Tue, 27 Jun 2017 13:52:15 +0000
By SANDRA MACHIMA
ZAMBIAN Breweries has built 28 houses under the Habitat for Humanity Zambia project for the families relocated from water springs in Mapalo community on the Copperbelt, its corporate affairs director Ezekiel Sekele has said.
Mr Sekele said the project had been put into practice to dramatic effect in Ndola’s Mapalo community, with an almost K4 million that had been spent since its launch in November 2015 with the aid of the German development fund Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
He said Zambian Breweries was a long-standing contributor to Ndola’s economy and provides employment, supports agriculture, and generates revenue for the national Budget.
Mr Sekele said the beneficiaries had been resettled from the edge of the spring, where growing population numbers started to cause problems by encroaching on the land hosting the water springs. He disclosed that over 55,000 households in the Chipulukusu and Mapalo areas of Ndola have benefited from improved water supply, saying his company’s sustainability strategy was embedded throughout its business and across its supply chain.
And Mr Sekele said that the company under its empowerment programme had also decided to help the youths that were operating around the springs with practical skills training and tools to help them earn a living.
He said the company had spent a total of $15,000 on the youth empowerment program for Mapalo community.
“The aim of the company dream is to make a real difference in society through partnership, collaboration and deepening the company’s reach in local sourcing initiatives,” he said. Mr Sekele said the 28 housing units were completed according to the initial plan and agreement, and that the phase two had already begun with the hope to be completed by October this year.
“We only hope they will look after the property, and we also hope that there will no longer be encroachment at the Itawa water springs area. Zambian Breweries benefits from the Itawa Springs as it uses the water from this source for its Ndola plant,” he said.
And Habitat for Humanity Zambia in line with its additional services had trained the beneficiaries in house maintenance, succession planning and will writing, HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care and group savings loans, among others.
The Itawa Springs is an important tributary to the Kafubu River, which accounts for between 50 and 60 percent of the water supply for both domestic and industrial use for the cities of Ndola, Luanshya and Masaiti.
