The Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF) is the official relief and development agency of the Catholic Church in Scotland. SCIAF’s vision is to build a just and green world, with a particular focus on improving livelihoods, building peaceful communities, providing access to tools, training and education, and responding quickly to emergencies around the world.
Alongside this international mission, SCIAF promotes an understanding of development issues at home in
Scotland through partnerships with local schools and parishes.
We spoke with Ben Wilson, Head of Advocacy at SCIAF, to explore the impact of their work in Zambia.
“SCIAF are relatively small in of ourselves, but we’re able to use our global network to make a big impact in the communities we serve.”
Ben Wilson
Spotlight on: Zambia
Zambia sits on the frontline of the climate crisis – a crisis that is beyond the country’s control, and which is having a devastating impact on its people. For communities that survive by farming, life is becoming increasingly difficult with changing weather patterns and an increasing frequency of floods and droughts.
SCIAF’s Kumena Project (funded by SCIAF’s supporters and the Scottish Government) has enabled 1,000 farming families in the central province of Zambia to grow crops in an ecological and sustainable manner. This improves the resilience and long-term productivity of the soil, while also making income and livelihoods more robust.
Before receiving support, Aggrey and his wife Ruth struggled to afford their children’s uniforms and books. Often, the family would eat just once a day. After becoming involved with the Kumena project, however, they learned a range of new farming techniques which enabled them to farm organically and grow more food. This has had a remarkable impact on their lives, providing them with more certainty for the future.
“Before, it was very, very difficult to grow food for my family. From SCIAF and their partners, we received tremendous support, right from the beginning. We now grow soybeans, sunflowers, maize, tomatoes, kale and cabbage. We sell some and consume the rest.”
Ben Wilson
Profits over people
In promoting agroecological farming methods, the Kumena Project decreases reliance on chemical fertilisers and hybrid seeds which need to be replaced every season. This helps local people to return to traditional socio-agricultural practices that better meet their needs. However, this project has been met with some resistance from large corporate interests. Ben worries this will be a challenge to creating long-term change in Zambia.
“The biggest barrier to achieving the SDGs is corporate power. Sustainable development that meets the needs of people must be based on common good economics, not the pursuit of unlimited growth and profits on a finite planet.”
Ben Wilson
Going further together
“If we recognise that there’s something that we don’t know – or we’re not total experts on – we find a partner who is an expert to help give us that advice.”
Ben Wilson
SCIAF is part of Caritas Internationalis, a global network of Catholic relief and development charities around the world. Caritas have developed a set of partnership principles that help guide the way SCIAF work, with local partnerships being a central part of this.
In places like Zambia, SCIAF co-designs and implements projects together with local partners and promotes the further localisation of aid, building the power of grassroots organisations. According to Ben, this has fostered strong international relationships as it enables those involved to work towards global goals while still advancing their respective national objectives.
“When we develop a project, we use participatory methods to make sure that it’s coming from the
Ben Wilson
local communities. It helps you see things – and identify needs – that you wouldn’t know unless
you did that engagement.”