School is my priority now – Alice

DOREEN NAWA, Mumbwa
TWO years ago, Alice Lupiya walked out on her abusive husband of 15 years.
Ms Lupiya, a mother of three, was a child bride after being married off at the age of 15. She opted for marriage after failing her grade nine examinations in 2001.
Today, Ms Lupiya, 30, is back in school at Mumbwa Day Secondary School. Her eldest daughter is her classmate.
“My parents wanted me to repeat grade nine but there was no money to help further my education, so I had to wait,” Lupiya recollects.
After waiting in futility for a year, Ms Lupiya succumbed to peer pressure and got married.
However, the marriage institution was not as rosy as she thought. “I never enjoyed my marriage. Before I committed to the union, I thought being married was beautiful, but I was wrong. My husband was two years older,” she narrates.
Ms Lupiya was so naïve that she thought being in an abusive marriage was an acceptable phase in the union.
“My parents were aware of the abuse and sometimes, my mother would tell me to leave my matrimonial home but to me, it was never an option because I am a Christian. I know God hates divorce, so I had to grow a ‘thick skin’ and pretended all was well,” Ms Lupiya says.
However, with the passing of time, she could no longer contend the abuse. She disclosed the ‘happenings’ to a non-governmental organisation (NGO).
After being in bondage for 15 years, Ms Lupiya exited her marital home with the help of a gender-based violence (GBV) committee in Shimbizhi area in Mumbwa.
She regrets her decision to choose marriage over education as this has delayed her dream of becoming a doctor.
Ms Lupiya’s story is no different from other women in most rural communities. Adolescent girls are deceived to thinking marriage is a ‘bed of roses’.
Lost in the feeling of ‘love’ and infatuation, girls disregard all warnings but choose to drop out of school for marriage – a decision they realise too late that it is usually far from what they envision.
“I passed through a series of abuse and I regret being a mother at a tender age. My husband often scolded me, that I did not know how to take care of him and he would hit me terribly,” Ms Lupiya recalls.
Luckily for Ms Lupiya, her decision to get back to school is slowly changing her future prospect.
With the help of her parents, who take care of her children, Ms Lupiya is back in school fighting for a way to end the spiral of poverty in her family.
“I am a student like my 15– year-old firstborn daughter but I believe age is not a factor in achieving my dreams. I want to become a medical doctor and later join politics and become a Member of Parliament for Mumbwa Central,” she says.
Although she is in the same grade as her daughter, Ms Lupiya is not bothered.
“I want to advise girls to focus on their education and reject the demands of boys and men who use sweet words to deceive and lure them into marriage,” Ms Lupiya says.
She, however, feels the lack of education on sexual and reproductive health rights leaves most adolescents, especially girls, vulnerable to marriage and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
“At the school level, sex education is not delved into and girls are chastised or tagged as “bad girls” when they inquire about sex and their changing bodies,” Ms Lupiya says.
Ms Lupiya is quick to admit that being a father and mother to her children has not been easy. She currently survives through the sale of honey and tomatoes.
“My eldest child is in grade nine, the other two are in grade three and grade one respectively.
“I am the sole financer for my children’s education and other needs while my parents are providing us with shelter. It is my prayer for well-wishers to come to my aid and help educate my children,” Ms Lupiya says.
And to combat child marriages in Zambia, World Vision Zambia (WVZ) has launched a campaign dubbed ‘It takes Zambia to end child marriage’.
The campaign presents a platform to various stakeholders to discuss and address the rampant cases of child marriages in Zambia.
The project, which was recently launched in Mumbwa district, is aimed at educating communities on the rights of girls, their entitlements and responsibilities.
WVZ communications manager Pamela Chama says the NGO has been working in various rural communities across the country to empower girls and restore their dignity by supporting them in school.
“Girls like Alice need to be supported to pursue their dreams and career goals. As a social justice organisation committed to achieving social justice, women equality and poverty eradication, we remain determined to serve as a catalyst to community development and female empowerment,” Ms Chama says.
And the local authority in Mumbwa district says ending child marriage in the district is timely, considering the number of girls that get pregnant annually.
“Last year, when First lady Esther Lungu visited the district to present Christmas hampers to new mothers. Most of them (new mothers) were teenage girls,” Mumbwa Town Council chairperson Gracious Hamatala says.
Cases like Ms Lupiya’s are a common factor. One would only wish for an end to child marriage by engaging everyone in the fight against the vice. PUBLISHED ON AUGUST 9, 2018 IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL ON AUGUST 9, 2018. LINK: https://www.daily-mail.co.zm/school-is-my-priority-now-alice/

Reigniting Zambia’s traditional delicacies’ lost glory

DOREEN NAWA, Lusaka
‘I DON’T eat ifisashi,” is a common refrain among many people who shun eating traditional foods in homes countrywide.
The readiness by many people to avoid traditional delicacies is reinforced by the proliferation of exotic foods sold in restaurants and eateries dotted around in communities.
Not long ago, traditional delicacies formed part of the menu in most homes countrywide.
But slowly, this trend is being replaced by exotic sweets and treats like cakes, chickens, chips, pizzas and many other exotic delicacies.
These exotic and junky foods have captured the hearts and tempted the taste buds of food-lovers across the country.
It’s no secret that Zambians are in love with these junk and exotic foods as evidenced by the number of people who frequent modern restaurants for either their breakfast, lunch, supper or indeed any in-between meals and snacks.
“I have not had traditional foods in a long time, not because I cannot afford it. Actually, it is cheaper than these exotic foods we buy like pizzas and chicken and chips but the challenge is that I don’t have time to prepare it. I would rather buy these exotic foods on my way home and eat quickly before getting to bed,” Ms Jessy Kangwa, a resident of Lusaka’s Villa area says.
However, Ms Kangwa knows that most of these fast foods are not good for human health because of the high oil contents in them.
“Whenever I am eating chicken and chips, I always remember my mother back then. She used to discourage me from eating too much fast food because of the various health risks that come with them. But living in the urban area has become so time consuming for me to get to the market and buy traditional foods like dried vegetables and wild fruits,” Ms Kangwa says.
Family recipes that once made mouths water are being tossed aside, with some at risk of becoming extinct.
Ms Kangwa is not the only one shunning traditional foods, Vincent Tembo of Lusaka’s Chelstone says in his home, traditional foods are rarely found.
“My wife and I are working parents and my wife is rarely home because of the nature of her work. As a result, we both have no time to prepare the indigenous foods. All we do is to buy fast foods and the day is gone,” Mr Tembo says.
Mr Tembo says sometimes it is a challenge to find traditional foods because such foods are not easily found or not packaged well, resulting in some people being discouraged when buying these foods.
But not all national delicacies have been preserved with such priority, according to Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) executive director Patrick Nshindano.
Mr Nshindano says for Zambia to achieve the much-needed sustainable economic empowerment, the country needs a sustainable food system centering much on traditional foods production, preservation and consumption.
“Zambia urgently needs a sustainable food system as evidenced from the erosion of our traditional foods which we have had since time immemorial. Crop diversification is one of the ways of having a sustainable food system. It is then that we will see food diversity that will in-turn contribute to the country’s sustainable food system instead of solely dependent on exotic foods,” Mr Nshindano says.
Mr Nshindano believes agriculture has been relegated to only subsistence agriculture.
“For the urban population, there is too much obesity. Malnutrition levels are high and all this can be related to failure to follow crop diversification. We need more involvement and we need it done in a more sustainable manner. We need improved livelihood at the household level,” Mr Nshindano says.
The traditional food is facing erosion both in urban and rural areas.
But how will Zambia reignite the traditional foods?
“We need to reorient people on the importance of indigenous foods. It is cheap and more healthy. One reason why we are facing this erosion is that our agriculture policy system for a long time has not promoted crop diversification, as a result, mono-cropping has taken root,” Mr Nshindano says.
But all hope is not lost, Mr Nshindano says the e-voucher system is a good one, nevertheless needs to be promoted.
“We need a healthy nation. And healthy food is an important component in having a healthy nation. It is now after the e-voucher system that we have seen the change. We need to ensure that the policy looks at food diversification, too,” Mr Nshindano says.
HIVOS Southern Africa advocacy officer on sustainable diets William Chilufya says these neglected species are important due to their potential contribution in preventing malnutrition, obesity and diet-related disorders and hidden hunger.
Mr Chilufya says many indigenous food crops constitute inexpensive and rich sources of protein, vitamin C, and dietary fiber.
“Like Amaranth (bondwe), it’s nutritional value is huge and yet it is not preserved or packaged in order to be accessed by both urban and rural households. We need to promote the production and preservation of such foods so that we increase the availability of produce in the peri-urban and urban areas at affordable prices,” Mr Chilufya says.
Mr Chilufya says initiatives have been carried out across the country to strategise on how to reignite the indigenous food crops production, preservation and packaging.
“We have farmers that we are working with in sharing information, production technologies for packaging and preservation. We hope this project will result in the development of efficient marketing processes which are vital for the commercial success of the small fruits and vegetables grower,” he says.
According to Mr Chilufya, people need to change their perspectives and start eating indigenous foods which are rich in nutrients. PUBLISHED IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL ON AUGUST 19, 2018. LINK:

Mutoba: Founder of Tapera Industries Ltd

DOREEN NAWA, Lusaka
AHAT is the fastest way to scale a business? Find something old, add a modern twist, and send it back out into the world.
This is exactly what Mutoba Ngoma, 33, founder of Tapera Industries Limited does.
He turns used vegetable oils into biodiesel fuel for cars and natural soaps for laundry and personal use.
Mr Ngoma, a trained aircraft engineer is one of Africa’s young entrepreneurs that made it onto the 2016 Forbes list of Africa’s most promising entrepreneurs under the age of 35.
Mr Ngoma was retrenched in 2009 by Zambian Airways after working for two years as an aircraft maintenance planner.
But the retrenchment gave birth to Tapera Industries Limited.
“I was already processing vegetable oils into biodiesel fuel for cars and selling it to my colleagues at work. So, my response to the retrenchment was to continue my activity as a business and start expanding my operations. I have been self-employed since then,” Mr Ngoma says.
Born on January 30, 1985, Mr Ngoma did his secondary school at Matero Boys Secondary School in Lusaka, and then went to complete his secondary school in Nairobi, Kenya at St Mary’s School.
Thereafter, he went to the United Kingdom to study manufacturing engineering and aircraft engineering.
Born to Edna Ngoma and Captain Gilbert Ngoma, he is the first of the five children in the family.
“I wanted to be an astronaut to explore space since I was about 6 years old because I was fascinated by programmes on television about aliens and science. This passion drove me to pursue studies that can lead to aeronautics, hence the aircraft engineering that I studied,” Mr Mutoba says.
His dream had been for him to one day work for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
NASA is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space programmes, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.
Unfortunately, he did not qualify because he studied in the United Kingdom as opposed to studying in the United States.
Realisng this, he focused on other opportunities such as getting a job in Africa once done with his studies. This saw him coming back to Zambia in 2006 where he started his research into biodiesel fuel production before going to join Zambian Airways Limited a year later.
What drives him?
“I am inspired by achievers who find alternative routes to success such as Aliko Dangote of the Dangote Group, Khalid Mohammed of Trade Kings group and Richard Branson of the Virgin group because these achievers built their industries from the ground up,” Mr Ngoma says.
Mr Ngoma says he enjoys the creativity of manufacturing.
“I have always loved to be challenged, even when I was in Grade Seven, I used to go home with my gateway to Grade Eight text book and try to perform the experiments from the book with the help of my big cousin Mutale who used to guide me, it is why I enjoy the hands on, practical aspect of the business so much,” Mr Ngoma says.
In less than five years since Tapera was re-registered as a Limited Liability company from a business name to scale up the business, Mr Ngoma has excelled gained himself numerous recognitions.
“This has opened several doors and opportunities around the world which include being a Mandela Washington Fellow in 2014, one of Forbes Africa top 30 under 35 most promising entrepreneurs of 2016, listed by the United Nations decade for people of African descent as one of the Most Influential People of African Descent 2017. And most recently being invited by the office of the President of the Africa Development Bank for the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) annual meeting 2018 to present a paper to the bank, on youth participation in the industrialisation of Africa based on Tapera Industries experience in Zambia,” Mr Ngoma says.
Through his works and recognitions from around the world, he hopes society can begin to perceive youth in Zambia as a more proactive population that can help address global challenges.
Currently, Tapera Industries Limited offers a waste vegetable oils and fat waste disposal service to local restaurants and hotels under licence from ZEMA, and through his innovative disposal methods, the used cooking oils and fats are cleaned and processed into biodiesel fuel and soap products.
However, due to limited quantities of the waste vegetable fats, the business has since 2014 started to procure jatropha curcas seed from small-scale farmers to produce the vegetable oils in house which are being further processed into biofuels and natural soaps.
“We used to collect used cooking oils from local hotels and restaurants on a large scale but we realised that due to the inconsistent quality and availability the venture was becoming expensive because of the high cost that they pegged the used cooking oils at. So we decided to be producing the vegetable oils on our own using various oil seeds,” Mr Ngoma says.
To date, Tapera Industries Limited company has signed up over 2000 small scale farmers on their out grower program, and are able to procure an average of 40 metric tons of seed per month during the harvest season.
“In partnership with MUSIKA agricultural initiatives, We have set up a small scale farmers out grower scheme in Eastern Province of Zambia where we soon hope to setup up a fully-fledged farm to fuel biodiesel production site with a monthly capacity to produce 70,000 litres of vegetable oil per month and further produce over 200 metric tonnes of biomass briquettes (environmentally friendly coal replacement) from the agro waste that jatropha seed generates,” he says.
The company employs seven permanent staff, and 30 seasonal buyers who live in the communities where the small scale-farmers are based.
For Mr Ngoma, the potential for growth in youth participation in the economy is one thing that Africa should not ignore.
“What my fellow youths require is direction and support from the leaders. During the AfDB annual meeting in Korea, the World Bank president mentioned that Africa would have a difficult time industrializing because the leaders are not supporting the small industries, a good example to learn from is South Korea, it started with basic industries making small things like soap and matches, then graduated to light industries making small components like engine parts, then to Heavy industries where they are manufacturing cars and ships, and now digital industries where they bring us the phones and robotics. The leap that is being attempted, from no base industry to digital industry will leave a huge gap that will have to be supported by foreign manufacturers like China which will stunt our industrialisation potential, unless the local industries are supported and become the base for the industrial revolution,” Mr Ngoma says.
From an idea to innovative action, and this is how Tapera Industries Limited was born. PUBLISHED ON JULY 29, 2018 IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL. Link: http://www.daily-mail.co.zm/mutoba-founder-of-tapera-industries-ltd/