Habitat for Humanity Zambia (HFHZ) today handed over a three bed roomed house to an orphaned and vulnerable family of Chazanga compound in Lusaka.

The family comprising three girls aged 19, 17, and 11 and a boy aged 9 years old have been living in a makeshift shelter since 2003 after their house in Ngombe compound was demolished in the same year due to a land dispute.

Speaking at the function First Republican president, Kenneth Kaunda said, it is the principle of loving ones neighbor that drives HFHZ to care for orphans and vulnerable children.

Dr. Kaunda urged Zambians to embrace the principle of loving each other in order to help each other.

He thanked the Irish Aid and the other cooperating partners for coming to the aid of the orphans and vulnerable people in society.

A representative of Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), Desiree Adaway, revealed that HFHI has built 3000 houses and has put 1.5 million people into decent housing.

Handing over the House, Habitat for Humanity Zambia Board Chairperson, Mary Kazunga said HFHZ renovates and builds houses for orphans and vulnerable children using money from donors like USAID, Irish Aid, Churches, and individuals among others.

Mrs. Kazunga disclosed that HFHZ has built and renovated over 2,000 houses in six provinces in Zambia under two housing schemes.

She also revealed that Habitat for Humanity was in 2008 awarded grant funding under the Civil Society Fund to improve the lives of orphans and vulnerable children and their caregivers in Lusaka and Ndola.

Mrs. Kazunga said HFH’s work aligns closely with Irish Aid’s policy goals of reducing poverty and promoting sustainable, equitable development by focusing on a root cause of community disenfranchisement and impoverishment.

ZANIS/PM/MKM/ENDS.

FARMERS in Eastern Province have been challenged to change farming methods in order to increase their agricultural productivity.

Eastern Province Minister, Isaac Banda, said if farmers changed and improved on seed varieties, grow other crops, increase on the production of fish and animals, they would be able to diversify their limited resources and generate more income.

Mr. Banda was speaking in a speech read on his behalf by Chipata District Commissioner, Nicholas Banda, when he officiated at this year’s Farmers’ Field Day held at Msekera Research Institute in Chipata yesterday, under the theme, ‘Challenge of Change’.

He said government had put in place a number of programmes to revamp the agricultural sector and one of those was to encourage farmers change ways of farming in order to transform the present crisis.

‘’ During this event, we have been presented with very important tools that include knowledge and simple adaptable methods of changing our way of farming,’’ Mr Banda said.

The minister emphasized that with this year’s theme, there could still be a way to make things better, adding that the agricultural scientists and partnering seed companies had demonstrated that farmers had a rare opportunity of increasing agricultural productivity despite the prevailing world crises of food, energy, finance and environment.

Eastern Province Agricultural Coordinator, Obvious Kabinda, called on farmers to work as a team when determining prices for their crops.

Dr. Kabinda said most farmers were being exploited by unscrupulous business persons because they did not work in collaboration when determining prices.

‘’ Farmers should always think of how much they have spent in farming before arriving at prices when negotiating with buyers,’’ he said.

Dr. Kabinda said farmers should realize that farming is a business and it was up to them to determine the prices when selling crops so that they could recover what they spent during cultivating and make profit.

Earlier, a Farmer, Kelvin Mawere, from Chimvano section in Msekera, complained that traders were exploiting farmers when buying crops because the merchants approached them with prices already fixed.

ZANIS/ENDS/SM/EB.

The Ministry of Communications and Transport has improved communication system in Luwingu district by installing a new digital switch at ZAMTEL exchange to replace the analogue which was installed in early 1970s.

This was revealed by Luwingu District Commissioner, George Mwamba, who said the gesture will go a long way in alleviating communication problems faced by the district in the recent past.

Mr. Mwamba said the digital facility installed at the exchange has a provision for internet browsing which people should have access to.

Mr. Mwamba said following the improvement of communication system by ZAMTEL, the district will gain maximum development as many investors willing to invest in the district will no longer be complaining of lack of internet facilities.

“I am now inviting would-be investors to invest in the district as the area is now connected to the outside world through the provision of internet facilities at Zamtel offices,” added Mr. Mwamba.

He said the people of Luwingu are happy with the development which he said would enable them communicate effectively using internet services.

Northern Province ZAMTEL area manager, Fred Mwenya, confirmed that his company has installed a high speed digital switch which will carry, among other things the internet and fax facilities.

Mr. Mwenya said the demonstration on how to use the internet will be done at Luwingu high school next week in order to sensitize the community.

ZANIS/ENDS/EP/EB.

Government has disclosed that plans are underway to broaden and strengthen the capacity of all research and Information institutions in the country.

Health Minster, Kapembwa Simbao says with the increasing demand for information in the country, research institutions can play an important role in providing accurate information on developmental programmes.

Speaking when he officiated at the launch of the 2007 Zambia Demography Health Survey (ZDHS) report in Lusaka today, Mr. Simbao noted that through strengthening of research institutions, national surveys will be concluded in time.

Mr. Simbao explained the ZDHS report is an important document which will assist government in evaluating what is needed to attain the fifth National Development Plan (FNDP) and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

He said ZDHS reports also play a critical role in the understanding of Social and economy indicators for many people.

He said there is need for all stakeholders to partner with government and ensure that national survey projects are well funded if they are to produce good results.

He further reaffirmed government’s commitment to provide support to projects aimed at providing information for national consumption.

Earlier United Nations Resident Coordinator, Macleod Nyirongo, said in view of the global recession there is need for Zambia to have reliable developmental information to re-focus and track progress towards reaching the goals of vision 2030, FNDP and the MDGs.

Mr. Nyirongo explained that with six more years to the attainment of MDGs, the ZDHS report will assist stakeholders in engaging in critical analysis of the findings and understanding the implications of the results.

He called for concerted efforts from partners in coming up with good innovative approaches and interventions to the gaps that still exist in the report.

He has also disclosed that the UN system in Zambia with cooperating partners have engaged in further detailed triangulation of the ZDHS 2007 report with other studies such as the EPI-synthesis.

The UN Envoy further appealed to Zambian to utilize the results of the survey in re-adjusting their strategic and Programme focus for enhancing human development in the country in the remaining two-years of two FNDP 2006-2010.

Central Statistical Office (CSO), Director Efreda Chulu, said ZDHS report provides key indicators that inform the nation on important health programmes.

Mrs. Chulu pointed out that accurate information on both the population and national projects are vital in strengthening of the information generation.

She disclosed that CSO as an organization tasked by the government to carry out the survey, faced a lot of challenges ranging from inadequate resources to ignorance on the part of most citizens due to lack of information.

She also reiterated the importance of having a good census, adding that surveys like the ZDHS draw their samples from the total national census.

ZANIS/MM/MKM/ENDS.