Mukupa Writes

By Linda Mupemo David Musonda applies animal manure in his field David Musonda shovels up goat and sheep droppings from the floor of his kraal.   He and his two sons put it in buckets. They later head to their crop field which is a stone's throw away from their home in Chisensa village in Milenge District.    Mr. Musonda applies the animal droppings in his field where he has planted garden eggplants, cabbages, tomatoes and other vegetables.   He is one of the small scale farmers practicing organic agriculture in Milenge district in Luapula Province.    “I have 18 sheep, 11 goats and 10 chickens. These produce up to four bags of droppings fortnightly weighing 50 kilograms ," he says.    In organic agriculture, farmers produce their crops using natural fertilisers such as animal manure and compost as opposed to using synthetic fertilisers. Additionally, organic pesticides are used to control pests.      Mr....

 By Linda Mupemo Picture for illustration purposes Milenge District in Luapula Province has made headways in the implementation of the re-entry policy as 46 girls who fell pregnant in 2021 have returned to school this year.    Milenge District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) Elie Shumba disclosed that 47 girls fell pregnant last year in the 60 schools across the district.      Speaking in an interview with ZANIS, Mr. Shumba said from all the pregnancy related drop-outs which were recorded in the last academic year, only one girl is yet to return to school.    "This is an improvement in comparison to the previous years. For instance, 83 girls dropped out of school in 2020 due to pregnancies and only 16 returned to school in 2021," he said.    Mr. Shumba attributed the high number of re-entries to heightened sensitisation by stakeholders coupled with the introduction of the free education policy....

 By Linda Mupemo Milenge MP Saka Chonde Milenge Constituency Member of Parliament Saka Chonde has implored Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) engaged in environmental protection programmes to extend their services to rural communities such as Milenge district.     Mr. Chonde observed that lack of supplementary efforts from NGOs has contributed to insufficient access to information on environmental protection in rural areas.      Speaking in an interview with ZANIS, Mr. Chonde noted that most NGOs involved in environmental sustainability activities are concentrated in urban areas resulting in rural areas lagging behind.    Mr. Chonde said there is need for concerted efforts from various stakeholders to eradicate environmental degradation.    "At the moment, there is no NGO involved in environmental protection in ...

By Linda Mupemo Picture by Dreams Time Milenge District in Luapula Province has recorded an increase in the number of men reporting Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) cases to law enforcement agencies.     Milenge District One Stop Centre Coordinator Esnart Zgambo disclosed that 24 men reported their partners to the centre for SGBV related cases in July, 2022.    ZANIS reports that Ms. Zgambo said this during the Milenge One Stop Centre Stakeholders meeting which was held at Milenge Resource Centre.   Ms. Zgambo stated that the One Stop Centre recorded a total of 56 SGBV cases in the period under review adding that 32 women were reported to the centre in the same period.      "This is a positive with regards to men opening up on abuse from their partners. The turn out from men used to be low previously. But with more sensitisation, more men are beginning to seek help on SGBV,” she said.      Ms. Zgambo, ...

 By Linda Mupemo Rosemary Mukosha Rosemary Mukosha walks to her reed barn while balancing on two crutches. She keenly watches her farm worker as he empties a 50 kilogram bag of maize into the barn, filling it to the brim.  Relief is written all over her face. For the coming months, her family does not have to worry about buying mealie meal.  Rosemary is one of the 9,409 beneficiaries of the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) programme which government has been implementing in Milenge district in Luapula Province since 2012.  A severe infection led to her left leg being amputated. Her condition qualified her to be selected as a beneficiary of the social protection programme under the physically challenged persons category.  The 30-year-old resident of Lunga village in Mikula Ward says she has been receiving financial aid from the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services since 2017.  Ms. Mukosha reveals that sh...