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In Mozambique, over 100,000 people were displaced by floodwaters and in neighbouring Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi, flooding displaced a further 91,000 people before the end of February. In Swaziland, Lesotho, Namibia and Botswana, heavy rains and flooded rivers are affecting a further 40,000 people.

The Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Tomáz Salomão, fears that the worst of this year's flooding in central Mozambique may still lie ahead. Zimbabwe is experiencing its heaviest rains compared to the past 120 years. Salomão's fears are well grounded. The most worrying scenario would occur if the Kariba dam on the Zambia/Zimbabwe border were forced to open all its floodgates, sending a flood surge down the Zambezi to Cahora Bassa.

Excessive rains in southern Zambia since late December have had a devastating impact on infrastructure, particularly roads, bridges, and poorly constructed houses in urban and rural areas in southern and central Zambia.

Raging waters in Zimbabwe, which is suffering from an economic crisis marked by food and fuel shortages, have destroyed infrastructure and cut road links in huge parts of the country. Relentless rain has left fields waterlogged and damaged crops, raising fears of more acute food shortages in a country that has struggled to feed itself for years.

Throughout the region, crops in low lying areas have been washed away, while fields remain waterlogged and leached of nutrients, resulting in stunted and yellowing crops.

One of the reasons why floods in southern Africa have such devastating impact is because they affect the most vulnerable people. Subsistence farmers, fishermen, traders - they all have little savings or community resources on which to rely. It is the poor who invariably live in the areas that are most prone to floods; forced to live dangerously close to rivers where the land is fertile.

In the current crisis, this is a double tragedy; flooding causes famine as subsistence crops are washed away.

There is also rising concern over the longer term food security for poor people in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia as a result of the flooded agricultural land. The rate of HIV/AIDS infection, the number of orphaned and vulnerable children, and the lack of social welfare nets stretch governments and communities, and make it difficult for them to rebound from natural disasters.

With global warming, some scientists predict we can expect to see more of the same in coming years. Governments and the international community have to be even better prepared, which requires that more time and money be spent on prevention and preparedness activities.

Whilst aid agencies certainly play a role in providing immediate assistance to people whose homes and livelihoods are affected by flooding, this is only a temporary measure.

The real answer lies in identifying flood-prone areas and implementing cross-cutting activities that lessen the danger to thousands of lives. This includes early-warning systems, and – because many of southern Africa’s rivers and their catchments encompass more than one country – ensuring that all countries work together so that the effects of water-related disasters are kept to a minimum.

This has already shown results; despite the almost overwhelming difficulties, most observers agree that lessons have been learnt. Contingency planning and early-warning response by nine countries in the southern Africa region in 2007 meant they were much better prepared for the flooding in early 2008, resulting in a dramatically reduced death toll. There has also been far greater cooperation between governments in managing water levels in the river system, and local authorities have proved effective in their responses.

Even so, being forewarned on the likelihood of floods is but one step along the road to sustainable water usage and disaster planning – particularly when the general scarcity of water in the region is taken into account.

“The solution is not just about protecting people from water disasters,” says Barbara Kalima-Phiri, Policy Analyst at the Southern Africa Trust. “We need to learn how to harvest and use water to provide sustainable solutions to the issues that affect the region – primarily food security, energy and economic development.”

Reality Byte:

E-Newsletter : Issue 2, April 2008

Nominations now open for the 2008 southern Africa

Drivers of Change Awards

Barbara Kalima-Phiri holds a Masters Degree in Economics from the University of Botswana, specializing in Policy Analysis and Economic Development, and Corporate Finance and Investment. She has several years of experience working in the local, regional and international policy analysis and advocacy field. Formerly, head of the pan African think tank - African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD), she has worked extensively on poverty reduction strategies, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), gender, debt and regional integration issues. She also worked at the Southern African Regional Poverty Network (SARPN).

Born and bred in Zambia, Barbara has lived in Botswana, Zimbabwe and now South Africa, qualifying her as a true “Continental Citizen”. Her (not so) secret passion is interior decorating and she spends much of her spare time designing and decorating people’s homes.

She also enjoys reading books, listening to music and dancing. Have a question for Barbara? Email her on: bkalima-phiri@southernafricatrust.org

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Action Update

Influencing the SADC regional policy agenda is a top priority for the Southern Africa Trust, ensuring that poverty reduction is placed high on the agenda of all regional policy initiatives, as well as ensuring that government and regional policy makers also engage with business and civil society organisations.

The Southern Africa Trust is already engaging with various business associations in the region, such as SADC Employers Group (SEG), Association of SADC Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCCI) and the SADC Business Forum and is actively creating platforms for business, government and civil society to dialogue and find workable solutions that will transform the region’s water needs into viable, poverty-reducing projects. The Southern Africa Trust is also working at a national level with Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) on similar issues.

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Southern Africa CHANGEMAKERS is an e-newsletter for our donors, friends, partners and anyone concerned about the need to overcome poverty in southern Africa. Please feel free to forward this e-newsletter to any of your colleagues who want to see southern Africa transform into a vibrant, caring and prosperous community!

"I have lost everything that I owned and my children cannot go to school because the roads have been destroyed and the bridge we normally cross to get to other places has been damaged too.” Zambian villager

The Southern Africa Trust and members of the G20 donated 244,000,000 meticais (US$10, 000) to the Instituto Nacional de Gestão de Calamiclades (INGC) of Mozambique, to assist flood victims, along with a message of solidarity.

“I wish to express my appreciation to all Members of the G20 and Southern Africa Trust for the generous offer. I would like to assure you that these funds will be used to support the displaced people in order to minimize the situation they find themselves trapped in”, said Odete Alfiete

Do you have a question or comment to share on Water: Blue Death or Blue Gold? Please email communications@southernafricatrust.org

Cruzeiro do Sul is one of the Southern Africa Trust’s grant partners. Based in Mozambique, they work directly with small-scale farmers in Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. We support their project, Farmer Organisations: Collective Action and Poverty Reduction which aims to improve access to markets for farmers’ produce, through the development and support of farmer associations, unions and cooperatives. The long term gain is greater agricultural sustainability and income for thousands of small-scale farmers and their families in these three countries.

With the recent flooding of thousands of kilometers of small-scale farming land and the subsequent loss of crops and food, this project is currently conducting workshops with the affected farmers to identify what they see are workable solutions. They hope that this all inclusive stakeholder approach will go a long way towards poverty eradication using evidence based research.

The aim of the Southern Africa Trust is for the poor to have a better say in shaping policies to overcome poverty in southern Africa so that policies and strategies across the SADC region work to end poverty. Working with farmer organisations on the ground through our partnership with Cruzeiro do Sul ensures that the “voices of the poor” are well articulated in policy development processes.

Emergency support

Blue Death – or Blue Gold?

Water - the engine for economic growth

The recently released SADC Water Policy seeks to harmonize national policies and the implementation of activities by all stakeholders, in a region where 70 percent of water resources are shared across national boundaries.

In addition to ensuring adequate water for the region’s agricultural and industrial needs, the SADC Water Policy also acknowledges the enormous potential to optimize the use of hydro-electricity to provide cheap and environmentally friendly sources of energy.

Furthermore, water-harvesting mechanisms will substantially improve the region’s ability to produce its own food.

Two projects are already underway which are the result of a partnership between SADC, UN Food & Agricultural Organisation and Africa Development Bank. The Mid-Zambezi and Upper-Okavango Agricultural Water Management for Food Security Programmes aim to attain significant long-term reduction in food insecurity, within their geographic areas, with a particular emphasis on reaching those most at risk. The key components in both projects are irrigation schemes and related infrastructure development, with a second objective of providing support to those farmers who are solely dependent on rainfall for crop-production. 135,000 households (650,000 people) will benefit from the Mid-Zambezi project. The Okavango project will directly benefit 760,000 people, of which over 500,000 derive their livelihoods from agricultural activities.

A drop in the ocean

However, these two large-scale programmes are but a drop in the ocean in comparison to the millions of people in the region who do not have adequate and reliable water. What is needed is political will and commitment from all SADC countries to work together to ensure that other, similar projects, are implemented in all trans-boundary river basins. Only then can we be certain that the region’s water is effectively harvested and used.

The benefits of cooperation will be enormous: less chance of uncontrolled flooding, improved food security for millions of rural poor people, recreational facilities that lead to increased tourism and investment, improved fishing and protein sources and a greater supply of electricity for the region.

Yet other issues are receiving higher priority and not enough is being done by governments to involve business and civil society in ensuring that the goals of the SADC Water Policy are transformed into viable projects. Financing of these projects will run into billions of US$ - funds that governments and donor agencies will not be able to provide.

Public-Private Partnerships

“The role of business in the development and construction of water infrastructure projects is critical to their success. It is one thing to mobilize government commitment, but it is quite another to mobilize stakeholder involvement and gain private sector commitment,” says Themba Mhlongo, Southern Africa Trust’s regional integration advisor. “Public-Private Partnerships are the key. However the problem has arisen that business and civil society are not being consistently involved in the conceptualizing of major water projects, how they can be used to reduce poverty in the region and how they can be financed.

“Governments’ role is to provide the initial information and a longer term mechanism that will allow consistent, full participation of all stakeholders in policy development around how to manage the region’s water resources. If they can be assisted to do this, then the foundation is laid for immediate co-operation by stakeholders. This will solve the resource mobilization needs that these massive projects will require.”

‘Cruzeiro do Sul’

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Changing Lives Forever

Water. We can’t survive without it. Yet right now, hundreds of thousands of people who live in the same region as you are being adversely affected by either too much water....or too little.

Do you agree that water is a precious natural resource and one that we must use better in southern Africa?

If so, we need your help; please go to www.change4ever.org and help us and our grant partners change the lives of people living in poverty. It doesn’t matter how much you give – every single cent counts.

With your help, we can increase our support to our grant partners who work directly with people affected by water – and increase the influence and voice of civil society and business in the development of policies and implementation of water-projects that will have a positive impact on the lives of every person – including you.

An end to poverty needs the support of people who share our vision. It’s amazing how much can be achieved with just a small amount of money from people like you and a little help from the Southern Africa Trust.

“Many drops create an ocean of change”

Giving online

Giving online is one of the best methods for us, as it helps us to keep our costs to a mini-mum, so that even more of your donation goes to those who desperately need it. You’re only a few clicks away from providing the support that could change lives forever in southern Africa. Go to www.change4ever.org and make a difference, now!

You can always do a direct internet banking transaction from your bank account into ours.

Please be sure to put your name in the Reference section and please send a copy of your donation receipt – with your contact details, to info@southernafricatrust.org so that we can accurately register your donation and thank you.

Contact George Murumba (Fundraising Coordinator) on +27 (0)11 318 1012 or email: gmurumba@southernafricatrust.org if you have any questions about donations.

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200,000 people affected by floods

People affected by heavy rains and floods Oct 2007— Feb 2008

* Mozambique: +100, 000

* Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi: 91, 000

* Swaziland, Lesotho, Namibia and Botswana: +40, 000

Moving families has limited success; governments have previously tried to relocate poor families from flood-prone regions but have met with resistance as food and family ties to the land are equally strong motivators for people to stay.

INGC's Odete Alfiete accepting the Southern Africa Trust’s emergency grant of US$10,000.“

SADC is characterized by short periods of an over supply of water that cause devastation, death and disease – or longer periods of drought and water scarcity that lead to famine and food shortages. Both scenarios affect millions of poor people each year.

The solution lies in the countries of the region learning to harvest water in times of plenty and channel it effectively into agriculture, industrial development and energy.