PEPAIDS

Income Generation | Chisila Case Study

Poverty is one of the biggest driving factors for the spread of HIV/AIDS in Zambia. Empowering people to be able to generate an income in a safe way is crucial in the fight against poverty and HIV/AIDS. Almost 65% of Zambia’s population are living on less than $1.25 per day (UNDP, Human Development Report 2010). When you consider that the cost of living in Zambia is similar to that in the UK, $1.25 per day is wholly inadequate.

Poverty in Zambia is rife for a host of reasons. One of the main problems is that AIDS is wiping out a whole generation in Zambia - the generation who are sexually active, but also the generation that traditionally brings in an income: mothers, fathers and young adults.

With the heads of many households sick or dead, providing for the family falls to those who remain. Often children and grandparents are the ones who must find ways of putting food on the table. Children have to earn money with no experience or qualifications and it is very common in Zambia for girls in particular, to have to have sex with older men in exchange for money or food. Culturally, they do not have the power to ask men to use a condom and, in many cases, men will pay more for sex without one. This is one of the main ways through which HIV/ AIDS is spread.

One of the most successful strategies of SAPEP, our partner NGO in Zambia, has been the establishing of income generation programmes within the communities whom we work with. Teaching people basic entrepreneurial skills, so that they can generate an income safely and equipping community members with life skills such as animal rearing or agricultural skills, has proved to be hugely effective and has empowered whole communities to not only prosper but become self sufficient and achieve sustainable livelihoods. Importantly, this work has given women and girls an alternative to commercial sex, as they can now use their skills instead of their bodies to generate an income.

See our Chisila case study, for a shining example of how income generation initiatives have worked wonders in one of our communities!

In an assessment of community needs in 2011, PEPAIDS found that one of the main things communities were asking for was ongoing help and up to date information about how to farm their land and care for livestock. They were keen for knowledge of disease and pest control so that their income generation strategies were successful and brought in a profit.

PEPAIDS knows that volunteers have a huge amount to offer! Together we can find new and innovative ways of doing what we can to help. Could you:

• Teach our communities about sustainable agriculture?
• Teach practical livestock management skills?
• Teach about disease control in plants or livestock?
• Help plan an income generation strategy?
• Improve people’s marketing skills so they can market their produce more effectively?
• Teach communities about financial management so that the profits made out of income generation activities are used in the best possible way? 

Download Our Kulyaaba Income Generation Pack

Income Generation | Chisila Case Study