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Letter from Pastor Arden and
Susan in Zambia
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Dear
Congregations of the Sierra Pacific
Synod,
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Heartfelt
Greetings from us to you from southern Africa! We hope this letter finds
you well. We think of you often. I continue to
serve as your ELCA missionary with the Lutheran church
here. Susan works for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric
AIDS Foundation, improving Zambian government provision of
anti-retroviral medicines and comprehensive care to HIV+
children. Our daughters, Chloe, now in 11th grade, and
Alea, now in 1st grade, are both thriving. (Although
they will certainly deny
it) |
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Hope
for the Heart |
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Even
from our remote vantage point, the world appears to be
changing. Will we forget our Christian calling to
empower the poor, heal the sick, and protect the
weakest? In this, the first of two letters, I will
highlight the power of your direct support here.
With your gifts to support my work & the
global mission of the ELCA, over the past twelve months the
Zambian church has established, grown and evaluated a
micro-credit program involving 700 adults in 100 lending
groups across 30 rural & urban congregations. I'd
like you to meet a few of the
participants... |
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Micro-Credit
Businesses: Farming |
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 Rose
Samende used her microcredit loan for extra fertilizer and
corn seed, planting an acre more than she usually can.
Here is her huge maize harvest, enough staple food for her
family for 12 months, with extra to sell to pay back her
loan. There is another silo behind her. Farming is
the most common use of the micro-credit loans.
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Fishing |
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 Michael
Samamenga and Nick Musumra used their loans to buy a fishing
net together. The fish they catch is sold wholesale to
traders in the market. Part of their profit is used to pay
back their micro-loan.
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Beans
& Fish |
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 Shida
Kipesile used her loan to start a business selling dried fish
and beans at the market, both important portable sources of
protein.
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Music |
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 Stephen
Tepa used his loan to expand his music business, expanding the
number of music cassettes he is able to display and sell.
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Hair |
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 David
Mangenda opened a roadside barbershop for
men.
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Cooking
Oil |
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 Given
Kasoka buys cooking oil in large containers, and resells it in
smaller bottles at a profit. Some of his profits are
used to pay back his micro-loan plus
interest.
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Shoes |
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 Grace
Mwangomo was able to purchase more shoes wholesale, which she
sells herself at the market at the stand she
rents.
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Clothes |
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  Mary
Lyandokela at right and Grace Mwanyamba below purchased new
clothes in neighboring Tanzania, and brought them back to
Zambia to sell. Tanzanian clothes are considered higher
quality than local clothes.
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Cooking |
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 Beauty
Kaumba prepares fritters to sell by the roadside.
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Handbags |
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 Deborah
Moyo, at right, used her loan to expand her range of handbags
for women or sale in the city
market.
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Stoves |
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 Fred
Manenda sells homemade hoes, charcoal cooking stoves, and box
sieves.
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Isn't
this exciting!? Other micro-businesses include carpentry,
gardening, goat & pig trading, selling chickens, and
knitting clothes. Participants used their profits to
take better care of their children (school fees, medicines)
and provide greater household food security. Some
women reported that they felt more pride and greater
self-esteem, and saw themselves as more respected by their
husbands and communities. Participants "learned by
doing," gaining skills to plan, to budget, and to be
accountable. Congregational offerings even increased
four fold. Some congregations reported better Sunday
attendance. The groups in one region used their profits
to build a house for their pastor!
Of course we
expected and have faced many, many challenges along the
way. I am proud to report that 68% of the groups have
managed their funds well and repaid their micro-loans.
For Africa, this statistic is
quite good. Now is the time to re-invest in these
performing groups with a 2nd round of funding, to expand their
small businesses, towards self-sufficiency.
(You
already fund my presence as your missionary here, but if you
also want to apply gifts to advance this micro-credit program,
your church treasurer can send them to the ELCA-Global Mission
Chicago offices, writing "GM Level 2: ELC-Zambia Building
self-reliance through Micro-Lending" on the check memo
line.) |
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We
appreciate the ways you hold our family in prayer, promote our
work, and encourage us. Thank you for faithfulness to
the ministries we carry out in your name with committed
Zambians, and for what you have helped accomplish so far in
the lives of over a thousand Africans.
>From
both of us with affection,
 
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