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.

Lunga: A District Without A Viable Economy

Lake Bangweulu

By Paul Shalala in Lunga

Deep in the waters of Lake Bangweulu in Luapula Province is a new district and  maybe the only one completely surrounded by water.

The islands collectively called Lunga,  were declared a district by late president Michael Sata soon after he was elected President in 2011.

Access to this district is only by boat from Samfya district on the mainland.

By speed boat, the journey takes about two to three hours.

But for those travelling by canoes, it is a slow journey that takes two days.

On the southern side of Lake Bangweulu is a channel that passes through swamps leading to Lunga.

Over the years, this channel has been narrowing and making it difficult for large speed boats to pass through.

Government through the Ministry of Works and Supply has supplied this dredger to open up the channel and allow people to travel between Samfya and Lunga.

On either side of the channel are hundreds of people who live in these grass thatched houses.

These are nomadic fishermen who arrive on this channel around May every year.

They are experienced fishermen who travel all the way from Chilubi Island to come and fish and make money in Lunga.

The channel leading to Lunga

They only abandon these houses when the water levels rise in December.

However, the Lunga speaking people live on the four main islands.

The largest of them is Kasoma Lunga island which is also the seat of government.

This island hosts a school which also caters for the nearby islands.

It is also on this island where Chief Kasoma Lunga of the Unga people lives.

For those with mobile phones, Kasoma Lunga island is the only place where they can make phone calls in the district.

On the part of government, several infrastructure is being put up.

BGC Construction is building 20 medium cost houses at a cost of K9.6 million.

This project has employed over 400 women much to the delight of the area member of parliament.

Other construction projects in Lunga include ten more medium cost houses, 20 high cost houses and a post office.

A modern Police station is also coming up at the cost of K20 million.

A civic Centre is also under construction.

Kasoma Lunga Island

Lunga’s main economic activity and revenue earner is finishing.

However, the fish stocks on these islands and swamps are depleted as over fishing is the order of the day.

The district boasts of several fish stocks which have fed generations.

Another revenue earner which is yet to be exploited is tourism.

This district can also be a big host to other sports such as canoeing and spot fishing which tourists like so much.

A bit of exposure by the Zambia Tourism Board and travel agencies can connect this district to possible investors and visitors. 

With its abundant water resources, birds and aquatic life, Lunga maybe the next tourist destination for the country.

However, lack of exploitation for these resources is posing as a challenge for the Lunga District Council to raise funds to provide social amenities to the residents.

The council is however based not on the islands but in nearby Samfya District.

Despite these challenges, life in Lunga is normal and people here are hopeful of good things to come.

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.