The Catholic Bishops in Zambia have launched a campaign to raise slightly over 9 million US dollars for relief food to be distributed in areas that were hit by drought and floods during the 2018/2019 farming season.
Making the announcement recently, Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) Bishop Director for Caritas Zambia Rt. Rev. Evans Chinyemba, OMI said that if the hunger situation is not addressed, people could soon starve to death in the affected areas. Bishop Evans Chinyemba, OMI said the hunger situation is bad and water has equally become a problem in the areas hit with drought in the southern part of the Zambia.
“To fully comprehend the hunger situation in the country, the Catholic Church through Caritas Zambia working with Diocesan partners gathered information from the affected households using community interviews, focus groups, direct observation and household field visitation in the affected areas.
Aware that the hungry people are vulnerable and easily manipulated leading to loss of dignity and having analysed the reports of the hunger situation in Southern, Central, western, Eastern, Luapula and other parts of the country, we would like to inform the nation of our concerns as well as to make an earnest appeal.”
“Listening to the Word of God inspires us to be instruments of justice, peace and love in order to spread this love to all people especially those who are currently suffering from hunger and lack of clean water,” Bishop Chinyemba said.
Bishop Chinyemba said some households did not have enough food to take them through until next year. “Southern, Western and some parts of Eastern, Central and Lusaka provinces experienced total crop failure.
This means that households in these areas did not harvest anything that would help to sustain their livelihoods up to the next agricultural season. There are 50 districts affected by this situation and households are currently already experiencing serious hunger,” he said.
“According to the vulnerability Assessment Committee (VAC) under DMMU (Disaster Management and Mitigation Unity), a total of 418,969 households were affected by the dry spell hazard. In the places visited by the Catholic Church agents, 79 per cent of the crops were affected by drought, 13 per cent by floods while four per cent were affected by both drought and floods.”
Bishop Chinyemba also shared that water supply to the people and livestock had been affected by the adverse rainfall. “Apart from crop failure, the prolonged dry spell during the last farming period has created water shortage for both people and animals. There are already reports from Gwembe that people are sharing water with animals,” he said.
“There are currently many households that have nothing to eat and are surviving on wild fruits or are getting-by without any food. This will certainly compromise the nutrition and health status of most people especially the children and if nothing is urgently done, we may begin to experience deaths from hunger.” Bishop Chinyemba said evidence of widespread food distribution to all “these people is missing.”
“In places where this is happening, the amount of food given is so little that households are failing to meet their food requirements,” he said.
“The ZCCB through Caritas Zambia in collaboration with the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Norwegian Church Aid, and CAFOD is putting together relief effort to contribute towards the alleviation of hunger in the affected regions. This effort will target 10 per cent (42,000 households) of the total estimated number of 418,969 households currently in dire need of help and we call upon Zambians with the ability to make contributions to this noble cause.”
And appealing to Christians, Bishop Chinyemba said: “As followers of Christ, the mark of being truly His disciple is to respond to the needs of the little brothers and sisters who suffer.” “Remember that many of your brothers and sisters do not have access to clean water and lack this basic necessity. Your support no matter how little will go a long way in saving that little child in Kaoma, Pemba, and Kazungula,” he said.
Bishop Chinyemba further asked politicians to avoid taking advantage of people’s desperation, and asked the government to declare a hunger disaster.
“Government of the Republic of Zambia must consider declaring the hunger situation in some parts of the country as a disaster,” Bishop Chinyemba said.
they’ve (catolicas) already received $10 million from the Vatican and other large bodies. they’ve pocketed $1 million and now putting up smoking mirrors
otherwise how did they arrive at an arbitrary # $9million?
With due respect, thank you.
God bless Zambia.
It’s more than what the government is doing.
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris received over a $billion within 24 hrs when it was burnt down and only loads of child por.no tapes.
Rt. Rev. Evans Chinyemba just pick up the phone and call those crooks at the vatican they will wire you $10 million
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris received over a $billion within 24 hrs when it was burnt down and only loads of child por.no tapes were destroyed.
Rt. Rev. Evans Chinyemba just pick up the phone and call those crooks at the vatican they will wire you $10 million
Why should the “crooks at the Vatican” pay for the effects of corruption of PF leaders ? It was mostly the French who made the donations for the Cathedral which as a World Heritage Site is heritage for all mankind and not just for Catholics as you sarcastically wish to imply.Despite its human weaknesses the Catholic Church does commendable work for the poor around the world including Zambia.
mitimiti – Its rich people worldwide who donated….you dont knw the history of the catholic church, its a shame black people are allergic to reading about their history.
Sit down!!
It’s not too late to take back Lungu’s jet and get the refund, the refund will go a long way to alleviate poverty. Lungu’s constant trips adds no value to the well being of the ordinary citizen.
God does not abide in sanctuaries built by man. The Catholics have got it wrong. They should not be spending billions on restoring and maintaining those ugly contraptions like the Notre Dame Cathedral. That is not being true disciples of Jesus Christ. True discipleship involves caring for the poor and responding to the needs of the disadvantaged in Society. The Catholic Church has enough money to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and shelter the homeless. They must get their priorities right. Even the Catholic Bishops are extravagant in the way they dress. Jesus wore plain clothes and sandals on his feet. He had no home, no possessions.
They are Catholic just for those things you are criticising them for.Why do you want them to lose their identity?For what ? To become what? To begin following Helen White`s 1844 so-called visions ? Go to sleep.
mitimiti – These churches profiteered a lot from slavery yet you have ignorant foooooools here gladly playing the good negro.
#JayJay – Every western institution somehow benefited from slavery.But even our great,great,great grandparents in Africa were part of the slave trade cycle.That is unfortunately the great tragedy of the times.You can not therefore use the today`s social and moral standards to fully understand the events of those times.