THE JCTR UPDATE: PEOPLE AND ACTIVITIES
WHAT KEEPS US BUSY AT THE JCTR? HERE ARE SOME RECENT ITEMS OF INTEREST
CAMPAIGN FOR DEBT
CANCELLATION
Jubilee-Zambia continues to move forward with its efforts at ensuring that Zambia’s external debt is cancelled and that the freed-up resources are targeted at poverty eradication.
Key to these efforts during the last quarter of the year has been a regional conference on Debt held in Lusaka, drawing anti-debt activists from the southern and eastern regions of Africa. The aim of the objective was to see the best route to take in ensuring debt cancellation.
In the middle of November, Jubilee-Zambia organized its second debt forum for the year with the theme, “The HIPC Initiative: A Solution to External Debt and Poverty in Zambia?” This forum, attended by representatives of International Financial Institutions generated a lot of lively discussions.
At the end of November Jubilee-Zambia convened an evaluation conference to look at Zambia’s debt problem and the way forward. Specifically, this conference reviewed and evaluated the 2002 Jubilee-Zambia activities and planned for the 2003.
CHURCH’S SOCIAL TEACHING PROJECT
Just what exactly do we mean by the church’s social teaching? In order to disseminate information on this important subject, the JCTR has published a 2003 calendar on the church’s social teaching. Every day in this calendar is a highlight of some important quotation on the church’s social teaching. What it simply means is “A reflection on the church’s social teaching for 365 days!”
CIVIL SOCIETY FOR POVERTY REDUCTION
The Civil Society for Poverty Reduction, a network of non-governmental organizations working on poverty and poverty related issues, has undertaken a number of activities in the last quarter of the year 2002.
Key to these has been the on-going activity of ensuring that the readership of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper is increased through making the PRSP concise and simplified. Through this process, also, it is expected that a sense of ownership of the PRSP will be instilled.
Other activities have included conducting local training sessions (in four provinces), in addition to the other training conducted already, on Participatory Poverty Assessment (PPA). The aim is to ensure effective monitoring of the PRSP.
In September, the CSPR conducted a workshop to sensitise the media on the PRSP. Another workshop on advocacy and policy development was held in October with the aim of fostering effective advocacy on poverty reduction priority issues
AFCAST
The African Forum for Catholic Social Teaching (AFCAST), a newly launched initiative based in Harare to promote a faith-based reflection on significant public issues, held a regional seminar on “Church’s Social Teaching and Challenge of Poverty Eradication.” The aims of the seminar were to take a hard look at causes, effects and responses to the poverty situation and also to engage in dialogue on the relevancy of social teachings in dealing with poverty.
The steering committee members from Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania made presentations that analysed their country’s poverty situations in light of the church’s social teaching.
ZAMBIA’S SOCIO-ECONOMIC SITUATION
In early October and late November, Muweme Muweme shared some thoughts with groups from Australia and Ireland on Zambia’s socio-economic situation particularly as it relates to the current hunger problem.
The JCTR Basic Needs Basket, which measures cost of living for a family of six in Lusaka, has been recording steady increases. Included in the basket of necessities are food items such as mealie meal, cooking oil, sugar, beans, etc., and non-food essentials such as housing energy, water, wash and bath soap, etc. Currently the Basic Needs Basket is costing K863, 400, an equivalent of US$180 This is well beyond reach of many households in Zambia.
PARTNERS MEETING
In November, JCTR held a meeting with its north and south partners. The gathering was meant to have exchange on JCTR immediate past activities and those plannedfor in the coming years.
VISITORS TO JCTR
The JCTR has continued to receive visitors, coming to ask for materials/information on wider issues affecting Zambia that the JCTR is engaged in. We are also happy to have Patti Pierson with us for six weeks. Patti just finished her Masters Degree in Economic Development from the London School of Economics. She is here at the JCTR to assist in various areas: data base, communication, review of reports, etc.