Break Away 

James is a child living in poverty.

For him, daily life has many challenges. His small village in Zambia is far away from the main road and the isolation means that even basic services like a medical clinic and clean water sources are often unreachable.

Most families survive on subsistence agriculture, producing just enough from their farms to feed the family. With no irrigation, these crops are susceptible to drought, and when crops fail there is no alternative.

For James, even more so than other children in his community, things are very difficult. Both his father and mother have passed away and he lives with his sister and their guardian. Together they try to produce all their meals from her small farm. But it never feels like enough, James says that they only have enough to eat well for three to five months of the year.

To help produce as much as they can, James stays home to look after the animals and at twelve years of age he has never been to school. In fact, many children in James’ community do not go to school. One of the reasons for this is that less than 35% of adults in the community have any education, and of those that do, many have not even completed primary school. There is scepticism within the community about the value of education, and many children do not start school until very late (sometimes at 13 years of age) or not at all.

The many contributing factors to James’ situation mean that it is incredibly difficult for children like him to break away from the cycle of poverty. Even when they do have a good harvest, the extra income often goes towards paying for services like medical care, which they would have otherwise gone without.

But what if things could be different? What if something could be added in into the equation that could break the cycle of poverty and the sense of hopelessness that it brings.

Baptist World Aid Australia’s partner RCZ* are working to do just this. One year ago, they started working with James’ community to understand the issues and the traps of poverty and devise a plan for how they can improve the future for their children. With the expertise of our partner staff and the resources to get things started, James’ community is starting to learn how they can begin to break away and make change.

Just imagine what James’ community could look like in ten years’ time. A generation of children will have grown up involved in child clubs, with support and confidence to be leaders in their community. They will have experience in thinking through and implementing development activities and will have seen the way that things can be achieved when the community all joins together.

Targeted agricultural training with resources dedicated to establishing simple irrigation systems and improving soil fertility, will help farms become resistant to droughts and produce much bigger yields. And as parents work alongside staff, they will be encouraged about the importance and benefits of education.

With a better understanding of nutrition, and more food and income available, children will be healthier. And with less pressure on the family budget, more children will be freed to receive an education and expand their choices for employment in the future.

In ten years, James will be a young man of 22. We imagine he will have greatly increased knowledge of farming practices and be working with his guardian to produce not only enough to eat, but also to provide income for the family and even savings to put aside. He could be working with his peers to coordinate with the local government and improve access to health and education services. He could be part of the team that takes over from project staff to continue working towards a stronger future with the skills and experience he has gained over the past ten years.

These are the outcomes that RCZ are aiming for, and their work could be the catalyst that forms cracks in poverty’s grip. But it will be the dedication and determination of James, his peers and his community that will enable them to break away and build a new cycle of life to the full.

Baptist World Aid Australia have committed to working with RCZ for ten years. Please help break the cycle of poverty for children in James’ community by sponsoring a child. Before July we need to find sponsors for 900 more children.

*Reformed Church of Zambia Diaconia Department

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