Charity Musamba, Jubilee Zambia

Charity Musamba, the co-ordinator of Jubilee Zambia, speaks about the impact on her country of debt and unjust trade.

In October and November 2004, Charity Musamba of Jubilee Zambia spoke to packed meetings around the UK about the impact on Zambia's people of the crushing debt burden and unjust international trade rules. She also thanked debt campaigners for their efforts - and asked them to keep going. During her visit, hosted by Jubilee Debt Campaign and CAFOD, Charity spoke in ten locations around the country to audiences who included activists, politicians, media, community and religious leaders and diplomats.

Charity described the realities of life for the 8 million living in poverty in Zambia, and explained how trade injustice, debt repayments, and the conditions which the rich world attaches to debt relief all contribute to that poverty.

"Even after the year 2000, even as part of giving us debt relief, we still have the obligation to continue servicing debt. And every year, from the little resources that we have, from the little revenue that we earn from [exports] we still have to service our debts. And the cost per year ranges from about £80 to £135 million per year.

"This figure looks very small as I’m standing in England. But I can assure you, from the point of view of Zambia, we can provide better water facilities for certain communities using the money. We can also help the vulnerable children using this amount of money... We could use this amount of money to support those elderly parents who are looking after orphans. There’s a lot that we could use this money for. But because we are obliged to pay back, our government has no choice."

Charity went on to explain how conditions imposed in return for debt relief have included enforced privatisations, and a freeze on the wages of government employees - meaning that teachers are denied a living wage. But she also spoke of the benefits that limited debt cancellation has had so far, thanking debt campaigners, and asking them to keep up the work.

"Remember when you were campaigning for debt cancellation after the year 2000, that wasn’t in vain.... Let’s continue because, yes, the first step isn’t all that glorious, we didn’t get all we wanted, but a few things worked, and based on this, let’s work harder and we’ll get where we want to go."

www.jctr.org.zm/jubilee-zambia.htm