Myths Surrounding Male Circumcision, Family Planning In Lunga

By Paul Shalala in Lunga

Ms Kabanshi speaking in church - Pictures by Osward Halupepe

It is an area which is isolated from the rest of the country due to its location.

Access to Lunga District in Luapula Province is either by boat or by air.

This is because the islands which make up Lunga are completely surrounded by Lake Bangweulu.

And this isolation has somehow led to a situation were residents resist change.

People here are against modern ways of life and even taking pregnant women to a health center for delivery is a big gamble.

In October, a consortium of civil society organisations involved in sexual reproductive health issues together with experts from the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Community Development camped for a month in Lunga to offer health services.

Among the organisations in the consortium were Marie Stopes International and Society for Family Health (SFH).

Marie Stopes was in the area to conduct male circumcisions but only one person showed up and almost all men shunned the service due to superstitions.

Many people in the area suspect male circumcision to be satanic or part of a business venture.

“We do not have circumcision in our culture here. So its foreign. We heir when forskins are cut, they are used to make sausage and some people have said circumcision is being used by Satanists,” said Chanda Leo, a local resident.

This rejection of male circumcision was confirmed even by the civil society organisations who only managed to circumcise one person who himself came under the cover of darkness to avoid public shame.

Luapula Member of Parliament Emerine Kabanshi recently embarked on a difficult task of convincing people in her constituency to adopt modern sexual reproductive services as opposed to traditional methods.

Ms Kabanshi toured her constituency to sensitise people on male circumcision and family planning and she saw for herself how her motherland is still resisting latest health interventions.

She flew to all the major islands and met chiefs, pupils and local residents and explained why male circumcision is being promoted as a way of fighting HIV and AIDS.

Ms Kabanshi talking to Chief Kasoma Lunga about circumcision

Ms Kabanshi, who is also Community Development Minister, wore a male circumcision t-shirt during her tour to raise awareness about the need for men to consider what is commonly referred to as MC.

Her first port of call was the Kasoma Lunga Catholic Church were she took advantage of mass on a Sunday and ‘evangelised’ to hundreds of congregants over health issues.

Later she visited Chief Bwalya Mponda who told her there was more need for sensitisation over health issues.

“My people are rejecting male circumcision because they do not know its benefits. Ba Minister please intensify the sensitisations so that people can be clear,” he said.

At Bwalya Mponda Primary School, Ms Kabanshi addressed dozens who pupils who kept murmuring as she spelt out the importance of male circumcision.

She earlier flew to Kasoma Lunga island where she launched Sexual And Reproductive Health for All Initiative (SARAI) which is aimed at encouraging the use of family planning methods by both teenage and adult mothers.

SARAI is a multi-donor funded project which is reaching to the heart of rural Zambia to help fight bad health traditions and introduce health practices that will save lives.

In Lunga, girls get married as early as 12 years and the use of family planning is not common.

Using what they call Focus Groups, a SARAI team sensitised mothers on the usage of family planning to save the mother’s life and also space children.

“Our aim is to see to it that mothers have time to rest after delivering, we want them to also space their children and reduce deaths,” said Dr Cheswa Vwalika, SARAI Chief of Party.

In one of the focus groups, a teenage mother explained how she was married at the age of 13 and she immediately used family planning as she was still young but that ended up bringing problems in her new marriage.

“After much talk, I told my grandmother about it and she told me to stop taking family planning. That’s how I started giving birth. I had five children in seven years before I was divorced,” she said.

A SARAI-branded vehicle

In the focus groups, some teenage mothers revealed that they fear to take family planning because they heard that monthly periods become severe and some husbands could divorce them for not bearing children.

SARAI is a five year project which is being implemented in Luapula, Northern and Muchinga provinces.

Another intervention being used to help change people’s mindsets is the use of Safe Motherhood Action Groups (SMAG) which has received overwhelming support from the islands.

40 SMAG members were last month completing their training in Kasoma Lunga and Nsamba islands on how to encourage women deliver from health centers as opposed to home deliveries which mostly result in complications and deaths.

Construction of Govt Houses In Lunga Employs Over 400 Women

By Paul Shalala in Lunga

Women carrying sand

The construction of 20 medium cost houses for the local authority in Lunga District of Luapula Province has created over 400 jobs for women in the area.

With no roads or vehicles to help BGC Construction Company on Kasoma Lunga Island, the company has employed four hundred and nineteen women to transport sand and other building materials.  

This is probably the first time so many of them are being employed on such a large scale.

Emmerine Kabanshi is the area Member of Parliament, she is happy that her female electorates are  now being employed.

Emmerine Kabanshi

"The women of Lunga were the most abused. The women of Lunga were the most poor. Now they are able to earn a living and buy food and soap. This is good for them," said Ms Kabanshi who is also Community Development Minister.

The project, which is being done at the cost of K9.6 million, is part of a wider government effort to construct a Post Office, District Administration and a Civic Center.

New Mainland Corporation has also been constructed to build the first ever Police Station and several Police houses at the cost of K20 million.

Swenga Limited has also been contracted to construct a 20 high cost and 10 medium cost houses.

Other works being done, include the construction of a civic Center by Crestmark Investments and a Post Office by Fresino Enterprices.

All these projects have a time frame in which to be completed because Lunga must have a fully fledged Administrative Office by December.

Calm Returns To Lunga After Police Officers Flee From Residents

By Paul Shalala in Lunga

Davies Mwila

Calm has returned to the newly created Lunga District in Luapula Province where Police officers ran away two months ago after residents ran amok. 

This followed the death of a woman who is suspected of having died of witchcraft and residents decided to pounce on five Police officers who were deployed on the islands. 

Home Affairs Minister Davies Mwila and area Member of Parliament Emerine Kabanshi visited the district on Wednesday to assess the security situation. 

Mr Mwila, who was impressed to see residents living side-by-side with Police officers, commended the Luapula Province Police Command for restoring calm in the area and re-deploying five Police officers who earlier in May fled the islands. 

He also addressed dozens of residents on Kasoma Lunga island on the need for residents to be tolerant of the Police.

And when Mr Mwila paid a courtesy call on Chief Kasoma Lunga, he assured the chief that government will ensure that Lunga develops to the level of a fully fledged district.

And Lunga District Council Chairman Amos Mushili apologised for the resident's unruly behavior.

Lunga is only accessed by boat

"We have moved on as a district. We have stopped that behavior. We will never harass the Police again. These officers are now doing a commendable job," said Mr Mushili.

Lunga District is composed of several islands which are sorrounded by swamps created by Lake Bangweulu.

The area was declared a district by late President Michael Sata three years ago.

The district is only accessed by boat from Samfya District and it has no road or industry.

Residents live on the four main islands and they survive by fishing and cultivating a few crops such as maize and bananas.

Zambia Launches MDGI To Reduce Maternal, Child Mortality

By Paul Shalala in Masaiti

Emmerine Kabanshi

Community Development Minister Emmerine Kabanshi has launched the K400 million Millennium Development Goals Initiative (MDGI) which is aimed at reducing the deaths of women and children in two provinces.

The four year initiative which is funded by the European Union and implemented by the Zambian government and UNICEF, will be implemented in eleven districts of Lusaka and Copperbelt Province.

At the launch of the project in Masaiti District on Wednesday last week, Ms Kabanshi said the reduced child and mortality rates as revealed by the Zambia Demographic Health Survey are still unacceptably high hence the launch of the MDGI.

She said the initiative will help improve health and nutrition among children and women.

As part of the project, UNICEF representative Laston  Chitembo handed over a wheelchair, labour ward utensils and other medical kits worth over K700,000 to Kashitu Health Center in Masaiti District.

During the four year project, the cooperating partners will donate land cruisers, motorcycle ambulances, surgical kits, wheelchairs, stretchers and operating theatre tables to various health facilities.

This equipment will help in increasing access to health by women and children and reduce deaths.

According to the preliminary report of the 2014 Zambia Demographic Health Survey, Zambia recorded a reduction in the maternal mortality rate from 591 to 398 deaths out of 100,000 live births from 2007 to 2013.

However, stakeholders are still worried that the figures are still high for a developing country which is losing a lot of mothers and children during delivery.

Long distances to health centers and lack of medical personnel and ambulances has added to the many challenges needed to reduce the maternal mortality rates in Zambia.

8 NGOs Withdraw High Court Lawsuit Against Govt On NGO Act

By Paul Shalala

Engwase Mwale

Emmerine Kabanshi

Eight Non-Governmental Organisations that sued the Zambian government in the High Court over the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) Act of 2009 have withdrawn the lawsuit and opted for dialogue.

The NGOs had sued government following its decision to implement the controversial Act by registering all NGOs countrywide.

Over two hundred NGOs countrywide registered with the Ministry of Community Development but hundreds others defied several ultimatums for deregistration.

Speaking on behalf of the eight NGOs, Non-Governmental Organisations Coordinating Council Executive Director Engwase Mwale said the decision to withdraw the lawsuit is aimed at bringing government to the negotiating table.

"We have decided to withdraw the lawsuit because we want dialogue to prevail over the NGO Act. We had a meeting with the Attorney General where we agreed to go back to the drawing board," said Mwale.


She however says the NGOs reserve the right to take back the lawsuit if dialogue does not yield results.


The eight NGOs that  sued government are FODEP, NGOCC, Operation Young Vote, Zambia Council for Social Development and Action Aid.

Others are Zambia Civic Education Association, Women and Law Development in Africa and the Young African Leaders Initiative.

But Community Development Minister Emmerine Kabanshi says the decision by the eight NGOs to withdraw the lawsuit is a good move.

But she has revealed that government will not stop the registration of NGOs.

"We will not stop registering NGOS. But we are committed to implementing the July 2014 Roadmap on reviewing the NGO Act, she said.

The controversial law was enacted during the reign of the MMD but it was only operationalised by the PF government much to the annoyance of NGOs.



The civil society is against the provisions of the NGO Act which compels them to be registered by government as they see it as regulation by the state.

According to the July 2014 Roadmap for reviewing the NGO Act, an independent consultant is  supposed to be hired to review the act and there after, a national validation stakeholder meeting on the act must be held in October this year.

The document further stipulates that a draft bill must be prepared and tabled in Cabinet before its taken to parliament for amendment in July 2015.

ZIPAR Proposes Review Of CDF

By Paul Shalala

Every year each constituency is entitled to a fund: the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) which amounts to K1.4 million per constituency.

This fund is allocated to every constituency irrespective of the size, population and developmental level.

The Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (ZIPAR) has in the last few months conducted a research on the effectiveness of CDF.

In this report ZIPAR has serious recommendations which include the realignment of CDF to be given to constituencies according to their needs.

ZIPAR Research Fellow Gibson Masumbu says the new formula for CDF disbursement will promote equality and development.

This view is shared by Choma Central Member of Parliament Cornelius Mweetwa whose constituency is one of the poorest in Zambia.


Mr Mweetwa says rural constituencies have been neglected for a long time and there is need for an increment on the CDF allocation for rural constituencies.

But Kabwata Member of Parliament Given Lubinda, whose constituency is the richest, says the current criteria for CDF must continue.


He says government must operationalise the Equalisation Fund in the Decentralisation Policy which can cater for each and every need in the 150 constituencies in Zambia.

But the Local Government Association of Zambia (LGAZ) says if ZIPAR's recommendation is to be embraced, underdevelopment will increase in well off constituencies.



LGAZ President Daniel Chisenga says even the well off constituencies have needs and reducing their allocation will worsen things.

But Local Government Minister Emmerine Kabanshi says with the implementation of the Decentralisation Policy, allocation of resources will start from the ward to the national level.


Ms Kabanshi is hopeful that once the decentralisation policy is well implemented, planning for development will start at the basic level and utilisation of national resources will be made easier.

The ZIPAR survey based its findings on population, size, infrastructure  and poverty levels in all the 150 constituencies.



Kabwata constituency in Lusaka Province was identified as the richest in Zambia while Sikongo constituency in the Western Province is the poorest.

Among the top 30 richest constituencies are those in Lusaka and on the Copperbelt.