Land Ownership
Challenged, Villagers fear expulsion from land, New Chicks Arrive, Court
Verdict Expected
LAND OWNERSHIP: As you may remember, the
people of Grippis Farm are squatters. Over 5 years ago the owner of Grippis
Farm 
designated that the squatters' plots be given to them. The case went to
court at some point because the head of the Ministry of Lands in the national
government was selling the plots to others, including herself and her family.
She was fired and charged. Since that time, the government surveyor came, drew
up the 212 plots for the community members and one plot for a school and
another for a health clinic.
Mr. Sachika and the leaders of the village have been moving through all the steps required by the government to organize the distribution of the land. Unfortunately, when other people realized that these poor people are going to get free land, they started trying to maneuver to get these lots for themselves. Corruption is quite common in Zambia. A bribe, a pay off could get you a plot of land. (Attached photo shows a typical plot of land in the village) Mr. Sachika, the Vice Chairman of the Grippis Community in Zambia, got a message to me today letting me know that the area government officials are trying to take the land away from the villagers. Mr. Sachika is leading the effort for the village to get each family their land. (Mr. Sachika is pictured with me below during the dedication of the water well in the village.) Here is his message:
Dear Tanya,
I wish to thank God ever so much for the bringing you to us. I am convinced that you are always praying for me and our people.
Your recent message on persistence in prayer came timely because what I was going through had diverted my focus from God. When you led me to Mathew 18 it was like I was reading it for the very first time. I was flooded with encouraging thoughts immediately which belittled all the challenges I was facing. Even the challenge of political party cadres who are gunning to grab 85 plots from us I am now handling that with much prayer.
Our people really miss you and looking forward to your coming again. The way you committed yourself to lift up the standards of the compound (village) left me with a very serious challenge to emulate.
May God Almighty continue to bless you!
Your brother in the faith
Sachika.
Please pray for the villagers - they are helpless, powerless, and need God to intervene on their side so that they can receive the wonderful gift of land that was given to them by the owner of Grippis Farm. Pray for Mr. Sachika - he needs strength and courage to stand up against the powerful who are trying to steal this land from the villagers. Grassroots Heroes is paying the neccessary processing fees as Mr. Sachika takes care of all the red tape at the Ministry of Lands.If you would like to send a note of encouragement and support to Mr. Sachika, please email it to me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and I will forward it to him. You have no idea what a note of care, concern and affirmation from a stranger who is praying for him from across the world would mean to him. He is carrying a huge wieght of responsibility for the community, and I know that sometimes he feels very alone in his tasks.
CHICKS ARRIVED: The second cycle of chicks arrived
last Monday. During the first week the weather was extremely cold (this is
their winter) and the power went out much more than usual. This resulted in the
death of 24 chicks out of the 1,022. The workers who were trained in the first
cycle demanded twice as much pay for the second round (Far above what even the
farm manager is making) so they were dismissed, and three new workers are being
trained. Two of them are women who are volunteering their time to raise
the chicks! Praise God for his willing servants. Please join in
prayer for the chicken project. There are many challenges, but our God is
able!
YARD SALE SUCCESSFUL! Thank you for all your donations to the yard sale for the Zambia project! We had enough stuff to cover almost a city block! Thank goodness we had two parking lots to handle all the cars. It was a huge sale, and we made $1400! A special thanks to those who worked so hard to make it all happen. Thanks to the Knights, the Millers, the Fennerans, Dana Lowery, Justine and Kim. It was nice to see customers who bought things for fifty cents throw in an extra ten dollars for the project! Some came, bought nothing, and gave very generous donations. On behalf of the teachers at Mango Grove Community School, whose salaries are paid from these proceeds, and the children who are receiving an education, daily meals, and much more, thank you so much. More photos below.
VERDICT EXPECTED: The verdict in the legal proceedings brought by the Mbebas against Mr. Sachika and the other village leaders is expected on July 14. We are trusting God to work through the judge to bring about His will.
Thank you for blessing the poor and oppressed of Grippis Farm with your prayers and your loving donations,
Tanya Brenneman
