Dear Friends,
when Elke and her literacy classes colleagues were searching for land for TIKONDANE COMMUNITY CENTRE, the land they were given by Chief M’bang’ombe for development was waste land. But, it was right on the GREAT EAST ROAD and over the road there was electricity to be had. Wonderful, if it was not for climate change.
SOLAR IS ON AT TIKO
We made huge progress with solar power. Power outages in the normal grid have reached 21 hours per day. That means no communication, no fridge, no kettle, no ironing. The reason is simple: All of Zambia relies on river water for its power production. And the rivers are almost gone. Zambia as a whole and the Katete region in particular have plunged into severe drought last year. Tiko received generous help from the German FRIENDS OF TIKONDANE for setting up more solar panels for the management offices and the internet café. Total expenses add up to 2100 $ for now. As more money becomes available, we will continue to extend solar coverage one step at a time.
Amos, a new volunteer.
Solar panel on internet Café.
NEW BOREHOLES AGAINST THE DROUGHT
The fight against malnutrition in the villages continues at an admirable pace, even though the project suffers profoundly from the lack of water. 300 households have adopted the Tiko Survival Package, meaning they grow vegetable rings, build clay stoves and rear pigeons or rabbits to provide for a balanced diet in times of hunger. In Europe drinking water is a public commodity, it comes from the tap in the bathroom or the kitchen.
There is no such thing as a kitchen tap in the villages around Katete. That is why the success or failure of this project centers around building more and boreholes to be able to tap the remaining water resources. To that end we have enlarged our funding request with Global Giving. To give you an idea what kind of money we are talking about: Construction of a new borehole costs $ 2000, an existing well can be deepened for $ 40 and a new cylinder comes at $280. These are huge investments in this country.
THE ONLY INTERNET CAFÉ IN KATETE
Yes, we have a new Internet café! It was started by Amos, a new volunteer, who has been with us since last March. There are ten computers donated generously by OTTO PER MILLE where Tiko staff follow their English and computer lessons. For everyone else, the café is open seven days a week, from 13.00 TO 17.OO hrs weekdays, with an additional three hours on Saturdays and two hours on Sundays after church.
For a small fee customers can also scan, copy or print documents. It is the first Internet service operating in Katete. It is especially useful for students on the premises who still have to perform some of their tasks online, even though most of them cannot afford a laptop. To increase reliability in the midst of the energy crisis, the café is powered by solar panels that were installed only recently.
25 YEARS OF TIKO
Amid all these crises, Tiko has celebrated its 25th anniversary in July, together with the Annual General Meeting (AGM). In 1999 the Tiko land was given to Elke for development. Since then, Tiko has built 15 houses there and around 200 houses in the villages, as well as toilets and boreholes. The Tiko community hosted 5000 international tourists, and every year sent around 200 children to one of the two schools that work inside Tiko. Put together, in two and a half decades nearly 5000 children received an education on account of the donations given to Tiko. Elke and the crew taught the TIKO SURVIVAL PACKAGE, based on the TIKO 19 STEPS OUT OF POVERTY FOR THE SUBSISTENCE FARMER“ from 2014 to some 120 families since 2023. All this was achieved with over a million dollars in overseas donations since 1999. Tiko has made a difference to the people in and around Katete for a quarter century now and intends to continue.
NEW MEMBERS STARTED AT TIKO
Amos Ngwenya joined Tiko in March. He is 30 years old and handles web services. In addition, he is the manager of the new Internet café. From a very young age Amos has been the breadwinner for his mother and two younger brothers, one of whom is handicapped. In between jobs he successfully completed his education as a teacher, majoring in English and religious studies. “I am glad I can work at Tiko”, he said. “Our success here is important for all of Katete.“
The second newcomer is 48-year-old Bertram. He started in March 2023 and oversees a new storage system that he developed himself. In addition, he is working at the stores and helps Cecilia at the production unit. Bertram is divorced and cares for six children, including two orphans he took in after their mother died, who was his sister.
Tiko online!
Just in case you haven’t seen them, here are the links to our Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and even Linkedin.
And all information about visiting, volunteering and rooms on our website: Tikondane.org
– For donation information please have a look on ‘Support Tiko‘, Global Giving, our fundraising page at DonorSee or Tribuntu –
