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Zambia 2007- 2009

3 Grants

£1,000 Approved June 2007
£2,600 Approved March 2008
£5,000 Approved September 2008, for activities between January and December 20009

IPF Local Partner: Fellowship of Reconciliation Zambia (FORZA)

IPF Projects: Active Nonviolence Project

Location: Kitwe, Copperbelt Province, north central Zambia.

Peacemakers: National Training Coordinator - Mr Ignatius Kabale Mukunto.
Mr David Chisanga - FORZA National Chair

1. Zambia - Country Background

Zambia is a landlocked and sparsely populated country in central southern Africa populated by more than 70 different ethnic groups.

In the late 1960s it was the third largest copper miner, after the US and the Soviet Union. World copper prices collapsed in 1975 with devastating effects on the economy.

Much of Zambia remains desperately poor, with GNP per capita around US&dollar;1000/year, and the bulk of Zambia's population living on subsistence agriculture. Zambia has one of the highest HIV rates in the world with an adult (15 – 49 years) HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of 14%. This has dropped from 16% in 2000 but there are still 20% of children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS related illness.

Zambia achieved independence in 1964 but had a one party rule for 27 years emerging into a multi-party system in 1991. In the 2008 presidential elections Rupiah Banda was voted in as president with 40% of the vote, against Michael Sata's 38%.
Despite its poverty Zambia has maintained an open door policy to victims of war and political persecution which has resulted in over 100,000 refugees currently in the country. The majority of refugees are from the Democratic Republic of Congo, almost 60%, with over 30% from Angola.

2. Local Partner - FORZA (http://wwww.ifor.org/FORZA.htm)

Originally incepted in 1999 as the Youth Forum for Peace & Justice (YFPJ), in October 2006 it became FoR Zambia (FORZA) and a full member of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation.

YFPJ initially set up The Nonviolence Education and Training Program (NVETP) with the intention of training and educating students' leaders and young people in peacebuilding, non violence and leadership skills.

In 2002 YFPJ launched the Women Peacemakers Program (WPP) to train young women in active non violence and conflict transformation. It was also set up to build awareness of the rights and issues affecting women and to encourage them to participate in social activities within the main stream of society. Over 500 women have so far participated in WPP training and activities.

In 2003 YFPJ started the Peace Education Project (PEP) with a special focus on students and teachers. Youth Peace Clubs were successfully implemented with grants from the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) in the Netherlands, and the A.J Muste Memorial Institute in New York.

PEP established around 11 peace & justice clubs in each district in the Copperbelt region and has also trained youth church leaders in peacebuilding & conflict transformation skills. It has also established a reliable network of local supporters & contacts in each of the ten districts.

3. IPF funded projects.

2007 – The Active Nonviolence Project
Following the 2006 national and local elections in Zambia, International Peacemakers Fund (IPF) was approached by FORZAM to fund a training workshop with the intention of introducing students from the Copperbelt region to active non violence as a means of social transformation. FORZAM felt that many students, disenchanted with the limited educational and employment opportunities that are available are susceptible to violence both as the usual tool for expressing their disenchantment and also because they often experience violence from their elders, both within and outside of college, as a means of dealing with conflict.

As David Chisanga chair of FORZAM said - "If past elections are anything to go by, including that held in 2006, the big challenge is how to prepare young people to participate peacefully in democratic elections. Young people are co-opted into political organizations, and taught violent and brutish behaviors. They are given large amounts of alcohol, political party T-shirts, and cash to intimidate, harass, and brutalize political opponents. Students in schools and colleges are deliberately targeted for these ends.

Through the trainings and consultation in the Active Nonviolence Project, FORZA M 'will identify & tackle the root causes of this violent culture by equipping youth participants with nonviolent techniques and communication skills for dealing with conflict.'

The training took place at the Workers Pastoral Center in Kitwe City, over 5 days in October 2007 with 35 participants (14 male and 21 female, including 7 teachers). The students came from nine schools and were from year grades eight to eleven.
The five days covered an introduction to the principles of active non violence, the basis of faith based non violence (from six religious viewpoints), achieving non violent social change, leadership and power, and applying non violence to situations in the students own lives.

FORZA were pleased with the student's enthusiasm and appreciation of the training and subsequently applied to IPF for funding for further training.

2008 – Active Non violence handbook
A similar format was used for the training carried out over five days in October 2008. The 24 students and 9 teachers (21 female and 12 male) came from nine schools in the three Copperbelt towns of Mufulira, Kalulushi and Lufwanyama.
The training was co-facilitated by three senior members of FORZAM, Mr. Chisanga, Mrs. Kalonga, and Mr. Mukunto. Picking up on the feedback from last years training more materials that were no-European and based on the students own experiences were used.

Through the training FORZAM has increased its visibility to teachers and schools in the region and many schools have expressed an interest in this work as there are so few peacebuilding advocates in learning institutions. FORZAM hopes to be able to offer this training to students in other towns in the region.

The IPF grant also supported the design, production and distribution of a training manual suitable for young social activists in Zambia who wanted to lean about the principles, methodology and application of non violence.

The draft was submitted to FoR England in July 2008 and is titled 'Active NonViolence: A Practicable Tool'. The final copy is due for publication and distribution later this year.

It is dedicated to “All the young people of Zambia and the Copperbelt Region in particular who feel the need to stand up and speak out against any form of injustice that impedes the improvement of their welfare and respect of their inalienable rights. And furthermore wish to 'fight for' and 'realise' these two fundamental aspects of their lives through non-violent means.”

2009 - On going

The 'Nonviolence Sensitisation and Awareness Project' (NSAP) has grown out of the training carried out by FORZAM over the last two years. This project is designed to run over the whole of 2009 and is aimed at engaging teachers as well as students and to lobby and work for the inclusion of Nonviolence Education and Training in the curriculum.

The events throughout the year will include meetings with stakeholders to consult and review the aims and strategies of NSAP, Exhibition Days in participating schools and reviewing and publishing the results of the year's activities.
It is anticipated that 70 basic and High Schools from the 10 Copperbelt districts will have participated in the years activities.

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