Zambia
» Capital: Lusaka» Population: 11.6 million
» Concern started work in: 2002
» Concern's annual budget: €2,647,697
» Concern staff: 61
» GDP per capita: US $943
» Life expectancy: 37.7 years
» Living with HIV&AIDS: 17%
» Literacy: 68%
» Currency: Zamian Kwacha
Emergency Response to Village Fire in Mongu District, Zambia
The Zambezi flood plain, which forms a large part of Mongu District, is a disaster-prone area, suffering from chronic drought, regular flooding and recently, devastating contagious cattle diseases, which have severely disrupted the livelihoods of the inhabitants of the plains and surrounding uplands. High levels of food insecurity are coupled to increased vulnerability, poor governance and the impact of HIV/AIDS. The people are unable to move from food insecurity to a more stable livelihood because of the frequency of disasters.
On the 24th of August 2005, a fire engulfed the village of Liyoywlo on the Bartose Plains of the Zambezi River in Mongu District. With dry conditions and straw houses built close together the fire took hold and spread quickly. In all, 31 houses were completely burnt and 186 people were directly affected.
Response came from the District Disaster Management Committee. Concern has been working with this group to help it prepare for, and respond better to, disasters in the area. In this case, the Committee requested materials from Concern’s emergency response storage. They organised transport of materials to the village. They distributed plastic tenting material to provide emergency shelter for those affected to help them through until their homes are rebuilt. They also provided other inputs such as maize, blankets and mosquito nets to ease the suffering caused by this disaster. In one day the village had the materials it needed to reduce the impact of this disaster on the community.
On the surface, Concern’s involvement came in providing the materials, the excess of which have now been donated to the committee for future use. More importantly however, Concern’s involvement in this response has been on-going, with workshops, training and support given to the local District Disaster Management Committee. The swift response, smooth operation, and on-time delivery of the materials is down to both the hard work and effectiveness of the DDMC. The success of these small operations provide hope that now, thanks to Concerns help, the DDMC will be able to respond effectively to major disasters with only minimal input from Concern, and maximum benefit to the affected communities.
