New challenge in Makasa

Project OSCAR

(OrganicSolutionsandConservationforAgricultural Results)

is starting to set up in September 2007. The team on the ground will be us two Bryan and Anja, and some of our Zambian members and supporters from Kasama and possibly from Ndola. Before we get there it is still plenty of preparation to be done. The sea containers have to be finished with little bits here and there to fit in, to maximize the space available. Our friends, members and supporters from the Perth area have been collecting many useful items for the project from clothing, shoes, linen, cutlery and other household items, educational material, books for the library, steel, metal frames and roofing, rotary hoes, cement mixers and much more. We have been given tarps, most of them 12m x 3m, which make great liners for the fish ponds. Ex-oil heater tanks are converted to trailers with axles found at the wreckers and and and. The list goes on.

The flight for the team is booked for August 30th. The sea containers could be on the way 2nd week of August considering the fundraising is going well. Another generous sponsor could speed up the whole process considerably. To get everything to the site, costs are estimated with $A 30,000 and another $A 50,000 for the first building, site work and some road work in the local area. The team will stay at or close to the site at all times for at least two years to ensure things are moving on smoothly. There are still thousands of children in the area lacking the possibility of education. OSCAR could easily end up to be a facility for about 1,000 children. The school garden is planned to have one hectare of variety of vegetables, two hectares of fruit trees which will be used to feed the children and care takers. Any excess will be bottled or preserved for out of season. An extansion of the school garden and a possible nearby plantation, at a later stage, is planned to be used as income for the project to pay for running costs, school fees for orphans and vulnerable children. Two hectares of oil seed crops are going to be for bio diesel for the tractors. It is also planned to have the whole complex running an alternative renewable energy.

We have a Fun Quiz Night and Auction coming up Agust 3rd 2007 at he Willeton Sports Club, Burrendah Blvd, Willeton, Perth, Western Australia. Starting time is 7pm. Team tables are for eight and the cost is $10 per person. The Sports Club has got a licensed Bar, for food bring your own plate.

For information how you can help, our News and what we are about, what our aim is and our objectives are, please visit our website www.selfrelianceforzambia.org

There area photos to view on our site www.flickr.com/photos/zambia_trip