United Church of Zambia Mission

  The mission is run by Dan & Paula Van Zyl

Dan grew up in Mwandi, where his father was a trader and he became very involved with help & refugee projects through the UN during the various uprisings in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Paula was born and brought up in California, but grew to love Africa during various animal conservation projects which she participated on.They met 6 years ago when Paula was in Africa on an animal conservation project and Dan was working for the UN.They both decided to return to the village of Dan's roots, Mwandi and open the mission to help the poverty stricken people in the village.They are passionate about their work and have already helped tremendously in many peoples lives.
Paula has a constant battle on her hands raising funds to keep the mission and its projects going. She is valued member of The United Church of Zambia and is the only white woman ever to be 'bloused' by the church, making her an Anamoyo, which in itself is a huge achievement.

The United Church of Zambia is a union of Presbyterian, Congregational, Methodist and French Protestant denominations which has been running since 1884. The Mwandi UCZ Church has a congregation of about 500, spanning all ages It is led by the Reverend Silishebo, who arrived in August 2004.
Alume (Men's Christian Fellowship) and Anamoyo (Women's Christian Fellowship) are made up of the middle-aged and older members of the Church. They meet twice weekly, with Bible Studies, visiting the sick and elderly, cleaning the hospital, tidying the graveyard and generating some income for the Church by making and selling handicrafts.
For the children, there is the Girls and Boys Brigade. The Youth Fellowship is for the older teenagers. The Choir, which is of a very high standard, gathers three times a week, as well as singing at the Sunday morning services. There is a strong emphasis on care in the community, with many members involved in Home Based Care or the OVC. The Deaconess takes the role of a social worker, supporting projects around the consistory
.
Dan and Paula got married in a traditional Lozi ceremony on the morning of Saturday 26th 2006. The Reverend Banda officiated and the reception was held on the Simba lawn and was attended by Chief Inyambo Yeta.

Project Proposal

Program Name: UCZ (United Church of Zambia) Mission Partners Mwandi

Contact Person: Paula Van Zyl

Contact Telephone: 260 978 090 819

Contact Email: paula.winland@yahoo.com www.mwandi.co.uk

Program Address:
UCZ Mwandi Mission Partners PO Box 61259, Livingstone, Zambia
 
Program Vision Statement

All citizens of Mwandi will have an improved standard of living that enhances their quality of life, maximizing their potential through increased opportunities in education and employment, increasing life expectancy, reducing HIV transmission, and providing a safe and sustainable community.

Program Mission Statement

To bring volunteers into the community to support existing programs and provide resources to continue programs and develop new opportunities.

Program History

UCZ Mission Partners Mwandi have been serving the people of Mwandi since 2005. It began by offering a tour from South Africa through Botswana and Namibia ending up in Mwandi Village for nine days, recruiting volunteers/ travelers from around the world. While in Mwandi volunteers work with various programs of the UCZ Mission (schools, hospital, HIV clinic, Orphan and Vulnerable Children (OVC) program). In July 2006 they began having the volunteers fly direct into Livingstone, Zambia thus increasing the time in Mwandi from 9 days to 17 days, still offering the Botswana safari. As of the end of June 2009 approximately 530 volunteers have visited and worked in the community through the Mission Partners.

It was during this time Paula was baptized and became an active member of the United Church of Zambia. Shortly after the Church asked Paula and Dan to become Mission Partners and they applied for and were granted work permits to remain in Mwandi working as self funded, non-profit Missionaries under the United Church of Zambia. Initially they camped on Mission land and in March, 2007 the Royal Establishment granted UCZ Mission Partners a large piece of land in appreciation of their work in the village and for the community. They were asked by the people of Mwandi, the Church, and the Chief and Royal Establishment to remain in Mwandi to live among them and continue their work. That same year UCZ Mission Partners Mwandi was approached by a community member for assistance with housing. This individual was a senior with a disability, caring for five grandchildren who was living in a small shack made of grass and plastic. The Mission Partners, with the help of volunteers, built him a tradition mud house with a metal sheet roof. This was the start of the house building project. As of the end of June 2009 twenty three houses have been built providing housing for vulnerable families. (There are another 48 requests on the wait list).

Paula is member and the accountant for the Mwandi Home for the Aged committee (Kandiana). In August 2008 she was asked to join the Women’s Christian Fellowship and become ‘Anamoyo” and has since been an active member of the Church. In January 2009 Paula was inducted to the Livingstone Rotary Club District 9210; she is an active member serving on the membership committee. In July, 2009 she plans to serve on the international planning committee.

Projects

Housing - To provide safe and secure housing for the vulnerable populations (orphans, seniors, people in poverty) of Mwandi.

Safe drinking water - Drill bore holes to provide safe accessible water to communities in and around Mwandi.

Education - Providing volunteers to assist in various educational programs in the community.
Providing support to children who do not qualify for scholarships through programs for orphans. A number of children in the community come for families who live in poverty. These children do not qualify for programs that have been established for orphans, however are in need of support to help them continue their education.

Seniors - Providing shelter and attending to basic needs of seniors who do not have families to care for them.

Food Collection and Distribution - Provide food for needy people in the community and assist with the provision of food for families experiencing crisis, such as a death in the family.

Camp development - Through the volunteer program, volunteers bring expertise and experience to the Village to support the programs of the community and to increase international awareness of the issues in this community. Volunteers have provided physical labor, financial assistance, and professional expertise to this community. The UCZ Mission Partners Mwandi camp strive to provide a comfortable, safe and secure base for the volunteers to work from. Since 2007 a number of improvements have been made for this purpose, with many more developments planned as resources become available (e.g. bore hole, electricity, plumbing, permanent structure to house volunteers).

Supporting the delivery of health care - Health care professionals who come as volunteers have provided their expertise in the delivery of various aspects of health care delivery in the community. The Mission Partners receive and distribute medical supplies to various programs.

Funding Request

Name of Project: Housing Project

Rationale:

The majority of people in the village live in mud huts with grass roofs. During the rainy season (October to March) the weight of the grass roof puts pressure on the walls. The roofs also leak which causes deterioration of the walls. The houses collapse. There are limited resources in the community to help families repair or rebuild their homes. Most people in Mwandi live on less than $1.00 per day and do not have the financial resources to address the issue. A number of the families on the list include people with disabilities, grandparents caring for their orphaned grandchildren, or those who are abandoned or neglected by their extended families. All able bodied family members are expected to contribute their time to the construction of their house. As of the end of June 2009 23 houses have been completed, with 48 on the waiting list. There is a growing need for houses and the Kuta, (which is the local court/government), continue to request the assistance of the Mission Partners to provide housing for the needy people of the village.

The size of the house build for the family is determined by the size of the family requesting the home. There are three basic sizes of house being constructed. At this time all the houses are traditional mud houses with metal sheet roofing. The project would like to be able to further develop to provide brick houses and prefab concrete houses. Brick and concrete houses are stronger and last longer (up to fifty years). The mud houses last approximately 10 years.

Project Goal:

With adequate resources, (funding and volunteers), the Mission Partners would like to be able to build 24 houses a year.

Project Budget:

Depending on the needs of the family, there are three different sizes of houses that are built. The following breaks down the costs for each house.

Item
 Small Hut (one room)
 Medium Hut (two rooms: one large, one small)
 Large Hut (two rooms: both large)
 
Salaries (project portion)
 $350.00
 $390.00
 $420.00
 
Large poles
 $ 30.00
 $ 42.00
 $ 50.00
 
Small poles
 $ 20.00
 $ 30.00
 $ 38.00
 
Sisil rope
 $ 10.00
 $ 15.00
 $ 20.00
 
Rafters
 $ 20.00
 $ 30.00
 $ 40.00
 
Nails, screws, bolts, locks, roof nails, hinges
 

$ 25.00
 

$ 30.00
 

$35.00
 
Mud delivery
 $ 30.00
 $ 40.00
 $ 50.00
 
1 inch plank for doors and window
 

$ 18.00
 

$ 20.00
 

$ 22.00
 
Metal roof sheets
 $110.00
 $128.00
 $140.00
 
Fuel/transportation
 $ 50.00
 $ 60.00
 $ 70.00
 
Total Cost
 $663.00
 $785.00
 $885.00
 

Brick House Budget

Item
 Cost
 
Salaries
 $650.00
 
Cement
 $380.00
 
Rafters
 $50.00
 
Doors, windows, hinges, screws, nails, locks, bolts
 $35.00
 
Metal Roof Sheets
 $140.00
 
Fuel Costs
 $500.00
 
Total
 $1755.00
 

Prefab House Budget

Item
 Cost
 
Salaries
 $420.00
 
Cement
 $110.00
 
Prefab space saver
 $896.00
 
Rafters
 $50.00
 
Doors, windows, hinges, screws, nails, locks, bolts
 $35.00
 
Metal Roof Sheets
 $140.00
 
Fuel Costs
 $400.00
 
Total
 $2051.00
 

Project Evaluation

The master list of houses requested and completed includes an item line that indicates the source of funding for each item of each house, and date completed. Although volunteer labour is involved building the houses the program staff supervise the construction and ensure each house is completed.