September 1998

Dear Friends of Makeni,

As promised we are sending news a little more often to you to improve on our reporting record. Here is some news:

1. A new academic year is about to start for four of our adult trainings
programmes. Enrolment so far is:
Homecraft School        19 students
Basic Electronics       25 students
Agriculture Course      21 students
Settlement Course       12 students (the maximum we decided to enrol this year)
Enrolment is still going on.
Low enrolment is due to extreme poverty and the lack of transport for students from town to the Centre. A schoolbus is needed!
The Carpentry Course is still in progress (with 13 students left), as is the Senior Electronics Course (32 students left)

2. Today a meeting tool place at the Centre with the 34 families which have already completed their training for settlement and are ready now to move to the settlement villages. The meeting was positive and helpful all round.

3. THE LEASE AGREEMENT between MEC and settlers has finally been completed after extensive legal consultations. 45 families in Kalwelwe SV (SV=Settlement Village), 35 families in Mwomboshi SV, 80 families in mwembeshi SV and 9 families in Chisamba SV will sign the Agreement soon. Some settlers are objecting and demanding Title Deeds to their land, that is absolute (and uncontrolled ownership). Some trouble may be expected from them.

4. A WATER EXPERT, Mr Robert Ndhlovu,  is being  hired from  the Government Geological Department, to do a water survey in four out of the five SV's of MEC. The fee demanded for the full survey is at present BRP £600; we are trying to negotiate this downwards... This exercise is in response to recommendations made by the Evaluators of the Settlement Projects of MEC.

5. Quotations for the cost of repairing/rebuilding the central 2-storey farm house in Mwomboshi have now been received. It will cost £15000... MEC does not have that sort of money for that sort of thing.... We may have to start with just having a roof put on the building. Financial help towards this project would be much appreciated. The building will be a reception centre for newly arriving settler families, for a primary school and a clinic; it will serve as an office for the settlement officer as well.

6. KALWELWE SECONDARY SCHOOL [in Kalwelwe SV] has now been accepted by the Ministry of Education as their responsibility. A proper school is to be built with funding, almost certainly, being provided by the Micro Projects Department of Government; the school children will therefore be a able to move out of the old farm house in the near future.

7. CHISAMBA COMMUNITY HALL has been completed and is in use as a reception centre and community centre. There is a possibility of a school and clinic being built on land near our SV, relieving MEC from the burden of finding funds for these!

Please accept that report as part of our reporting procedure.

Best regards,
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Very Revd Canon Pierre J Dil
Chairman makeni Ecumenical Centre  P O Box 50255,Lusaka, Zambia
Tel 260-1-274991  Fax 260-1-272437

e-mail:mecdil@zamnet.zm