The Mining Community Voices and Livelihoods Preparedness Project (Sinazongwe District)
The Project
The Centre for Environment Justice(CEJ) is implementing a 3 years project in Sinazongwe District, Southern Province targeting fourteen (14) wards. The Mining Community Voices and Livelihood Preparedness project will contribute to improving the living conditions of the communities. The project will have two components namely; promoting alternative livelihoods in order to guarantee food sufficiency at household level and CSER model implementation with special interest placed on monitoring mining companies’ investments in order to genuinely improve people’s; livelihoods through the CSER model.
In order to achieve this, multi-stakeholders (government, mining company, community, CSOs, FBO, Traditional leaders) will be engaged through consultation and training.
Overall Objective:
The project contributes to poverty reduction and improving the living conditions of the communities in the vicinity of the Maamba Collieries and Collum coal mines
Overall Indicator:
At least ten publications report on at least four important activities implemented by Maamba and Collum coal mines to mitigate environmental degradation.
Positive Impacts
The intervention model is widely accepted by the two coal mining companies in Sinazongwe and Maamba District and that the community and the mining company interacts thereby each party being able to put up their points
Expected Outcome and Impact
Improved local community, companies and government social and environmental responsibility dialogues.
Project Launch: Inception Stakeholder Engagement
CEJ Team has since launched the project. During the launch CEJ held meetings with Sinazongwe District Administration, Traditional and community representatives, Maamba Collieries Limited and Collum coal mine representatives.
Specific Objective:
Coal mining companies’ Maamba and Collum take on greater social and environmental responsibility
Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue
The Centre for Environment Justice held a Sinazongwe CSER Mult-Stakeholder Dialogue discussing alternative livelihoods interventions for the district and how stakeholders could work together bettering the living living conditions. His Royal Highness Chief Sinazongwe and Acting Council Secretary gracefully officiate the corporate social and environmental responsibility(CSER) mult-stakeholder dialogue that was held today 24 January, 2020.
The key stakeholders included Heads of Government Department, Traditional Leaders, community members, Collum coal mine, Maamba mine and Zambeef. The CSER Mult-stakeholder dialogue is among the key activities to be implemented under the “Mining Community Voices and Alternative Livelihood Preparedness project.”
The project is targeting 14 wards within Sinazongwe and Mweemba Chiefdom. The project will labour to create CSER annual plans, community alternative livelihoods preparedness and environmental protection.
The Mult-stakeholder is one of the 12 activities to be implemented in the next three years.
Corporate Social and Environment Responsibility (CSER) District Prioritization
The Centre for Environment Justice successfully hosts a Mult-stakeholder CSER Prioritization and Identification for Sinazongwe District that covers ALL 14 wards. The wards are drawn from Sinazongwe Chiefdom with six (6) wards and eight (8) under Mweemba Chiefdom respectively.
The district CSER prioritization & identification was divided into 3 groups namely, Sinazongwe District led by the District Administration Officer; Sinazongwe Chiefdom led by His Royal Highness Chief Sinazongwe, Mweemba Chiefdom led by Senior Chief Mweemba’s Representative and in the groups were community representatives, faith leaders, youth and women groups, Heads of Government Departments and mining companies. The common needs prioritized includes water, health, education, police service, Agriculture, environmental mitigation, sanitation & road network. The prioritization births the District CSER Community Development Strategy. At CEJ our work is validated by an all inclusive approach to engagement and participation. We are grateful to our partners at each and every level.
CSER Review of the Community Priorities and Analysis of Specific Ward Area.
The Centre for Environment Justice(CEJ) hosted a CSER Review before which is a second stage in coming up with the District Community-CSER Development Strategy to be adopted by corporate entities and District Government Administration. The review was represented by fourteen ward representatives namely; Nkandabwe, Sinenge, Mweezya, Sinazongwe, Nangombe, Malima, Mweemba, Mweenda, Maamba, Muuka, Tekelo, Muchekwa, Mabinga and Namazambwe. Through this projectt, CEJ is making communities to understand their role in achieving corporate social and environmental responsibility.
The purpose of the Community Development Strategy (SCDS) is to guide the preparation of the Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility Plans by the Business Community Operating in Sinazongwe District. The CSER priority strategy could be provided upon request.
CEJ - CSER APP Development
CEJ has developed a CSER APP that shall monitor mining investments and large scale agriculture, community development initiatives in Zambia and be scaled up globally. CEJ is scheduled to launch the App January 2022 after a successful pre test.