Stand Up 2007 in Zambia

THE Stand Up Event in Zambia was well and extensively attended by various members of the civil society and local community. Despite the failure by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Representative to attend and flag off the match, the Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) Executive Dire ctor, Mulima Akapelwa, officiated on the day.

The day was flaunted by a number of civil society organizations, who also put up a number of their work for exhibition after the Stand Up Match Past. Among the organizations present at the exhibition were the Association for Women in Entrepreneurship, GCAP Zambia, One World Africa, the Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR), the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), the Kamoto Cultural Group, and Women in Sport, just to mention a few.

Stand Up in Lusaka was done on two days, October 16 and 17, and various primary and secondary schools took part including the country's highest institution of higher learning The University of Zambia (UNZA). Micah Challenge did Stand Up for one of the towns on the Copper belt Province of Zambia were 10, 000 people stood up.

Among the schools that took part in Standing Up in Lusaka are the Ng'ombe Project, Jesus Cares, Flying Angels Primary and Secondary Schools, Chainda Primary and Secondary Schools and the Aisha project.    

An encouraging feature of the Stand Up event in Zambia was the Standing Up of over 260 people in an area called Mazyopa (interpreted fear), whose houses were recently demolished in circumstances the authorities described as being an illegal settlement. The area has since experienced loss of life by the settlers due to various diseases that broke out after their houses were demolished.

This is also the area that was visited by the GCAP Coordinators and Media Personnel from across East and Southern during the Media Consultation and Mobilization Workshop that was held on October 2 -3 in Lusaka, Zambia.

The rest of the Stand Up Activities took place at the Arcades Shopping Mall and the University of Zambia grounds were various people got information on not only stand up and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) but also what other organizations were doing to fight poverty in various communities.

The following numbers were collected: Flying Angels (Primary) 850, Mazyopa                                                265, Flying Angels (Secondary) 120, Ngombe Project 558, Aisha Project                                          680, University of Zambia (UNZA) 7, 200, Micah Challenge (Ndola) 10, 000, Chainda                                                  640, Jesus Cares 1, 000 and Arcades 600.