which we held in person outside Parliament in June 2019, had taken almost eight months to organise. With the Government making a budget
As a member of The Climate Coalition, each year The Salvation Army International Development UK ‘Show the Love’ to encourage conversations and to spread the word about the need to act on climate change, not only for our local communities but for our global brothers and sisters. In February, The Salvation Army UK Territorial Headquarters got together to paint green hearts on stones which we left around the office, our home towns and on our commute home. This is just one part of the fight that The Climate Coalition does to encourage change and action. Stuart Neaverson (The Climate Coalition) explains what they managed to achieve during lockdown.
announcement on 7 July, we set a date of 30 June, leaving us just five weeks to pull the whole thing together. The whole plan was filled with potential pitfalls. Would people want to talk to their MPs through their computers? Did people have time for it? Had MPs even heard of Zoom? As the dust settled on the evening of the 30th, after weeks of late nights and busy weekends, we could finally take stock of what we’d achieved as a coalition. Over 200 MP meetings on the day, which would be followed by another 100 meetings over the next month. We’d more than doubled our most ambitious target. The feedback was
At The Climate Coalition, we work together with our over 130 members to create campaigns that bring people together to tackle climate change and ask that politicians put aside their differences to take action. But as lockdown started to take hold, and the Government began to make incredibly important decisions with huge implications, a very pressing question arose: How do we continue to make sure our members’ voices are heard by politicians at this pivotal time when the traditional ways of talking to them, like meeting them in person, are no longer on the table?
overwhelmingly positive from both constituents
In response to this, our incredible members pulled together and decided to organise the first-ever virtual mass lobby of Parliament. This would involve
we have the resources and passion to do truly
and MPs. By moving online, we had been able to engage people from all over the UK, rather than just those who are able to travel to Parliament, with nearly half of those taking part never having spoken to their MP before. The whole experience was a brilliant example of what we can all achieve in difficult circumstances when we pull together in the most difficult of circumstances. When we work together as a sector, with a united voice and one united goal, incredible things.
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NEWS
ANTI-TRAFFICKING RESPONSE TO COVID-19 COVID-19 has surely affected our way of life in some form or another. With lockdown, social distancing and restriction of movement, it has left millions of people in grave uncertainty. Many have lost their jobs and ultimately found themselves in poverty. There are concerns that COVID-19 has had an impact on the human trafficking trade, with fears that traffickers will benefit from the current situation and exploit vulnerable populations or those affected by the pandemic. Globally, The Salvation Army is committed to continue responding to the issue in order to prevent and protect our communities from trafficking in persons and modern-day slavery.
Several of our implementing partners have adapted their anti-trafficking approach as a result of COVID-19. For example: •
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In general, the international anti-trafficking projects that we support have been put on hold. But we continue to work with our implementing partners through online platforms and meetings.
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In Kenya, anti-trafficking prevention work has moved to spaces that are intended to reach many people at once, such as social media and billboards. The anti-trafficking projects team in Mizoram (India East) have been involved in local task forces consisting of civil societies, community groups, local government and NGOs, to respond to COVID-19 and share the message of human trafficking during times of crisis. At our shelter for trafficked survivors in Tanzania, staff have moved from group therapy to more intensive one-on-one art therapy with the children. The projects team are in daily phone contact with children who have been repatriated back to their families. Our life-skills centre for orphans in Ukraine has incorporated safety measures and has had to limit the number of people entering the centre at a single time. In Bangladesh we work with women in brothels, and many have returned to their home communities due to lack of work and activity. To maintain communication with the beneficiaries, staff have been given extra phone credit to provide further support and counselling.
As several countries begin to ease their lockdown, The Salvation Army will resume activities, projects and programmes. It is expected that the widespread impact of COVID-19 will be felt in the coming months as we anticipate an increase in the number of people seeking our support and services. As such, now is the time more than ever to prioritise a response to modern slavery and human trafficking.
If you can support, please donate online at donate.salvationarmy.org.uk/anti-trafficking or fill in the form at the back of the magazine and tick ‘anti-trafficking’.
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NEWS
THE SALVATION ARMY’S GLOBAL RESPONSE TO COVID-19 We are used to dealing with disasters such as earthquakes, floods or landslides, but not global pandemics. The risk associated with ‘emerging viruses’ was highlighted in the 1990s. Much like other global crises (such as climate change), the political and societal will to take these risks seriously rarely takes hold until it is too late. That said, it is never too late to respond. And that’s exactly what The Salvation Army around the world has been doing. For The Salvation Army (SA) the ability to respond to any emergency hinges on a local Salvation Army presence in or near the physical location of that disaster. Therefore we only respond to disasters where we have local SA personnel and infrastructure (corps/schools/ clinics etc) ready to utilise for the local response. Roll in COVID-19, and suddenly the global Salvation Army is faced with a momentous task, because virtually every one of the 14,526 corps (churches), 9,295 health centres and 3,256 education centres faces the same health emergency at the same time. Typically, when any SA territory responds to a local disaster, it will be able to draw upon funding and resources from partner territories. So, for example, if the Pakistan Territory is assisting communities that are affected by monsoon floods, the UKI Territory (and others) will readily respond by providing funds and other support to assist this local response in Pakistan.
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For COVID-19 there has certainly been some partnered response through the usual international network, but this pandemic has required territories to draw much more on their own resources. Damaris Frick (IHQ Emergency Co-ordinator) has estimated that The Salvation Army in 60 countries has drawn on international funds for a COVID response, but there are at least a further 60 countries in which The Salvation Army is responding only through locally raised funds and resources.
You can listen to more about how The Salvation Army has responded (and still is responding) to COVID-19 around the world, on Episode 5 of our Develop podcast (https:// shows.acast.com/develop/). You can also support The Salvation Army’s global COVID-19 response by donating to https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/The SalvationArmyInternationalResponseCOVID-19
And this could change the way The Salvation Army responds to disasters in the future. The pandemic has been a litmus test for demonstrating how effective local responses can be, especially in regions which normally rely heavily on international support. When corps and other SA institutions are isolated from the usual external funds available, it forces us all to get more creative and dig deeper into our own skills and resources to respond to the needs around us.
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“ When corps and other SA institutions are isolated from the usual external funds available, it forces us all to get more creative and dig deeper into our own skills and resources to respond to the needs around us
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Violet Ruria
THE MIRACLE OF SIMPLE SPRING PROTECTION We visit the Democratic Republic of the Congo where The Salvation Army is working with many communities to access and protect local water sources
Although the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has abundant freshwater resources, most of the rural population still suffer from an acute lack of supply of clean water. With only 46 per cent of the population accessing an improved drinking water source, the country has one of the lowest rates of access to clean drinking water in Sub-Saharan Africa and the world. As a result of the inadequate supply of clean water and sanitation services, waterborne diseases, including diarrhoea, typhoid and cholera are familiar to many of the inhabitants. This has negatively impacted the lives of the most vulnerable groups in the community: women and children.
different communities to improve access and protection of water sources in rural areas. The project has supported 90 communities to construct concrete protection around their natural springs, and provided sanitation and hygiene education. According to the health officer in charge of the Seke Banza clinic, there has been a reduction in the number of people suffering from waterborne diseases since the springs were protected. Working with the 90 communities over four years has seen 90 natural water sources protected which now benefits over 47,000 people. The local communities were actively involved in the construction of their spring protection by providing sand, stones and other materials, helping technicians with labour during construction and providing them with food. In each of the villages, a Water Source Management Committee was established and trained in how to care for the protected spring to ensure the community continues benefitting from access to clean water.
The country is endowed with the blessing of natural springs which provide consistent water all year round. However, the springs are prone to contamination if they are not well protected and can easily become a source of diseases. In Seke-Banza, a territory in Bas-Congo Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, The Salvation Army has been working with over 90
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Like other women in her village, Albertine Lumambu of Kinkuindi village (pictured below) starts her day with a one-hour walk through often unsafe paths, to fetch water from a nearby spring. Her other roles include caring for her children, fetching firewood and growing cassava and potatoes to feed her family.
Change agents identified that the cause of the high prevalence of waterborne diseases was due to contaminated water from the unprotected spring. The community decided to change their future, and together with the Health Change agents they planned how to preserve and protect their spring. The community in Kinkundi village provided the stones and sand and worked alongside skilled masons to protect their spring. Recalling the construction process, Lumambu says, ‘All the community members contributed their efforts. We carried the construction stones and sand because we all faced a big health problem and we needed to get a solution.’ Reflecting on how life has changed since she began to use the now protected spring, Lumambu says, ‘I no longer have to spend days walking to Seke Banza health clinic because of frequent ailments. This has saved me lots of time which I now use to tend my small cassava garden. Also, my children do not have to miss their schooling as before.’ Like other village members, Lumambu is very proud and very grateful that her village has a reliable source of safe water and their families are free from diseases. The protected spring was simple to construct, costeffective and easy to sustain, yet it has transformed many lives.
In her village, diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea and nematode infections resulting from poor water, sanitation and hygiene were very common. Lumambu says, ‘Every single month I had to visit the health clinic thrice taking my children for treatment.’ This was a huge burden to Lumambu since the nearest clinic is a two-hour walk from home. During times when her children were very ill, she had to carry them on her shoulders along the dusty earth road through the forest.
In all the 90 communities, Salvation Army officers have been able to develop deeper relationships with the communities. This has resulted in an increase in the numbers of soldiers and new corps established within Seke Banza territory.
Lumambu knew that the cause of frequent diseases in her family was due to contaminated water. Every morning, she and other women in her community would go to fetch water from the unprotected spring since they had no other source of water.
If you would like to support The Salvation Army’s international clean water projects, complete and return the donation form at the back of this magazine, or visit donate. salvationarmy.org.uk/water/
This changed, however, when The Salvation Army’s Health Change agents visited her village. They visited because the Seke Banza clinic had identified very high rates of diarrhoea cases from the Kinkundi village. Together with the community, the Health
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Captain Ben Cotterill
RESILIENCE The four steps to a resilience approach in Salvation Army projects
If I asked you, ‘How is your bouncebackability?’ I wonder how you would respond. Believe it or not, ‘bouncebackability’ entered the Oxford Dictionary after being popularised by a Premier League football manager describing how his team overcame great setbacks to succeed and win. We all face setbacks, challenges and events that put us under increased pressure. Some we can anticipate, and some we cannot. Some are one-off events that shock us, and others are sustained over a period and put us under stress. Some things we can bounce back from, and others leave our life or identity changed in a way we had not wanted, although we might be able to learn from this too. All these things test our resilience.
image to build an infographic to help people visualise the multifaceted concept of resilience and a process for using it as an approach. (See picture).
Originally the word resilience comes from the Latin verb resilio which means to ‘bounce back’. Its original use was most common in mechanics, such as with the invention of springs which have the helpful property of bouncing back and maintaining the same shape after having been put under pressure. That is how we see resilience in our community work projects. We want them to bounce back and maintain their identity after having been put under pressure. In fact, as we researched further, we came to realise how adapting to and transforming situations is also central to resilience. So, with the spring in mind, we began to use that
Step 3 - Consider your strengths and what needs strengthening in the following list of resilient attributes. These include your ability to recover, self-organise, connect, be resourced, learn, be flexible, act quickly and finally ensure rights and equality are programmed.
So here is a quick overview of how we plan to use a resilience approach in the future: Step 1 - Identify who it is that we want to make more resilient. It might be an individual, a community, or an institution such as church. Step 2 - What livelihood capitals are there in your life that are strengths or could be strengthened? These capitals include economic, social, human, physical and natural.
Step 4 - Consider whether your focus area or unit is resilient in any of the following ways: absorptive (the capacity of bouncing back), adaptive (the capacity to take diverse adaptive decisions to mitigate the impact of stress), or transformative (the capacity to change the situation such as advocacy).
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If you can plan a project – or indeed your life – taking these things on board, it means in theory that shocks and stresses, which no doubt are on the way, will be less devastating to all that you achieve and have become. We are developing tools alongside this to help us operationalise our thinking as well as acknowledge the role that people’s faith has on their ability to be resilient.
is because they had access to economic and social capital that had been built up giving them increased adaptive capacity to cope with the pressure. As we learn from these and many other examples, we can see how resilience can be strengthened with even more intentional thinking, planning and action. So, if you are considering your own bouncebackability or resilience, then you are certainly not alone. The International Monetary Fund believes that COVID-19 will set development gains back by ten years. Those ten years represent hundreds of billions of dollars. Add this to the loss of development gains due to increasing natural disasters and other trends, and you quickly realise that intentionally building resilience into community development programmes is vital if we are to see sustained fruit from our investments of finance, time and people all over the world. We owe it to you, our supporters, and to the communities we partner with, to make sure we are all building resilience more than ever across the world.
One example of resilience is of a small community project in New Zealand. The concept was a ‘time bank’ where people traded their time and services for credits which they could spend on other services such as baby-sitting, plumbing, roofing, painting, learning a musical instrument and much more. This knitted the community together as well as putting in place community organisation. When the 2014 earthquake devastated parts of the country, research showed that this town was able to bounce back more quickly due to its dense community ties, its speed of communication, its ability to organise and much more. Another example was a savings and loans associations (SLAs) project in Kenya sponsored by The Salvation Army International Development UK. The effects of coronavirus, such as unemployment and economic downturn, were mitigated far better by members of SLA groups than people who were not members. This
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQxryNvZnbI
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/27/imfwarns-poorest-countries-face-lost-decade-covid-19 2
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Jason Emmett & Francine O’Hanlon
RESPONDING TO COVID-19 Read how The Salvation Army is responding to COVID-19 around the world
The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced on 11 March 2020 that the COVID-19 outbreak had officially become a global pandemic. Around the world we have seen governments respond to the pandemic using measures never seen before, certainly not on such a huge scale. The immediate focus for governments has been to try and stem the spread of the virus, save lives, and protect the economy. It has been well reported in the media that countries which are more economically developed, such as the UK and USA, have struggled to control the outbreak and face massive economic implications due to the long periods of ‘lockdown’. However, at the time of writing, in the UK six months on from the start of the pandemic we are told the all-important ‘R’ number appears under control for now, and we are being actively encouraged to get back to some sort of normality in our day-to-day lives.
systems – communities with inadequate sanitation and access to clean water, and communities where overcrowding in homes amongst the economically marginalised is normal. Whilst the reported infection rate is currently not as dramatic in these places as had been initially feared, there is no doubt these statistics do not come close to offering a true picture of the impact of COVID-19. The Salvation Army International Emergency Services have been working tirelessly to help local people prepare for and fight the pandemic in communities around the world. The strategic focus has taken a two-pronged approach. At the forefront there have been humanitarian aid programmes aimed at those struggling to access food and clean water, those facing significant economic impact, and the provision of personal protective equipment and sanitation alongside information on staying safe during COVID-19 in the poorest communities. The second focus is supporting our Salvation Army institutions such as corps (churches), schools, health facilities and hospitals through Mission Support projects.
This, however, is very different in other parts of the world. It stands to reason that the health, social and economic impact will be felt acutely by those in communities with little or no formal healthcare
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Kenya West was home to the first international project supported by the UK. With 34,201 confirmed cases of COVID-19 throughout Kenya, and 577 related deaths as of 31 August, Kenya like most countries has begun to emerge from lockdown with strict social distancing rules and a nationwide curfew until the end of September.
The UK, like many other wealthier Salvation Army territories, provides grants for Mission Support projects. The funds are raised within corps through an annual appeal and can be topped up by other donations specifically for missionary work. These grants usually support the day-to-day infrastructure of The Salvation Army (SA) church and its institutions in places where the local SA partners are not able to self-fund their work. However, during emergency situations such as COIVD-19, our partners across the world are given access to additional grants to support unexpected operational costs of the church and for projects which provide essentials to their officers, personnel and congregations. Helping to keep the church open is vital to many in these places. One of the reasons The Salvation Army can carry out community development projects in so many locations around the world is because the projects can rely on the existing SA church infrastructure and personnel. Although our mission projects and community projects are funded from separate resources and have different focuses, our community projects would not be possible without Mission Support keeping the church going in poorer communities which would otherwise struggle to operate.
Reaching a total of 7,450 people, Salvation Army International Emergency Services teams were able to work alongside the Ministry of Health, security agencies and other organisations such as Kenya Red Cross Society to support the identified need in three communities in the towns of Kakamega, Busia and Migori. The core focus of the project was to support the most vulnerable, by raising awareness of COVID-19 through the production of educational materials providing information on how the virus is spread and measures people can take to protect themselves. With the growing economic impact and restricted access to basic commodities, communities were supported with the provision of hand-washing materials such as soap and sanitisers. Alongside the education material provided, communities were able to follow basic hand-washing advice with the aim of stopping the spread of the virus within local communities.
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The UK has supported one such Mission Support project in Ghana. During the worst part of the pandemic social gatherings there were severely restricted. It meant that corps were unable to open for worship. During this time, it was identified that once corps could re-open, they wouldn’t have adequate facilities for the congregation and officers to wash their hands, which is an essential defence against viral spread. The solution was installing Veronica Bucket handwashing stations at all 120 corps across the country.
Alongside the provision of the Veronica Buckets, all corps were given liquid soap supplies and WHO posters on the importance of hand washing and how to do it properly. The arrangements to supply the equipment were made through Women’s Ministries. Begoro Corps in Korforidua District received their Veronica Bucket in July. During the Korforidua District Home League Gathering, Colonel Hagar Amponsah, the Territorial President for Women’s Ministries, presented Major Christiana Incoom, District Director for Women’s Ministries, Korforidua District, with facemasks, hand sanitisers and WHO hygiene leaflets. Colonel Hagar also gave the women an educational talk on the importance of the use of wash stations and the washing of hands. The face masks, hand sanitisers and leaflets were then distributed to the women. Targeting the women in the corps is expected to spread the word more widely within the community.
Veronica Buckets is a relatively simple and cheap technology. It originates in Ghana and has now spread as a solution to hand washing in places across Africa with no running water. It offers a mechanism for hand washing which consists of a bucket of water with a tap fixed at the bottom, mounted at hand height, and a bowl at the bottom to collect waste water. This serves as a simple way to encourage proper hand washing using flowing water. Without a Veronica Bucket handwashing station, bowls of water were available for hand washing, but many individuals would share the same water which could do more harm than good.
If you would like to support The Salvation Army’s International Emergency Response Projects, complete and return the donation form at the back of this magazine or visit donate.salvationarmy.org.uk/ emergency/
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Anne Gregora & Martha Mwita
THE JOURNEY TO SAFETY Read about a Salvation Army project in Tanzania and how it is helping prevent girls from being trafficked and providing support for those who have been trafficked
Tanzania, one of the poorest countries in southern Sub-Saharan Africa, has been witnessing a marked increase in human trafficking.
as I looked to where Malia was sitting in the car. Malia had been referred to the Kwetu Programme by the Tanzanian social welfare department only one week earlier. She could not give the Kwetu staff any information about her past other than the name of a community where she once cared for her grandmother. We travelled to this community, asking for directions along the way. When we arrived, a good four hours outside of Dar es Salaam, it was the first time I saw Malia smile as she recognised people in the village.
In response to this, The Salvation Army in Tanzania set up a project that focuses on support, counselling, education and life skills for girls between 7 and 18 years old who have been trafficked or are at risk of being trafficked. This is through the Kwetu Programme at The Salvation Army Mbgala Compound. The project is committed to educating the families and their communities about human trafficking.
But the story does not end here.
Anne, Programme Adviser for Anti-Trafficking, has been working closely with Malia* and the Kwetu Programme. Anne reflects on her experience visiting Malia and her story:
We are told by Malia’s grandfather that her father is not living in this village but in another village a few hours away. Her mother is allegedly living in Dar es Salaam and is being exploited in the sex trade there. We decided to travel and meet with Malia’s father alongside the local leader so that he could facilitate our visit and avoid any suspicion from the community of us as outsiders. During this visit, Malia’s story increases in complexity. She has a history of moving between the care of various family members, seemingly without any
It was May 2019, and I was on the way to conduct a family tracing trip to Malia’s father’s village. As we drove along a road lined with sunflower fields in full bloom, all I could think of was that this was a flower known for bringing happiness and joy. However, I felt nothing but heaviness and sadness
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clear attachment or love. Different family members give different accounts of how and when Malia had been trafficked from this village when she was living here. Her father has a history of alcohol abuse and believes that his daughter has demonic spirits in her. This is his reason for withdrawing her from primary school and therefore, at the age of 14, she cannot read or write.
Malia on returning home.) The centre staff have been speaking regularly with Malia’s grandmother and father, providing counselling and advice to provide support on her return. The Government social welfare department will approve Malia’s reintegration plan and the local government official has agreed to oversee it.
With details still missing, we know that Malia was recruited from her village for work in Dar es Salaam and her father was to receive payment for her work. For the time Malia was exploited, she was forced to work long hours serving a family, was beaten daily and threatened with being sent to the police for stealing. She was desperate to leave, and her trafficker pushed her on to the street with no support to return home. This is when the police found Malia on the street and referred her to social welfare. I believe that now Malia is in our programme she will receive the support and care she needs over the next six months at the Kwetu residential home. The Kwetu team will continue to investigate her case and I believe that they will find a safe guardian for her, either in her extended family or in a community known to her. I cannot understate the importance of the follow-up that the Kwetu team will do after she returns home and the importance of any income-generating skills and provisions she will receive during her residential recovery period.
In July 2020, the staff at the Kwetu Programme returned to Malia’s father’s house and initially everything appeared well. However, after three months they followed up again with another visit and found out that Malia’s income-generation activity (IGA) of keeping chickens was not growing as hoped, and her father was not ready to support Malia as he was rarely at home. His remarriage was not as stable as had been hoped. The team decided to go back to the local government office to discuss Malia’s welfare and her IGA. Together they met with Malia’s grandmother and the joint decision was made to move Malia from her father to her grandmother. During the COVID-19 lockdown period, follow-up through the phone was conducted regularly and Malia reported
In November 2019 I spoke with the staff at the Kwetu Programme and they told me that I wouldn’t recognise Malia as the same girl that I saw back in May 2019. They were right. As I watched Malia at the centre, she was smiling, playing with the other girls, giggling and making jokes. She informed me that she loves pigs, and when she returns home she hopes to raise pigs herself. The centre staff had been liaising with her father, her grandmother, the local government official and social welfare, and a reintegration plan has been put in place. Malia will return to live with her father who is now married and has a new-born baby and is in a better place to provide a safe home for Malia. He has built a chicken house by his home for the chickens that Malia will receive from the project when she returns home. (It was decided by the family, Malia and the team that chickens, rather than pigs, would be better for
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that she was doing well, her chickens were strong, and she was making money from selling the eggs. Malia said: ‘Before coming to Kwetu my father saw me as a way to make money and he was making all the decisions for me. Now he sees that I make my own decisions and I am a person with value.’ She is settled and does not intend to leave her community. The Kwetu team and the local government follow up regularly with her grandparents and reinforce the message that she needs to stay home. The senior social worker says: ‘Malia now knows how to care for chickens, she has responsibility and she is doing well. She is happy and knows that she has something to do every day and she has a future.’ Although Malia is too old for primary school, she participated in COVET (Tanzanian fast-track senior education programme) while she stayed at the Mbgala Compound and is now able to read and write enough to manage the income and expenditure of her IGA. Malia will continue with her IGA until she can marry and start her own family. In Tanzanian culture, being married will mean she is out of danger from further risk of being trafficked. Martha, the project manager, says, ‘We are feeling good because we changed someone’s life.’ The team will do a final personal visit later this year in order to ensure that Malia continues to be safe and financially secure. Although she will then be exited from the programme, the social workers always encourage children who have passed through Kwetu to call them whenever they need. The Salvation Army continues to support antitrafficking projects around the world. Through the 2020 Helping-Hand Appeal, Unseen Promise, you can support communities to overcome trafficking and stand alongside survivors as they reclaim their promise. Visit www.salvationarmy.org.uk/ unseenpromise to find out more, or make a donation to support this work by using the form at the back of this magazine and selecting ‘Anti-trafficking’. *Name has been changed to protect identity
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AimĂŠe Margott
FEEDING HOPE Through the 2021 Helping-Hand Appeal, you can help The Salvation Army to support families and their communities, feeding hope to farmers now and for generations to come
In rural Zimbabwe, plots of land that each farmer owns have been in the individual families for many generations and the farmers have learnt the traditional methods of planting and harvesting maize from their mothers or fathers who were farmers before them. In recent years, they have seen how even their most successful harvests are smaller than what they were able to grow before. The soil in their land is depleted of nutrients and the irregular rains make it almost impossible to judge when is the best time to sow their seeds. They can no longer afford to purchase the expensive fertiliser which their soil has become dependent on for any crop production. Janet Mazura owns a plot of land that has been in her family for three generations. She originally learned the traditional methods of planting and harvesting maize from her father. She lives with her five children, and the pressure to grow enough produce to feed her family and to earn some money for school fees weighs heavily on her mind. Janet is a widow as her husband died some years ago. She longs for a better life, one that will be free from worry about the future. She has considered
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giving up farming altogether and selling her land, and maybe the best option for her eldest two children is for them to leave home and get jobs in the city. At least that will bring in some money for the family.
means bigger yields. The combination of these methods ensures farmers are saved from the laborious burden of cultivating their land so frequently and reduces the expense of artificial fertiliser.
For the past few months Janet hasn’t been able to pay the school fees and she knows it will only be a matter of time before the head teacher of the school will stop her children attending. On top of this she worries about providing the right nutrition for her children. She has concerns that they may become malnourished, though she always makes sure they are fed before she gets her own. More often she will go without food or only take a very small portion herself to ensure the children get the food.
Janet notices small changes at first: the soil seems able to hold more moisture than before, the seedlings look stronger, and more seeds have sprouted. The hope within her starts to grow – maybe this is the beginning of a bumper harvest. She continues to tend her crop and speaks with her friends who were also in the training – their crops are showing encouraging signs too. Things are looking up for Janet.
Janet hears about an agricultural training programme that is taking place in her area organised by her Salvation Army corps officer. The corps compound has a small plot of land no bigger than her own, and the corps officer has used it to grow some maize using some new techniques. It is already starting to produce a harvest bigger than Janet’s. Janet is intrigued and wants to find out more. She attends a few training sessions run in the corps hall and listens closely to the corps officer and to an agriculturalist from a local university who is leading the sessions. The techniques they teach are different from the ones that she has learnt as a child. She learns how to better manage the water for her crops and recycle the nutrients back into the soil, so it doesn’t become depleted.
Finally, when it comes to the harvest, Janet cannot believe the results. Double what she has managed in the last year! For now, hunger is kept at bay for Janet and her large family. Janet is full of hope for the next growing season – she knows she might be able to grow even more next year. She has seen how small changes in the way she plants and nurtures her crops can make a huge difference. She has renewed hope for the future. The Salvation Army is supporting communities to make the best use of their land, especially as they battle the effects of climate change. They will be better equipped to overcome malnutrition and lift themselves out of poverty.
At first this all sounds too good to be true. But with the pressure she is under and the failing harvests she’s seen, Janet doesn’t have anything to lose. So immediately she begins to try out some of the new techniques.
Will you join us? During 2021, Salvation Army Family Ministries groups, corps and individuals across the UK and Ireland will raise money to support our international food security work through the Helping-Hand Appeal, Feeding Hope.
The small-scale farmers are trained in the importance of mulching their crops while ensuring minimal disturbance of the soil. This helps to protect the fertile top layer of soil from being eroded by rain or wind and conserves soil moisture from evaporation. When the mulch materials rot down, soil fertility is increased, so farmers do not need to purchase expensive synthetic fertilisers. The farmers are also trained in planting their seeds with precision using straight lines and holes, and in rotating diverse crops to ensure continued food production and nutrition. When the seed is planted at the onset of the rains, the crops thrive before the dry spells hit, which
Visit the link below to find out more and download the resources. How can I donate? Give a donation to your local Salvation Army corps or Family Ministries group. Donate online: www.salvationarmy.org.uk/feedinghope
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HELPING-HAND 2021 SALVATIONARMY.ORG.UK/FEEDINGHOPE
Support families and their communities, feeding hope to farmers now and for generations to come.
International Development UK
In partnership with Family Ministries The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity No. 214779 in England and Wales, SC009359 in Scotland and CHY6399 in the Republic of Ireland.
Would you be interested in raising funds for our international community development projects?
Angela Carlucci
FUNDRAISE FOR THE SALVATION ARMY Fundraising Events are a fantastic and fun way for people of all ages and abilities to help raise valuable funds for the work of The Salvation Army. Whether you want to achieve a life-long ambition or simply do something to help others, taking part in a Fundraising Event really will make a difference to the work that we do. There are hundreds of ways to support the work of The Salvation Army, from pounding the 26.2 miles of pavement in the Virtual London Marathon to taking on one or two of our virtual challenges such as a Nostalgic Nosh Dinner Party, The Salvation Army Sleepout, The Sally Army Bookclub, The Salvation Army Shear-off or The Big Salvation Quiz! We also organise more sedate activities. From a sponsored silence held by a school, a tea party held by a group of friends, a donation to our work instead of birthday gifts, to maybe taking on a hair shave to raise funds – we have an event for you. And every mile you cover and every penny you raise will help The Salvation Army be there for those that need us most.
Whatever you decide to do, we will be here to support you throughout your fundraising journey. From our fundraising pack that is filled with top tips and materials, to our administration support, we’ll be here to motivate and guide you and make sure you have the best experience possible, creating some lifetime memories. By becoming part of #TeamSallyArmy you will be helping the most vulnerable people in society and providing hope to those who need it. Would you like to learn about our events? Visit www.salvationarmy.org.uk/other-waysfundraise/virtual-fundraising If you want to get involved or have any questions, email us at challenge@salvationarmy.org.uk or call us on 020 7367 4819. Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/teamsallyarmy Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/TheSalvationArmy FundraisingEvents/
www.salvationarmy.org.uk/other-ways-fundraise/virtual-fundraising 30 com/TheSalvationArmyFundraisingEvents/
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FINANCIAL BREAKDOWN Vision:
a world without poverty and injustice
Mission: Our mission is to equip, empower and enable communities around the world to defeat poverty and injustice, and to work with them to build a better life and future. We engage people to comprehend injustice and take action to restore our world as a place where justice, dignity and equality are a reality for all people.
How we work: The Salvation Army International
Development UK is an umbrella term for the community development work that The Salvation Army United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland supports around the world. This work is divided into six themes, four of which sit within the International Projects Office (Clean Water, Emergency Response, Food Security and Income Generation), and two of which sit within Anti-Trafficking and Modern Slavery (Anti-Trafficking and Gender Justice).
We are also responsible for overseeing the transfer of funds for the UK’s Mission Support Allocation (money donated through the annual Self-Denial Appeal). By providing financial and technical support to projects within these areas, The Salvation Army in the UK and Ireland is helping people all over the world to tackle poverty, fight injustice and build a better life and future. The following pie charts show a breakdown of the money that was spent on The Salvation Army’s international work during the 2019/2020 financial year, and which areas and territories this money has been spent. Some money received during this time will not be spent this financial year as it will fund programmes which will run for more than one year. If you would like to make a donation to support The Salvation Army’s international development work, please use the donation form or visit the link below
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salvationarmy.org.uk/ID The Salvation Army is a church and registered charity in England (214779), Wales (214779), Scotland (SC009359) and the Republic of Ireland (CHY6399)
