December 5, 2023
News
We have been working in Zambia for the past ten years, supporting different communities across the country and making a positive impact on their lives. Our work mainly targets the vulnerable people living in remote parts of Zambia. Helping them are our colleagues, including Clinton Fundulu, who works in the Meheba refugee settlement as a field officer. In the following article, Clinton shares his experience of working in rural Zambia.
My job is to create a supportive business environment for the people we support
Clinton Fundulu is one of the longest-serving employees at Caritas Czech Republic in Zambia. He began his journey as a Junior Field Officer, later transitioning to the role of Entrepreneurship Trainer, and currently works as a Business Development Officer.
His work includes, among other tasks, supporting communities in rural Zambia to start and improve their businesses. He also helps them to get their products or services to the market.
“My job is all about making it easier for people Caritas Czech Republic supports to do business. I work closely with them and run mentorship programmes for their businesses and value-addition centres,“ Clinton explains.
As a field officer at Caritas Czech Republic, Clinton has worked on five projects that help people in vulnerable situations to stand on their own feet. These projects focus on addressing issues like food insecurity, improving education, and supporting vocational and entrepreneurship training sponsorship programmes.
Challenges of being a field worker
Working in the rural areas of Zambia presents its own set of obstacles. Clinton has encountered hurdles like tricky road networks, lack of access to financial services for refugees, and the need for appropriate tools and machinery for agriculture.
Despite all these obstacles, Clinton still enjoys his job in the Meheba refugee settlement. “My life as a field worker at Caritas Czech Republic has been excellent and filled with positive moments. Despite challenges like communication issues and bad roads in the area I work in, being part of Caritas Czech Republic has helped me to adapt to my surroundings. I have gained valuable skills in problem-solving and documentation of our work. I have also learned many other approaches and skills as a field worker,” says Clinton. 
As a field worker, Clinton has seen the successes of young people supported under the Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Sponsorship Program (VETSP). Some of them are now working in the mines, and lodges, or have successfully started their businesses outside the refugee settlement. “I have witnessed significant changes in the lives of many youths. The women and girls we have supported are now independent and can care for themselves,” says Clinton.
Successes that Clinton has experienced as a field worker
Caritas Czech Republic has seen many successes in the activities carried out in the Meheba refugee settlement. Thanks to our support, several households have become self-reliant. Clinton uses different ways to measure our successes, such as monitoring, mentorship and using a case management database. He develops a community engagement plan through community meetings with block leaders, stakeholders, and church leaders. “I engage stakeholders and community leaders early and often through establishing and creating trust with community leaders and stakeholders. I regularly update them and give them feedback,” says Clinton.
Caritas Czech Republic's work in Meheba
Caritas Czech Republic in Zambia has been providing humanitarian and developmental aid in the Meheba refugee settlement since 2014. Our work mainly involves establishing sustainable and commercial tailoring production in Meheba Refugee Settlement through constructing and equipping tailoring workshops, improving the capacities of tailors and facilitating market linkages. We have also been working to enhance self-reliance for vulnerable people through sustainable and innovative livelihood interventions.
To ensure that all the refugees in Meheba refugee settlement are healthy, we have been running a project that aims to tackle food insecurity and malnutrition by promoting nutrition-dense crops in Mayukwayukwa Refugee Settlement, Zambia. We are also enhancing education in Meheba and the livelihoods of refugees and their host communities in Zambia. We also support vocational and entrepreneurship training sponsorship programs (VETSP) for refugees living in Meheba refugee settlement.
